Ժամը հինգին, մէկ տարի հետո: time without prepositions
When, since when, until when — the questions of every meeting. Here every question has its own ending, and prepositions are almost gone. A point in time — the ending -ին. Ժամը հինգին — zhamə hinkin, at five o'clock; aprilin — in April. For example: “Հանդիպենք ժամը հինգին, ոչ շուտ, քան հինգը” — Let's meet at five, not earlier than five. A rule from the Western Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as…
How it works
When, since when, until when — the questions of every meeting. Here every question has its own ending, and prepositions are almost gone. A point in time — the ending -ին. Ժամը հինգին (zhamə hinkin) — zhamə hinkin, at five o'clock; aprilin — in April.
A span — the ending -ում (-um). Yergu amsum — in two months. The difference: -ին sets a point, -ում outlines a span. Start and end — -ից and մինչեւ (minchev). Innits minchev vetsə — from nine to six.
The shift — առաջ (arrach) and հետո (hedo), and they stand after the span, not before it. Meg dari hedo — in a year; yergu or arrach — two days ago. English "in (a year)" becomes hedo, English "ago" becomes arrach. Arrach means "forward", yet here it means "earlier".
And the adverbs of judgement: mshtabes — constantly; terr — still; arden — already. All stand before the verb and change no forms. One trap: terr with a negation gives "not yet" — terr ch'em voroshadz.
Table
| Question | The tool | Example | In English |
|---|---|---|---|
| when (a point) | -ին | ժամը հինգին | at five |
| when (a day) | -ը / -ին | երկուշաբթի օրը | on Monday |
| how long it took | -ում | երկու ամսում | in two months |
| from when | -ից | ժամը իննից | from nine |
| until when | մինչեւ | մինչեւ հինգը | until five |
| in how long | the span + հետո | մէկ տարի հետո | in a year |
| how long ago | the span + առաջ | երկու օր առաջ | two days ago |
| before what | -ուց առաջ | քնելուց առաջ | before sleeping |
| not yet | դեռ + չ- | դեռ չեմ որոշած | I have not decided yet |
By example
- Հանդիպենք ժամը հինգին, ոչ շուտ, քան հինգըhantibenk' zhamə hinkin, voch shud, k'an hinkəLet's meet at five, not earlier than five
- Երկու ամսում արդիւնքը բարելաւեցիyergu amsum artyunk'ə parelavetsiIn two months I improved the result
- Մէկ տարի հետո կվերադառնամ, երկու տարի առաջ եմ մէկնելmeg dari hedo gveratarrnam, yergu dari arrach em megnelI will return in a year; I left two years ago
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
time without prepositions: how does it work in Western Armenian?
When, since when, until when — the questions of every meeting. Here every question has its own ending, and prepositions are almost gone. A point in time — the ending -ին. Ժամը հինգին — zhamə hinkin, at five o'clock; aprilin — in April.
What does it look like in an example sentence Western Armenian?
“Հանդիպենք ժամը հինգին, ոչ շուտ, քան հինգը” (hantibenk' zhamə hinkin, voch shud, k'an hinkə) — Let's meet at five, not earlier than five. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.