Բանկի դիմաց, տան հետեւում: the word comes after, not before
Explaining the way is the most frequent task of the first year, and one always stumbles on the same thing. English puts the little word before the noun; here it stands after. "Opposite the bank" = pangi dimats', literally "of-the-bank opposite". For example: “Դեղատունը բանկի դիմաց է, կայանատեղին՝ շենքի հետեւում” — The pharmacy is opposite the bank, and the parking is behind the building. A rule from the Western…
How it works
Explaining the way is the most frequent task of the first year, and one always stumbles on the same thing. English puts the little word before the noun; here it stands after. "Opposite the bank" = pangi dimats', literally "of-the-bank opposite".
The rule is simple: the noun before such a word stands in its -ի (-i) 'of' form, with the ending -ի. Dp'rotsi dimats' — opposite the school; seghani vra — on the table.
The ones a street demands: dimats' — opposite; hedevum — behind; koghk'in — next to; mod — near; vra — on; dag — under; mech — inside; michov — through. Arrach — in front of, hedo — after — also serve time. Two exceptions are true prepositions standing before the word: depi — towards; arrants — without.
And the main fork: -ում (-um) or a relational word? The ending -ում answers "where" by itself: angunum — at the corner. The relational word is needed when it matters which exactly place: not just "by" but "behind the house". The one mistake: dan mech where danə would do.
Table
| English | The word | Position | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| opposite | դիմաց | after the noun, the noun in -ի | բանկի դիմաց |
| behind | հետեւում | after the noun, the noun in -ի | շենքի հետեւում |
| next to | կողքին | after the noun, the noun in -ի | լուսացույցի կողքին |
| on | վրա | after the noun, the noun in -ի | քարտեզի վրա |
| through | միջով | after the noun, the noun in -ի | այգու միջով |
| along | երկայնքով | after the noun, the noun in -ի | փողոցի երկայնքով |
| towards | դեպի | BEFORE the noun | դեպի կեդրոն |
| without | առանց | BEFORE the noun | առանց նեղանալու |
| in, at (plainly where) | the ending -ում | on the noun itself | անկիւնում — at the corner |
By example
- Դեղատունը բանկի դիմաց է, կայանատեղին՝ շենքի հետեւումteghadunə pangi timats e, gayanadeghin shenk'i hedevumThe pharmacy is opposite the bank, and the parking is behind the building
- Կանգառը լուսացույցի կողքին էgankarrə lusatsuytsi goghk'in eThe stop is next to the traffic light
- Փողոցի երկայնքով գնացեք մինչեւ խաչմերուկp'oghotsi yergaynk'ov knatsek' minchev khachmerugGo along the street as far as the crossroads
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
the word comes after, not before: how does it work in Western Armenian?
Explaining the way is the most frequent task of the first year, and one always stumbles on the same thing. English puts the little word before the noun; here it stands after. "Opposite the bank" = pangi dimats', literally "of-the-bank opposite".
What does it look like in an example sentence Western Armenian?
“Դեղատունը բանկի դիմաց է, կայանատեղին՝ շենքի հետեւում” (teghadunə pangi timats e, gayanadeghin shenk'i hedevum) — The pharmacy is opposite the bank, and the parking is behind the building. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.