LingoflyՇինարար, երգիչ, այգեպան: how an occupation comes out of a deed
The name of a doer is built with a suffix, and there are four common ones. Once you know them, an unfamiliar word in -ող already tells you it is about a person. For example: “Վաճառողը (vajarroghə), գնորդը (knortə) եւ (yev) ստացողը երեք (yerek') տարբեր (darper) մարդ (mart) են” (en) — The seller, the buyer and the recipient are three different people. A rule from the Western Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The name of a doer is built with a suffix, and there are four common ones. Once you know them, an unfamiliar word in -ող already tells you it is about a person.
-ող — the one who does. The suffix clings to the verb stem: վաճառել (vajarrel) → վաճառող (vajarrogh) (a seller), ստանալ (sdanal) → ստացող (sdatsogh) (a recipient). It works on the fly: turn any verb into a doer this way, and you will be understood.
-իչ — a profession and a device. երգել (yerkel) → երգիչ (yerkich) (a singer); the whistle սուլիչ (sulich) uses the same suffix. The difference from -ող is subtle: գրող (krogh) is one who writes, գրիչ (krich) is what one writes with, a pen.
-պան, -պահ (-bah), -արար — the keeper and the maker. այգի (ayki) → այգեպան (aykeban) (a gardener), հաշիւ (hashiv) (hashyu) → հաշուապահ (hashvabah) (an accountant), շին- → շինարար (shinarar) (a builder). The workplace comes by the same trick: -արան gives գործարան (kordzaran) (a factory), -անոց gives արհեստանոց (arhesdanots) (a workshop).
Table
| Suffix | What it makes | Built from | What comes out |
|---|---|---|---|
| -ող | the one doing it now | վաճառել (vajarrel) — to sell | վաճառող (vajarrogh) — a seller |
| -ող | the one doing it now | ստանալ (sdanal) — to receive | ստացող (sdatsogh) — a recipient |
| -իչ | a profession | երգել (yerkel) — to sing | երգիչ (yerkich) — a singer |
| -իչ | a thing that does it | սուլել — to whistle | սուլիչ (sulich) — a whistle |
| -պան | the one who keeps it | այգի (ayki) — a garden | այգեպան (aykeban) — a gardener |
| -պահ | the one who keeps it | հաշիւ (hashiv) — the account | հաշուապահ (hashvabah) — an accountant |
| -արար | the one who makes it | շին- — to build | շինարար (shinarar) — a builder |
| -արան | the place of the work | գործ (kordz) — work | գործարան (kordzaran) — a factory |
| -անոց | a place by the trade | արհեստ (arhesd) — a craft | արհեստանոց (arhesdanots) — a workshop |
By example
- Երգիչը կ'երգէ, գրողը կը գրէ, նկարիչը կը նկարէyerkichə g'erke, kroghə gə kre, ngarichə gə ngareThe singer sings, the writer writes, the painter paints
- Հացթուխը փուռին մէջ կ'աշխատի, հիւսնը՝ արհեստանոցին մէջhatst'ukhə p'urrin mech g'ashkhadi, hyusnə arhesdanotsin mechThe baker works in the bakery, the carpenter in the workshop
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 an occupation comes out of a deed: how does it work in Western Armenian?
The name of a doer is built with a suffix, and there are four common ones. Once you know them, an unfamiliar word in -ող already tells you it is about a person.
What does it look like in a Western Armenian example sentence?
“Վաճառողը (vajarroghə), գնորդը (knortə) եւ (yev) ստացողը երեք (yerek') տարբեր (darper) մարդ (mart) են” (en) (vajarroghə, knortə yev sdatsoghə yerek' darper mart en) — The seller, the buyer and the recipient are three different people. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.