Աշխատասեր, շատախոս, անտարբեր: what character is built from
Three dozen adjectives about character need not be memorized one by one. Almost every one is a familiar root plus a tail, and there are half a dozen tails. -սեր — "loving something": ashkhadaser — hard-working; hyuraser — hospitable. -խոս — "speaking": shadakhos — chatty; partsrakhos — a loudspeaker: one tail, and the words ran from a person to an appliance. For example: “Աշխատասեր եւ համբերատար մարդ է” — He is a…
How it works
Three dozen adjectives about character need not be memorized one by one. Almost every one is a familiar root plus a tail, and there are half a dozen tails. -սեր (-ser) — "loving something": ashkhadaser — hard-working; hyuraser — hospitable. -խոս — "speaking": shadakhos — chatty; partsrakhos — a loudspeaker: one tail, and the words ran from a person to an appliance.
-տար (-dar) — "carrying": hamperadar — patient; hogadar — caring. -ելի / -ալի — "such that one can": vstaheli — reliable; dzandzrali — boring; hajeli — pleasant.
-ված — a participle: ts'rel — to scatter; ts'ruadz — absent-minded; ogtagortsel — to use; ogtagortsuadz — second-hand. The tail is always unstressed. And the prefix ան- (an) — "un-, non-": antarper — indifferent; anvjar — free of charge.
One caution: ան- negates a noun, a verb is negated by չ-. Antarper e — he is indifferent; but chi hasganar — he does not understand; "anhasganum" cannot be said.
Table
| Tail | Meaning | Built from | What comes out |
|---|---|---|---|
| -սեր | loving | աշխատանք — work | աշխատասեր — hard-working |
| -խոս | speaking | շատ — much | շատախոս — chatty |
| -տար | carrying | հոգ — care | հոգատար — caring |
| -ելի | such that one can | վստահել — to trust | վստահելի — reliable |
| -ալի | such that one can | ձանձրանալ — to be bored | ձանձրալի — boring |
| -ված | the one it was done to | ցրել — to scatter | ցրուած — absent-minded |
| ան- (in front) | un-, non- | տարբեր — different | անտարբեր — indifferent |
| չ- (on a verb) | not | կը հասկանայ | չի հասկանար — does not understand |
By example
- Աշխատասեր եւ համբերատար մարդ էashkhadaser yev hamperadar mart eHe is a hard-working and patient person
- Ձանձրալի ֆիլմ էր, բայց ես անտարբեր չէիtsantsrali film er, payts yes andarper cheiThe film was boring, but I was not indifferent
- Շատախոս է, բայց շատ հոգատարshadakhos e, payts shad hokadarHe is chatty, but very caring
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
what character is built from: how does it work in Western Armenian?
Three dozen adjectives about character need not be memorized one by one. Almost every one is a familiar root plus a tail, and there are half a dozen tails. -սեր — "loving something": ashkhadaser — hard-working; hyuraser — hospitable. -խոս — "speaking": shadakhos — chatty; partsrakhos — a…
What does it look like in an example sentence Western Armenian?
“Աշխատասեր եւ համբերատար մարդ է” (ashkhadaser yev hamperadar mart e) — He is a hard-working and patient person. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.