Breakdown of شیشه توسط کارگرها ذوب میشود.
شدنshodan
to become
شیشهshishe
glass
کارگرkârgar
worker
توسطtavassot-e
by (agent)
Questions & Answers about شیشه توسط کارگرها ذوب میشود.
Why is the word tavassot-e used here to mean 'by'?
tavassot-e is used to introduce the 'agent' (the doer) in a passive sentence. It directly translates to 'by' in English. While spoken Persian often prefers active sentences, using tavassot-e is common in formal writing, news, or technical descriptions like this one about glassmaking.
Could we use be vasile-ye instead of tavassot-e here?
You technically can, as both mean 'by' or 'by means of' when introducing an agent. However, tavassot-e is usually preferred for people (like kargar-ha, the workers). be vasile-ye translates more closely to 'by means of' or 'via' and sounds much more natural when the agent is a tool, machine, or inanimate object.
How do we know zob mishavad is passive here and not just 'the glass is melting' on its own?
Many transitive compound verbs use kardan (like zob kardan, to melt something). To make them passive, you swap kardan with shodan (to become), giving us zob shodan (to be melted). While it can sometimes just mean 'to melt' on its own, the presence of the agent marker tavassot-e proves it is a true passive voice here: the glass is being melted by someone.
I have seen words for professions pluralized with -an. Why is it kargar-ha instead of kargaran?
Both are entirely correct! The suffix -an is specifically for living things and sounds a bit more formal or literary. The suffix can be used for absolutely anything (living or non-living) and is the most common, versatile way to make plurals in both spoken and standard written Persian.