LingoflyԵրեւի, հաւանաբար, իհարկէ: how sure the speaker is
Half the meaning often hangs on how sure the speaker is. "Probably the board burned out", "of course we'll replace it". Like English, Armenian uses parenthetical words. They never change form, so you learn them as a list. For example: “Երեւի (yerevi) լարերուն հետ (hed) խնդիր (khntir) կայ” (gay) — Probably there is a problem with the wires. A rule from the Western Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Half the meaning often hangs on how sure the speaker is. "Probably the board burned out", "of course we'll replace it". Like English, Armenian uses parenthetical words. They never change form, so you learn them as a list.
The most frequent is երեւի (yerevi) — probably: Երեւի (yerevi) պահեստամաս (bahesdamas) է պէտք (bedk) (yerevi bahesdamas e bedk') — probably a spare part is needed. Its bookish twin is հաւանաբար — presumably. Միգուցէ (mikutse) — maybe: միգուցէ (mikutse) գայ (kay) (mikutse kay) — maybe he'll come. Dictionaries give no strict scale of certainty between them; the reliable difference is register: երեւի (yerevi) is colloquial, հաւանաբար bookish.
At the other end is confidence. Իհարկէ (iharge) — of course. Անպայման (anbayman) — without fail: անպայման (anbayman) պիտի (bidi) զանգեմ (zankem) (anbayman bidi zankem). Իսկապէս (isgabes) — truly. Անշուշտ — undoubtedly, and it sounds official.
Judgements: ցաւօք (tsavok') — unfortunately; բարեբախտաբար (parepakhdapar) — fortunately; ըստ (əsd) իս — in my opinion.
Table
| Word | Meaning | How sure | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| միգուցէ (mikutse) | maybe | a supposition | միգուցէ (mikutse) գայ (kay) |
| երեւի (yerevi) | probably | a guess, colloquial | երեւի (yerevi) պահեստամաս (bahesdamas) է պէտք (bedk) |
| հաւանաբար | presumably | a guess, bookish | հաւանաբար վաղը (vaghə) պիտի (bidi) ըլլայ (əllay) |
| իսկապէս | truly | high | իսկապէս լաւ (lav) վարպետ (varbed) է |
| իհարկէ (iharge) | of course | high | իհարկէ (iharge) պիտի (bidi) փոխենք (p'okhenk) |
| անպայման (anbayman) | without fail | a promise | անպայման (anbayman) պիտի (bidi) զանգեմ (zankem) |
| ցաւօք (tsavok') | unfortunately | a judgement | ցաւօք (tsavok'), ուշացանք (ushatsank) |
| բարեբախտաբար (parepakhdapar) | fortunately | a judgement | բարեբախտաբար (parepakhdapar), երաշխիքով (yerashkhik'ov) է |
By example
- Ցաւօք, էկրանը վերանորոգման ենթակայ չէtsavok', egranə veranorokman yent'aga cheUnfortunately, the screen cannot be repaired
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 sure the speaker is: how does it work in Western Armenian?
Half the meaning often hangs on how sure the speaker is. "Probably the board burned out", "of course we'll replace it". Like English, Armenian uses parenthetical words. They never change form, so you learn them as a list.
What does it look like in a Western Armenian example sentence?
“Երեւի (yerevi) լարերուն հետ (hed) խնդիր (khntir) կայ” (gay) (yerevi larerun hed khntir gay) — Probably there is a problem with the wires. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.