LingoflyՇեմ
- Շեմshemthreshold
“Շեմ” (shem) — threshold in Western Armenian. Noun, level A1, topic — home and things. Both a door's threshold and 'on the threshold' in time: ձմրան (tsmran) շեմին (shemin). In a live sentence: “Շեմին կանգնած է” (shemin ganknadz e) — He stands on the threshold. Written with the characters Շ, ե, մ. One of 192 words in the set “home and things” in the Western Armenian course.
In short
| Written in Western Armenian | Շեմ (shem) |
| Read in Latin letters | shem |
| Translation | threshold |
| Part of speech | noun |
| Level | A1 |
Why it looks that way
Both a door's threshold and 'on the threshold' in time: ձմրան (tsmran) շեմին (shemin)
A word with a story stays in memory longer than one learned as a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
In a live sentence
A single word almost never appears alone in conversation. A sentence shows where it fits and what stands next to it.
- Շեմին կանգնած էshemin ganknadz eHe stands on the threshold
Nearby words: home and things
Room, key, water, electricity. You will need them on your first day in a rented flat.
- ԿոտրուածgodruadzbrokenFrom
կոտրել(godrel), to break. The -ուած ending builds a state: 'broken' — and it stays broken until someone fixes it - ԲնակարանpnagaranapartmentThe first word of every rental listing. Strictly it means 'dwelling', but this is the word people search housing by
- ՍենեակseneagroomSame root in
գրասենեակ(kraseneag), office — literally 'the paper room', where the papers live - ԽոհանոցkhohanotskitchenSame root in
խոհարար(khoharar), cook — the person of the kitchen - ԼոգարանlokaranbathroomFrom
լոգանք, a bath. Its twinզուգարանmeans toilet — the two words look alike and everyone mixes them up at first - ՊատշգամբbadshkampbalconyThe bookish word; in conversation everyone just says the borrowed
բալկոն - ՅարկharkfloorSpelled with Յ but read 'hark'. Don't confuse it with
հարկ(harg), tax: the two sound almost alike, and only the spelling tells them apart - Վերելակverelagelevator
վեր(ver) is 'up'. In speech you will more often hear the borrowedլիֆտ - ԱստիճաններasdijannerstairsThe plural of
աստիճան(asdijan), a step: Armenian calls the staircase simply 'the steps'
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “home and things”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “threshold” in Western Armenian?
Both a door's threshold and 'on the threshold' in time: ձմրան (tsmran) շեմին (shemin)
- How do you say “balcony” in Western Armenian?
The bookish word; in conversation everyone just says the borrowed բալկոն
- How do you say “apartment” in Western Armenian?
The first word of every rental listing. Strictly it means 'dwelling', but this is the word people search housing by
- How do you say “stairs” in Western Armenian?
The plural of աստիճան (asdijan), a step: Armenian calls the staircase simply 'the steps'
- How do you say “bathroom” in Western Armenian?
From լոգանք, a bath. Its twin զուգարան means toilet — the two words look alike and everyone mixes them up at first
How not to forget this word
Reading a word and remembering it are different jobs. A day later, little survives of a single reading — and that is not bad memory, that is how memory works.
- This has been tested on foreign words too. The difference shows up most when you test yourself a few days later rather than straight away.checked many timesKim & Webb, 2022, Language Learning 72(2) · 48 experiments, 3,411 participants, 98 comparisons.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- An answer you worked out yourself sticks better than one handed to you.checked many timesBertsch et al., 2007, Memory & Cognition 35(2) · 86 studies, 445 comparisons, d = 0.40.
Frequently asked
How do you say “threshold” in Western Armenian?
«Շեմ» (shem), read “shem”. In a live sentence: “Շեմին կանգնած է” (shemin ganknadz e) — He stands on the threshold. Noun, level A1, from the set “home and things”; written with the characters Շ, ե, մ.
How is “Շեմ” (shem) written in Latin letters?
shem. This is a practical spelling — you need it to read aloud and be understood, not to meet an academic standard.
Why does this word look the way it does?
Both a door's threshold and 'on the threshold' in time: ձմրան (tsmran) շեմին (shemin). A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.