Breakdown of علاوه بر این، بافندگان ساعتها پشت دار قالی مینشینند.
این
this
پشتposht
behind
ساعتsâ'at
o'clock (the hour)
نشستنneshastan
to sit
Questions & Answers about علاوه بر این، بافندگان ساعتها پشت دار قالی مینشینند.
Why does the sentence say weavers sit پشت (behind) the loom rather than "at" the loom?
In Farsi, you sit پشت (behind) a workstation, instrument, or piece of equipment. This is similar to how English speakers sit "behind" the wheel of a car. You will frequently see this preposition used for sitting at a desk (پشت میز) or working at a computer.
How exactly is the word بافندگان (weavers) constructed?
It is built from the present stem of بافتن (to weave), which is باف. Adding the agent suffix ـنده (-andeh) creates the noun بافنده (weaver). To make it plural for humans in formal or written Farsi, we add the suffix ـان (-ân). Because بافنده ends in a silent "heh," the plural ending shifts to ـگان (-gân) for easier pronunciation, giving us بافندگان.
I learned previously that دار means "tree" or "gallows." Why does it mean "loom" here?
The word دار (dâr) is an old Persian root originally referring to "wood," "pole," or "tree." Over time, it came to describe large wooden frames or structures in general, which perfectly describes a traditional rug weaver's loom (دار قالی).
Why isn't there a Farsi equivalent for the word "for" before ساعتها (for hours)?
When expressing the duration of an action, Farsi typically omits the preposition. Words indicating periods of time, like ساعتها (hours) or روزها (days), act directly as adverbs of time without needing an equivalent to the English word "for."