Ասաց, որ… ասաց, թե…: how to pass on other people's words
The course spine tags the turns of the fifty-eighth unit as phrase, and the tag describes the English side of the card. In Armenian, reporting speech is not a set phrase but a choice of conjunction and verb form. For example: “Նա հարցրեց, թե որտեղ է կանգառը” — She asked where the stop is. A rule from the Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The course spine tags the turns of the fifty-eighth unit as phrase, and the tag describes the English side of the card. In Armenian, reporting speech is not a set phrase but a choice of conjunction and verb form.
'Որ (vor)' introduces a statement. Նա բացատրեց (na batsatrets), որ գնացքը հետաձգվել է (vor gnatsk'ə hetadzgvel e) — he explained that the train had been delayed. The verb after 'որ' stays in the ordinary indicative: Armenian does not shift tenses back the way English sequence of tenses does.
'Թե (t'e)' introduces a question and doubt. Նա հարցրեց (na hartsrets), թե որտեղ է կանգառը (t'e vortegh e kangarrə) — she asked where the stop is. The question word stays in place, and the ՞ mark disappears: an indirect question is no longer a question.
'Թե իբր (t'e ibr)' — disbelief. Լսել եմ (lsel em), թե իբր գործարանը վաճառվել է (t'e ibr gortsaranə vacharrvel e). The particle իբր (ibr) on its own means 'supposedly' and can stand without 'թե': Իբր նա չգիտեր (ibr na chgiter).
A request demands the subjunctive. Նա խնդրեց (na khndrets), որ սպասենք (vor spasenk') — he asked that we wait. After 'խնդրեց (khndrets)', after 'ասաց (asats)' in the meaning 'ordered', after 'ուզեց' the verb goes into the subjunctive: not սպասում ենք (spasum enk') but սպասենք (spasenk') — the same thing English does after 'insist that', 'ask that'.
The person shifts, the gender does not. Direct «Ես կգամ (yes kgam)» in reported speech gives ասաց, որ կգա (vor kga). And նա (na) means both 'he' and 'she': the Armenian pronoun has no gender at all, and English has to supply it from context.
Table
| What is reported | Conjunction | Verb form |
|---|---|---|
| a statement | որ | indicative: կգա, հետաձգվել է |
| a question | թե | indicative, without the ՞ mark |
| doubt | թե իբր | indicative |
| a request | որ | subjunctive: սպասենք, գա |
By example
- Նա հարցրեց, թե որտեղ է կանգառըna hartsrets, t'e vortegh e kangarrəShe asked where the stop is
- Նա խնդրեց, որ սպասենք մի քիչna khndrets, vor spasenk' mi k'ichHe asked that we wait a little
- Լսել եմ, թե իբր գործարանը վաճառվել էlsel em, t'e ibr gortsaranə vacharrvel eI heard that the factory was supposedly sold
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
how to pass on other people's words: how does it work in Armenian?
The course spine tags the turns of the fifty-eighth unit as phrase, and the tag describes the English side of the card. In Armenian, reporting speech is not a set phrase but a choice of conjunction and verb form.
What does it look like in an example sentence Armenian?
“Նա հարցրեց, թե որտեղ է կանգառը” (na hartsrets, t'e vortegh e kangarrə) — She asked where the stop is. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.