Թող լինի, Աստուած պահի, ապրես: wishing is a verb form of its own
Wishes number in the dozens, and almost all are assembled from one verb form — the one after bedk e and vorbeszi. It is the form without the կ- prefix. On its own that form already means "may it be so". For example: “Աստուած պահի ձեր երեխայներին” — God keep your children. A rule from the Western Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Wishes number in the dozens, and almost all are assembled from one verb form — the one after bedk e and vorbeszi. It is the form without the կ- prefix. On its own that form already means "may it be so".
The form without կ- is already a wish. Աստուած պահի (asduadz bahi) — Asduadz pahi, God keep (not "kpahi"!); arroghch mnas — be well; hachoghut'yun unenas — good luck to you. One letter decides everything: kmnas — "you will stay"; mnas — "stay", a wish.
T'ogh — "let" for the third person. T'ogh ga — let him come; t'ogh lini — so be it. T'ogh itself is the imperative of t'oghnel — literally "leave him to come". The negation is t'ogh ch'-: t'ogh chushana.
Ready-made formulas. Abres — literally "live!", in effect "thank you" among one's own. Anush lini — bon appétit; the answer is arroghch mnas. Tsavd danem — "may I carry your pain". Ts'avaktsim — my condolences.
Table
| When | What is said | Literally |
|---|---|---|
| at the table | անուշ լինի | may it be sweet |
| the answer to that | առողջ մնաս | stay healthy |
| a toast | կենացդ | to your life |
| instead of thank you | ապրես | live! |
| a congratulation | շնորհաւոր ծնունդդ | congratulated be your birthday |
| a wish for a third person | թող լինի | let it be |
| a blessing | Աստուած պահի | may God keep |
| a condolence | ցավակցում եմ | I share the pain |
| about the departed | Աստուած հոգին լուսաւորի | may God light the soul |
By example
- Աստուած պահի ձեր երեխայներինasduadz bahi tser yerekhaynerinGod keep your children
- Թող տոնը ուրախ լինի, առողջ մնաքt'ogh donə urakh lini, arroghch mnak'May the holiday be a merry one — stay well
- Անուշ լինի, ապրես, որ եկարanush lini, abres, vor yegarBon appétit, and thank you for coming
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
wishing is a verb form of its own: how does it work in Western Armenian?
Wishes number in the dozens, and almost all are assembled from one verb form — the one after bedk e and vorbeszi. It is the form without the կ- prefix. On its own that form already means "may it be so".
What does it look like in an example sentence Western Armenian?
“Աստուած պահի ձեր երեխայներին” (asduadz bahi tser yerekhaynerin) — God keep your children. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.