Learn Farsi: کیسه‌ی این جاروبرقی قابل شست‌وشو است. - The bag of this vacuum cleaner is washable.

The word qâbel means capable of or worthy of. To translate the English suffix -able, Farsi uses qâbel-e followed by a noun or an infinitive. Here, it is followed by the noun shost-o-shu (washing) to mean washable.

Could I use the regular infinitive shostan instead of shost-o-shu here?

Yes, you can say qâbel-e shostan and it means exactly the same thing. However, using the compound noun shost-o-shu sounds very natural and idiomatic in everyday Farsi when talking about household items that need washing.

How is the word shost-o-shu formed?

It is a compound noun made by combining the past stem shost (washed), the conjunction o (and), and the present stem shu (wash). This pattern is a common way to form abstract nouns describing an ongoing activity, similar to goft-o-gu (conversation).

What is the literal translation of the word for vacuum cleaner, jârubarqi?

It is a simple combination of jâru (broom) and barqi (electric). So, a vacuum cleaner is literally an electric broom.

Is there an unwritten Ezafe linking qâbel to the next word?

Yes, this passive capability construction always requires an Ezafe, so it is pronounced qâbel-e shost-o-shu. Because the word ends in a consonant, this Ezafe is just heard in speech and not written in the standard Farsi script.