LingoflyThe verb 'to be': em, es, e
Armenian states the linker wherever English hides it in a contraction. 'I'm fine' — Ես (yes) լավ (lav) եմ (em), word for word 'I fine am'. There is no way to drop it. For example: “Ես (yes) ուսանող (usanogh) եմ” (em) — I am a student. A rule from the Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Armenian states the linker wherever English hides it in a contraction. 'I'm fine' — Ես (yes) լավ (lav) եմ (em) (yes lav em), word for word 'I fine am'. There is no way to drop it.
The linker almost always stands after the word it belongs to and is pronounced as one with it. That is why Ինչպե՞ս ես (inchpes es) sounds like a single word: inchpes-es.
Table
| Person | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ես (yes) (I) | եմ (em) | Ես (yes) լավ (lav) եմ (em) |
| դու (du) (you) | ես (yes) | Դու (du) լավ (lav) ես (yes) |
| նա (na) (he/she) | է | Նա (na) լավ (lav) է |
| մենք (menk') (we) | ենք (enk) | Մենք (menk') լավ (lav) ենք (enk) |
| դուք (duk') (you pl.) | եք (ek) | Դուք (duk') լավ (lav) եք (ek) |
| նրանք (nrank') (they) | են (en) | Նրանք (nrank') լավ (lav) են (en) |
By example
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Armenian verb to be?
Armenian states the linker wherever English hides it in a contraction. 'I'm fine' — Ես (yes) լավ (lav) եմ (em), word for word 'I fine am'. There is no way to drop it.
What em, es and e mean in Armenian?
Armenian states the linker wherever English hides it in a contraction. 'I'm fine' — Ես (yes) լավ (lav) եմ (em), word for word 'I fine am'. There is no way to drop it.
How to say I am a student in Armenian?
Armenian states the linker wherever English hides it in a contraction. 'I'm fine' — Ես (yes) լավ (lav) եմ (em), word for word 'I fine am'. There is no way to drop it.
What does it look like in a Armenian example sentence?
“Ես (yes) ուսանող (usanogh) եմ” (em) (yes usanogh em) — I am a student. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.