Պէտք է, կրնամ: must, can, worth
"I have to go", "can I try it on?", "it is worth trying" — three turns for every day. All three are built around the form that follows piti: yertam — on its own, "that I go". For example: “Պէտք է շուտ երթամ” — I have to leave early. A rule from the Western Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
"I have to go", "can I try it on?", "it is worth trying" — three turns for every day. All three are built around the form that follows piti: yertam — on its own, "that I go".
Bedk e — have to. The word never changes; the person sits in the verb: bedk e yertam — I have to go. A second use takes a noun: indzi doktor e bedk — I need a doctor.
Grnam — can. Here the turn itself changes (grnam, grnas, grna), and the verb stands in the dictionary form: grnam ogneł. The permission question too: Grnam՞ p'ortsel — may I try it on? Impersonally: kareli՞ e — "is it allowed?"; the prohibition chi kareli — not allowed — is the word on the signs.
Arzhe — worth. The same arzhe as in vork'an՞ e — how much is it; as advice: arzhe p'ortsel — worth trying. The negation is ch'arzhe; the same word politely answers "thank you".
Table
| Turn | What follows it | Example | In English |
|---|---|---|---|
| պէտք է | the -մ/-ս/-… form | պէտք է երթամ | I have to go |
| պէտք չէ | the same | պէտք չէ շտապել | no need to hurry |
| ինծի … է պէտք | a noun | ինծի դոկտոր է պէտք | I need a doctor |
| կրնամ | the dictionary form | կրնամ օգնել | I can help |
| կարելի՞ է | the dictionary form | կարելի՞ է ներս մտնել | may one come in? |
| արժե | the dictionary form | արժե փորձել | worth trying |
By example
- Պէտք է շուտ երթամbedk' e shud yert'amI have to leave early
- Կրնա՞մ փորձել այս կոշիկըgrnam p'ortsel ays goshigəMay I try these shoes on?
- Արժե համտեսել, շատ համեղ էarzhe hamdesel, shad hamegh eWorth a taste — it is very good
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
must, can, worth: how does it work in Western Armenian?
"I have to go", "can I try it on?", "it is worth trying" — three turns for every day. All three are built around the form that follows piti: yertam — on its own, "that I go".
What does it look like in an example sentence Western Armenian?
“Պէտք է շուտ երթամ” (bedk' e shud yert'am) — I have to leave early. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.