Կը գրէի or gretsi: two pasts and the question "finished or not"
English marks "was writing" against "wrote" with auxiliary verbs; here there are none. The difference lives in the form of the verb. For example: “Կը կարդայի, երբ յանկարծ լոյսը հանգաւ” — I was reading when suddenly the light went out. A rule from the Western Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
English marks "was writing" against "wrote" with auxiliary verbs; here there are none. The difference lives in the form of the verb.
Two past forms. The simple past — gretsi, yert'atsay: one completed action. This is "wrote", "went". The continuous past — kə grēi, kə kartayi: the action lasted, repeated, or was the backdrop. It is the present form with the copula in the past: kə grem — I am writing; kə grēi — I was writing.
Side by side: Kə kartayi, yerp zangetsir — I was reading when you called. The first lasted; the second cut in. The intuition transfers: backdrop — the կ'-էի (-ei) form, event — the simple past.
The third form is the perfect, gradz em — not about time but about a result that exists now. Arden kardatsadz em — I have already read it. Saw "already", "not yet", "never" — put -ած եմ, not -եցի.
Table
| Form | What it looks like | When it is used | In English |
|---|---|---|---|
| the simple past | գրեցի | one completed action | wrote |
| the continuous past | կը գրէի | it lasted, it was the backdrop | was writing |
| continuous + frequency | ամեն օր կը գրէի | a habit in the past | used to write |
| the perfect | գրած եմ | the result exists now | have written |
| the perfect with երբեք | երբեք չեմ գրած | the experience never happened | have never written |
| շարունակել | կը շարունակեմ գրել | the action has not ended | keep writing |
By example
- Կը կարդայի, երբ յանկարծ լոյսը հանգաւgə gartayi, yerp yangardz loysə hankavI was reading when suddenly the light went out
- Ամեն ամառ գիւղ կ'երթայինքamen amarr kyugh g'ert'ayink'Every summer we went to the village
- Այդ գիրքը արդէն կարդացած եմayt kirk'ə arten gartatsadz emI have already read that book
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
Kə grei or gretsi which one?
English marks "was writing" against "wrote" with auxiliary verbs; here there are none. The difference lives in the form of the verb.
Past continuous and simple past?
Two past forms. The simple past — gretsi, yert'atsay: one completed action. This is "wrote", "went". The continuous past — kə grēi, kə kartayi: the action lasted, repeated, or was the backdrop. It is the present form with the copula in the past: kə grem — I am writing; kə grēi — I was writing.
How to say i had already read?
Side by side: Kə kartayi, yerp zangetsir — I was reading when you called. The first lasted; the second cut in. The intuition transfers: backdrop — the կ'-էի form, event — the simple past.
Arden kardatsadz em meaning?
The third form is the perfect, gradz em — not about time but about a result that exists now. Arden kardatsadz em — I have already read it. Saw "already", "not yet", "never" — put -ած եմ, not -եցի.
Which past with already and never?
The third form is the perfect, gradz em — not about time but about a result that exists now. Arden kardatsadz em — I have already read it. Saw "already", "not yet", "never" — put -ած եմ, not -եցի.
Unfinished past vs completed action?
The third form is the perfect, gradz em — not about time but about a result that exists now. Arden kardatsadz em — I have already read it. Saw "already", "not yet", "never" — put -ած եմ, not -եցի.
What does it look like in an example sentence Western Armenian?
“Կը կարդայի, երբ յանկարծ լոյսը հանգաւ” (gə gartayi, yerp yangardz loysə hankav) — I was reading when suddenly the light went out. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.