Breakdown of ตำรวจ บอก ว่า เขา ไม่ ได้ กระทำ ผิด
เขา
he, she, they
ไม่
not
ตำรวจ
police officer
ว่า
that (conjunction)
บอก
to tell
ได้
got to (do)
ผิด
wrong
กระทำ
to do, to commit (formal)
Questions & Answers about ตำรวจ บอก ว่า เขา ไม่ ได้ กระทำ ผิด
Why do we need the word ว่า after บอก?
In this sentence, ว่า acts just like the English word "that" to introduce reported speech. บอก means "to tell" or "to say", so บอกว่า means "to say that". You will often see ว่า used to link clauses after verbs of speaking, thinking, or feeling.
I learned that ไม่ได้ means "cannot". Why does the translation say "did not"?
The meaning of ไม่ได้ changes completely depending on its position in a sentence. When ไม่ได้ is placed before the main verb (like it is here, before กระทำ), it negates the past tense, meaning "did not". If it is placed after the verb, it means "cannot".
What is the difference between กระทำ and the simpler word for "do", ทำ?
กระทำ is a more formal and official-sounding version of ทำ. You will frequently encounter it in news reports, legal contexts, and official statements. Because this sentence involves the police and a potential crime, the formal กระทำ is the most natural choice.
Is กระทำผิด a set phrase?
Yes. While ผิด simply means "wrong" or "incorrect", pairing it with an action verb creates a specific formal phrase. กระทำผิด (or ทำผิด in everyday speech) translates to "to commit an offense", "to break the law", or "to do wrong".
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