LingoflyԲանկից, քեզնից, դրանից: the -ից case and everything it can do
The tail -ից answers 'from where', 'from whom' and 'than' all at once: Գործարանից եկա (yeka), I came from the factory. For example: “Այս (ays) սակագինը (sakaginə) մյուսից (myusits) էժան (ezhan) է” — This rate is cheaper than the other one. A rule from the Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The tail -ից answers 'from where', 'from whom' and 'than' all at once: Գործարանից եկա (yeka), I came from the factory.
It takes the slot of the -ի (-i) tail: բանկ (bank) → բանկի (banki) → բանկից (bankits). With տուն (tun) the stem is irregular: տանից (tanits).
Whoever you got something from also takes -ից: հաճախորդից գումար (gumar) վերցնել (verts'nel) (hachakhordits gumar vertsnel), take money from the client; նրանից (nranits) խնդրել (khndrel) (nranits khndrel), ask him.
The trap is comparison. English switches to 'than', Armenian keeps the same tail: Այս (ays) սակագինը (sakaginə) մյուսից (myusits) էժան (ezhan) է (ays sakaginə myusits ezhan e), this rate is cheaper than the other.
Table
| Job of the case | Example | In English |
|---|---|---|
| from where | գործարանից եկա (yeka) | came from the factory |
| from whom | հաճախորդից վերցնել (verts'nel) | take from the client |
| than (comparison) | մյուսից (myusits) էժան (ezhan) | cheaper than the other |
| from (cause) | ցրտից (tsrtits) դողալ | shiver from the cold |
| of (material) | փայտից (p'aytits) պատրաստված | made of wood |
| give up what | գործարքից հրաժարվել (hrazharvel) | back out of the deal |
| depend on what | եղանակից կախված (kakhvats) | depending on the weather |
| me, you, him | ինձնից (indznits), քեզնից (k'eznits), նրանից (nranits) | from me, from you, from him |
By example
- Գործարքից հրաժարվեցին վախից, ոչ թե հաշվարկիցgortsark'its hrazharvetsin vakhits, voch t'e hashvarkitsThey backed out of the deal out of fear, not by calculation
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
Բանկից (bankits), քեզնից (k'eznits), դրանից (dranits): how does it work in Armenian?
The tail -ից answers 'from where', 'from whom' and 'than' all at once: Գործարանից եկա (yeka), I came from the factory.
What does it look like in a Armenian example sentence?
“Այս (ays) սակագինը (sakaginə) մյուսից (myusits) էժան (ezhan) է” (ays sakaginə myusits ezhan e) — This rate is cheaper than the other one. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.