LingoflyԺամը հինգին, մեկ տարի հետո: how Armenian shows time
English marks time with prepositions — 'at five', 'from nine', 'in a year'. Armenian hangs an ending on the word or puts a helper after the span. For example: “Հանդիպենք (handipenk) ժամը (zhamə) հինգին (hingin), ոչ շուտ, քան հինգը” (voch shut, k'an hingə) — Let's meet at five, not earlier than five. A rule from the Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
English marks time with prepositions — 'at five', 'from nine', 'in a year'. Armenian hangs an ending on the word or puts a helper after the span.
A point in time takes the tail -ին (-in): ժամը (zhamə) հինգին (hingin) (zhamə hingin) at five, ապրիլին (aprilin) in April. The English 'at' simply disappears.
Start and finish are -ից and մինչև (minchev): ժամը (zhamə) իննից մինչև (minchev) վեցը, from nine until six.
A shift comes from առաջ (arraj) and հետո (heto), and both follow the span: մեկ տարի հետո (mek tari heto), in a year. Երկու (yerku) օր (or) առաջ (arraj) (yerku or arraj) is two days ago. The trap: առաջ (arraj) literally means 'forward', yet it points backwards.
Table
| Question | The tool | Example | In English |
|---|---|---|---|
| when (a point) | -ին | ժամը (zhamə) հինգին (hingin) | at five |
| when (a day) | -ը / -ին | երկուշաբթի (yerkushabt'i) օրը (orə) | on Monday |
| within how long | -ում | երկու (yerku) ամսում (amsum) | in two months |
| from when | -ից | ժամը (zhamə) իննից | from nine |
| until when | մինչև (minchev) | մինչև (minchev) հինգը (hingə) | until five |
| how far ahead | span + հետո (heto) | մեկ տարի հետո (mek tari heto) | in a year |
| how long ago | span + առաջ (arraj) | երկու (yerku) օր (or) առաջ (arraj) | two days ago |
| before what | -ուց առաջ (arraj) | քնելուց առաջ (arraj) | before sleep |
| until (not yet) | դեռ (derr) + չ- | դեռ չեմ որոշել (derr chem voroshel) | haven't decided yet |
By example
- Հանդիպենք ժամը հինգին, ոչ շուտ, քան հինգըhandipenk' zhamə hingin, voch shut, k'an hingəLet's meet at five, not earlier than five
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
how Armenian shows time: how does it work in Armenian?
English marks time with prepositions — 'at five', 'from nine', 'in a year'. Armenian hangs an ending on the word or puts a helper after the span.
What does it look like in a Armenian example sentence?
“Հանդիպենք (handipenk) ժամը (zhamə) հինգին (hingin), ոչ շուտ, քան հինգը” (voch shut, k'an hingə) (handipenk' zhamə hingin, voch shut, k'an hingə) — Let's meet at five, not earlier than five. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.