LingoflyYesterday it was cold: the unfinished past
To move a story into the past, the ending of the verb itself changes, while the particle կը (gə)/կ' stays where it was. There is no separate copula here: կ'աշխատիմ (g'ashkhadim) — I work, կ'աշխատէի — I was working. The ending -իմ became -էի, and so on for every person — see the table. For example: “Երէկ (yereg) ես (yes) տան (dan) մէջ (mech) էի” (ei) — Yesterday I was at home. A rule from the Western Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
To move a story into the past, the ending of the verb itself changes, while the particle կը (gə)/կ' stays where it was. There is no separate copula here: կ'աշխատիմ (g'ashkhadim) — I work, կ'աշխատէի — I was working. The ending -իմ (-im) became -էի (-ei), and so on for every person — see the table.
This is the "unfinished past": what lasted or repeated. It is what memories and routines need: Անցած տարի (antsadz dari) Երեւանի (Yerevani) մէջ (mech) կ'աշխատէի. A single completed action has its own past — գացի (katsi) (went), ըսաւ (əsav) (said).
The verb "to be" in the past is էի (ei), էր (er): Երէկ (yereg) ես (yes) տան (dan) մէջ (mech) էի (ei) (yereg yes dan mech ei), Ամրան (amran) շատ (shad) շոգ (shok) էր (er) (amran shad shok er). With գալ (kal) the particle is written in full: անձրեւ (antsrev) կու (gu) գայ (kay) (antsrev gu kay) — it is raining, անձրեւ (antsrev) կու (gu) գար (kar) (antsrev gu kar) — it was raining.
Table
| Person | Present | Past |
|---|---|---|
| ես (yes) (I) | կ'աշխատիմ (g'ashkhadim) | կ'աշխատէի |
| դուն (tun) (you) | կ'աշխատիս | կ'աշխատէիր |
| ան (an) (he/she) | կ'աշխատի (g'ashkhadi) | կ'աշխատէր |
| մենք (menk') (we) | կ'աշխատինք | կ'աշխատէինք (g'ashkhadeink) |
| դուք (tuk') (you pl.) | կ'աշխատիք | կ'աշխատէիք |
| անոնք (anonk') (they) | կ'աշխատին | կ'աշխատէին |
By example
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
Yesterday it was cold: how does it work in Western Armenian?
To move a story into the past, the ending of the verb itself changes, while the particle կը (gə)/կ' stays where it was. There is no separate copula here: կ'աշխատիմ (g'ashkhadim) — I work, կ'աշխատէի — I was working. The ending -իմ became -էի, and so on for every person — see the table.
What does it look like in a Western Armenian example sentence?
“Երէկ (yereg) ես (yes) տան (dan) մէջ (mech) էի” (ei) (yereg yes dan mech ei) — Yesterday I was at home. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.