LingoflyՈւրբաթին, աշնան, օրերս: the ending does the talking about time
It looks like a list of adverbs, but there are almost none. "On Friday", "in autumn", "the other day" come from an ending on the word itself. So you stop hunting for a missing preposition. The "to whom" ending -ին answers "when" too. Ուրբաթ (urpat') → ուրբաթին (on Friday); պահ (bah) → պահին (bahin) (at the moment); նախօրե → նախօրէին (nakhorein) (the day before). In the plural the ending is -ուն: աշխատանքային օրերուն (ashkhadank'ayin orerun) — on working days. For example…
How it works
It looks like a list of adverbs, but there are almost none. "On Friday", "in autumn", "the other day" come from an ending on the word itself. So you stop hunting for a missing preposition. The "to whom" ending -ին answers "when" too. Ուրբաթ (urpat') → ուրբաթին (on Friday); պահ (bah) → պահին (bahin) (at the moment); նախօրե → նախօրէին (nakhorein) (the day before). In the plural the ending is -ուն: աշխատանքային օրերուն (ashkhadank'ayin orerun) — on working days.
"Within how long" takes մէջ (mech). Քանի մը վայրկեանի մէջ (k'ani mə vayrgyani mech) — within a few minutes; երկու (yergu) տարուան (daruan) մէջ (mech) (yergu darvan mech) — within two years. The "to whom" form also gives այդ ընթացքին (ayt ənt'atsk'in) (meanwhile) and հետագային (later on).
The ending -էն answers "since when". Հին ժամանակներէն (hin zhamanagneren) — from time immemorial. The possessive -ս means "these". Օրերս (orers) looks like "my days" but means "these days, recently".
The seasons stand apart. Աշուն (ashun) → աշնան (ashnan) (in autumn); գարուն (karun) → գարնան (karnan); ձմեռ (tsmerr) → ձմրան (tsmran); ամառ (amarr) → ամրան (amran). A vowel inside drops out, as in միտք → մտքի (mdk'i). Learn these forms as they are.
Table
| Question | The ending | Example | In English |
|---|---|---|---|
| when | -ին | ուրբաթին | on Friday |
| when | -ան (a season) | աշնան (ashnan) | in autumn |
| within how long | մէջ (mech) | մէկ (meg) ժամուան (zhamuan) մէջ (mech) | within an hour |
| since when | -էն | հին ժամանակներէն (hin zhamanagneren) | from time immemorial |
| these days | -ս | օրերս (orers) | the other day |
By example
- Գրադարանը բաց է աշխատանքային օրերունkrataranə pats e ashkhadank'ayin orerunThe library is open on working days
- Կրակը տարածուեցաւ քանի մը վայրկեանի մէջgragə daradzuetsav k'ani mə vayrgyani mechThe fire spread within a few minutes
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 ending does the talking about time: how does it work in Western Armenian?
It looks like a list of adverbs, but there are almost none. "On Friday", "in autumn", "the other day" come from an ending on the word itself. So you stop hunting for a missing preposition. The "to whom" ending -ին answers "when" too. Ուրբաթ (urpat') → ուրբաթին (on Friday); պահ (bah) → պահին (bahin) (at the moment)…
What does it look like in a Western Armenian example sentence?
“Գրադարանը բաց է աշխատանքային օրերուն” (krataranə pats e ashkhadank'ayin orerun) — The library is open on working days. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.