LingoflyԸսաւ, որ… ըսաւ, թէ…: how to pass on other people's words
Reported speech is a choice of conjunction and verb form. Որ (vor) introduces a statement. Ան բացատրեց, որ գնացքը յետաձգուած է (an patsadrets, vor knatsk'ə hedatskuadz e) — he explained that the train had been delayed. The verb after որ (vor) keeps the tense it was spoken in: there is no backshift. For example: “Ան հարցուց, թէ ուր է կանգառը” (an hartsuts, t'e ur e gankarrə) — She asked where the stop is. A rule from the Western Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Reported speech is a choice of conjunction and verb form. Որ (vor) introduces a statement. Ան բացատրեց (an patsadrets), որ (vor) գնացքը (knatsk'ə) յետաձգուած (hedatskuadz) է (vor knatsk'ə hedatskuadz e) — he explained that the train had been delayed. The verb after որ (vor) keeps the tense it was spoken in: there is no backshift.
Թէ (t'e) introduces a question or doubt. Ան (an) հարցուց (hartsuts) (an hartsuts), թէ (t'e) ուր (ur) է կանգառը (gankarrə) (t'e ur e gankarrə) — she asked where the stop is. The question word stays, and the ՞ mark disappears: an indirect question is no longer a question.
թէ (t'e) իբր (ipr) (t'e ipr) signals distrust. Լսած (lsadz) եմ (em) (lsadz em), թէ (t'e) իբր (ipr) գործարանը (kordzaranə) վաճառուած (vajarruadz) է (t'e ipr kordzaranə vajarruadz e). On its own, իբր (ipr) means "allegedly": Իբր (ipr) ան (an) չէր (cher) գիտեր (kider) (ipr an cher kider). A request takes the "so that" form. Ան խնդրեց (an khntrets), որ (vor) սպասենք (sbasenk) (vor sbasenk') — he asked us to wait. After verbs of asking or ordering, the verb drops կը (gə): not կը (gə) սպասենք (sbasenk) (gə sbasenk') but սպասենք (sbasenk) (sbasenk').
The person shifts, gender does not. Direct Ես (yes) պիտի (bidi) գամ (kam) (yes bidi kam) becomes ըսաւ (əsav), որ (vor) պիտի (bidi) գայ (kay) (vor bidi kay). And ան (an) means both "he" and "she", so you take gender from context.
Table
| What is being reported | The conjunction | The verb form |
|---|---|---|
| a statement | որ (vor) | indicative: պիտի (bidi) գայ (kay), յետաձգուած (hedatskuadz) է |
| a question | թէ (t'e) | indicative, without the ՞ mark |
| doubt | թէ (t'e) իբր (ipr) | indicative |
| a request | որ (vor) | the form for wishes: սպասենք (sbasenk), գայ (kay) |
By example
- Լսած եմ, թէ իբր գործարանը վաճառուած էlsadz em, t'e ipr kordzaranə vajarruadz eI have heard that the factory was allegedly sold
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 to pass on other people's words: how does it work in Western Armenian?
Reported speech is a choice of conjunction and verb form. Որ (vor) introduces a statement. Ան բացատրեց, որ գնացքը յետաձգուած է (an patsadrets, vor knatsk'ə hedatskuadz e) — he explained that the train had been delayed. The verb after որ (vor) keeps the tense it was spoken in: there is no backshift.
What does it look like in a Western Armenian example sentence?
“Ան հարցուց, թէ ուր է կանգառը” (an hartsuts, t'e ur e gankarrə) — She asked where the stop is. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.