LingoflyՄօտ հազար դրամ: "about" and "approximately"
For approximation the workhorse is մօտ (mod) before the number: մօտ (mod) հազար (hazar) դրամ (tram) — about a thousand drams. It is the same մօտ (mod) as "near". More bookish and more exact is մօտաւորապէս (modavorabes) — approximately. Շուրջ (shurch) — "some", in reports and news: շուրջ (shurch) յիսուն (hisun) մարդ (mart). In speech the ending -ի չափ (chap) often does the job, or two numbers simply stand together: երկու-երեք օր (or) — two or three days.
How it works
For approximation the workhorse is մօտ (mod) before the number: մօտ (mod) հազար (hazar) դրամ (tram) (mod hazar tram) — about a thousand drams. It is the same մօտ (mod) as "near". More bookish and more exact is մօտաւորապէս (modavorabes) — approximately. Շուրջ (shurch) — "some", in reports and news: շուրջ (shurch) յիսուն (hisun) մարդ (mart) (shurch hisun mart). In speech the ending -ի չափ (chap) (-i chap') often does the job, or two numbers simply stand together: երկու-երեք օր (or) (yergu yerek' or) — two or three days.
Table
| Word | Meaning | Example | Careful |
|---|---|---|---|
| մօտ (mod) | about | մօտ (mod) հազար (hazar) դրամ (tram) | the same word as "near" |
| մօտաւորապէս (modavorabes) | approximately | մօտաւորապէս (modavorabes) երկու (yergu) ժամ (zham) | more bookish, more exact |
| շուրջ (shurch) | some … odd | շուրջ (shurch) յիսուն (hisun) մարդ (mart) | newspaper style, rare in speech |
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
"about" and "approximately": how does it work in Western Armenian?
For approximation the workhorse is մօտ (mod) before the number: մօտ (mod) հազար (hazar) դրամ (tram) — about a thousand drams. It is the same մօտ (mod) as "near". More bookish and more exact is մօտաւորապէս (modavorabes) — approximately. Շուրջ (shurch) — "some", in reports and news: շուրջ (shurch) յիսուն (hisun) մարդ (mart). In speech the ending -ի չափ (chap) often does the job, or two…
What does it look like in a Western Armenian example sentence?
“Հաշուին (hashuin) մօտ (mod) հարիւր (haryur) հազար (hazar) դրամ (tram) կայ” (gay) (hashuin mod haryur hazar tram gay) — There is about a hundred thousand drams in the account. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.