Եփելուց առաջ, եփելիս: one action wrapped around another
A recipe is a chain of 'first…, then…, while…'. Armenian builds it briefly: take the dictionary form of the verb and hang an ending on it. For example: “Եփելուց առաջ բանջարեղենը մաքրիր” — Before boiling, peel the vegetables. A rule from the Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
A recipe is a chain of 'first…, then…, while…'. Armenian builds it briefly: take the dictionary form of the verb and hang an ending on it.
-ուց առաջ is 'before doing': եփելուց առաջ (yep'eluts arraj) before boiling, քնելուց առաջ before sleep. The little word առաջ (arraj) follows the verb instead of leading it.
-ուց հետո is 'after doing': եռալուց հետո (yerraluts heto) after it boils, ուտելուց հետո (uteluts heto) after eating.
-իս is 'while': Ակնոց եմ կրում կարդալիս (aknots em krum kardalis), I wear glasses while reading. This shape carries no person at all — who is doing it comes from the main half.
Table
| Meaning | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| before doing | -ուց առաջ | եփելուց առաջ — before boiling |
| after doing | -ուց հետո | ուտելուց հետո — after eating |
| while, when | -իս | կարդալիս — while reading |
| for the purpose of | -ելու / -ալու | կտրատելու տախտակ — a cutting board |
| so that (with համար) | -ելու համար | տանելու համար — for takeout |
| by means of | -ելով | սակարկելով — by haggling |
By example
- Եփելուց առաջ բանջարեղենը մաքրիրyep'eluts arraj banjareghenə mak'rirBefore boiling, peel the vegetables
- Եռալուց հետո ավելացրու աղyerraluts heto avelatsru aghAfter it boils, add salt
- Ուտելիս հեռախոսին մի նայիրutelis herrakhosin mi nayirWhile eating, don't look at your phone
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
one action wrapped around another: how does it work in Armenian?
A recipe is a chain of 'first…, then…, while…'. Armenian builds it briefly: take the dictionary form of the verb and hang an ending on it.
What does it look like in an example sentence Armenian?
“Եփելուց առաջ բանջարեղենը մաքրիր” (yep'eluts arraj banjareghenə mak'rir) — Before boiling, peel the vegetables. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.