Breakdown of او گفت که قالیها با روش دستی بافته میشدند.
او
he/she
باbâ
with
گفتنgoftan
to say / to tell
کهke
that (conjunction)
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?