تو دیروز به بازار رفتی یا در خانه بودی؟

Did you go to the market yesterday, or were you at home?

Breakdown of تو دیروز به بازار رفتی یا در خانه بودی؟

• بودن: to be
• یا: or
• به: to
• رفتن: to go
• تو: you
• خانه: house/home
• دیروز: yesterday
• بازار: market
• در: in/at

Questions & Answers about تو دیروز به بازار رفتی یا در خانه بودی؟

What does تو mean here, and do I have to include it?

تو means you (singular, informal). It’s very common in speech, especially for emphasis or clarity, but it’s also often omitted because the verb ending already shows the person.
You can say: دیروز به بازار رفتی یا در خانه بودی؟ and it still means the same thing.

Why is دیروز placed after تو? Could it go somewhere else?

Yes. دیروز (yesterday) is an adverb of time and is flexible in Persian. Common placements include:

• تو دیروز به بازار رفتی یا در خانه بودی؟
• دیروز تو به بازار رفتی یا در خانه بودی؟
• تو به بازار رفتی یا در خانه بودی دیروز؟ (possible, but less natural)

Most often, time words come early in the sentence.

What does به mean in به بازار?

به is a preposition meaning to (direction/destination).
So به بازار رفتی literally means you went to the bazaar/market.

Why is it به بازار and not در بازار?

Because the verb رفتن (to go) typically takes a destination with به (to).

• به بازار رفتی = you went to the market (destination)
• در بازار بودی = you were in the market (location)

In your sentence, the first option is about going somewhere; the second option is about being somewhere.

What verb form is رفتی?

رفتی is the simple past, 2nd person singular of رفتن (to go).

• infinitive: رفتن
• past stem: رفت-
• ending for you (singular): -ی
  So: رفت + ی = رفتی (you went)

What verb form is بودی?

بودی is the simple past, 2nd person singular of بودن (to be): you were.
It’s formed from بود- + -ی → بودی.

Why is there no را in this sentence?

را marks a (specific) direct object. Here, بازار isn’t a direct object; it’s the destination of رفتن, introduced by به. So را is not used.
(You’d see را with direct objects like کتاب را دیدی = you saw the book.)

How does یا work here? Is this a normal yes/no question?

یا means or and sets up a choice:
… رفتی یا … بودی؟ = Did you go … or were you …?
It’s mainly an either/or question, so a natural answer is one of the options (e.g., به بازار رفتم / در خانه بودم), not just yes/no.

Can Persian drop the subject the way Spanish does? (Like leaving out تو)

Yes. Persian commonly drops subject pronouns because the verb ending shows who it is.
So رفتی already implies you went, and بودی implies you were.

How would I say this more politely or formally?

Use شما and the plural/formal verb endings: شما دیروز به بازار رفتید یا در خانه بودید؟
This can mean you (plural) or you (singular, polite) depending on context.

Is this sentence more written or spoken? Are there more colloquial alternatives?

It’s neutral and fine in both. In casual speech, people might shorten or adjust it, for example:

• دیروز رفتی بازار یا خونه بودی؟ (very colloquial; خانه → خونه, and به is often dropped in speech) The version you gave is perfectly standard and clear.

How do I negate the verbs if I want to say “you didn’t go” / “you weren’t”?

Negation in the simple past uses نـ:

• نرفتی = you didn’t go
• نبودی = you weren’t
  So you could ask: دیروز به بازار نرفتی یا در خانه نبودی؟ (This sounds like you expect one of those to be true; often you’d rephrase depending on your intent.)