Breakdown of او گفت که قالیها با روش دستی بافته میشدند.
او
he/she
باbâ
with
گفتنgoftan
to say / to tell
کهke
that (conjunction)
شدنshodan
to become
قالیqâli
carpet
روشravesh
method
دستیdasti
manual
بافتنbâftan
to weave
Questions & Answers about او گفت که قالیها با روش دستی بافته میشدند.
How is the past continuous passive formed in bāfte mi-shodand?
It is built using the past participle of the main verb (bāfte, from the verb bāftan, meaning to weave) followed by the past continuous form of the auxiliary verb shodan (to become/to be). Here, mi-shodand is the 3rd person plural to match the subject, giving us the meaning "they used to be woven" or "they were being woven."
qāli-hā (carpets) is an inanimate plural. Shouldn't the verb be the singular mi-shod instead of the plural mi-shodand?
You are remembering a great rule! In Farsi, inanimate plurals very often take singular verbs. However, it is also perfectly correct to use a plural verb for them. Using the plural mi-shodand here makes the sentence sound slightly more formal, or it can emphasize the individual carpets being woven. Both mi-shod and mi-shodand would be totally natural in this sentence.
Why does the sentence use the phrase bā ravesh-e dasti instead of a single word for "manually"?
Farsi frequently translates English adverbs using descriptive phrases. bā ravesh-e dasti literally translates to "with a manual method" (ravesh means method, and dasti is the adjective for hand/manual). They are connected by the ezafe (the hidden "e" sound). While you could simply say bā dast (by hand), bā ravesh-e dasti sounds more technical and descriptive of a manufacturing process.
Could bāfte mi-shodand also mean "were being woven" at a specific moment?
Yes, absolutely! The Farsi past continuous tense handles both ongoing past actions (what was happening at a specific moment) and habitual past actions (what used to happen regularly). The Farsi verb form is exactly the same for both. Context tells us whether it means "they were being woven (when I walked in)" or "they used to be woven (back in the old days)."
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