2.7 Grammar: Yes/No Questions
آیا
In English, we move the auxiliary verb at the beginning of a sentence to form a yes/no question. Unlike English, in Persian, the word آیا is used at the beginning of a sentence to form a yes/no question. آیا does not have any meaning in a yes/no question. It is just a marker that tells us that the sentence is a yes/no question. However, elsewhere آیا can mean ” Whether, if.”
Note: Native speakers of Persian also drop the آیا at the beginning of the yes/no question and use stress on the predicate to express yes/no question like in English.
Simply, آیا forms a yes-or-no question. Any question that can be answered with “yes” or “no” can be formed with آیا, which covers questions that might be worded a number of ways in English. So yes, آیا دکتر آنجا است؟ is correct.
Example:
آیا شما دانشجو هستی؟ (Are you a student?/Whether you are student?)
- بله من دانشجو هستم (Yes, I am a student.)
- نه من دانشجو نیستم. (No. I am not a student.)
Structure
| Type of Sentence | Subject, Subject Pronoun | Verb | Object | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English |
simple sentence | you | are | a student. |
| interrogative | are | you | a student? |
| Type of Sentence | Ayaa + Subject, Subject Pronoun | Object | Subject | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persian |
simple sentence | you | a student | are |
| interrogative | ayaa + you | a student | are |
Negative Sentence Structure
In order to make a negative sentence, we have to add ن to the beginning of the verb. If the verb beings with the vowels â, a, o, u then a -y- is added after na-:
| Positive Verb | Negative Verb | |
|---|---|---|
| Persian | هستم | نیستم |
| English | am | am not |
Activities 1
Please change the following sentences to negative:
Activities 2
Now you know how to change a simple Persian sentence into negative, yes/no question, and yes/no question + negative. Please fill the following table as instructed.
Activity 3
Please fill in the blanks with suitable object to form five sentences with each pronoun given below. You can use the vocabulary list in this chapter or dictionary for any help that you need to complete this activity.
Key Takeaways
- You can ask and answer yes/no questions in positive and negative.
!سپاس
