Breakdown of اگر پدرتان بیمار است، باید به دکتر بروید.
Questions & Answers about اگر پدرتان بیمار است، باید به دکتر بروید.
What does اگر do in this sentence?
اگر means if. It introduces the condition:
اگر پدرتان بیمار است = if your father is sick
So the sentence has two parts:
- اگر پدرتان بیمار است = the condition
- باید به دکتر بروید = the result or advice
This works very much like English if.
Why is پدرتان one word, and what does -تان mean?
پدرتان is made of:
- پدر = father
- -تان = your
So پدرتان means your father.
The ending -تان is used for:
- your when speaking to more than one person
- your when speaking to one person formally/politely
That is why this sentence sounds polite or formal.
A less formal singular version would be:
- پدرت = your father (informal singular)
Is this sentence talking to one person or more than one person?
Grammatically, it could be either:
- formal singular: speaking politely to one person
- plural: speaking to more than one person
That is because both -تان in پدرتان and بروید can be either formal singular or plural.
So without more context, the sentence could mean either:
- speaking politely to one person: If your father is sick, you should go to the doctor
- speaking to several people: If your father is sick, you all should go to the doctor
Usually context tells you which one is meant.
Why does the sentence say بیمار است and not just بیمار?
بیمار means sick/ill, but in a full sentence Persian usually uses the verb to be as well:
- پدرتان بیمار است = your father is sick
Here:
- بیمار = sick
- است = is
In informal spoken Persian, people often drop است and just say:
- پدرتون بیماره or پدرتون بیمارِ
But in careful written Persian, بیمار است is completely normal.
What is the difference between است and هست?
Both relate to to be, but they are not always used in exactly the same way.
In this sentence, است is the normal choice:
- پدرتان بیمار است
Why? Because Persian often uses است after adjectives and nouns in standard written language.
هست can also mean is/exists, but it often feels more emphatic or existential depending on context. For a beginner, the safest takeaway is:
- after an adjective like بیمار, است is the standard written form
- in speech, this is often reduced to -ه
So this sentence is natural and standard.
What does باید mean, and does it change for different subjects?
باید means must, should, or have to, depending on context.
In this sentence, it means something like should:
- باید به دکتر بروید = you should go to the doctor
A useful point: باید itself does not usually change for person or number. Instead, the verb after it shows the subject:
- باید بروم = I should go
- باید بروی = you should go (informal singular)
- باید بروید = you should go (formal singular or plural)
So باید stays the same, and بروید tells you who is supposed to go.
Why is it بروید after باید? Why not میروید?
After باید, Persian normally uses the subjunctive/prescriptive form of the verb, not the ordinary present indicative.
So:
- بروید = that you go / go
- میروید = you go / you are going
After باید, the correct structure is:
- باید + subjunctive
Examples:
- باید بروم = I should go
- باید بروی = you should go
- باید بروید = you should go
- باید برود = he/she should go
So باید به دکتر بروید is correct because بروید is the expected form after باید.
Why is there به before دکتر?
به often means to.
So:
- به دکتر = to the doctor
In Persian, رفتن (to go) often takes به before a destination:
- به مدرسه رفتن = to go to school
- به خانه رفتن = to go home
- به دکتر رفتن = to go to the doctor
In everyday speech, some people also say پیش دکتر:
- پیش دکتر بروید = go to the doctor / go see the doctor
Both are common, but به دکتر بروید is understandable and standard.
Why is there no word for the before doctor?
Persian does not have a definite article like English the.
So دکتر can mean:
- doctor
- the doctor
- a doctor
The exact meaning depends on context.
In this sentence, به دکتر بروید naturally means go to the doctor or go see a doctor. Persian often leaves this kind of definiteness unstated.
If you wanted to make it clearly indefinite in casual speech, you might say:
- یه دکتر = a doctor
But in this sentence, just دکتر is perfectly natural.
Who is supposed to go to the doctor here: you or your father?
Literally, the verb says you should go:
- بروید = you go / you should go
So the sentence literally means:
- If your father is sick, you should go to the doctor
That may sound slightly odd in English, because English might more naturally say:
- If your father is sick, he should go to the doctor or
- If your father is sick, you should take him to the doctor
So this is a very reasonable learner question.
If the intended meaning is your father should go, Persian would more clearly say:
- اگر پدرتان بیمار است، باید به دکتر برود.
If the intended meaning is you should take him to the doctor, Persian could say:
- اگر پدرتان بیمار است، باید او را پیش دکتر ببرید.
So the original sentence is grammatically fine, but the exact intended meaning depends on context.
Can the order of the two clauses be reversed?
Yes. Persian can also put the main clause first and the if clause after it.
So these are both possible:
- اگر پدرتان بیمار است، باید به دکتر بروید.
- باید به دکتر بروید اگر پدرتان بیمار است.
However, the first version is more natural and common, especially in writing:
- If your father is sick, you should go to the doctor.
Putting the if clause first makes the logic clearer.
Is the comma necessary?
The comma is helpful, especially in writing, because it separates the if-clause from the main clause:
- اگر پدرتان بیمار است، باید به دکتر بروید.
In Persian punctuation, the comma is often used similarly to English in sentences like this. In informal writing, people may sometimes omit it, but using it here is normal and clear.
How would this sentence sound in more informal spoken Persian?
A common informal spoken version might be:
- اگه پدرتون بیماره، باید برید دکتر.
Changes:
- اگر → اگه = informal if
- پدرتان → پدرتون = informal spoken your father
- بیمار است → بیماره = spoken is sick
- بروید → برید = spoken form of you go
So the written sentence is more formal and standard, while the spoken version sounds more everyday and conversational.
Could I also say پدر شما instead of پدرتان?
Yes. Both can mean your father:
- پدرتان
- پدر شما
But they are not exactly identical in feel.
- پدرتان is compact and very natural
- پدر شما can sound a bit more explicit or slightly more formal/emphatic depending on context
In many everyday situations, پدرتان is the more natural choice.
So this sentence could also be written as:
- اگر پدر شما بیمار است، باید به دکتر بروید.
But پدرتان is smoother and more idiomatic here.
More from this lesson
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning FarsiMaster Farsi — from اگر پدرتان بیمار است، باید به دکتر بروید to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions