Այն բնակարանը, որ վարձեցինք: how a noun's word group is built
In talk about renting, four other words gather around one noun, and their order is strict. For example: “Այն բնակարանը, որ երէկ տեսանք, թանկ էր” — The flat we looked at yesterday was expensive. A rule from the Western Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
In talk about renting, four other words gather around one noun, and their order is strict.
Rule one: everything that describes stands to the left, the head of the group to the right. An adjective agrees with nothing: nor never changes. A number is also on the left, and the noun after it stays singular: yergu seniag. A demonstrative comes first of all.
Rule two: the owner goes in front, in its -ի (-i) 'of' form — dan durrə, literally "of-the-house the-door". And -ը is put once, on the last word of the group: medz lusavor bnagaranə — a big bright flat. The same with the owner: dan durrə — on the door, not on the house.
English "the flat that we rented" is made with vor, and here it replaces the noun inside the clause. Ayn almost always stands before the noun: Ayn bnagaranə, vor vartsetsink', yerrord hargin vray e. A verb becomes a modifier with -ող (the one who does) or -ած (what was done) — to the left, like an adjective.
Table
| What you add | Where it stands | Example | In English |
|---|---|---|---|
| an adjective | on the left, unchanged | նոր բնակարան | a new flat |
| a number | on the left, the noun in the singular | երկու սենեակ | two rooms |
| a demonstrative | first of all | այս մեծ սենեակը | this big room |
| the owner | on the left, in its -ի form | տան դուռը | the door of the house |
| the article -ը | once, on the last word | մեծ լուսաւոր բնակարանը | the big bright flat |
| a clause with որ | on the right, with այն in front | այն բնակարանը, որ վարձեցինք | the flat we rented |
| -ող | on the left, "the one who does" | վարձող մարդը | the person renting |
| -ած | on the left, "what was done" | վարձած բնակարանը | the rented flat |
By example
- Այն բնակարանը, որ երէկ տեսանք, թանկ էրayn pnagaranə, vor yereg desank', t'ang erThe flat we looked at yesterday was expensive
- Հարեւանի տան դուռը միշտ բաց էharevani dan turrə mishd pats eThe door of the neighbor's house is always open
- Նոր ներկած պատերը դեռ չեն չորացերnor nergadz baderə terr chen choratserThe freshly painted walls have not dried yet
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 noun's word group is built: how does it work in Western Armenian?
In talk about renting, four other words gather around one noun, and their order is strict.
What does it look like in an example sentence Western Armenian?
“Այն բնակարանը, որ երէկ տեսանք, թանկ էր” (ayn pnagaranə, vor yereg desank', t'ang er) — The flat we looked at yesterday was expensive. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.