Ես եմ ասել and ես ասել եմ: where եմ stands is what the argument is about
The linker եմ, ես, է stands right after the word you want to stress. That is not decoration; it is the point of the sentence. For example: “Ոչ թե ես եմ ասել, այլ նա” — It was not me who said it, it was him. A rule from the Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The linker եմ (em), ես (yes), է (e) stands right after the word you want to stress. That is not decoration; it is the point of the sentence.
The plain order keeps the linker next to the verb: ես ասել եմ (yes asel em), I said it — a simple fact.
Move the linker and the stress moves with it: ես եմ ասել (yes em asel) means I said it, not somebody else. Վաղն է գալիս (vaghn e galis) — he arrives tomorrow, not today.
The trap: in a question the linker always follows the question word. Ո՞վ է ասել (ov e asel) — who said it; Ի՞նչ ես ուզում (inch yes uzum) — what do you want.
Table
| Phrase | Where the linker is | What is highlighted |
|---|---|---|
| ես ասել եմ | with the verb | said it (the fact) |
| ես եմ ասել | after I | I, precisely |
| վաղն է գալիս | after tomorrow | tomorrow, precisely |
| ո՞վ է ասել | after the question word | who exactly |
| չեմ ասել | before the verb | the negation of the action |
| ոչ թե ես, այլ նա | the pair ոչ թե… այլ | replacing the participant |
| ոչ միայն… այլև | a pair | an addition |
| թե՛… թե՛ | a pair with the mark ՛ | both this and that |
By example
- Ոչ թե ես եմ ասել, այլ նաvoch t'e yes em asel, ayl naIt was not me who said it, it was him
- Ո՞վ է որոշում կայացրել, և ինչո՞ւ ես դեմov e voroshum kayatsrel, yev inchu es dem?Who made the decision, and why are you against?
- Ոչ միայն թանկ է, այլև անորակvoch miayn t'ank e, aylev anorakNot only expensive, but also shoddy
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
Where եմ goes in an Armenian sentence?
The linker եմ, ես, է stands right after the word you want to stress. That is not decoration; it is the point of the sentence.
Ես եմ ասել vs ես ասել եմ?
The plain order keeps the linker next to the verb: ես ասել եմ, I said it — a simple fact.
How to say it was I who said it in Armenian?
Move the linker and the stress moves with it: ես եմ ասել means I said it, not somebody else. Վաղն է գալիս — he arrives tomorrow, not today.
What ոչ թե այլ means in Armenian?
The trap: in a question the linker always follows the question word. Ո՞վ է ասել — who said it; Ի՞նչ ես ուզում — what do you want.
Armenian word order with the linker եմ?
The trap: in a question the linker always follows the question word. Ո՞վ է ասել — who said it; Ի՞նչ ես ուզում — what do you want.
What does it look like in an example sentence Armenian?
“Ոչ թե ես եմ ասել, այլ նա” (voch t'e yes em asel, ayl na) — It was not me who said it, it was him. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.