Breakdown of هر شمشیر برای پادشاه ساخته میشد.
برایbarâye
for
هرhar
every
شدنshodan
to become
ساختنsâkhtan
to build
پادشاهpâdeshâh
king
شمشیرshamshir
sword
Questions & Answers about هر شمشیر برای پادشاه ساخته میشد.
How do we know this verb is in the past continuous passive rather than the simple past passive?
The verb is ساخته میشد (sākhte mi-shod). The passive voice combines the past participle of the main verb (ساخته, "made") with a form of the helper verb شدن (shodan, "to become"). The prefix می (mi-) makes the helper verb past continuous (میشد), meaning "used to be made." A simple past passive ("was made") would drop the می and just be ساخته شد (sākhte shod).
Why is شمشیر (shamshir) singular here if we are talking about all the king's swords?
In Farsi, the word هر (har), meaning "every" or "each," is strictly followed by a singular noun. So, you must say هر شمشیر (har shamshir) rather than using the plural شمشیرها (shamshir-hā), which perfectly matches the English rule for "every sword."
Could ساخته میشد also translate to "was being made"?
Yes! The Farsi past continuous covers both habitual past actions ("used to be made") and ongoing past actions ("was being made"). You rely on the context of the conversation to tell whether they are talking about a general tradition for the king or one specific moment when swords were actively being forged.
What is the infinitive for the verb "made" in this sentence, and is it only used for forging?
The past participle ساخته (sākhte) comes from the infinitive ساختن (sākhtan). It is not limited to forging metal; it is a very general verb meaning "to make," "to build," or "to construct." You can use it for building a house, making a toy, or manufacturing goods.
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