Մարդիկ, կանայք, ժողովուրդ: plurals that break the rule
The plural rule is familiar: a one-syllable word takes -եր, a longer one -ներ. It covers ninety-five words out of a hundred, and words about people are where it breaks most often. For example: “Այս գիւղում հազար մարդ է ապրում, մարդիկ իրար կը ճանչնան” — A thousand people live in this village, and they know one another. A rule from the Western Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The plural rule is familiar: a one-syllable word takes -եր, a longer one -ներ. It covers ninety-five words out of a hundred, and words about people are where it breaks most often.
Forms to know by heart. Mart (a person) → martik, not "marter". Kin (a woman) → ganayk'. Tikin (a lady) → tiknayk'. There are few forms in -այք, and all of them are about people: a relic of an ancient ending.
Collectives: one word for many people. Zhoghovurd (a people), bnagchut'yun (a population) — these are singular, and the verb with them is singular too: bnagchut'yunə achum e. But in the plural these words change meaning: zhoghovurdner is already "peoples", different ones. The people inside are counted with hoki — a soul: dasə hoki — ten people.
After a number — the singular. Hing bnagich, haryur kamavor — without -ներ. It looks like a mistake for a month, then it becomes convenient: the number has already said everything.
Table
| One | Many | How it came about |
|---|---|---|
| մարդ — a person | մարդիկ — people | irregular, by heart |
| կին — a woman | կանայք — women | the ancient -այք |
| տղայմարդ — a man | տղայմարդիկ | on the model of մարդ |
| բնակիչ — a resident | բնակիչներ | the rule: -ներ |
| ժողովուրդ — a people | ժողովուրդներ — peoples | but the meaning changes |
| բնակչութիւն — a population | singular | a collective |
| հինգ բնակիչ | without -ներ | after a number — the singular |
| տասը հոգի | ten people | հոգի as the counting word |
By example
- Այս գիւղում հազար մարդ է ապրում, մարդիկ իրար կը ճանչնանays kyughum hazar mart e abrum, martig irar gə janchnanA thousand people live in this village, and they know one another
- Բնակչութիւնը կը մեծանայ, բայց երիտասարդները կը հեռանանpnagchut'yunə gə medzanay, payts yeridasartnerə gə herrananThe population is growing, but the young are leaving
- Հանդիպմանը եկաւ քսան հոգի, անոնցմէ տասը՝ կամավորhantibmanə yegav k'san hoki, anontsme dasə gamavorTwenty people came to the meeting, ten of them volunteers
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
plurals that break the rule: how does it work in Western Armenian?
The plural rule is familiar: a one-syllable word takes -եր, a longer one -ներ. It covers ninety-five words out of a hundred, and words about people are where it breaks most often.
What does it look like in an example sentence Western Armenian?
“Այս գիւղում հազար մարդ է ապրում, մարդիկ իրար կը ճանչնան” (ays kyughum hazar mart e abrum, martig irar gə janchnan) — A thousand people live in this village, and they know one another. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.