Ժանգոտ, փայլուն, օվալաձեւ: how a quality is assembled
Most of the adjectives in this topic need not be memorized: a quality is built with a suffix from a ready-made noun. -ոտ — "covered with this". ժանգոտ — zhang (rust) → zhangod (rusty); p'oshi (dust) → p'oshod (dusty). For example: “Դարակի գրքերը փոշոտ են” — The books on the shelf are dusty. A rule from the Western Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Most of the adjectives in this topic need not be memorized: a quality is built with a suffix from a ready-made noun. -ոտ — "covered with this". ժանգոտ (zhankod) — zhang (rust) → zhangod (rusty); p'oshi (dust) → p'oshod (dusty).
-ուն — "prone to this". It clings to a verb stem: p'ayleł (to shine) → p'aylun (shiny); kpcheł (to stick) → kpchun (sticky). The difference from -ոտ is the one between "dusty" and "sticky". The first is about what has settled on the thing, the second about the thing's own property.
-աձեւ — "having this shape". The second half is dzev (shape): ovaladzev (oval); kloradzev (rounded). Attach -աձեւ to any word about a figure and you will be understood.
The reverse move: negation with the prefix an-. Bidani (fit for use) → anbidani (unusable). And the word often loses a tail: the final vowel drops.
Table
| The base | The suffix | The quality | In English |
|---|---|---|---|
| ժանգ (rust) | -ոտ | ժանգոտ | rusty |
| փոշի (dust) | -ոտ | փոշոտ | dusty |
| փայլել (to shine) | -ուն | փայլուն | shiny |
| կպչել (to stick) | -ուն | կպչուն | sticky |
| օվալ (an oval) | -աձեւ | օվալաձեւ | oval |
By example
- Դարակի գրքերը փոշոտ ենtaragi krk'erə p'oshod enThe books on the shelf are dusty
- Խողովակը ճկուն է եւ չ'կոտրուիրkhoghovagə jgun e yev ch'godruirThe hose is flexible and does not crack
- Այս ջուրը խմելու համար պիտանի չէays churə khmelu hamar bidani cheThis water is not fit for drinking
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 a quality is assembled: how does it work in Western Armenian?
Most of the adjectives in this topic need not be memorized: a quality is built with a suffix from a ready-made noun. -ոտ — "covered with this". ժանգոտ — zhang (rust) → zhangod (rusty); p'oshi (dust) → p'oshod (dusty).
What does it look like in an example sentence Western Armenian?
“Դարակի գրքերը փոշոտ են” (taragi krk'erə p'oshod en) — The books on the shelf are dusty. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.