Արտադրվում է, ստուգվեց, փաթեթավորված: the shop floor speaks without a doer
The fifty-seventh unit stands almost entirely in the passive voice, and that is not a style choice but the essence of the topic. On a production line what matters is what was done to the thing, not who did it. Armenian removes the doer with one insertion. For example: “Այս գործարանը արտադրում է կահույք” — This factory manufactures furniture. A rule from the Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a…
How it works
The fifty-seventh unit stands almost entirely in the passive voice, and that is not a style choice but the essence of the topic. On a production line what matters is what was done to the thing, not who did it. Armenian removes the doer with one insertion.
The suffix -վ- before the ending. Արտադրել (to manufacture) → արտադրվել (to be manufactured), ստուգել (stugel) → ստուգվել, փաթեթավորել (p'at'et'avorel) → փաթեթավորվել, վերամշակել → վերամշակվել. It always goes in the same spot — between the stem and the ending of the infinitive.
Who did it — in the instrumental, and most often it is simply absent. Ապրանքը ստուգվեց տեսուչով — the goods were checked by the inspector. But the normal factory sentence is shorter: ապրանքը ստուգվեց — the goods were checked — and no inspector anywhere. English loves a by-phrase in the passive; Armenian drops it by default.
The impersonal 'they' instead of the passive. Even more often Armenian manages with a third person plural verb and no subject: ապրանքը բեռնառաքեցին (aprank'ə berrnarrak'etsin) — literally 'the goods, they shipped' — in English 'the goods were shipped' or simply 'they shipped the goods'. This turn is livelier than the passive and wins in conversation.
The participle in -ված — the result. Փաթեթավորված (packaged), ցանկապատված (fenced off), մաշված (worn out) from unit 50. It also becomes an adjective and stands before the noun: փաթեթավորված ապրանք — packaged goods.
Careful in one spot: in some verbs -վ- means not passive but reflexive. Հագնվել (hagnvel) — not 'to be worn' but 'to get dressed'; պատրաստվել (patrastvel) — 'to get ready', not 'to be prepared'. Only the verb's meaning tells them apart, and these you memorize as a list.
Table
| Someone does it | Passive | Participle | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| արտադրել | արտադրվել | արտադրված | to manufacture / manufactured |
| ստուգել | ստուգվել | ստուգված | to check / checked |
| փաթեթավորել | փաթեթավորվել | փաթեթավորված | to package / packaged |
| ցանկապատել | ցանկապատվել | ցանկապատված | to fence off / fenced off |
By example
- Այս գործարանը արտադրում է կահույքays gortsaranə artadrum e kahuyk'This factory manufactures furniture
- Ապրանքը բեռնառաքեցին ուրբաթ օրըaprank'ə berrnarrak'etsin urbat' orəThe goods were shipped on Friday
- Շինարարական հրապարակը ցանկապատված էshinararakan hraparakə tsankapatvats eThe construction site is fenced off
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 shop floor speaks without a doer: how does it work in Armenian?
The fifty-seventh unit stands almost entirely in the passive voice, and that is not a style choice but the essence of the topic. On a production line what matters is what was done to the thing, not who did it. Armenian removes the doer with one insertion.
What does it look like in an example sentence Armenian?
“Այս գործարանը արտադրում է կահույք” (ays gortsaranə artadrum e kahuyk') — This factory manufactures furniture. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.