The ending -ը / -ն: Armenian's own 'the'
Definiteness is expressed by an ending, not by a separate word. Plain 'coffee' is սուրճ; 'the coffee' — the one you both have in mind — is սուրճը. For example: “Սուրճը համեղ է” — The coffee is tasty. A rule from the Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Definiteness is expressed by an ending, not by a separate word. Plain 'coffee' is սուրճ (surch); 'the coffee' — the one you both have in mind — is սուրճը (surchə).
The choice is simple: after a consonant take -ը, after a vowel — or before a word that starts with a vowel — take -ն. English marks the same difference with a and the; Armenian just glues it to the back of the word.
By example
- Սուրճը համեղ էsurchə hamegh eThe coffee is tasty
- Տղան գնում էtghan gnum eThe boy is coming
- Հաշիվը, խնդրեմhashivə, khndremThe check, please
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
Armenian ending ը and ն?
Definiteness is expressed by an ending, not by a separate word. Plain 'coffee' is սուրճ; 'the coffee' — the one you both have in mind — is սուրճը.
Why Armenian puts ը at the end of a word?
The choice is simple: after a consonant take -ը, after a vowel — or before a word that starts with a vowel — take -ն. English marks the same difference with a and the; Armenian just glues it to the back of the word.
Սուրճ or սուրճը: which one is right?
The choice is simple: after a consonant take -ը, after a vowel — or before a word that starts with a vowel — take -ն. English marks the same difference with a and the; Armenian just glues it to the back of the word.
What does it look like in an example sentence Armenian?
“Սուրճը համեղ է” (surchə hamegh e) — The coffee is tasty. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.