LingoflyԱմաչկոտ, ինքնասեր, եսասիրութիւն: the name of a quality and its owner
These words come in pairs: a trait and the person who has it. You can assemble half of them yourself. -ութիւն turns an adjective into a quality. Բարի (pari) (kind) → բարութիւն (parut'yun) (kindness); յամառ (hamarr) (stubborn) → յամառութիւն (hamarrut'yun) (stubbornness); հաւասար (havasar) → հաւասարութիւն (havasarut'yun) (equality). It works backwards too: drop -ութիւն and you get the adjective. For example: “Ամաչկոտ տղան չհամարձակեցաւ հարցնել” (amachgod dghan chhamartsagetsav hartsnel) — The shy boy did not dare to ask. A rule…
How it works
These words come in pairs: a trait and the person who has it. You can assemble half of them yourself. -ութիւն turns an adjective into a quality. Բարի (pari) (kind) → բարութիւն (parut'yun) (kindness); յամառ (hamarr) (stubborn) → յամառութիւն (hamarrut'yun) (stubbornness); հաւասար (havasar) → հաւասարութիւն (havasarut'yun) (equality). It works backwards too: drop -ութիւն and you get the adjective.
-կոտ — a tendency, usually unflattering. Ամչնալ (amchnal) (to be shy) → ամաչկոտ (amachgod) (shy); վախնալ (vakhnal) → վախկոտ (cowardly); լալ (to cry) → լացկոտ (tearful). It always describes a person, never a thing.
-սեր — "loving this". Ես (yes) (I) → եսասեր → եսասիրութիւն (yesasirut'yun) (egoism); հայրենիք → հայրենասեր (a patriot). Inside a longer word սեր becomes սիր. The prefix ինքն- (ink'n) means "self". Ինքնասէր (ink'naser) (self-loving), ինքնամփոփ (ink'namp'op') (reserved), ինքնաշարժ (ink'nasharzh) (a car).
The heart as building material. Նեղսիրտ (neghsird) (touchy, "narrow-hearted"), բարեսիրտ (kind-hearted). It is the same device as English "warm-hearted".
Table
| The base | The person | The quality | In English |
|---|---|---|---|
| բարի (pari) (kind) | բարեսիրտ | բարութիւն (parut'yun) | kindness |
| յամառ (hamarr) (stubborn) | յամառ (hamarr) | յամառութիւն (hamarrut'yun) | stubbornness |
| ես (yes) (I) | եսասեր | եսասիրութիւն (yesasirut'yun) | egoism |
| ամչնալ (amchnal) (to be shy) | ամաչկոտ (amachgod) | ամօթխածութիւն | shyness |
| ինքն- (self) | ինքնամփոփ (ink'namp'op') | ինքնամփոփութիւն | reserve |
By example
- Եսասիրութիւնը փճացուց անոնց բարեկամութիւնըyesasirut'yunə p'jatsuts anonts paregamut'yunəEgoism ruined their friendship
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 name of a quality and its owner: how does it work in Western Armenian?
These words come in pairs: a trait and the person who has it. You can assemble half of them yourself. -ութիւն turns an adjective into a quality. Բարի (pari) (kind) → բարութիւն (parut'yun) (kindness); յամառ (hamarr) (stubborn) → յամառութիւն (hamarrut'yun) (stubbornness); հաւասար (havasar) → հաւասարութիւն (havasarut'yun) (equality). It works backwards too: drop…
What does it look like in a Western Armenian example sentence?
“Ամաչկոտ տղան չհամարձակեցաւ հարցնել” (amachgod dghan chhamartsagetsav hartsnel) — The shy boy did not dare to ask. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.