Question 1

Why is the verb رخ داد (rokh dād) in the simple past instead of the subjunctive?

Accepted Answer

You might be used to seeing the subjunctive after اینکه (inke). However, when we use بعد از اینکه (ba'd az inke) to talk about a sequence of events that already completely happened in the past, we use an indicative past tense (like the simple past or past perfect). Since the explosion is a completed historical fact here, we use the simple past رخ داد.

Question 2

Why do we need to say بعد از اینکه (ba'd az inke) instead of just بعد از (ba'd az)?

Accepted Answer

بعد از (ba'd az) is a preposition that can only be followed by a noun or a noun phrase, like in بعد از ناهار (after lunch). Because "the explosion occurred" is a full clause with its own conjugated verb, you have to add اینکه (inke) to turn "after" into a conjunction that connects two full clauses.

Question 3

What makes up the compound verb رخ داد (rokh dād)?

Accepted Answer

It comes from the infinitive رخ دادن (rokh dādan), which means "to occur" or "to happen." It literally translates to "to give face." Here, انفجار (the explosion) is a singular "it", so we use the third-person singular past tense of the verb دادن (to give), which is داد (dād).

Question 4

The word مردم (mardom) doesn't have a plural suffix. Why does its verb آمدند (āmadand) have the plural ending ـند (-nd)?

Accepted Answer

مردم (mardom) is a collective noun meaning "people." It is inherently plural in meaning, so it doesn't need a plural suffix like ـها (-hā). However, because it refers to a group of humans, Farsi grammar requires the verb to agree in the plural, which is why we use آمدند (they came) instead of the singular آمد.

بعد از اینکه انفجار رخ داد، مردم به خیابان آمدند.

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