اکبره پیداش نشد

English translation: Hasn't this lad John turned up yet?

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Persian (Farsi) term or phrase:اکبره پیداش نشد
English translation:Hasn't this lad John turned up yet?
Entered by: Ali Beikian

15:40 Jun 25, 2010
Persian (Farsi) to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Linguistics / Gilbert Lazard's "Grammaire du persan contemporaire"
Persian (Farsi) term or phrase: اکبره پیداش نشد
Greetings,

Here's an example sentence from Gilbert Lazard:

اکبره پیداش نشد؟

It's translated as "Hasn't Akbar turned up".

But please could you explain the ه at the end of اکبره? I wonder if it has anything to do with the definite article (still very colloquial) which seems to be developing e.g. من یواشکی رفتم تو باغ، پشت کاج بزرگه واسادم.

“The Akbar” would be strange, although they do use definite articles with names in Greek, for example. Perhaps “that Akbar”, “that particular Akbar”?

Best wishes

Simon
SeiTT
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:58
Hasn't this lad John turned up yet?
Explanation:
"ه" in the sentence "اکبره پیداش نشد؟" is not an article. It is a suffix which shows lack of respect for someone or something that you think is stupid or worthless.
However, "ه' in such phrases as "زنه", "کاج بزرگه", etc. functions as a definite article in colloquial Persian.



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Note added at 39 mins (2010-06-25 16:19:18 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Sorry, it must be "Akbar"!
Hasn't this lad Akbar turned up yet?
Selected response from:

Ali Beikian
Iran
Local time: 17:28
Grading comment
many thanks excellent
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +4Hasn't this lad John turned up yet?
Ali Beikian
5Hasn't Akbar turned up
Salman Rostami
5Hasn't this Akbar guy show/turn up?
Behnam Paran


  

Answers


15 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
Hasn't Akbar turned up


Explanation:
We mostly use ک and ه to play-down a Person. It is called تصغیر in Farsi and Arabic, so ک and ه are called "ک تصغیر" and "ه تصغیر" respectively.

There is not a huge difference between "اکبر پیداش نشد" and "اکبره پیداش نشد" but the second sentence is more colloquial and has a sense of play-down or reducing the value or importance of Akbar.

It is not an article!

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Note added at 18 mins (2010-06-25 15:59:03 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

For example:

If you are a car owner whose car was stolen and the car was important for you, you would not say ماشینه پیدا نشد and say ماشین پیدا نشد.

But when you are not the car owner and it is not important for you, while talking with a friend about this story, you will say: ماشینه پیدا نشد

Salman Rostami
Canada
Local time: 06:58
Native speaker of: Native in Persian (Farsi)Persian (Farsi)
PRO pts in category: 4
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

23 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
Hasn't this Akbar guy show/turn up?


Explanation:
This informal use of the definite article after a proper noun is similar to "this ... guy", "this ... woman", etc.


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 28 mins (2010-06-25 16:08:10 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Sorry about the misspelling in the title; it should've been "Hasn't this Akbar guy showed/turned up?"

Example sentence(s):
  • This Tannis woman will be the death of you. این زنه تنیس/این تنیسه آخرش تو رو به کشتن میده.
Behnam Paran
Local time: 17:28
Native speaker of: Native in Persian (Farsi)Persian (Farsi)
PRO pts in category: 4
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

38 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +4
Hasn't this lad John turned up yet?


Explanation:
"ه" in the sentence "اکبره پیداش نشد؟" is not an article. It is a suffix which shows lack of respect for someone or something that you think is stupid or worthless.
However, "ه' in such phrases as "زنه", "کاج بزرگه", etc. functions as a definite article in colloquial Persian.



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 39 mins (2010-06-25 16:19:18 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Sorry, it must be "Akbar"!
Hasn't this lad Akbar turned up yet?

Ali Beikian
Iran
Local time: 17:28
Native speaker of: Native in Persian (Farsi)Persian (Farsi)
PRO pts in category: 16
Grading comment
many thanks excellent

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Armineh Johannes: armineh johannes
1 hr
  -> Thank you very much!

agree  Farokh Bastan
1 hr
  -> Thank you very much, Sir!

agree  Mahmoud Farsiani
10 hrs
  -> Thank you very much, Sir!

agree  Reza Rostamzadeh Khosroshahi
18 hrs
  -> Thank you very much, Sir!
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