Ցուրտ է: the sentence with nobody in it
'It's cold', 'one must go', 'it seems', 'it's not allowed here' — in these phrases English props things up with a dummy 'it' or 'there'. In Armenian there is nothing to prop: the linker է calmly stands alone. Ցուրտ է — it's cold. Շոգ է — it's hot. Ուշ է — it's late. This is a full sentence with exactly two words in it, and no third one is wanted. For example: “Դրսում ցուրտ է, բաճկոնդ հագիր” — It's cold outside, put…
How it works
'It's cold', 'one must go', 'it seems', 'it's not allowed here' — in these phrases English props things up with a dummy 'it' or 'there'. In Armenian there is nothing to prop: the linker է (e) calmly stands alone. Ցուրտ է (tsurt e) — it's cold. Շոգ է (shog e) — it's hot. Ուշ է (ush e) — it's late. This is a full sentence with exactly two words in it, and no third one is wanted.
To say who is cold, put the object form from wave 2 in front: ինձ ցուրտ է (indz tsurt e) — I am cold, word for word 'to me it is cold'. նրան լավ է (nran lav e) — he feels good. Need works on the same pattern: ինձ բժիշկ է պետք (indz bzhishk e petk') — I need a doctor. Notice what is missing: no conjugated 'to be' agreeing with 'I', and no word 'I'. Cold, though, does have a personal verb — մրսում եմ (mrsum em), 'I am freezing', and in live speech it is even more common.
Three turns from this family are worth memorizing whole, because they do not translate piece by piece. Պետք է (petk' e) — one must: պետք է շտապել (petk' e shtapel). Կարելի է (kareli e) — it is allowed, չի կարելի (chi kareli) — not allowed; that is what the signs say. Թվում է (t'vum e) — it seems: թվում է՝ անձրև է գալիս (t'vum e andzrev e galis). After թվում է an Armenian usually puts not a comma but the mark ՝ (but'), and it replaces 'that'.
And two impersonal turns where the Armenian answer is unexpected. 'They say that…' is simply the third person plural: ասում են՝ վաղը ձյուն կգա (asum en vaghə dzyun kga) — 'they say'. While 'no smoking here', 'the shop closes at nine' are built with the infix -վ- inside the verb: այստեղ ծխելը արգելվում է (aystegh tskhelə argelvum e), խանութը փակվում է ժամը իննին (khanut'ə p'akvum e zhamə innin). This is the Armenian passive, and on signs it appears more often than in conversation.
Table
| In English | In Armenian | Word for word |
|---|---|---|
| it's cold | ցուրտ է | cold is |
| I'm cold | ինձ ցուրտ է | to-me cold is |
| one must hurry | պետք է շտապել | must is to-hurry |
| I need a doctor | ինձ բժիշկ է պետք | to-me a doctor is needed |
| it seems it's raining | թվում է՝ անձրև է գալիս | it-seems — rain is coming |
| it's not allowed | չի կարելի | not is-allowed |
| they say it will snow | ասում են՝ ձյուն կգա | they say — snow will-come |
| smoking is prohibited | ծխելը արգելվում է | smoking is-prohibited |
By example
- Դրսում ցուրտ է, բաճկոնդ հագիրdrsum tsurt e, bachkond hagirIt's cold outside, put your coat on
- Թվում է՝ մարտկոցը նստել էt'vum e — martkotsə nstel eIt seems the battery is dead
- Այստեղ լուսանկարել չի կարելիaystegh lusankarel chi kareliNo taking pictures here
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 sentence with nobody in it: how does it work in Armenian?
'It's cold', 'one must go', 'it seems', 'it's not allowed here' — in these phrases English props things up with a dummy 'it' or 'there'. In Armenian there is nothing to prop: the linker է calmly stands alone. Ցուրտ է — it's cold. Շոգ է — it's hot. Ուշ է — it's late. This is a full sentence with…
What does it look like in an example sentence Armenian?
“Դրսում ցուրտ է, բաճկոնդ հագիր” (drsum tsurt e, bachkond hagir) — It's cold outside, put your coat on. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.