Վազեցնել, հագցնել, հասցնել: make, dress and get someone there
In the gym half the phrases are about one person making another do something: the coach runs the athletes, the doctor lays the patient down, the mother dresses the child. English takes separate verbs for this, or the word 'make'. Armenian inserts -ցն- into the verb and gets a new verb out of the old one — the same job English gives to 'make someone run'. For example: “Մարզիչը մարզիկներին վազեցնում է մեկ ժամ” — The…
How it works
In the gym half the phrases are about one person making another do something: the coach runs the athletes, the doctor lays the patient down, the mother dresses the child. English takes separate verbs for this, or the word 'make'. Armenian inserts -ցն- into the verb and gets a new verb out of the old one — the same job English gives to 'make someone run'.
How it is done. The stem takes -ցնել, sometimes -եցնել: վազել (to run) → վազեցնել (to make run, to chase), նստել (to sit) → նստեցնել (to seat someone), հագնել (to put on) → հագցնել (to dress someone), քնել (to sleep) → քնեցնել (to put to sleep), հասնել (to reach) → հասցնել (to get someone or something there, to make it in time), զգույշ (zguysh) → զգուշացնել (to warn, literally 'make careful'), ծանոթ (tsanot') → ծանոթացնել (to introduce).
What changes in the sentence. A second participant appears. It was երեխան քնում է (yerekhan k'num e) — the child sleeps; it became մայրը երեխային քնեցնում է — the mother puts the child to sleep. The one made to do it stands in the dative (to-form) if animate: երեխային (yerekhayin), շանը (shanə), մարզիկներին (marziknerin). This is the same rule as for a human direct object, which the course already knows.
The suffix makes verbs out of adjectives too. Տաք (warm) → տաքացնել (to warm up), լավ (lav) → լավացնել (to improve), մեծ (mets) → մեծացնել (to enlarge), կարճ (karch) → կարճացնել (to shorten). The same trick: 'make it thus'. Hence տաքացում (tak'atsum) — warm-up: literally 'a heating'.
And the pair everyone mixes up. Մարզվել (marzvel) — to train oneself, մարզել — to train someone. Here it is not -ցն- at work but the reverse move: -վ- makes a verb reflexive. The same in ծանոթանալ (to get acquainted) versus ծանոթացնել (to introduce), in սովորել (to study) versus սովորեցնել (to teach someone). Easiest to memorize in pairs: -վ- is 'oneself', -ցն- is 'someone else'.
Table
| Oneself | Someone else | In English |
|---|---|---|
| վազել — to run | վազեցնել | to make run, to chase |
| նստել — to sit down | նստեցնել | to seat |
| հագնել — to put on | հագցնել | to dress someone |
| քնել — to sleep | քնեցնել | to put to sleep |
| հասնել — to reach | հասցնել | to get there, to make it in time |
| մարզվել — to train | մարզել | to coach |
| ծանոթանալ — to get acquainted | ծանոթացնել | to introduce |
| տաք — warm | տաքացնել | to heat up |
| կարճ — short | կարճացնել | to shorten |
By example
- Մարզիչը մարզիկներին վազեցնում է մեկ ժամmarzichə marziknerin vazetsnum e mek zhamThe coach makes the athletes run for an hour
- Երեխային հագցրու և քնեցրուyerekhayin hagtsru yev k'netsruDress the child and put him to bed
- Ես մարզվում եմ, իսկ նա մարզում է երեխաներինyes marzvum em, isk na marzum e yerekhanerinI train, and he trains the children
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
make, dress and get someone there: how does it work in Armenian?
In the gym half the phrases are about one person making another do something: the coach runs the athletes, the doctor lays the patient down, the mother dresses the child. English takes separate verbs for this, or the word 'make'. Armenian inserts -ցն- into the verb and gets a new verb out of the…
What does it look like in an example sentence Armenian?
“Մարզիչը մարզիկներին վազեցնում է մեկ ժամ” (marzichə marziknerin vazetsnum e mek zham) — The coach makes the athletes run for an hour. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.