Իմ հեռախօսը and հեռախօսս: two ways to say "my"
"My phone" can be said in two ways here, and both are correct. The first will look familiar: a separate word in front — im (my), k'o (your), ir (his, her), mer (our), tser (your pl.), anonts (their). With im the article stays, as with demonstratives. For example: “Հեռախօսս մոռացած եմ տան մէջ” — I have left my phone at home. A rule from the Western Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
"My phone" can be said in two ways here, and both are correct. The first will look familiar: a separate word in front — im (my), k'o (your), ir (his, her), mer (our), tser (your pl.), anonts (their). With im the article stays, as with demonstratives.
The second way is shorter and more colloquial: the ending is glued to the word. -ս — my; -դ — your. Herrakhoss, dund, anuns, dznoghners. The suffix takes the article's slot: not "herrakhosəs" but herrakhoss — one slot, one ending.
Then the asymmetry: the endings exist only for the first and second person. The third person got no suffix: "his house" is said the only way there is — ir dunə. "Our" and "your (pl.)" too: mer bagə, tser hastsen.
About relatives and one's own body — the ending: mayrs, yeghbayrs, glukhs gə tsavi. Separate im is for when the ownership itself is the news: Sa im deghn e — this is MY seat. There is a third form, for answering without a noun: imə, k'onə, ironə — Ays girkə imn e.
Table
| Who | A word in front | The ending | A separate answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | իմ տունը | տունս | իմն է — mine |
| you | քո տունը | տունդ | քոնն է — yours |
| he, she | իր տունը | no ending | իրոնն է — his, hers |
| we | մեր տունը | no ending | մերն է — ours |
| you pl. | ձեր տունը | no ending | ձերն է — yours |
| they | անոնց տունը | no ending | անոնցը — theirs |
By example
- Հեռախօսս մոռացած եմ տան մէջherrakhoss morratsadz em dan mechI have left my phone at home
- Ո՞րն է քո հասցենvorn e k'o hastsenWhat is your address?
- Այս ծրարը իմն է, այն մէկը՝ իրոնըays dzrarə imn e, ayn megə ironəThis envelope is mine, and that one is his
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
Two ways to say my?
"My phone" can be said in two ways here, and both are correct. The first will look familiar: a separate word in front — im (my), k'o (your), ir (his, her), mer (our), tser (your pl.), anonts (their). With im the article stays, as with demonstratives.
Herrakhoss or im herrakhosə?
The second way is shorter and more colloquial: the ending is glued to the word. -ս — my; -դ — your. Herrakhoss, dund, anuns, dznoghners. The suffix takes the article's slot: not "herrakhosəs" but herrakhoss — one slot, one ending.
When to use the s ending?
Then the asymmetry: the endings exist only for the first and second person. The third person got no suffix: "his house" is said the only way there is — ir dunə. "Our" and "your (pl.)" too: mer bagə, tser hastsen.
How to say his or her house?
About relatives and one's own body — the ending: mayrs, yeghbayrs, glukhs gə tsavi. Separate im is for when the ownership itself is the news: Sa im deghn e — this is MY seat. There is a third form, for answering without a noun: imə, k'onə, ironə — Ays girkə imn e.
Imə k'onə meaning?
About relatives and one's own body — the ending: mayrs, yeghbayrs, glukhs gə tsavi. Separate im is for when the ownership itself is the news: Sa im deghn e — this is MY seat. There is a third form, for answering without a noun: imə, k'onə, ironə — Ays girkə imn e.
The possessive suffix vs im?
About relatives and one's own body — the ending: mayrs, yeghbayrs, glukhs gə tsavi. Separate im is for when the ownership itself is the news: Sa im deghn e — this is MY seat. There is a third form, for answering without a noun: imə, k'onə, ironə — Ays girkə imn e.
What does it look like in an example sentence Western Armenian?
“Հեռախօսս մոռացած եմ տան մէջ” (herrakhoss morratsadz em dan mech) — I have left my phone at home. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.