Որ, որովհետև, եթե, երբ: two thoughts in one sentence
Until now the course spoke in short sentences: one thought — one sentence. That cannot go on. 'Tell him that I'm running late', 'he didn't come because he was sick', 'if there is time, I'll drop by' — without four conjunctions speech stays a stack of lines. The good news: the Armenian conjunction goes at the head of the subordinate part, the word order inside it does not change, and there is nothing to relearn. For…
How it works
Until now the course spoke in short sentences: one thought — one sentence. That cannot go on. 'Tell him that I'm running late', 'he didn't come because he was sick', 'if there is time, I'll drop by' — without four conjunctions speech stays a stack of lines. The good news: the Armenian conjunction goes at the head of the subordinate part, the word order inside it does not change, and there is nothing to relearn.
Որ (vor) is the workhorse of the four, and it covers two English words at once. As 'that' it introduces a message: Ասա (asa), որ ուշանում եմ (vor ushanum em). As 'so that' it introduces a wish, and then the verb after it takes that very form without կ- from the modality note: Ուզում եմ (uzum em), որ գաս (vor gas) — I want you to come. Only the verb tells the two apart: գալիս ես (galis yes) — you are coming, գաս (gas) — that you come.
Որովհետև (vorovhetev) — because; long but unambiguous. Living next to it is քանի որ (k'ani vor) — 'since, given that', usually placed at the head of the whole sentence: Քանի որ ուշ է (k'ani vor ush e), տաքսի վերցնենք (tak'si vertsnenk'). The answer to the question 'why?' — ինչո՞ւ (inchu) — is exactly որովհետև, and it is the most common answer in the language.
Եթե (yet'e) — if — has a catch worth seeing once. In the if-part the verb goes without կ- (եթե գաս (yet'e gas)), in the main part with կ- (կուրախանամ). In full: Եթե գաս, կուրախանամ — if you come, I'll be glad. English puts a future in both halves; Armenian splits them, and 'եթե կգաս' sounds wrong. Երբ (yerb) — when — works the same way: Երբ հասնեմ (yerb hasnem), կզանգեմ (kzangem).
Last, about the comma. Armenian often replaces it with the mark ՝ (but') — especially after verbs of speech and thought: Ասաց՝ կուշանա. The mark means roughly 'and here is what comes next', and the conjunction is often dropped along with the comma.
Table
| Conjunction | Meaning | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| որ | that | Ասա, որ ուշանում եմ | Say that I'm running late |
| որ | so that (verb without կ-) | Ուզում եմ, որ գաս | I want you to come |
| որովհետև | because | Չեկա, որովհետև հիվանդ էի | I didn't come because I was sick |
| քանի որ | since, given that | Քանի որ ուշ է, գնանք | Since it's late, let's go |
| եթե | if (no կ-; the main part takes կ-) | Եթե գաս, կուրախանամ | If you come, I'll be glad |
| երբ | when | Երբ հասնեմ, կզանգեմ | When I arrive, I'll call |
By example
- Ասա նրան, որ հիմա կգամasa nran, vor hima kgamTell him I'll come right away
- Չեկա, որովհետև հեռախոսս նստել էրcheka, vorovhetev herrakhoss nstel erI didn't come because my phone had died
- Եթե վաղը եղանակը լավ լինի, պիկնիկի կգնանքyet'e vaghə yeghanakə lav lini, pikniki kgnank'If the weather is nice tomorrow, we'll go on a picnic
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
two thoughts in one sentence: how does it work in Armenian?
Until now the course spoke in short sentences: one thought — one sentence. That cannot go on. 'Tell him that I'm running late', 'he didn't come because he was sick', 'if there is time, I'll drop by' — without four conjunctions speech stays a stack of lines. The good news: the Armenian conjunction…
What does it look like in an example sentence Armenian?
“Ասա նրան, որ հիմա կգամ” (asa nran, vor hima kgam) — Tell him I'll come right away. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.