LingoflyԵփելուց 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 (arraj) բանջարեղենը (banjareghenə) մաքրիր” (mak'rir) — 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 (arraj) is 'before doing': եփելուց առաջ (arraj) (yep'eluts arraj) before boiling, քնելուց առաջ (arraj) before sleep. The little word առաջ (arraj) follows the verb instead of leading it.
-ուց հետո (heto) is 'after doing': եռալուց հետո (heto) (yerraluts heto) after it boils, ուտելուց հետո (uteluts heto) after eating.
-իս is 'while': Ակնոց եմ կրում կարդալիս (aknots em krum kardalis) (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 (arraj) | եփելուց առաջ (arraj) — before boiling |
| after doing | -ուց հետո (heto) | ուտելուց հետո (uteluts heto) — after eating |
| while, when | -իս | կարդալիս (kardalis) — while reading |
| for the purpose of | -ելու / -ալու | կտրատելու տախտակ (ktratelu takhtak) — a cutting board |
| so that (with համար (hamar)) | -ելու համար (hamar) | տանելու համար (tanelu hamar) — for takeout |
| by means of | -ելով | սակարկելով — by haggling |
By example
- Եփելուց առաջ բանջարեղենը մաքրիրyep'eluts arraj banjareghenə mak'rirBefore boiling, peel the vegetables
- 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 a Armenian example sentence?
“Եփելուց առաջ (arraj) բանջարեղենը (banjareghenə) մաքրիր” (mak'rir) (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.