Ասաց, որ… ասաց, թե…: how to pass on other people's words
Reported speech is not a phrase but a choice of conjunction and verb form. "Որ" introduces a statement. Na batsatrets, vor gnatcə hedadzguadz e — he explained that the train had been delayed. The verb after որ stays in the tense it was spoken in: no backshift. For example: “Ան հարցուց, թե որտեղ է կանգառը” — She asked where the stop is. A rule from the Western Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as…
How it works
Reported speech is not a phrase but a choice of conjunction and verb form. "Որ (vor)" introduces a statement. Na batsatrets, vor gnatcə hedadzguadz e — he explained that the train had been delayed. The verb after որ stays in the tense it was spoken in: no backshift.
"Թե (t'e)" introduces a question and doubt. An hartsuts, t'e vordegh e gankarrə — she asked where the stop is. The question word stays, and the ՞ mark disappears: an indirect question is no longer a question.
"Թե իբր (t'e ipr)" — distrust. Lsadz em, t'e ipr kordzaranə vajarruadz e. The particle իբր (ipr) on its own means "allegedly": Ipr an chkider.
A request goes into the "to" form. Na khntrets, vor sbasenk' — he asked us to wait. After khntrets, asats in the meaning "ordered", uzets — the verb loses կը (gə): not "kə sbasenk'" but sbasenk'. The person shifts, the gender does not. Direct "Yes kgam" in reported speech gives asats, vor kga. And ան (an) means both "he" and "she": the pronoun has no gender at all. English takes the choice from context.
Table
| What is being reported | The conjunction | The verb form |
|---|---|---|
| a statement | որ | indicative: կգա, հետաձգուած է |
| a question | թե | indicative, without the ՞ mark |
| doubt | թե իբր | indicative |
| a request | որ | the form for wishes: սպասենք, գա |
By example
- Ան հարցուց, թե որտեղ է կանգառըan hartsuts, t'e vordegh e gankarrəShe asked where the stop is
- Նա խնդրեց, որ սպասենք մի քիչna khntrets, vor sbasenk' mi k'ichHe asked us to wait a little
- Լսած եմ, թե իբր գործարանը վաճառուած էlsadz em, t'e ipr kordzaranə vajarruadz eI have heard that the factory was allegedly sold
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 to pass on other people's words: how does it work in Western Armenian?
Reported speech is not a phrase but a choice of conjunction and verb form. "Որ" introduces a statement. Na batsatrets, vor gnatcə hedadzguadz e — he explained that the train had been delayed. The verb after որ stays in the tense it was spoken in: no backshift.
What does it look like in an example sentence Western Armenian?
“Ան հարցուց, թե որտեղ է կանգառը” (an hartsuts, t'e vordegh e gankarrə) — She asked where the stop is. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.