Ամաչկոտ, ինքնասեր, եսասիրություն: the quality noun and its owner
A character trait and the person who has it are linked transparently, so half of these words you can build yourself. For example: “Ամաչկոտ տղան չհամարձակվեց հարցնել” — The shy boy didn't dare to ask. A rule from the Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
A character trait and the person who has it are linked transparently, so half of these words you can build yourself.
-ություն turns a trait into the name of a quality: բարի (bari) kind → բարություն (barut'yun) kindness, համառ (hamarr) stubborn → համառություն (hamarrut'yun) stubbornness.
-կոտ marks a leaning, usually an unflattering one: ամաչել (amachel) be shy → ամաչկոտ (amachkot) shy, վախենալ (vakhenal) be afraid → վախկոտ cowardly. This tail goes on people only.
The trap: սեր (ser), love, becomes սիր inside a long word. Եսասեր is self-loving, եսասիրություն (yesasirut'yun) is egoism.
Table
| Stem | The person | The quality | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| բարի (kind) | բարեսիրտ | բարություն | kindness |
| համառ (stubborn) | համառ | համառություն | stubbornness |
| ես (I) | եսասեր | եսասիրություն | egoism |
| ամաչել (to be shy) | ամաչկոտ | ամոթխածություն | shyness |
| ինքն- (self) | ինքնամփոփ | ինքնամփոփություն | reserve |
By example
- Ամաչկոտ տղան չհամարձակվեց հարցնելamachkot tghan chhamardzakvets hartsnelThe shy boy didn't dare to ask
- Եսասիրությունը փչացրեց նրանց բարեկամությունըyesasirut'yunə p'chatsrets nrants barekamut'yunəSelfishness ruined their friendship
- Ինքնամփոփ աշակերտը քիչ է խոսումink'namp'op' ashakertə k'ich e khosumThe reserved student speaks little
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
the quality noun and its owner: how does it work in Armenian?
A character trait and the person who has it are linked transparently, so half of these words you can build yourself.
What does it look like in an example sentence Armenian?
“Ամաչկոտ տղան չհամարձակվեց հարցնել” (amachkot tghan chhamardzakvets hartsnel) — The shy boy didn't dare to ask. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.