LingoflyՇատ, բավական, չափազանց: exactly how much
Between 'good' and 'too good' lies a short scale. On the left քիչ (k'ich), little: քիչ (k'ich) եմ (em) քնում (k'num), I sleep little. Next բավական (bavakan), quite: բավական (bavakan) լավ (lav) է means fine, but no one is thrilled. For example: “Այս (ays) ֆիլմը (filmə) բավական (bavakan) հետաքրքիր (hetak'rk'ir) է” — This film is quite interesting. A rule from the Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Between 'good' and 'too good' lies a short scale. On the left քիչ (k'ich), little: քիչ (k'ich) եմ (em) քնում (k'num) (k'ich em k'num), I sleep little. Next բավական (bavakan), quite: բավական (bavakan) լավ (lav) է (bavakan lav e) means fine, but no one is thrilled.
Շատ (shat) is 'very': շատ լավ (shat lav), very good. The same word also means 'many' — շատ (shat) մարդ (mard) (shat mard), many people. What it leans on tells the two apart.
On the right sits չափազանց (chap'azants), too much, and it is already a verdict: չափազանց (chap'azants) թանկ (t'ank) է (chap'azants t'ank e) means we are not buying.
All of them stand in front of the word they measure and change nothing about it. Շատ (shat) հետաքրքիր (hetak'rk'ir) գիրք (girk') (shat hetak'rk'ir girk'), բավական (bavakan) արագ (arag) վազում (vazum) է (bavakan arag vazum e).
Table
| Word | How much | Example |
|---|---|---|
| քիչ (k'ich) | little, few | քիչ (k'ich) եմ (em) քնում (k'num) — I sleep little |
| բավական (bavakan) | quite, fairly | բավական (bavakan) լավ (lav) է — quite good |
| շատ (shat) | very; many | շատ (shat) հետաքրքիր (hetak'rk'ir) է — very interesting |
| ավելի (aveli) | more, -er | ավելի (aveli) կամաց (kamats) — quieter, please |
| ամենա- | most, -est | ամենալավը (amenalavə) — the best |
| չափազանց (chap'azants) | too — already bad | չափազանց (chap'azants) թանկ (t'ank) է — too expensive |
| իհարկե (iharke) / հաստատ (hastat) | of course; definitely | իհարկե (iharke) կգամ (kgam) — of course I'll come |
| երևի (yerevi) / միգուցե (migutse) | probably; maybe | երևի (yerevi) կուշանամ — I'll probably be late |
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
exactly how much: how does it work in Armenian?
Between 'good' and 'too good' lies a short scale. On the left քիչ (k'ich), little: քիչ (k'ich) եմ (em) քնում (k'num), I sleep little. Next բավական (bavakan), quite: բավական (bavakan) լավ (lav) է means fine, but no one is thrilled.
What does it look like in a Armenian example sentence?
“Այս (ays) ֆիլմը (filmə) բավական (bavakan) հետաքրքիր (hetak'rk'ir) է” (ays filmə bavakan hetak'rk'ir e) — This film is quite interesting. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.