وقتی آسانسور کار نمیکند، پدرم از پله ها میرود.

وقتی means when. It introduces a time clause:

• وقتی آسانسور کار نمی‌کند = when the elevator doesn’t work

So the whole sentence is structured like this:

• When the elevator doesn’t work, my father takes the stairs.

In Persian, it is very common to put the when-clause first, just like in English.

Literally, کار کردن means to work or to function.

So:

• آسانسور کار می‌کند = the elevator works / is functioning
• آسانسور کار نمی‌کند = the elevator doesn’t work / isn’t working

This is a very common way in Persian to say that a machine, device, or system is functioning or not functioning.

Examples:

• تلویزیون کار نمی‌کند = The TV doesn’t work
• تلفنم کار نمی‌کند = My phone doesn’t work

The نـ at the beginning makes the verb negative.

So:

• می‌کند = he/she does
• نمی‌کند = he/she does not do

In کار نمی‌کند, the full idea is does not function.

The part می‌ is part of the present tense pattern, and نـ is added before it for negation.

You may also see it written less carefully as نمیکند, but the standard spelling is:

• نمی‌کند

with a short joiner called a half-space between می and the verb.

The standard spelling is:

• می‌رود

This contains:

• می‌ = present/imperfective marker
• رود = from the verb رفتن (to go)

In less formal typing, people often write:

• میرود

But standard Persian spelling uses the half-space:

• می‌رود

The same thing applies to نمی‌کند.

پدرم means my father.

It is made from:

• پدر = father
• ـم = my

So Persian often attaches possessive endings directly to the noun:

• پدرم = my father
• پدرت = your father
• پدرش = his/her father

This is very common in Persian and is much more natural than using a separate word for my in many cases.

Usually از means from, but in some expressions it can also help express the route or means by which someone goes.

So:

• از پله‌ها می‌رود literally means something like he goes by way of the stairs
• natural English: he takes the stairs or he goes by the stairs

This is a common Persian structure.

Compare:

• از در وارد شد = He entered through the door
• از این راه برو = Go by this way

So in this sentence, از is showing the path/route.

Because پله means step or stair, and Persian often uses the plural form when referring to the stairs as a whole:

• پله = step
• پله‌ها = steps / stairs

So:

• از پله‌ها می‌رود = he takes the stairs

This is similar to English, where we usually say the stairs, not the stair, when talking about a staircase.

Yes, the standard spelling is:

• پله‌ها

with a half-space before ها.

The ending ها is the regular plural marker in Persian. In informal typing, many people write it with a normal space:

• پله ها

But in standard writing, it should be:

• پله‌ها

Both are understood, but پله‌ها is the correct formal spelling.

It is in the present tense, but the meaning is more like a habitual or general statement.

So the sentence means something like:

• Whenever the elevator doesn’t work, my father takes the stairs.

It is not necessarily talking about only one specific moment right now. It can describe a usual pattern or repeated behavior.

That is very common in Persian with می‌ verbs:

• می‌رود = goes / is going
• نمی‌کند = does not work / is not working

The exact English translation depends on context.

Persian normally follows Subject–Object–Verb order, and the verb often comes at the end of the clause.

Here:

• پدرم = my father
• از پله‌ها = by the stairs / the stairs
• می‌رود = goes

So the Persian order is:

• My father the stairs takes/goes

That is normal for Persian.

The same thing happens in the first clause:

• آسانسور = the elevator
• کار نمی‌کند = does not work

So learners should get used to verbs appearing late, especially at the end of clauses.

A careful pronunciation would be approximately:

• vaqti âsânsor kâr nemikonad, pedaram az pelle-hâ miravad

In more natural everyday speech, it may sound closer to:

• vaghti âsânsor kâr nemikone, pedaram az pellehâ mire

A few notes:

• وقتی is often pronounced vaghti
• نمی‌کند in spoken Persian is often nemikone
• می‌رود in spoken Persian is often mire

So written Persian and spoken Persian are often a little different.

Yes, but in conversation it would usually sound more colloquial.

The written sentence is perfectly good, but everyday spoken Persian would more likely be:

• وقتی آسانسور کار نمی‌کنه، پدرم از پله‌ها می‌ره.

This is the same meaning, but with spoken forms:

• نمی‌کند → نمی‌کنه
• می‌رود → می‌ره

So the original sentence is correct and natural, especially in writing, while the colloquial version is what you are likely to hear in speech.

Yes. A very common alternative is:

• پدرم از پله‌ها بالا می‌رود = My father goes up the stairs
• پدرم از پله‌ها پایین می‌رود = My father goes down the stairs

If the direction matters, Persian often includes بالا (up) or پایین (down).

Without those words, از پله‌ها می‌رود simply means he goes via the stairs, or takes the stairs, without emphasizing direction.

Yes. The comma after the first clause is helpful:

• وقتی آسانسور کار نمی‌کند، پدرم از پله‌ها می‌رود.

Just like in English, a comma often separates an introductory when-clause from the main clause.

It is not always absolutely necessary in casual writing, but it is good style and makes the sentence easier to read.