LingoflyԽնդրեմ and Խնդրում եմ: two pleases
Armenian has two forms of the root խնդր-, 'to ask', and they do different work. In English letters: 'khn-DREM' and 'khn-DROOM em'. The Խ is a real kh, unlike the light հ. For example: “Մեկ սուրճ, խնդրեմ” (mek surch, khndrem) — One coffee, please. A rule from the Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Armenian has two forms of the root խնդր-, 'to ask', and they do different work. In English letters: 'khn-DREM' and 'khn-DROOM em'. The Խ is a real kh, unlike the light հ.
Խնդրեմ (khndrem) is the short one. You hang it on a request: Մեկ (mek) սուրճ (surch) (mek surch), խնդրեմ (khndrem) — one coffee, please; Հաշիվը (hashivə), խնդրեմ (khndrem) — the bill, please.
The same word answers Շնորհակալություն (shnorhakalut'yun), and there it means 'don't mention it'. It also goes with a gesture: you hand over the cup and say խնդրեմ (khndrem).
Խնդրում եմ (khndrum em) is literally 'I am asking'. It is longer and more insistent — for a favour, not for handing over a cup. And it never answers 'thank you'.
Table
| the form | word for word | the job | example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Խնդրեմ (khndrem) | a short "I ask" | a polite add-on to a request | Hashivə, khndrem — the bill, please |
| Խնդրեմ (khndrem) | the same word | the answer to "thank you" | — Shnorhakalut’yun. — Khndrem. |
| Խնդրում եմ (khndrum em) | "I ask" | a real request, a favour | Khndrum em, ognek’ — please help |
| խնդրանք | "a request" | the noun of the same root | Mi khndrank’ unem — I have a request |
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
How to say please in Armenian?
Armenian has two forms of the root խնդր-, 'to ask', and they do different work. In English letters: 'khn-DREM' and 'khn-DROOM em'. The Խ is a real kh, unlike the light հ.
Խնդրեմ (khndrem) vs խնդրում եմ (khndrum em)?
Խնդրում եմ (khndrum em) is literally 'I am asking'. It is longer and more insistent — for a favour, not for handing over a cup. And it never answers 'thank you'.
How to answer thanks in Armenian?
Armenian has two forms of the root խնդր-, 'to ask', and they do different work. In English letters: 'khn-DREM' and 'khn-DROOM em'. The Խ is a real kh, unlike the light հ.
How to ask politely in Armenian?
Armenian has two forms of the root խնդր-, 'to ask', and they do different work. In English letters: 'khn-DREM' and 'khn-DROOM em'. The Խ is a real kh, unlike the light հ.
What does it look like in a Armenian example sentence?
“Մեկ սուրճ, խնդրեմ” (mek surch, khndrem) — One coffee, please. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.