Բանկի դիմաց, տան հետևում: the word stands after, not before
Explaining the way is the most frequent task of the first year, and everyone trips on the same thing: English puts a preposition before the word, Armenian puts its helper word after. 'Across from the bank' = բանկի դիմաց, word for word 'of-the-bank across'. Such words are called postpositions, and there are a few dozen of them in the language. For example: “Դեղատունը բանկի դիմաց է, կայանատեղին՝ շենքի հետևում” — The…
How it works
Explaining the way is the most frequent task of the first year, and everyone trips on the same thing: English puts a preposition before the word, Armenian puts its helper word after. 'Across from the bank' = բանկի դիմաց (banki dimats), word for word 'of-the-bank across'. Such words are called postpositions, and there are a few dozen of them in the language.
The rule is simple and almost without exceptions: the noun before a postposition stands in the genitive, that is with the ending -ի (or -ու (-u), -ան for a few words). Դպրոց (dprots) → դպրոցի դիմաց (dprotsi dimats) — across from the school; տուն (tun) → տան հետևում (tan hetevum) — behind the house (տուն has an irregular genitive, տան (tan)); սեղան (seghan) → սեղանի վրա (seghani vra) — on the table; փողոց (p'oghots) → փողոցի անկյունում (p'oghotsi ankyunum) — at the corner of the street.
Here are the ones you will need on the street: դիմաց (dimats) — across from, հետևում (hetevum) — behind, կողքին (koghk'in) — next to, մոտ (mot) — near, վրա (vra) — on, տակ (tak) — under, մեջ (mej) — inside, միջով (mijov) — through, երկայնքով (yerkaynk'ov) — along, շուրջ (shurj) — around. Separately stand առաջ (arraj) — in front of — and հետո (heto) — after: they work both in space and in time.
There are only two exceptions, and both are true prepositions standing before the word, as in English: դեպի (depi) — toward (դեպի կենտրոն (depi kentron)), առանց (arrants) — without (առանց շաքարի (arrants shak'ari)) and the bookish ըստ (əst) — according to (ըստ ծրագրի (əst tsragri)). Beyond these there are practically no prepositions in the language.
And the unit's main fork: -ում (-um) or a postposition? The ending -ում answers 'where' by itself, with no helper word: անկյունում (ankyunum) — at the corner, ծայրամասում (tsayramasum) — on the outskirts, թունելում (t'unelum) — in the tunnel. A postposition is needed when it matters which exactly place relative to the object: not just 'by the house' but 'behind the house', 'in front of the house', 'under the house'. The learner's mistake is always the same — saying տան մեջ (tan mej) where տանը (tanə) would do. Տանը — at home, տան մեջ — inside the house, and the second sounds as if you were describing a floor plan.
Table
| In English | Word | Where it stands | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| across from | դիմաց | after the noun, noun in -ի | բանկի դիմաց |
| behind | հետևում | after the noun, noun in -ի | շենքի հետևում |
| next to | կողքին | after the noun, noun in -ի | լուսացույցի կողքին |
| on | վրա | after the noun, noun in -ի | քարտեզի վրա |
| through | միջով | after the noun, noun in -ի | այգու միջով |
| along | երկայնքով | after the noun, noun in -ի | փողոցի երկայնքով |
| toward | դեպի | BEFORE the noun | դեպի կենտրոն |
| without | առանց | BEFORE the noun | առանց նեղանալու |
| in, at (just where) | the ending -ում | on the noun itself | անկյունում — at the corner |
By example
- Դեղատունը բանկի դիմաց է, կայանատեղին՝ շենքի հետևումdeghatunə banki dimats e, kayanateghin — shenk'i hetevumThe pharmacy is across from the bank, the parking is behind the building
- Կանգառը լուսացույցի կողքին էkangarrə lusatsuytsi koghk'in eThe bus stop is next to the traffic light
- Փողոցի երկայնքով գնացեք մինչև խաչմերուկp'oghotsi yerkaynk'ov gnatsek' minchev khachmerukGo along the street as far as the intersection
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 word stands after, not before: how does it work in Armenian?
Explaining the way is the most frequent task of the first year, and everyone trips on the same thing: English puts a preposition before the word, Armenian puts its helper word after. 'Across from the bank' = բանկի դիմաց, word for word 'of-the-bank across'. Such words are called postpositions, and…
What does it look like in an example sentence Armenian?
“Դեղատունը բանկի դիմաց է, կայանատեղին՝ շենքի հետևում” (deghatunə banki dimats e, kayanateghin — shenk'i hetevum) — The pharmacy is across from the bank, the parking is behind the building. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.