Learn Farsi: قبل از اینترنت، هر پیام با پیک فرستاده می‌شد. - Before the internet, every message used to be sent by courier.

It combines the past participle of the main verb (فرستاده from فرستادن, meaning 'sent') with the past continuous of شدن (to become). Since the subject is singular, we use می‌شد. Together, it translates to 'used to be sent' or 'was being sent'.

Why do we use با (with) instead of توسط (by) to say 'by courier'?

While توسط is the formal way to introduce the agent in a passive sentence, با is very common and natural in everyday Farsi for tools, methods, or intermediaries like a courier (پیک).

Why are the noun پیام and the verb می‌شد both singular if we are talking about multiple messages in the past?

In Farsi, the word هر (every/each) must always be followed by a singular noun. Because the subject هر پیام (every message) is grammatically singular, the verb must also be in the third-person singular form.

Is پیک an old-fashioned word for messenger?

Not at all! While it historically means messenger or herald, in modern Iran پیک is the standard, everyday word for a delivery courier, especially the motorcycle couriers who deliver food, documents, and packages.