Այնքան վատ, որքան երեկ: comparing whole situations, not words
You can compare whole situations, not just single words: 'today is not as bad as yesterday'. Armenian does it with paired words — one half in each part of the sentence. For example: “Այսօր այնքան վատ չէ, որքան երեկ” — Today isn't as bad as yesterday. A rule from the Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
You can compare whole situations, not just single words: 'today is not as bad as yesterday'. Armenian does it with paired words — one half in each part of the sentence.
For equality take այնքան (aynk'an)… որքան (vork'an): Այսօր այնքան վատ չէ (aysor aynk'an vat che), որքան երեկ (vork'an yerek). Այնքան means 'to that extent', որքան 'to what extent'.
For a growing pair take որքան… այնքան, 'the more… the more'. The halves come in the opposite order: Որքան շատ ջուր եմ խմում (vork'an shat jur em khmum), այնքան լավ եմ զգում (aynk'an lav em zgum).
The trap: English repeats one word, so it is easy to lead with the wrong half. In the growing pair որքան always comes first, այնքան second.
Table
| In English | The pair | Example |
|---|---|---|
| as … as | այնքան… որքան | այնքան լավ, որքան առաջ |
| just as … as | նույնքան… որքան | նույնքան բարձր, որքան երեկ |
| not as … as | այնքան… չէ, որքան | այնքան վատ չէ, որքան երեկ |
| like (similar to) | ինչպես, նման | ինչպես երեկ |
| the more … the more | որքան… այնքան | որքան շատ, այնքան լավ |
| better … than | ավելի լավ է… քան թե | ավելի լավ է գնալ, քան թե սպասել |
By example
- Այսօր այնքան վատ չէ, որքան երեկaysor aynk'an vat che, vork'an yerekToday isn't as bad as yesterday
- Որքան շատ եմ քայլում, այնքան քիչ է ցավումvork'an shat em k'aylum, aynk'an k'ich e tsavumThe more I walk, the less it hurts
- Ավելի լավ է բժշկի գնալ, քան թե սպասելaveli lav e bzhshki gnal, k'an t'e spaselIt's better to go to the doctor than to wait
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
comparing whole situations, not words: how does it work in Armenian?
You can compare whole situations, not just single words: 'today is not as bad as yesterday'. Armenian does it with paired words — one half in each part of the sentence.
What does it look like in an example sentence Armenian?
“Այսօր այնքան վատ չէ, որքան երեկ” (aysor aynk'an vat che, vork'an yerek) — Today isn't as bad as yesterday. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.