Armenian grammar
Armenian grammar explained in plain words. No grammatical gender, stress almost always on the last syllable, many recognizable loanwords. What is harder: a brand-new alphabet and aspirated consonants English does not have.
Notes
- 📐The verb 'to be': em, es, eArmenian states the linker wherever English hides it in a contraction. 'I'm fine' — Ես լավ եմ, word for word 'I fine…
- 📐The ending -ը / -ն: Armenian's own 'the'Plain 'coffee' is սուրճ. The coffee you have already been talking about is սուրճը: being definite rides on an ending…
- 📐Present tense: -ում + the linkerTo say 'I read', take the verb stem, add -ում and put the linker beside it: կարդում եմ.
- 📐Negation: the prefix չ-Negation is the prefix չ- stuck to the linker, and the linker then jumps in front of the verb. Հասկանում եմ, I…
- 📐A question without 'do': the mark ՞A question is not marked at the end of the phrase. The sign ՞ sits right above the stressed vowel of the word you are…
- 📐Plurals: -եր / -ներA one-syllable word takes -եր, a longer one takes -ներ: միրգ becomes մրգեր, fruit; ուսանող becomes ուսանողներ, students.
- 📐Pricer and cheaper: one word, ավելիEnglish reshapes the adjective: cheap, cheaper, cheapest. Armenian leaves it alone and puts ավելի in front: թանկ →…
- 📐Where? The -ում ending and one verb trap'In the room', 'in the kitchen', 'in the city' — Armenian needs no preposition here. The word simply takes -ում: սենյակ…
- 📐Գլուխս ցավում է: your body without the word 'my'To complain to a doctor you need a habit English lacks: the owner is glued onto the word. գլուխ is a head in general…
- 📐It was cold yesterday: the past with one swapTo move a story into the past, leave the verb alone. The -ում form stays as it was; only the linker changes: եմ → էի…
- 📐A request, not an order: -եք, -իր, and the sneaky մի'Fill in', 'wait', 'explain' — all built the same way. Cut -ել/-ալ off the verb and add -եք for polite 'you' or -իր for…
- 📐Վաղը կգնամ: the future in one letter'Tomorrow I'll go', 'I'll call you', 'we'll order' — all of it takes one letter. Glue կ- to the front of the verb and…
- 📐Ինձ տուր: to whom and whomFor 'give me', 'I'll call you', 'he is waiting for us' the pronoun changes shape completely. All six shift: ես → ինձ…
- 📐Ճամպրուկը or ճամպրուկ: where -ը is neededThe tail that means 'that very one' goes on the back: -ը after a consonant, -ն after a vowel. ճամպրուկ → ճամպրուկը, but…
- 📐One ending or two: -եր and -ներArmenian picks the plural by the length of the word. One syllable takes -եր, longer words take -ներ: ծառ → ծառեր, տոմս…
- 📐Պետք է, կարող եմ: have to, can, worth it'I have to go', 'may I look?', 'it is worth trying' — three everyday frames. Each is followed by the same verb form…
- 📐Այս, այդ, այն: three 'this' instead of twoEnglish sorts things into 'this' near me and 'that' not near me. Armenian sorts them into three, and not by distance…
- 📐Իմ հեռախոսը and հեռախոսս: two ways to say 'my''My phone' can be said two ways, and both are right. The first feels familiar: a separate word in front — իմ, քո, նրա…
- 📐Շատ, բավական, չափազանց: exactly how muchBetween 'good' and 'too good' lies a short scale. On the left քիչ, little: քիչ եմ քնում, I sleep little. Next բավական…
- 📐Ցուրտ է: the sentence with nobody in it'It's cold', 'it's late', 'it's hot' — English props these up with a dummy 'it'. Armenian has nothing to prop: the…
- 📐Որ, որովհետև, եթե, երբ: two thoughts in one sentence'Tell him that I'm running late', 'he didn't come because he was sick' — such sentences need conjunctions. The…
- 📐Ամենալավը and լավագույնը: two 'bests'To say 'the most', glue ամենա- onto the front with no space: ամենալավ ուսանողը, the best student.
- 📐Շատ գիրք, մի քանի օր, մոտ հազար դրամ: exactly how manyAfter a word that says how much, the noun stays singular. Շատ գիրք is many books, not 'գրքեր'. Տասը տարի — ten years.…
- 📐Այնքան վատ, որքան երեկ: comparing whole situations, not wordsYou can compare whole situations, not just single words: 'today is not as bad as yesterday'. Armenian does it with…
- 📐Կուզենայի: how to say 'I would''I would like', 'I could check', 'it would be good' — all three take the prefix կ-. It goes on the past form of the…
- 📐Այն բնակարանը, որ վարձեցինք: how the words around a noun line upEverything that describes a noun stands to its left, and the noun closes the group. The adjective itself never changes…
- 📐Ստիպված էի, կարելի էր: have to and can in yesterday and tomorrowTo move 'have to' and 'may' into yesterday or tomorrow, you leave those words alone. The linker beside them moves…
- 📐Ասաց, որ կգա: other people's words in your mouthTo pass on someone's words, you do not shift the tense: it stays put. Ասաց՝ «Կգամ» becomes Ասաց, որ կգա. A future stays…
- 📐Դիմումն ընդունվեց: one letter -վ- and nobody actingThe language of offices rests on one insert: -վ- before the verb ending. Ընդունել, to accept, becomes ընդունվել, to be…
- 📐Որպեսզի, չնայած որ, ուստի: complex sentences in fullTo talk about your own opinion you need conjunctions of purpose, concession and consequence. One rule covers them all…
- 📐Գրում էի or գրեցի: two pasts and the question of finishingEnglish splits the past into 'wrote', 'was writing' and 'have written'. Armenian splits it the same way, and each shape…
- 📐Աշխատասեր, շատախոս, անտարբեր: what character is made ofAlmost every word for a character trait is a familiar root plus one tail. See the seam once and you can guess a new…
- 📐Ինձ ամոթ է, ինձ դուր է գալիս: to whom the feeling happensArmenian splits feelings in two, and the split decides who runs the sentence.
- 📐Եփելուց առաջ, եփելիս: one action wrapped around anotherA recipe is a chain of 'first…, then…, while…'. Armenian builds it briefly: take the dictionary form of the verb and…
- 📐Կաշվե պայուսակ and դանակով կտրել: made of what, done with whatIn a shop you ask what a thing is made of and what you do it with. English answers with prepositions; Armenian answers…
- 📐Երևի, հավանաբար, իհարկե: how sure the speaker isHalf of what you mean in an argument rests on how sure you sound. These words never change shape, so you learn them as…
- 📐Լիճ → լճակ, արև → արևոտ: how nature words are builtHalf the words for nature are not new roots but familiar ones with a tail. Read the tail and you guess the meaning at a…
- 📐Բանկի դիմաց, տան հետևում: the word stands after, not beforeEnglish puts its little word in front: 'across from the bank'. Armenian puts it after the noun — բանկի դիմաց, word for…
- 📐Կարդալ գիտեմ, կարդալը հեշտ է: the infinitive in place of a nounEnglish needs two shapes — 'I can read' and 'reading'. Armenian gets by with the dictionary form կարդալ; only what…
- 📐Ժամը հինգին, մեկ տարի հետո: how Armenian shows timeEnglish marks time with prepositions — 'at five', 'from nine', 'in a year'. Armenian hangs an ending on the word or…
- 📐Ի՞նչ ասացիք and թե ինչ ասացիք: the ՞ mark and the question inside a sentenceThe ՞ mark goes not at the end of the sentence but over the stressed vowel of the word you ask about. Ի՞նչ ասացիք…
- 📐Շինարար, երգիչ, այգեպան: how Armenian makes a person out of a deedHalf the names of trades you need not learn at all — you can build them. Armenian makes a person out of a deed with a…
- 📐Բանկից, քեզնից, դրանից: the -ից case and everything it can doThe tail -ից answers 'from where', 'from whom' and 'than' all at once: Գործարանից եկա, I came from the factory.
- 📐Մարդիկ, կանայք, ժողովուրդ: the plural that breaks the ruleWith words for people the general plural rule breaks down, and these shapes are easier learned by heart.
- 📐Կարդացած գիրք, երգող աղջիկ: a modifier instead of a clauseInstead of 'the book that I read', living Armenian puts one describing word in front of the noun.
- 📐Վազեցնել, հագցնել, հասցնել: make, dress and get someone thereTo say 'make someone run' or 'put a child to sleep' you need no extra word. Armenian slips -ցն- into the verb itself.
- 📐Քսան, հարյուր, երկրորդ, քառորդ: numbers beyond tenFrom eleven to nineteen the number is built from տասն- plus a number you know: տասնմեկ, տասներկու, տասներեք, տասնյոթ.…
- 📐Բորբոքում, հետազոտություն, ցավ: a noun made from a verbHalf the words about illness are familiar verbs with a tail: բորբոքվել → բորբոքում, ներարկել → ներարկում, զննել →…
- 📐Թող լինի, Աստված պահի, ապրես: the wish is a verb form of its ownA wish is simply the verb form without կ-. On its own it already means 'may it be so'.
- 📐Ես եմ ասել and ես ասել եմ: where եմ stands is what the argument is aboutThe linker եմ, ես, է stands right after the word you want to stress. That is not decoration; it is the point of the…
- 📐Ինչ-որ, որևէ, ցանկացած, ոչ ոք: someone, anyone, any and no one'Someone', 'anyone', 'any at all', 'nobody' — Armenian has a separate word for each.
- 📐Ժանգոտ, փայլուն, օվալաձև: how Armenian makes a qualityMost adjectives you need not memorize — you can build them. A quality is made with a tail on a ready-made noun.
- 📐Դռան միջով, տան կողքով: the Armenian preposition stands afterThe helper word stands after the noun, and the noun takes the tail -ի. English 'through the door' comes out as 'door…
- 📐Կրկնակի, տասնյակ, մեկուկես: fractions and multiplesFrom a number Armenian builds 'twice over', 'a group of ten' and 'one and a half'.
- 📐Վերսկսել, դադարեցնել, ձեռնամուխ լինել: beginning, end and 'again'The prefix վեր- means 'again, over': սկսել start → վերսկսել resume, ստուգել check → վերստուգել recheck, նայել look →…
- 📐Մտածողություն, չափում, դիտարկում: a noun out of a verbArmenian turns verbs into nouns with two tails, and both are predictable.
- 📐Ուրբաթին, աշնանը, օրերս: Armenian speaks of time with case endingsEnglish says 'on Friday', 'in autumn', 'within an hour'. Armenian says all of it with a tail on the word itself, not…
- 📐Սառցադաշտ, հանքավայր, կանաչապատում: the ա- seam in the middle of a wordA long word is almost always two familiar ones sewn together with a single vowel. See the seam and you can read a word…
- 📐Արտադրվում է, ստուգվեց, փաթեթավորված: the shop floor speaks without a doerOn the factory floor what matters is what was done to a thing, not who did it. Armenian drops the doer with one insert…
- 📐Ասաց, որ… ասաց, թե…: how to pass on other people's wordsReported speech turns on the choice of conjunction. Որ introduces a statement: Նա բացատրեց, որ գնացքը հետաձգվել է, he…
- 📐Ամաչկոտ, ինքնասեր, եսասիրություն: the quality noun and its ownerA character trait and the person who has it are linked transparently, so half of these words you can build yourself.
- 📐Շնորհակալություն or Մերսի: two thank-yous and when to use eachThe full 'thank you' is Շնորհակալություն, five syllables. The հ in it is a light breath, not a hard kh. This is the…
- 📐Այո and Հա: the two Armenian yesesThe neutral 'yes' is Այո. It works everywhere: answering a stranger, filling in a form, in business talk, in writing.
- 📐Խնդրեմ and Խնդրում եմ: two pleasesArmenian has two forms of the root խնդր-, 'to ask', and they do different work. In English letters: 'khn-DREM' and…
- 📐Ցտեսություն and Հաջող: goodbye and byeՑտեսություն is built around տեսնել, to see, and means literally 'until the seeing' — the same idea as English 'see…
What works differently from what you know
Armenian has no grammatical gender at all: na means “he”, “she” and “it”. In Armenian you cannot accidentally give away a person's gender — and you cannot point at it without saying it outright.
Dora Sakayan, «Eastern Armenian for the English-speaking World», 2007
What is hard about Armenian and what comes for free
Hard: a brand-new alphabet and aspirated consonants English does not have.
Easy: no grammatical gender, stress almost always on the last syllable, many recognizable loanwords.
This is not a verdict on the language but a hint on where to spend effort. The hard parts are best taken a little at a time and often; the easy parts — left alone while they work by themselves.
Frequently asked
Is the grammar of Armenian complicated?
A brand-new alphabet and aspirated consonants English does not have is the main difficulty. In return, no grammatical gender, stress almost always on the last syllable, many recognizable loanwords.
Should grammar be learned separately?
Not as a separate course. A rule learned before you need it is forgotten before you meet it. It is more useful to work it out at the moment you stumble over it.