Չեմ կարողանում բացել
“Չեմ կարողանում բացել” (chem karoghanum batsel) — I can't open it in Armenian. Phrase, level A2, topic — phrases that save you. karoghanal — to be able, to manage. The negation again pushes the linking verb forward: chem karoghanum. In a live sentence: “Դուռը կպել է, չեմ կարողանում բացել” — The door is stuck, I can't open it. You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters Չ, ե, մ, կ, ա, ր, ո, ղ, ա, ն, ո, ւ.
In short
| Written in Armenian | Չեմ կարողանում բացել |
| Read in Latin letters | chem karoghanum batsel |
| Translation | I can't open it |
| Part of speech | phrase |
| Level | A2 |
- Չեմ կարողանում բացելchem karoghanum batselI can't open it
Why it looks that way
karoghanal — to be able, to manage. The negation again pushes the linking verb forward: chem karoghanum
A word with a story stays in memory longer than one learned as a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
In a live sentence
A single word almost never appears alone in conversation. A sentence shows where it fits and what stands next to it.
- Դուռը կպել է, չեմ կարողանում բացելdurrə kpel e, chem karoghanum batselThe door is stuck, I can't open it
Nearby words: phrases that save you
“I don't understand”, “say that again”, “slower, please”, “help”. They are learned first for a reason: they bring back a conversation that has already gone wrong.
- Չեմ հասկանումchem haskanumI don't understandnegation is a ch- prefix stuck onto the verb: haskanum em — I understand, chem haskanum — I do not
- Կրկնեք, խնդրեմkrknek', khndremrepeat, pleasefrom krknel — to repeat. Krknek has no written vowel at all, yet it sounds kərk-NEK: an invisible schwa is implied
- Դանդաղdandaghslowlyboth 'slowly' and 'slow': dandagh kaylel — walk slowly, dandagh mard — a slow person. Kamats softens a request — gently
- Օգնեք, խնդրեմognek', khndremhelp!ogne'k' is the imperative 'help' for 'you all'. Khndrem here just softens; in real trouble it is dropped and people shout ognek' on its own
- Կորել եմkorel emI'm lostfrom korchel — to get lost, about a person. A thing is said differently: korel e — it got lost, kortsrel em — I lost it
- Չի աշխատումchi ashkhatumit doesn't workthe same verb as 'to work' about a person. The negation ch- pushes the linking verb forward
- Կոտրվել էkotrvel eit brokethe past with a result: it broke and is still broken
- Կաթում էkat'um eit leaksliterally 'dripping'. This is how a tap, a pipe and a ceiling are all spoken of
- Վարպետ կանչեքvarpet kanchek'call a repairmanvarpet is a master of the trade, a respectful word. Kanchek' — 'call' — you have seen it with the taxi
- Մի րոպե սպասեքmi rope spasek'wait a minuterope — minute. Mi rope is also said simply as 'just a second'
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “phrases that save you”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “I can't open it” in Armenian?
karoghanal — to be able, to manage. The negation again pushes the linking verb forward: chem karoghanum
- How do you say “it broke” in Armenian?
the past with a result: it broke and is still broken
- How do you say “slowly” in Armenian?
both 'slowly' and 'slow': dandagh kaylel — walk slowly, dandagh mard — a slow person. Kamats softens a request — gently
- How do you say “wait a minute” in Armenian?
rope — minute. Mi rope is also said simply as 'just a second'
- How do you say “it doesn't work” in Armenian?
the same verb as 'to work' about a person. The negation ch- pushes the linking verb forward
How not to forget this word
Reading a word and remembering it are different jobs. A day later, little survives of a single reading — and that is not bad memory, that is how memory works.
- This has been tested on foreign words too. The difference shows up most when you test yourself a few days later rather than straight away.checked many timesKim & Webb, 2022, Language Learning 72(2) · 48 experiments, 3,411 participants, 98 comparisons.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- An answer you worked out yourself sticks better than one handed to you.checked many timesBertsch et al., 2007, Memory & Cognition 35(2) · 86 studies, 445 comparisons, d = 0.40.
Frequently asked
How do you say “I can't open it” in Armenian?
«Չեմ կարողանում բացել», read “chem karoghanum batsel”. In a live sentence: “Դուռը կպել է, չեմ կարողանում բացել” — The door is stuck, I can't open it. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Phrase, level A2, from the set “phrases that save you”; written with the characters Չ, ե, մ, կ, ա, ր, ո, ղ, ա, ն, ո, ւ.
How is “Չեմ կարողանում բացել” written in Latin letters?
chem karoghanum batsel. This is a practical spelling — you need it to read aloud and be understood, not to meet an academic standard.
Why does this word look the way it does?
karoghanal — to be able, to manage. The negation again pushes the linking verb forward: chem karoghanum. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
Can I hear how it sounds?
Yes, right on this page: click the word and it will play. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.