LingoflyՑուրտ է: a sentence with no actor
"It is cold", "one must go", "it seems" — English fills these with a dummy "it". Here nothing is needed: the copula է stands alone. ցուրտ է (tsurd e) — it is cold; Ուշ (ush) է — it is late. That is a complete two-word sentence. For example: “Դուրսը (tursə) ցուրտ է (tsurd e), բաճկոնդ (pajgont) հագիր” (hakir) — It is cold outside, put on your jacket. A rule from the Western Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
"It is cold", "one must go", "it seems" — English fills these with a dummy "it". Here nothing is needed: the copula է (e) stands alone. ցուրտ է (tsurd e) — it is cold; Ուշ (ush) է (ush e) — it is late. That is a complete two-word sentence.
To say who feels it, the "to whom" form goes in front: ինծի (indzi) ցուրտ է (tsurd e) (indzi tsurd e) — I am cold. Need works the same way: ինծի դոկտոր է պէտք (indzi togdor e bedk') — I need a doctor.
Three turns belong to this family. պէտք է (bedk' e) շտապել (shdabel) (bedk' e shdabel) — one must hurry. Կարելի (gareli) է (gareli e) — one may; չի (chi) կարելի (gareli) (chi gareli) — not allowed, the phrase on signs. Կը (gə) թուի (t'ui) (gə t'ui) — it seems: կը (gə) թուի (t'ui)՝ անձրեւ (antsrev) կու (gu) գայ (kay) (gə t'ui antsrev gu kay). After it comes the mark ՝, which replaces "that".
Two more turns. "They say that…" is simply "they say": կ'ըսեն (g'əsen)՝ ձիւն (tsyun) պիտի (bidi) գայ (kay). "No smoking here" puts -ուիլ inside the verb: հոս ծխելը արգիլուած է (hos dzkhelə arkilvadz e) (hos dzkhelə arkilvadz e). The action happens with no named doer.
Table
| English | Armenian | Literally |
|---|---|---|
| it is cold | ցուրտ է (tsurd e) | cold is |
| I am cold | ինծի (indzi) ցուրտ է (tsurd e) | to me cold is |
| one must hurry | պէտք է (bedk' e) շտապել (shdabel) | need is to hurry |
| I need a doctor | ինծի դոկտոր է պէտք (indzi togdor e bedk') | to me a doctor is needed |
| it seems it is raining | կը (gə) թուի (t'ui)՝ անձրեւ (antsrev) կու (gu) գայ (kay) | it seems — the rain is coming |
| not allowed | չի (chi) կարելի (gareli) | it cannot be done |
| they say it will snow | կ'ըսեն (g'əsen)՝ ձիւն (tsyun) պիտի (bidi) գայ (kay) | they say — snow will come |
| smoking is forbidden | ծխելը (dzkhelə) արգիլուած (arkilvadz) է | smoking is forbidden |
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
a sentence with no actor: how does it work in Western Armenian?
"It is cold", "one must go", "it seems" — English fills these with a dummy "it". Here nothing is needed: the copula է stands alone. ցուրտ է (tsurd e) — it is cold; Ուշ (ush) է — it is late. That is a complete two-word sentence.
What does it look like in a Western Armenian example sentence?
“Դուրսը (tursə) ցուրտ է (tsurd e), բաճկոնդ (pajgont) հագիր” (hakir) (tursə tsurd e, pajgont hakir) — It is cold outside, put on your jacket. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.