Շատ, բաւական, չափազանց: exactly how much
Between "good" and "too good" lies a rigid scale. On the left k'ich — little. Then pavagan — quite: everything in order, but without delight. Then shad — very, and at the same time "many". What the word is attached to tells the two apart: shad lav — very good; shad mart — many people. On the right ch'ap'azants — too; the judgement is already negative. For example: “Այս ֆիլմը բաւական հետաքրքիր է” — This film is quite…
How it works
Between "good" and "too good" lies a rigid scale. On the left k'ich — little. Then pavagan — quite: everything in order, but without delight. Then shad — very, and at the same time "many". What the word is attached to tells the two apart: shad lav — very good; shad mart — many people. On the right ch'ap'azants — too; the judgement is already negative.
All of them stand before their word and change nothing in it: shad hedak'rk'ir girk. The comparative աւելի (aveli) behaves the same, and the superlative glues itself to the front of the adjective: amenalavə — the best.
Then come the words that measure not quantity but the speaker's confidence. They attach to the whole phrase, usually at the start. Iharke — of course. Hastad — for sure. Yerevi — probably, rather yes; miguts'ē — maybe, an honest "I don't know".
Learners mix up yerevi and miguts'ē: yerevi bets on "yes", miguts'ē sits exactly in the middle.
Table
| Word | How much | Example |
|---|---|---|
| քիչ | little | քիչ կը քնանամ — I sleep little |
| բաւական | quite, fairly | բաւական լաւ է — quite good |
| շատ | very; many | շատ հետաքրքիր է — very interesting |
| աւելի | more, -er | աւելի կամաց — quieter |
| ամենա- | the most | ամենալաւը — the best |
| չափազանց | too — already bad | չափազանց թանկ է — too expensive |
| իհարկե / հաստատ | of course; for sure | իհարկե պիտի գամ — of course I'll come |
| երեւի / միգուցէ | probably; maybe | երեւի պիտի ուշանայ — probably late |
By example
- Այս ֆիլմը բաւական հետաքրքիր էays filmə pavagan hedak'rk'ir eThis film is quite interesting
- Չափազանց բարձր է, ձայնը իջեցրուchap'azants partsr e, tsaynə ichetsruIt is too loud, turn it down
- Երեւի վաղը պիտի զանգեմyerevi vaghə bidi zankemI'll probably call tomorrow
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
exactly how much: how does it work in Western Armenian?
Between "good" and "too good" lies a rigid scale. On the left k'ich — little. Then pavagan — quite: everything in order, but without delight. Then shad — very, and at the same time "many". What the word is attached to tells the two apart: shad lav — very good; shad mart — many people. On the right…
What does it look like in an example sentence Western Armenian?
“Այս ֆիլմը բաւական հետաքրքիր է” (ays filmə pavagan hedak'rk'ir e) — This film is quite interesting. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.