Կաշվե պայուսակ and դանակով կտրել: made of what, done with what
In a shop two questions are asked more than any others. What is it made of? What do you do it with? Here an ending does the job of the preposition, one per question. -ե — the material as an adjective, glued onto the noun and put before the thing. Gashve bayusag — a leather bag; p'ayte taghdag — a wooden board. For example: “Բնական կաշվե պայուսակ եմ փնտրում” — I am looking for a bag of natural leather. A rule from…
How it works
In a shop two questions are asked more than any others. What is it made of? What do you do it with? Here an ending does the job of the preposition, one per question. -ե — the material as an adjective, glued onto the noun and put before the thing. Gashve bayusag — a leather bag; p'ayte taghdag — a wooden board.
-ից — "made of", a full turn after the thing: bayusagə gashvits e — the bag is of leather. The same -ից as "from": Yerevanits — from Yerevan. The difference from -ե is only in word order.
-ով (-vov) — "with, by means of". Tanagov kdreł — cut with a knife; k'artov vjareł — pay by card. The same -ով with "having something": k'dronov t'ey — tea with lemon.
-ով has three more jobs. The means of travel — աւտոբուսով, avtobusov, by bus; the object of pride — k'eznov hpartanum em. And adverbs: hajoyk'ov — with pleasure. One ending, four meanings — all recognized by the question "with what?".
Table
| Question | The ending | Example | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| what kind (of what) | -ե | կաշվե պայուսակ | before the thing |
| what kind (of what) | -ե | ապակե բաժակ — a glass one | before the thing |
| made of what | -ից | պայուսակը կաշվից է | after the thing |
| with what | -ով | դանակով կտրել — cut with a knife | with the verb |
| with what (company) | -ով | կիտրոնով թէյ — tea with lemon | before the thing |
| by what (travel) | -ով | աւտոբուսով — by bus | with the verb |
| how (an adverb) | -ով | հաճույքով — with pleasure | with the verb |
By example
- Բնական կաշվե պայուսակ եմ փնտրումpnagan gashve bayusag em p'ndrumI am looking for a bag of natural leather
- Այս բաժակը ապակուց է, ոչ թե պլաստիկիցays pazhagə abaguts e, voch t'e blasdigitsThis glass is of glass, not of plastic
- Պանիրը քերիչով քերիրbanirə k'erichov k'erirGrate the cheese on a grater
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 to say made of leather?
In a shop two questions are asked more than any others. What is it made of? What do you do it with? Here an ending does the job of the preposition, one per question. -ե — the material as an adjective, glued onto the noun and put before the thing. Gashve bayusag — a leather bag; p'ayte taghdag — a…
Gashve or gashvits which one?
-ից — "made of", a full turn after the thing: bayusagə gashvits e — the bag is of leather. The same -ից as "from": Yerevanits — from Yerevan. The difference from -ե is only in word order.
How to say with a knife?
-ով — "with, by means of". Tanagov kdreł — cut with a knife; k'artov vjareł — pay by card. The same -ով with "having something": k'dronov t'ey — tea with lemon.
One ending for by bus and with pleasure?
-ով has three more jobs. The means of travel — աւտոբուսով, avtobusov, by bus; the object of pride — k'eznov hpartanum em. And adverbs: hajoyk'ov — with pleasure. One ending, four meanings — all recognized by the question "with what?".
Material adjectives?
-ով has three more jobs. The means of travel — աւտոբուսով, avtobusov, by bus; the object of pride — k'eznov hpartanum em. And adverbs: hajoyk'ov — with pleasure. One ending, four meanings — all recognized by the question "with what?".
How to say pay by card?
-ով has three more jobs. The means of travel — աւտոբուսով, avtobusov, by bus; the object of pride — k'eznov hpartanum em. And adverbs: hajoyk'ov — with pleasure. One ending, four meanings — all recognized by the question "with what?".
What does it look like in an example sentence Western Armenian?
“Բնական կաշվե պայուսակ եմ փնտրում” (pnagan gashve bayusag em p'ndrum) — I am looking for a bag of natural leather. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.