Word
لطفاً یک لیمو به من بدهید.
Meaning
Please give me a lemon.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about لطفاً یک لیمو به من بدهید.
Why does the word for "please" (لطفاً) have those two little diagonal lines at the end?
Those two lines are a symbol called a tanvin. It is a feature borrowed from Arabic that adds an "an" sound to the end of the word. Because of this, لطفاً is pronounced "lotfan". You will see this "an" ending on quite a few common adverbs in Farsi!
Why is the verb بدهید used here instead of just بده?
بدهید (bedahid) is the formal imperative (command) form of the verb دادن (to give). Since you are saying "please" and asking for something, you are likely trying to be polite. Therefore, the formal "you" ending ـید (-id) is used instead of the informal, casual singular form بده (bedeh).
How exactly is the command form بدهید built?
To give a command in Farsi, you usually add the prefix بـ (be-) to the present stem of the verb. The present stem of دادن (to give) is ده (deh). When you combine the prefix بـ, the stem ده, and the polite "you" ending ـید (-id), you get بدهید (bedahid).
Does یک لیمو mean "one lemon" or "a lemon"?
It can mean both! The word یک (yek) literally means the number "one", but it is used all the time in Farsi just like the English indefinite articles "a" or "an". In everyday conversation, context tells you if the speaker is strictly emphasizing the number or just asking for a generic lemon.