Շատ, բավական, չափազանց: exactly how much
Between 'good' and 'too good' lies a whole scale, and in Armenian it is short and rigid. On the left քիչ — little, few. Then բավական — quite, fairly: բավական լավ է, everything is fine, but without enthusiasm. Then շատ — very; the same word also means 'many, much', and only what it sticks to tells the two apart: շատ լավ — very good, շատ մարդ — many people. On the right stands չափազանց — too, excessively, known from…
How it works
Between 'good' and 'too good' lies a whole scale, and in Armenian it is short and rigid. On the left քիչ (k'ich) — little, few. Then բավական (bavakan) — quite, fairly: բավական լավ է (bavakan lav e), everything is fine, but without enthusiasm. Then շատ (shat) — very; the same word also means 'many, much', and only what it sticks to tells the two apart: շատ լավ (shat lav) — very good, շատ մարդ (shat mard) — many people. On the right stands չափազանց (chap'azants) — too, excessively, known from չափազանց մեծ է (chap'azants mets e). This one is already a verdict of 'bad': չափազանց թանկ (chap'azants t'ank) means we are not buying.
All of them stand in front of the word they modify and do nothing to it: շատ հետաքրքիր գիրք (shat hetak'rk'ir girk'), բավական արագ վազում է (bavakan arag vazum e). The comparative ավելի (aveli) behaves the same — ավելի կամաց (aveli kamats), խնդրեմ (khndrem) — and the superlative simply glues onto the adjective: ամենալավը (amenalavə) — the best, ամենամեծը — the biggest.
The second half of the note is about words that measure not quantity but how sure the speaker is. They attach not to a word but to the whole sentence, usually at its start. Իհարկե (iharke) — of course, agreement without reservations. Հաստատ (hastat) — definitely, for sure. Երևի (yerevi) — probably, more yes than no; միգուցե (migutse) and գուցե (gutse) — maybe, an honest 'no idea'. Երևի կուշանամ — I will probably be late: the person is warning, not promising.
Where English hears 'probably' and 'maybe' as near-synonyms, the Armenian pair is split cleanly: երևի is your bet on 'yes', միգուցե sits exactly on the fence. One more: իհարկե in reply to a request means 'of course I will', never a curt 'obviously' — there is no offensive shade in it.
Table
| Word | How much | Example |
|---|---|---|
| քիչ | little, few | քիչ եմ քնում — I sleep little |
| բավական | quite, fairly | բավական լավ է — quite good |
| շատ | very; many | շատ հետաքրքիր է — very interesting |
| ավելի | more, -er | ավելի կամաց — quieter, please |
| ամենա- | most, -est | ամենալավը — the best |
| չափազանց | too — already bad | չափազանց թանկ է — too expensive |
| իհարկե / հաստատ | of course; definitely | իհարկե կգամ — of course I'll come |
| երևի / միգուցե | probably; maybe | երևի կուշանամ — I'll probably be late |
By example
- Այս ֆիլմը բավական հետաքրքիր էays filmə bavakan hetak'rk'ir eThis film is quite interesting
- Չափազանց բարձր է, ձայնը իջեցրուchap'azants bardzr e, dzaynə ijetsruIt's too loud, turn it down
- Երևի վաղը կզանգեմyerevi vaghə kzangemI'll probably call tomorrow
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
exactly how much: how does it work in Armenian?
Between 'good' and 'too good' lies a whole scale, and in Armenian it is short and rigid. On the left քիչ — little, few. Then բավական — quite, fairly: բավական լավ է, everything is fine, but without enthusiasm. Then շատ — very; the same word also means 'many, much', and only what it sticks to tells…
What does it look like in an example sentence Armenian?
“Այս ֆիլմը բավական հետաքրքիր է” (ays filmə bavakan hetak'rk'ir e) — This film is quite interesting. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.