LingoflyԺամը հինգին, մէկ տարի ետք: time without prepositions
In English, time hangs on prepositions: "at five", "in a year". Here each question has its own ending, and there is almost no preposition. For example: “Հանդիպինք (hantibink) ժամը (zhamə) հինգին (hinkin), ոչ շուտ, քան հինգը” (voch shud, k'an hinkə) — Let's meet at five, not earlier than five. A rule from the Western Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
In English, time hangs on prepositions: "at five", "in a year". Here each question has its own ending, and there is almost no preposition.
A point in time — -ին. ժամը (zhamə) հինգին (hinkin) (zhamə hinkin) — at five o'clock, «ապրիլին (abrilin)» — in April. A span — with the word մէջ (mech): երկու (yergu) ամսուան (amsuan) մէջ (mech) (yergu amsuan mech) — in two months. Start and end — -էն and մինչեւ (minchev): «ժամը (zhamə) ութէն մինչեւ (minchev) հինգը» (hinkə) — from eight to five.
The shift — առաջ (arrach) and ետք (yedk'), and they stand after the span: մէկ տարի ետք (meg dari yedk') — in a year, երկու (yergu) տարի (dari) առաջ (arrach) (yergu dari arrach) — two years ago. Don't be thrown: «առաջ» (arrach) means "forward", but here it means "earlier".
The adverbs «մշտապէս (mshdabes)» — constantly, «վաղուց (vaghuts)» — long ago, «արդէն (arten)» — already stand before the verb and never change. One trap: «դեռ (terr)» with a negation means "not yet" — «դեռ չեմ որոշած (terr chem voroshadz)», I haven't decided yet.
Table
| Question | The tool | Example | In English |
|---|---|---|---|
| when (a point) | -ին | ժամը (zhamə) հինգին (hinkin) | at five |
| when (a day) | -ը / -ին | երկուշաբթի (yergushapt'i) օրը (orə) | on Monday |
| how long it took | -ուան մէջ (mech) | երկու (yergu) ամսուան (amsuan) մէջ (mech) | in two months |
| from when | -էն | ժամը (zhamə) ութէն | from eight |
| until when | մինչեւ (minchev) | մինչեւ (minchev) հինգը (hinkə) | until five |
| in how long | the span + ետք (yedk') | մէկ տարի ետք (meg dari yedk') | in a year |
| how long ago | the span + առաջ (arrach) | երկու (yergu) տարի (dari) առաջ (arrach) | two years ago |
| before what | -ալէ / -ելէ առաջ (arrach) | քնանալէ առաջ (arrach) | before sleeping |
| not yet | դեռ (terr) + չ- | դեռ չեմ որոշած (terr chem voroshadz) | I have not decided yet |
By example
- Հանդիպինք ժամը հինգին, ոչ շուտ, քան հինգըhantibink' zhamə hinkin, voch shud, k'an hinkəLet's meet at five, not earlier than five
- meg dari yedk' bidi veratarrnam, yergu dari arrach megnetsaI will return in a year; I left two years ago
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
time without prepositions: how does it work in Western Armenian?
In English, time hangs on prepositions: "at five", "in a year". Here each question has its own ending, and there is almost no preposition.
What does it look like in a Western Armenian example sentence?
“Հանդիպինք (hantibink) ժամը (zhamə) հինգին (hinkin), ոչ շուտ, քան հինգը” (voch shud, k'an hinkə) (hantibink' zhamə hinkin, voch shud, k'an hinkə) — Let's meet at five, not earlier than five. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.