LingoflyՈր, որովհետեւ, եթէ, երբ: two thoughts in one sentence
Until now a sentence held one thought. "Tell him that I am late", "if there is time, I'll drop by". The conjunction opens the second half, and the word order inside it does not change. For example: “Ըսէ (əse) իրեն (iren), որ (vor) այժմ պիտի գամ” (ayzhm bidi kam) — Tell him that I will come right now. A rule from the Western Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Until now a sentence held one thought. "Tell him that I am late", "if there is time, I'll drop by". The conjunction opens the second half, and the word order inside it does not change.
Որ (vor) is the workhorse. As "that" it introduces a message: Ըսէ (əse), որ (vor) կ'ուշանամ (g'ushanam) (ushanam). As "to" it introduces a wish, and the verb drops պիտի (bidi): Կ'ուզեմ (g'uzem), որ (vor) գաս (vor kas) — I want you to come. Compare կու (gu) գաս (gu kas) — you come, and գաս (kas) — that you come.
Որովհետեւ (vorovhedev) — because; long but unambiguous. Next to it is քանի որ (k'ani vor) — "since", usually at the very start: Քանի որ (k'ani vor) ուշ (ush) է (k'ani vor ush e), թաքսի (t'ak'si) առնենք (arrnenk) (t'ak'si arrnenk').
Եթէ (yet'e) — if — has a catch: no պիտի (bidi) in the if-part, պիտի (bidi) in the main part. Եթէ (yet'e) գաս (yet'e kas), պիտի (bidi) ուրախանամ — if you come, I'll be glad. Երբ (yerp) — when — works the same: Երբ (yerp) հասնիմ (yerp hasnim), պիտի (bidi) զանգեմ (zankem) (bidi zankem). After verbs of speech the comma often becomes ՝: Ըսաւ (əsav)՝ պիտի (bidi) ուշանայ.
Table
| Conjunction | Meaning | Example | In English |
|---|---|---|---|
| որ (vor) | that | Ըսէ (əse), որ (vor) կ'ուշանամ (g'ushanam) | Say that I am running late |
| որ (vor) | to (the verb without պիտի (bidi)) | Կ'ուզեմ (g'uzem), որ (vor) գաս | I want you to come |
| որովհետեւ (vorovhedev) | because | Չեկայ, որովհետեւ հիւանդ էի (chega, vorovhedev hivant ei) | I didn't come because I was ill |
| քանի որ (k'ani vor) | since, given that | Քանի որ (k'ani vor) ուշ (ush) է, երթանք (yert'ank) | Given that it's late, let's go |
| եթէ (yet'e) | if (no պիտի (bidi) inside, պիտի (bidi) in the main part) | Եթէ (yet'e) գաս, պիտի (bidi) ուրախանամ | If you come, I'll be glad |
| երբ (yerp) | when | Երբ (yerp) հասնիմ, պիտի (bidi) զանգեմ (zankem) | When I arrive, I'll call |
By example
- Չեկայ, որովհետեւ հեռախօսս նստած էրchegay, vorovhedev herrakhoss nsdadz erI didn't come because my phone was dead
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
two thoughts in one sentence: how does it work in Western Armenian?
Until now a sentence held one thought. "Tell him that I am late", "if there is time, I'll drop by". The conjunction opens the second half, and the word order inside it does not change.
What does it look like in a Western Armenian example sentence?
“Ըսէ (əse) իրեն (iren), որ (vor) այժմ պիտի գամ” (ayzhm bidi kam) (əse iren, vor ayzhm bidi kam) — Tell him that I will come right now. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.