Ցուրտ է: the sentence with nobody in it
'It's cold', 'it's late', 'it's hot' — English props these up with a dummy 'it'. Armenian has nothing to prop: the linker է stands there alone. For example: “Դրսում ցուրտ է, բաճկոնդ հագիր” — It's cold outside, put your coat on. A rule from the Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
'It's cold', 'it's late', 'it's hot' — English props these up with a dummy 'it'. Armenian has nothing to prop: the linker է (e) stands there alone.
Ցուրտ է (tsurt e) is cold. Շոգ է (shog e) is hot. Ուշ է (ush e) is late. Two words make a whole sentence, and a third is not wanted.
To say who feels it, put ինձ (indz), քեզ (k'ez) or նրան (nran) in front: ինձ ցուրտ է (indz tsurt e). Word for word: 'to me it is cold'. Need works the same way: ինձ բժիշկ է պետք (indz bzhishk e petk'), I need a doctor.
One trap: cold also has a personal verb, մրսում եմ (mrsum em), 'I am freezing'. In live speech you hear it even more often.
Table
| In English | In Armenian | Word for word |
|---|---|---|
| it's cold | ցուրտ է | cold is |
| I'm cold | ինձ ցուրտ է | to-me cold is |
| one must hurry | պետք է շտապել | must is to-hurry |
| I need a doctor | ինձ բժիշկ է պետք | to-me a doctor is needed |
| it seems it's raining | թվում է՝ անձրև է գալիս | it-seems — rain is coming |
| it's not allowed | չի կարելի | not is-allowed |
| they say it will snow | ասում են՝ ձյուն կգա | they say — snow will-come |
| smoking is prohibited | ծխելը արգելվում է | smoking is-prohibited |
By example
- Դրսում ցուրտ է, բաճկոնդ հագիրdrsum tsurt e, bachkond hagirIt's cold outside, put your coat on
- Թվում է՝ մարտկոցը նստել էt'vum e — martkotsə nstel eIt seems the battery is dead
- Այստեղ լուսանկարել չի կարելիaystegh lusankarel chi kareliNo taking pictures here
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 sentence with nobody in it: how does it work in Armenian?
'It's cold', 'it's late', 'it's hot' — English props these up with a dummy 'it'. Armenian has nothing to prop: the linker է stands there alone.
What does it look like in an example sentence Armenian?
“Դրսում ցուրտ է, բաճկոնդ հագիր” (drsum tsurt e, bachkond hagir) — It's cold outside, put your coat on. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.