LingoflyPronouns in Western Armenian
25 words in Western Armenian on the topic “pronouns”: Ես (yes) — I, Դուն (tun) — you, Դուք (tuk') — you (plural, formal), Ան (an) — he.
25 words on the topic
- ԵսyesIsounds exactly like the English word 'yes': the letter ե at the start of a word gives 'ye'
- ԴունtunyouFor family, children and peers; strangers get
դուք(tuk'). The դ sounds like t: say 'toon'. One short syllable - Դուքtuk'you (plural, formal)One word for the polite 'you' to a stranger and the plural 'you' to a group — English needs two words here, Armenian makes do with one
- Անոնքanonk'theyThe Western 'they'. The Eastern standard says
նրանք— a different word: the two norms split even their pronouns - Քուk'uyourThe tail version is -դ:
գիրքդ— your book. The polite 'your' isՁեր(tser), spelled with a capital Ձ - Ինքսink'soneselfChanges with the person:
ինքս(ink's) I myself,ինքդyou yourself,ինքըhe himself. The ending -ս is the same 'my' flag as inգիրքս - Ամբողջampoghchthe whole (of)Stands before the noun:
ամբողջ օրը(ampoghch orə) — the whole day, and the article -ը is expected. For 'all' about a crowd there isբոլոր(polor) - ՑանկացածtsangatsadzanyA participle of
ցանկալ, to wish: literally 'wished'. The equal-meaningորեւէ(voreve) is shorter - ԱյսպիսիaysbisisuchThe three steps repeat here too:
այսպիսի(aysbisi),այդպիսի,այնպիսի— such-near, such-mid, such-far - Ուրիշurishother
Ուրիշ(urish) is the everyday word andայլ(ayl) the bookish one — in speech the first wins almost always - ՄէկըmegəsomeoneLiterally 'one' with the article. There is no separate prefix of vagueness: 'someone' is simply
մէկը(megə) - Բան մըpan məsomething (anything)Literally 'a thing':
մը(mə) after a noun means 'some'. Its partner isմէկը(megə), someone - ՈչինչvochinchnothingAlso the polite answer to 'thank you' and to an apology — the English 'it was nothing'. One word, two jobs
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How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
What is worth knowing about these words
Ես (yes) — I. Almost always followed by եմ (em), the little 'am' verb: ես (yes) լաւ (lav) եմ (em) is literally 'I good am'. Looks and sounds like the English word 'yes' — an entirely different meaning.
Դուն (tun) — you. For family, children and peers; strangers get դուք (tuk'). The դ sounds like t: say 'toon'. One short syllable.
Դուք (tuk') — you (plural, formal). One word for the polite 'you' to a stranger and the plural 'you' to a group — English needs two words here, Armenian makes do with one.
Ան (an) — he. Armenian has no grammatical gender: the same ան (an) means he, she and it. The Eastern standard says նա here — a different word, not a different spelling.
Test yourself
Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “I” in Western Armenian?
Almost always followed by
եմ(em), the little 'am' verb:ես(yes)լաւ(lav) եմ (em) is literally 'I good am'. Looks and sounds like the English word 'yes' — an entirely different meaning - How do you say “your” in Western Armenian?
The tail version is -դ:
գիրքդ— your book. The polite 'your' isՁեր(tser), spelled with a capital Ձ - How do you say “each (one of)” in Western Armenian?
A long bookish word. In speech
ամէն(amen)մէկը(megə) — 'every one' — is more common - How do you say “someone” in Western Armenian?
Literally 'one' with the article. There is no separate prefix of vagueness: 'someone' is simply
մէկը(megə) - How do you say “he” in Western Armenian?
Armenian has no grammatical gender: the same
ան(an) means he, she and it. The Eastern standard saysնաhere — a different word, not a different spelling
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
I, you, we, they. There is a handful of them, they turn up in every sentence, and politeness rides on them: most of these languages keep a formal “you” apart from a familiar one, and choosing the wrong one is noticed faster than a mispronounced word.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- 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.
- Study spread over days wins not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “I” in Western Armenian?
«Ես» (yes), read “yes”. Sounds exactly like the English word 'yes': the letter ե at the start of a word gives 'ye'. It is one of 25 words in the set “pronouns” — the rest are in the table above.
How many pronouns do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 25 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.