Այնքան վատ, որքան երեկ: comparing whole situations, not words
The course already compares a single adjective: ավելի թանկ, քան խանութը. At the doctor's, though, you compare not words but whole states of affairs: 'today it is not as bad as yesterday', 'it hurts just as much as in the morning', 'the more water I drink, the better I feel'. For that Armenian has paired words, and they all work on one scheme: the first half in the main clause, the second in the subordinate one. For…
How it works
The course already compares a single adjective: ավելի թանկ (aveli t'ank), քան խանութը (k'an khanut'ə). At the doctor's, though, you compare not words but whole states of affairs: 'today it is not as bad as yesterday', 'it hurts just as much as in the morning', 'the more water I drink, the better I feel'. For that Armenian has paired words, and they all work on one scheme: the first half in the main clause, the second in the subordinate one.
Equality — այնքան (aynk'an)… որքան (vork'an): Այսօր այնքան վատ չէ (aysor aynk'an vat che), որքան երեկ (vork'an yerek) — today is not as bad as yesterday. Այնքան means 'as much', որքան — 'as'. The same pair is taken without the negation too: Այնքան հոգնած եմ (aynk'an hognats em), որքան երբեք (vork'an yerbek') — I am as tired as I have ever been. A synonym for the first half is նույնքան (nuynk'an), 'just as much': նույնքան բարձր (nuynk'an bardzr), որքան առաջ (vork'an arraj).
Similarity without a measure — ինչպես (inchpes) or նման (nman): Ինչպես երեկ (inchpes yerek) — like yesterday; դեղը գործեց նման նախորդին (deghə gortsets nman nakhordin) — the medicine worked like the previous one. Ինչպես here is the very same word as in the greeting ինչպե՞ս ես (inchpes es) — how are you — and that is a good hook for memory.
Proportion — որքան… այնքան, 'the more… the more'; the halves are in the reverse order from equality: Որքան շատ ջուր եմ խմում (vork'an shat jur em khmum), այնքան լավ եմ զգում (aynk'an lav em zgum) — the more water I drink, the better I feel. English leads with 'the more'; Armenian leads with որքան — after that they match exactly.
The last one compares two actions, not two things. Then after քան (k'an) comes թե (t'e): Ավելի լավ է հանգստանալ (aveli lav e hangstanal), քան թե դեղ խմել (k'an t'e degh khmel) — it is better to rest than to take medicine. The frame ավելի լավ է (aveli lav e)… — 'you had better…' — sounds constantly in talk about health, and the verb after it goes into the infinitive, with no person.
Table
| In English | The pair | Example |
|---|---|---|
| as … as | այնքան… որքան | այնքան լավ, որքան առաջ |
| just as … as | նույնքան… որքան | նույնքան բարձր, որքան երեկ |
| not as … as | այնքան… չէ, որքան | այնքան վատ չէ, որքան երեկ |
| like (similar to) | ինչպես, նման | ինչպես երեկ |
| the more … the more | որքան… այնքան | որքան շատ, այնքան լավ |
| better … than | ավելի լավ է… քան թե | ավելի լավ է գնալ, քան թե սպասել |
By example
- Այսօր այնքան վատ չէ, որքան երեկaysor aynk'an vat che, vork'an yerekToday isn't as bad as yesterday
- Որքան շատ եմ քայլում, այնքան քիչ է ցավումvork'an shat em k'aylum, aynk'an k'ich e tsavumThe more I walk, the less it hurts
- Ավելի լավ է բժշկի գնալ, քան թե սպասելaveli lav e bzhshki gnal, k'an t'e spaselIt's better to go to the doctor than to wait
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
comparing whole situations, not words: how does it work in Armenian?
The course already compares a single adjective: ավելի թանկ, քան խանութը. At the doctor's, though, you compare not words but whole states of affairs: 'today it is not as bad as yesterday', 'it hurts just as much as in the morning', 'the more water I drink, the better I feel'. For that Armenian has…
What does it look like in an example sentence Armenian?
“Այսօր այնքան վատ չէ, որքան երեկ” (aysor aynk'an vat che, vork'an yerek) — Today isn't as bad as yesterday. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.