Ամաչկոտ, ինքնասեր, եսասիրություն: the quality noun and its owner
The fifty-ninth unit is built in pairs: a trait of character and the person who has it. Armenian links them more transparently than English, and half the unit's words can be assembled on your own. For example: “Ամաչկոտ տղան չհամարձակվեց հարցնել” — The shy boy didn't dare to ask. A rule from the Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The fifty-ninth unit is built in pairs: a trait of character and the person who has it. Armenian links them more transparently than English, and half the unit's words can be assembled on your own.
-ություն turns a quality into a noun. Բարի (kind) → բարություն (kindness), համառ (stubborn) → համառություն (stubbornness), պարկեշտ → պարկեշտություն (modesty), հավասար (havasar) → հավասարություն (equality). The reverse works too: meeting a word in -ություն, chop the tail off and you get the adjective — the same game English plays with -ness.
-կոտ — an inclination, usually unflattering. Ամաչել (to be shy) → ամաչկոտ (shy), վախենալ (to fear) → վախկոտ (cowardly), լաց լինել (to cry) → լացկոտ (tearful, a crybaby). The suffix is always about a person, never about a thing.
-սեր (-ser) — 'loving this'. Ես (I) → եսասեր (self-loving) → եսասիրություն (egoism), հետաքրքիր (hetak'rk'ir) → հետաքրքրասեր (curious) → հետաքրքրասիրություն (curiosity), հայրենիք → հայրենասեր (patriot). Notice how սեր (ser) inside the long word turns into սիր.
The prefix ինքն- — 'self'. Ինքնասեր (self-loving), ինքնամփոփ (reserved), ինքնատիրապետում (self-control), ինքնաթիռ (airplane, 'self-flying') from earlier waves. One prefix covers English's whole family of self- words.
Heart and conscience as building material. Նեղսիրտ (touchy, 'narrow-hearted'), բարեսիրտ (kind-hearted), խիղճ → խղճահարություն (compassion). Armenian willingly makes character out of body parts — the same trick as English 'kind-hearted' or 'stout-hearted'.
Table
| Stem | The person | The quality | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| բարի (kind) | բարեսիրտ | բարություն | kindness |
| համառ (stubborn) | համառ | համառություն | stubbornness |
| ես (I) | եսասեր | եսասիրություն | egoism |
| ամաչել (to be shy) | ամաչկոտ | ամոթխածություն | shyness |
| ինքն- (self) | ինքնամփոփ | ինքնամփոփություն | reserve |
By example
- Ամաչկոտ տղան չհամարձակվեց հարցնելamachkot tghan chhamardzakvets hartsnelThe shy boy didn't dare to ask
- Եսասիրությունը փչացրեց նրանց բարեկամությունըyesasirut'yunə p'chatsrets nrants barekamut'yunəSelfishness ruined their friendship
- Ինքնամփոփ աշակերտը քիչ է խոսումink'namp'op' ashakertə k'ich e khosumThe reserved student speaks little
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 quality noun and its owner: how does it work in Armenian?
The fifty-ninth unit is built in pairs: a trait of character and the person who has it. Armenian links them more transparently than English, and half the unit's words can be assembled on your own.
What does it look like in an example sentence Armenian?
“Ամաչկոտ տղան չհամարձակվեց հարցնել” (amachkot tghan chhamardzakvets hartsnel) — The shy boy didn't dare to ask. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.