LingoflyԺանգոտ, փայլուն, օվալաձեւ: how a quality is assembled
Many adjectives for the properties of things need not be memorized: you can build them. A suffix turns a ready-made word into a quality, and three suffixes do most of the work. -ոտ — "covered with this". ժանգ (rust) → ժանգոտ (zhankod) (rusty); փոշի (p'oshi) (dust) → փոշոտ (p'oshod) (dusty); ցեխ (mud) → ցեխոտ (muddy). For example: “Դարակին գիրքերը փոշոտ են” (taragin kirk'erə p'oshod en) — The books on the shelf are dusty. A rule from the Western Armenian course: worked out…
How it works
Many adjectives for the properties of things need not be memorized: you can build them. A suffix turns a ready-made word into a quality, and three suffixes do most of the work. -ոտ — "covered with this". ժանգ (rust) → ժանգոտ (zhankod) (rusty); փոշի (p'oshi) (dust) → փոշոտ (p'oshod) (dusty); ցեխ (mud) → ցեխոտ (muddy).
-ուն — "prone to this". It clings to a verb stem: փայլել (to shine) → փայլուն (p'aylun) (shiny); կպչիլ (to stick) → կպչուն (gbchun) (sticky); ճկել (to bend) → ճկուն (jgun) (flexible). It is the difference between "dusty" and "sticky": what settled on a thing versus its own property.
-աձեւ — "shaped like this". The second half is ձեւ (tsev) (shape): օվալաձեւ (ovalatsev) (oval), աստղաձեւ (star-shaped). Attach -աձեւ to any word for a figure and you will be understood.
The reverse move is the prefix ան- (an): պիտանի (bidani) (fit for use) → անպիտան (unusable). The word often loses its final vowel in the process.
Table
| The base | The suffix | The quality | In English |
|---|---|---|---|
| ժանգ (rust) | -ոտ | ժանգոտ (zhankod) | rusty |
| փոշի (p'oshi) (dust) | -ոտ | փոշոտ (p'oshod) | dusty |
| փայլել (to shine) | -ուն | փայլուն (p'aylun) | shiny |
| կպչիլ (to stick) | -ուն | կպչուն (gbchun) | sticky |
| օվալ (an oval) | -աձեւ | օվալաձեւ (ovalatsev) | oval |
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
how a quality is assembled: how does it work in Western Armenian?
Many adjectives for the properties of things need not be memorized: you can build them. A suffix turns a ready-made word into a quality, and three suffixes do most of the work. -ոտ — "covered with this". ժանգ (rust) → ժանգոտ (zhankod) (rusty); փոշի (p'oshi) (dust) → փոշոտ (p'oshod) (dusty); ցեխ (mud) → ցեխոտ (muddy).
What does it look like in a Western Armenian example sentence?
“Դարակին գիրքերը փոշոտ են” (taragin kirk'erə p'oshod en) — The books on the shelf are dusty. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.