LingoflyՈւրբաթին, աշնանը, օրերս: Armenian speaks of time with case endings
English says 'on Friday', 'in autumn', 'within an hour'. Armenian says all of it with a tail on the word itself, not with a preposition. For example: “Գրադարանը բաց է աշխատանքային օրերին” (gradaranə bats e ashkhatank'ayin orerin) — The library is open on weekdays. A rule from the Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
English says 'on Friday', 'in autumn', 'within an hour'. Armenian says all of it with a tail on the word itself, not with a preposition.
The tail -ին (-in) answers 'when': ուրբաթին on Friday, երեկոյան (yerekoyan) in the evening, աշխատանքային օրերին (ashkhatank'ayin orerin) on weekdays.
The tail -ում (-um) answers 'in how long': մեկ (mek) ժամում (zhamum) (mek zhamum) within an hour, մի քանի րոպեում (mi k'ani ropeum) in a matter of minutes.
The trap: seasons take -ը and rebuild the root. Աշուն (ashun) → աշնանը (ashnanə) in autumn, գարուն (garun) → գարնանը (garnanə), ձմեռ (dzmerr) → ձմռանը (dzmrranə).
Table
| Question | Case | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| when | -ին | ուրբաթին | on Friday |
| when | -ը (a season) | աշնանը (ashnanə) | in autumn |
| within how long | -ում | մեկ (mek) ժամում (zhamum) | within an hour |
| since when | -ից | հին ժամանակներից (hin zhamanaknerits) | since time immemorial |
| these days | -ս | օրերս (orers) | the other day |
By example
- Գրադարանը բաց է աշխատանքային օրերինgradaranə bats e ashkhatank'ayin orerinThe library is open on weekdays
- Օրերս կզանգեմ և կպայմանավորվենքorers kzangem yev kpaymanavorvenk'I'll call in the next few days and we'll arrange it
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 speaks of time with case endings: how does it work in Armenian?
English says 'on Friday', 'in autumn', 'within an hour'. Armenian says all of it with a tail on the word itself, not with a preposition.
What does it look like in a Armenian example sentence?
“Գրադարանը բաց է աշխատանքային օրերին” (gradaranə bats e ashkhatank'ayin orerin) — The library is open on weekdays. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.