LingoflyԿարդալ գիտեմ, կարդալը հեշտ է: the infinitive in place of a noun
English needs two shapes — 'I can read' and 'reading'. Armenian gets by with the dictionary form կարդալ (kardal); only what hangs on it changes. For example: “Կիթառ նվագել գիտեմ (kit'arr nvagel gitem), բայց (bayts) նոտաներ կարդալ (kardal) չգիտեմ” (chgitem) — I know how to play the guitar, but I can't read music. A rule from the Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
English needs two shapes — 'I can read' and 'reading'. Armenian gets by with the dictionary form կարդալ (kardal); only what hangs on it changes.
A skill runs through գիտեմ (gitem): Կարդալ (kardal) գիտեմ (gitem) (kardal gitem) is 'I can read', word for word 'read I-know'. Մեքենա վարել (mek'ena varel) գիտեմ (gitem) (mek'ena varel gitem) — I know how to drive.
With the tail -ը the same form becomes the subject: կարդալը հեշտ (hesht) է, reading is easy. No separate word for 'reading' is needed.
The trap: կարող (karogh) եմ (em) կարդալ (kardal) (karogh em kardal) means 'I can read it right now', not 'I am literate'. For a skill it is գիտեմ (gitem) and nothing else.
Table
| Meaning | How it's built | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I know how (a skill) | the form + գիտեմ (gitem) | մեքենա վարել (mek'ena varel) գիտեմ (gitem) |
| I can (right now) | կարող (karogh) եմ (em) + the form | կարող (karogh) եմ (em) օգնել (ognel) |
| I manage to | կարողանում (karoghanum) եմ (em) + the form | չեմ (chem) կարողանում (karoghanum) հասկանալ (haskanal) |
| it worked out | ստացվեց (statsvets) (impersonal) | երրորդ փորձից ստացվեց (yerrord p'ordzits statsvets) |
| it comes hard | ինձ (indz) դժվար է տրվում (dzhvar e trvum) | քերականությունը ինձ դժվար է տրվում (k'erakanut'yunə indz dzhvar e trvum) |
| as a subject | the form + -ը | կարդալը հեշտ (hesht) է |
| in order to | the -ելու form + համար (hamar) | սովորելու համար (hamar) |
| for what purpose | the -ելու form | գրանցվելու հղում (hghum) |
By example
- kit'arr nvagel gitem, bayts notaner kardal chgitemI know how to play the guitar, but I can't read music
- yerrord p'ordzits statsvets, karoghatsa ink'nuruyn norogelOn the third try it worked — I managed to fix it myself
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 infinitive in place of a noun: how does it work in Armenian?
English needs two shapes — 'I can read' and 'reading'. Armenian gets by with the dictionary form կարդալ (kardal); only what hangs on it changes.
What does it look like in a Armenian example sentence?
“Կիթառ նվագել գիտեմ (kit'arr nvagel gitem), բայց (bayts) նոտաներ կարդալ (kardal) չգիտեմ” (chgitem) (kit'arr nvagel gitem, bayts notaner kardal chgitem) — I know how to play the guitar, but I can't read music. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.