Armenian verbs
Encyclopedia
The verbal morphology of Armenian
is fairly simple in theory, but is complicated by the existence of two main dialects, Eastern and Western. The following sketch will be a comparative look at both dialects.
of Armenian verbs is formed with the stem, the theme vowel, and the affix -լ (-l).
The endings reflect the number of conjugation
s possible. Western Armenian is conservative, retaining three conjugations in a, e, and i, while Eastern Armenian has collapsed I and II:
The augment for the third conjugation is sometimes in -եց (-ec῾).
Eastern Armenian has three present participles, while Western Armenian has one. The two Eastern participles are in -ում (-um) (for all verb classes) and -լիս (-lis); both affixes attach to the present stem. Both have a common present participle in -ող (-oġ), which attaches to the past stem; it is sometimes used as an agentive
noun: ուսանող (usanoġ student) [fr. ուսանել usanel to study)].
All affixes here attach to the past stem. Both dialects have a common past passive participle in -ած (WA -aj/EA -aç). Where the dialects differ is the past active participle. The Western Armenian participle is -եր (-er) for all conjugations, while Eastern Armenian has -ել (-el).
and number
, as well as tense, mood, and aspect (see following section for more.)
Armenian inherited from Indo-European
two sets of synthetic affixes corresponding roughly to a "present" or general series, and a past series:
How these affixes are used varies between the two modern dialects of Armenian.
, optative/subjunctive
, necessitative
, imperative
; of these only the imperative has no tense distinction. The number of tenses
varies by dialect. Aspect
is divided roughly the same in both dialects, but the distribution is slightly different.
, one future
, and two past tenses (imperfect, preterite
). Their formation varies by dialect.
Formation of the present tense differs between Eastern and Western. In form, the present indicative of Eastern Armenian has no corresponding Western formation. However, the Western present indicative is formed identically to the Eastern present conditional.
Eastern Armenian uses the -ում (-um) participle with the present tense of Eastern Armenian verb լինել (linel "to be"). Western Armenian uses a synthetic general form of the verb preceded by the particle կը gë /gә/. The synthetic form conjugates according to the verb's theme vowel (i.e., e, i, or a).
The formation of the imperfect is similar to the present-tense formation in both dialects. Eastern Armenian uses the -ում (-um) participle with the imperfect of verb լինել (linel "to be"). Western Armenian uses a synthetic imperfect form of the verb preceded by the particle կը gë /gә/.
Note that in all forms, Eastern and Western, that feature the combination էի (e.g., սիրում էիմ/կը սիրէիմ, etc.), there is an epenthetic
yod: sirum ēi siˈɹum eji or [siˈɾum eji]; gë sirēi ɡə siɾeˈji.
Like the formation of the present tense, the future tense in Armenian intersect two varying constructions with opposite meanings. The Eastern future tense is made with the future participle in -լու (-lu) with the present tense of verb լինել (linel). (This Eastern form is identical to the Western Armenian non-past necessitative (see below.)) The Western future tense is made with the general synthetic verb preceded by the particle պիտի (bidi). (This Western form is identical to the Eastern Armenian non-past necessitative (see below.))
Note that in all Eastern forms that feature the combination ու + ե (e.g., կարդալու եմ, etc.), epenthetic
yod appears: kardalu em kaɹdaˈlujem or [kaɾdaˈlujem].
In various grammars, this is called the preterite, the perfect, or sometimes the aorist
. Both Eastern and Western Armenian use a synthetic preterite, which is formed by deleting the infinitive marker and theme vowel, then:
· Class I and II verbs (in both dialects) add -եց (-ec῾);
· Class III verbs add -աց (-ac῾).
The preterite affixes are similar to the imperfect endings of the verb "to be" (Eastern լինել linel, Western ըլլալ ëllal)
In Class III verbs (a-thematic verbs), the preterite stem and the past stem are identical.
The non-past optative is the simple "present" conjugated form, as compared to other Indo-European languages
:
1Historically, verbs of the third conjucation ended in final յ, which in traditional orthography is silent in word final position. Due to spelling reforms
conducted in the earliest 20th century, final յ is missing from the Eastern conjugation
The past optative is the simple "imperfect" conjugated form, as compared to other Indo-European languages:
1
In both dialects, the combinations եի and էի are pronounced as though spelt "եյի" and "էյի", meaning that սիրեի and սիրէի are both pronounced [siɹeji]. The latent yod
յ is written and pronounced in class III verbs.
The conditional
in each dialect is distinct, based on how formed.
In Eastern Armenian, the non-past conditional is formed by affixing կ- before the non-past optative. With this formation, Eastern Armenian also has a past conditional with k- plus past optative. Due to phonological restrictions, կ is pronounced [kë] before another consonant: կկարդա [këkaɹˈda] (He would read); կկարդային [këkaɹdaˈjin] (They would have read).
An additional note: the Eastern conditional forms, with slight orthographic variation, are identical to the Western present and imperfect indicative forms:
Because of how Western Armenian forms the conditional, it has no corresponding past conditional in the same way Eastern Armenian does.
1Optional spoken forms
In both Eastern and Western Armenian, the imperative
consists of the affirmative and the negative, and singular and plural forms (based on the second person you). Western Armenian also uses a first person plural form, indicating let's.
Both dialects have what is known as the necessitative mood
(also found in Turkish
). Both dialects have a past and a non-past necessitative. Eastern Armenian forms its necessitative by adding particle piti before the optative forms. Western Armenian forms its necessitative with the lu future participle plus the forms of әllal (to be)
Note that the EA particle piti is orthographically identical to the Western particle bidi, meaning that the Eastern necessitative forms are identical in form to the Western future indicative and conditional. Also note that the Western necessitative forms correspond to Eastern Eastern future indicative (and future perfect (see below)):
The present perfect is formed with the l-past participle plus the present form of լինել (linel "to be"). The past perfect (pluperfect) is the l-past participle plus the imperfect of linel.
The Eastern dialect has a future perfect (future in the past) indicative, which is formed like the future indicative tense (using the lu-participle), substituting the present forms of the verb լինել linel with the imperfect.
This tense is used with events which were most likely to happen, which were to happen, according to the speaker's firm conviction, but they either haven't happened, or it's not known.
A table of the perfect forms thus:
There are two tables, showing the full conjugation of each dialect's verb paradigms, Eastern
and Western
.
Armenian language
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
is fairly simple in theory, but is complicated by the existence of two main dialects, Eastern and Western. The following sketch will be a comparative look at both dialects.
Infinitive
The infinitiveInfinitive
In grammar, infinitive is the name for certain verb forms that exist in many languages. In the usual description of English, the infinitive of a verb is its basic form with or without the particle to: therefore, do and to do, be and to be, and so on are infinitives...
of Armenian verbs is formed with the stem, the theme vowel, and the affix -լ (-l).
The endings reflect the number of conjugation
Grammatical conjugation
In linguistics, conjugation is the creation of derived forms of a verb from its principal parts by inflection . Conjugation may be affected by person, number, gender, tense, aspect, mood, voice, or other grammatical categories...
s possible. Western Armenian is conservative, retaining three conjugations in a, e, and i, while Eastern Armenian has collapsed I and II:
| Class | Western | Eastern | gloss |
|---|---|---|---|
| I (e-stem) |
սիրել sirel |
սիրել sirel |
to love |
| II (i-stem/e-stem) |
խօսիլ xōsil |
խոսել xosel |
to speak |
| III (a-stem) |
կարդալ gartal |
կարդալ kardal |
to read |
Stems
There are two main stems per verb, the present stem and past stem. For conjugations I/II, the past stem is identical to the present stem, which is basically the verb minus the theme vowel and ending:| Stem | Western | Eastern | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class I | present | սիր- sir- |
սիր- sir- |
| past | (same as above) | (same as above) | |
| Class II | present | խօս- xōs- |
խոս- xos- |
| past | (same as above) | (same as above) | |
| Class III | present | կարդ- gart- |
կարդ- kard- |
| past | կարդաց- gartac῾- |
կարդաց- kardac῾- |
|
The augment for the third conjugation is sometimes in -եց (-ec῾).
Future Participle
Both Eastern and Western Armenian form the common future participle in -լու (-lu). Western Armenian has one additional future participle in -լիք (-lik῾):Present
Eastern Armenian has three present participles, while Western Armenian has one. The two Eastern participles are in -ում (-um) (for all verb classes) and -լիս (-lis); both affixes attach to the present stem. Both have a common present participle in -ող (-oġ), which attaches to the past stem; it is sometimes used as an agentive
Agent (grammar)
In linguistics, a grammatical agent is the cause or initiator of an event. Agent is the name of the thematic role...
noun: ուսանող (usanoġ student) [fr. ուսանել usanel to study)].
Past
All affixes here attach to the past stem. Both dialects have a common past passive participle in -ած (WA -aj/EA -aç). Where the dialects differ is the past active participle. The Western Armenian participle is -եր (-er) for all conjugations, while Eastern Armenian has -ել (-el).
| Participle | | Western | | Eastern | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | I | սիրող siroġ |
խօսող xōsoġ |
կարդացող gartac῾oġ |
սիրող siroġ |
խոսող xosoġ |
կարդացող kardac῾oġ |
| II | -- | -- | -- | սիրում sirum |
խոսում xosum |
կարդում kardum |
|
| III | -- | -- | -- | սիրելիս sirelis |
խոսելիս xoselis |
կարդալիս kardalis |
|
| Future | I | սիրելու sirelu |
խօսիլու xōsilu |
կարդալու gartalu |
սիրելու sirelu |
խոսելու xoselu |
կարդալու kardalu |
| II | սիրելիք sirelik῾ |
խօսիլիք xōsilik῾ |
կարդալիք gartalik῾ |
-- | -- | -- | |
| Past Active | սիրեր sirer |
խօսեր xōser |
կարդացեր gartac῾er |
սիրել sirel |
խոսել xosel |
կարդացել kardac῾el |
|
| Past Passive | սիրած siradz |
խօսած xōsadz |
կարդացած gartac῾adz |
սիրած sirac |
խոսած xosac |
կարդացած kardac῾ac |
|
Introduction: General Overview
Armenian features within its verbal system a system that encodes personGrammatical person
Grammatical person, in linguistics, is deictic reference to a participant in an event; such as the speaker, the addressee, or others. Grammatical person typically defines a language's set of personal pronouns...
and number
Grammatical number
In linguistics, grammatical number is a grammatical category of nouns, pronouns, and adjective and verb agreement that expresses count distinctions ....
, as well as tense, mood, and aspect (see following section for more.)
Armenian inherited from Indo-European
Indo-European languages
The Indo-European languages are a family of several hundred related languages and dialects, including most major current languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and South Asia and also historically predominant in Anatolia...
two sets of synthetic affixes corresponding roughly to a "present" or general series, and a past series:
Armenian General Affixes
|
How these affixes are used varies between the two modern dialects of Armenian.
Tense/Mood/Aspect
Both dialects have five moods: indicative, conditionalConditional mood
In linguistics, the conditional mood is the inflectional form of the verb used in the independent clause of a conditional sentence to refer to a hypothetical state of affairs, or an uncertain event, that is contingent on another set of circumstances...
, optative/subjunctive
Subjunctive mood
In grammar, the subjunctive mood is a verb mood typically used in subordinate clauses to express various states of irreality such as wish, emotion, possibility, judgment, opinion, necessity, or action that has not yet occurred....
, necessitative
Necessitative mood
The necessitative mood is a grammatical mood found in languages such as Armenian and Turkish, which combines elements of both the cohortative and the jussive moods...
, imperative
Imperative mood
The imperative mood expresses commands or requests as a grammatical mood. These commands or requests urge the audience to act a certain way. It also may signal a prohibition, permission, or any other kind of exhortation.- Morphology :...
; of these only the imperative has no tense distinction. The number of tenses
Grammatical tense
A tense is a grammatical category that locates a situation in time, to indicate when the situation takes place.Bernard Comrie, Aspect, 1976:6:...
varies by dialect. Aspect
Grammatical aspect
In linguistics, the grammatical aspect of a verb is a grammatical category that defines the temporal flow in a given action, event, or state, from the point of view of the speaker...
is divided roughly the same in both dialects, but the distribution is slightly different.
Indicative Mood
Both Eastern and Western feature one presentPresent tense
The present tense is a grammatical tense that locates a situation or event in present time. This linguistic definition refers to a concept that indicates a feature of the meaning of a verb...
, one future
Future tense
In grammar, a future tense is a verb form that marks the event described by the verb as not having happened yet, but expected to happen in the future , or to happen subsequent to some other event, whether that is past, present, or future .-Expressions of future tense:The concept of the future,...
, and two past tenses (imperfect, preterite
Preterite
The preterite is the grammatical tense expressing actions that took place or were completed in the past...
). Their formation varies by dialect.
Present
Formation of the present tense differs between Eastern and Western. In form, the present indicative of Eastern Armenian has no corresponding Western formation. However, the Western present indicative is formed identically to the Eastern present conditional.
Eastern Armenian uses the -ում (-um) participle with the present tense of Eastern Armenian verb լինել (linel "to be"). Western Armenian uses a synthetic general form of the verb preceded by the particle կը gë /gә/. The synthetic form conjugates according to the verb's theme vowel (i.e., e, i, or a).
| Eastern | | Pronoun | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| gloss | 1.sg ես yes (I) |
2.sg դու du (thou Thou The word thou is a second person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in almost all contexts by you. It is used in parts of Northern England and by Scots. Thou is the nominative form; the oblique/objective form is thee , and the possessive is thy or thine... /you) |
3.sg նա na (he/she/it) |
1.pl մենք menk῾ (we) |
2.pl դուք duk῾ (you (ye Ye Ye can refer to:* Ye , a form of the second-person, personal pronoun "you"* Ye , a Chinese surname* an archaic spelling of the definite article "þe" , used by early printers when the obsolescent letter "þ" was not available... )) |
3.pl նրանք nrank῾ (they) |
| to love Class I |
սիրում եմ sirum em |
սիրում ես sirum es |
սիրում է sirum ē |
սիրում ենք sirum enk῾ |
սիրում եք sirum ek῾ |
սիրում են sirum en |
| to speak Class II |
խոսում եմ xosum em |
խոսում ես xosum es |
խոսում է xosum ē |
խոսում ենք xosum enk῾ |
խոսում եք xosum ek῾ |
խոսում են xosum en |
| to read Class III |
կարդում եմ kardum em |
կարդում ես kardum es |
կարդում է kardum ē |
կարդում ենք kardum enk῾ |
կարդում եք kardum ek῾ |
կարդում են kardum en |
| Western | | Pronoun | |||||
| gloss | 1.sg ես yes (I) |
2.sg դուն tun (thou Thou The word thou is a second person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in almost all contexts by you. It is used in parts of Northern England and by Scots. Thou is the nominative form; the oblique/objective form is thee , and the possessive is thy or thine... /you) |
3.sg ան an (he/she/it) |
1.pl մենք menk῾ (we) |
2.pl դուք tuk῾ (you (ye Ye Ye can refer to:* Ye , a form of the second-person, personal pronoun "you"* Ye , a Chinese surname* an archaic spelling of the definite article "þe" , used by early printers when the obsolescent letter "þ" was not available... )) |
3.pl անոնք anonk῾ (they) |
| to love Class I |
կը սիրեմ gë sirem |
կը սիրես gë sires |
կը սիրէ gë sirē |
կը սիրենք gë sirenk῾ |
կը սիրեք gë sirek῾ |
կը սիրեն gë siren |
| to speak Class II |
կը խօսիմ gë xōsim |
կը խօսիս gë xōsis |
կը խօսի gë xōsi |
կը խօսինք gë xōsink῾ |
կը խօսիք gë xōsik῾ |
կը խօսին gë xōsin |
| to read Class III |
կը կարդամ gë gartam |
կը կարդաս gë gartas |
կը կարդայ gë garta* |
կը կարդանք gë gartank῾ |
կը կարդաք gë gartak῾ |
կը կարդան gë gartan |
- In Armenian, final /j/ in polysyllabic words is silent.
Imperfect
The formation of the imperfect is similar to the present-tense formation in both dialects. Eastern Armenian uses the -ում (-um) participle with the imperfect of verb լինել (linel "to be"). Western Armenian uses a synthetic imperfect form of the verb preceded by the particle կը gë /gә/.
| Eastern | | Pronoun | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| gloss | 1.sg ես yes (I) |
2.sg դու du (thou Thou The word thou is a second person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in almost all contexts by you. It is used in parts of Northern England and by Scots. Thou is the nominative form; the oblique/objective form is thee , and the possessive is thy or thine... /you) |
3.sg նա na (he/she/it) |
1.pl մենք menk῾ (we) |
2.pl դուք duk῾ (you (ye Ye Ye can refer to:* Ye , a form of the second-person, personal pronoun "you"* Ye , a Chinese surname* an archaic spelling of the definite article "þe" , used by early printers when the obsolescent letter "þ" was not available... )) |
3.pl նրանք nrank῾ (they) |
| to love Class I |
սիրում էի sirum ēi |
սիրում էիր sirum ēir |
սիրում էր sirum ēr |
սիրում էինք sirum ēink῾ |
սիրում էիք sirum ēik῾ |
սիրում էին sirum ēin |
| to speak Class II |
խոսում էի xosum ēi |
խոսում էիր xosum ēir |
խոսում էր xosum ēr |
խոսում էինք xosum ēink῾ |
խոսում էիք xosum ēik῾ |
խոսում էին xosum ēin |
| to read Class III |
կարդում էի kardum ēi |
կարդում էիր kardum ēir |
կարդում էր kardum ēr |
կարդում էինք kardum ēink῾ |
կարդում էիք kardum ēik῾ |
կարդում էին kardum ēin |
| Western | | Pronoun | |||||
| gloss | 1.sg ես yes (I) |
2.sg դուն tun (thou Thou The word thou is a second person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in almost all contexts by you. It is used in parts of Northern England and by Scots. Thou is the nominative form; the oblique/objective form is thee , and the possessive is thy or thine... /you) |
3.sg ան an (he/she/it) |
1.pl մենք menk῾ (we) |
2.pl դուք tuk῾ (you (ye Ye Ye can refer to:* Ye , a form of the second-person, personal pronoun "you"* Ye , a Chinese surname* an archaic spelling of the definite article "þe" , used by early printers when the obsolescent letter "þ" was not available... )) |
3.pl անոնք anonk῾ (they) |
| to love Class I |
կը սիրէի gë sirēi |
կը սիրէիր gë sirēir |
կը սիրէր gë sirēr |
կը սիրէինք gë sirēink῾ |
կը սիրէիք gë sirēik῾ |
կը սիրէին gë sirēin |
| to speak Class II |
կը խօսէի gë xōsēi |
կը խօսէիր gë xōsēir |
կը խօսէր gë xōsēr |
կը խօսէինք gë xōsēink῾ |
կը խօսէիք gë xōsēik῾ |
կը խօսէին gë xōsēin |
| to read Class III |
կը կարդայի gë gartayi |
կը կարդայիր gë gartayir |
կը կարդար gë gartar |
կը կարդայինք gë gartayink῾ |
կը կարդայիք gë gartayik῾ |
կը կարդային gë gartayin |
Note that in all forms, Eastern and Western, that feature the combination էի (e.g., սիրում էիմ/կը սիրէիմ, etc.), there is an epenthetic
Epenthesis
In phonology, epenthesis is the addition of one or more sounds to a word, especially to the interior of a word. Epenthesis may be divided into two types: excrescence, for the addition of a consonant, and anaptyxis for the addition of a vowel....
yod: sirum ēi siˈɹum eji or [siˈɾum eji]; gë sirēi ɡə siɾeˈji.
Future
Like the formation of the present tense, the future tense in Armenian intersect two varying constructions with opposite meanings. The Eastern future tense is made with the future participle in -լու (-lu) with the present tense of verb լինել (linel). (This Eastern form is identical to the Western Armenian non-past necessitative (see below.)) The Western future tense is made with the general synthetic verb preceded by the particle պիտի (bidi). (This Western form is identical to the Eastern Armenian non-past necessitative (see below.))
| Eastern | | Pronoun | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| gloss | 1.sg ես yes (I) |
2.sg դու du (thou Thou The word thou is a second person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in almost all contexts by you. It is used in parts of Northern England and by Scots. Thou is the nominative form; the oblique/objective form is thee , and the possessive is thy or thine... /you) |
3.sg նա na (he/she/it) |
1.pl մենք menk῾ (we) |
2.pl դուք duk῾ (you (ye Ye Ye can refer to:* Ye , a form of the second-person, personal pronoun "you"* Ye , a Chinese surname* an archaic spelling of the definite article "þe" , used by early printers when the obsolescent letter "þ" was not available... )) |
3.pl նրանք nrank῾ (they) |
| to love Class I |
սիրելու եմ sirelu em |
սիրելու ես sirelu es |
սիրելու է sirelu ē |
սիրելու ենք sirelu enk῾ |
սիրելու եք sirelu ek῾ |
սիրելու են sirelu en |
| to speak Class II |
խոսելու եմ xoselu em |
խոսելու ես xoselu es |
խոսելու է xoselu ē |
խոսելու ենք xoselu enk῾ |
խոսելու եք xoselu ek῾ |
խոսելու են xoselu en |
| to read Class III |
կարդալու եմ kardalu em |
կարդալու ես kardalu es |
կարդալու է kardalu ē |
կարդալու ենք kardalu enk῾ |
կարդալու եք kardalu ek῾ |
կարդալու են kardalu en |
| Western | | Pronoun | |||||
| gloss | 1.sg ես yes (I) |
2.sg դուն tun (thou Thou The word thou is a second person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in almost all contexts by you. It is used in parts of Northern England and by Scots. Thou is the nominative form; the oblique/objective form is thee , and the possessive is thy or thine... /you) |
3.sg ան an (he/she/it) |
1.pl մենք menk῾ (we) |
2.pl դուք tuk῾ (you (ye Ye Ye can refer to:* Ye , a form of the second-person, personal pronoun "you"* Ye , a Chinese surname* an archaic spelling of the definite article "þe" , used by early printers when the obsolescent letter "þ" was not available... )) |
3.pl անոնք anonk῾ (they) |
| to love Class I |
պիտի սիրեմ bidi sirem |
պիտի սիրես bidi sires |
պիտի սիրէ bidi sirē |
պիտի սիրենք bidi sirenk῾ |
պիտի սիրեք bidi sirek῾ |
պիտի սիրեն bidi siren |
| to speak Class II |
պիտի խօսիմ bidi xōsim |
պիտի խօսիս bidi xōsis |
պիտի խօսի bidi xōsi |
պիտի խօսինք bidi xōsink῾ |
պիտի խօսիք bidi xōsik῾ |
պիտի խօսին bidi xōsin |
| to read Class III |
պիտի կարդամ bidi gartam |
պիտի կարդաս bidi gartas |
պիտի կարդայ bidi garta* |
պիտի կարդանք bidi gartank῾ |
պիտի կարդաք bidi gartak῾ |
պիտի կարդան bidi gartan |
Note that in all Eastern forms that feature the combination ու + ե (e.g., կարդալու եմ, etc.), epenthetic
Epenthesis
In phonology, epenthesis is the addition of one or more sounds to a word, especially to the interior of a word. Epenthesis may be divided into two types: excrescence, for the addition of a consonant, and anaptyxis for the addition of a vowel....
yod appears: kardalu em kaɹdaˈlujem or [kaɾdaˈlujem].
Preterite
In various grammars, this is called the preterite, the perfect, or sometimes the aorist
Aorist
Aorist is a philological term originally from Indo-European studies, referring to verb forms of various languages that are not necessarily related or similar in meaning...
. Both Eastern and Western Armenian use a synthetic preterite, which is formed by deleting the infinitive marker and theme vowel, then:
· Class I and II verbs (in both dialects) add -եց (-ec῾);
· Class III verbs add -աց (-ac῾).
The preterite affixes are similar to the imperfect endings of the verb "to be" (Eastern լինել linel, Western ըլլալ ëllal)
In Class III verbs (a-thematic verbs), the preterite stem and the past stem are identical.
| Eastern | | Pronoun | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| gloss | 1.sg ես yes (I) |
2.sg դու du (thou Thou The word thou is a second person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in almost all contexts by you. It is used in parts of Northern England and by Scots. Thou is the nominative form; the oblique/objective form is thee , and the possessive is thy or thine... /you) |
3.sg նա na (he/she/it) |
1.pl մենք menk῾ (we) |
2.pl դուք duk῾ (you (ye Ye Ye can refer to:* Ye , a form of the second-person, personal pronoun "you"* Ye , a Chinese surname* an archaic spelling of the definite article "þe" , used by early printers when the obsolescent letter "þ" was not available... )) |
3.pl նրանք nrank῾ (they) |
| to love Class I |
սիրեցի sirec῾i |
սիրեցիր sirec῾ir |
սիրեց sirec῾ |
սիրեցինք sirec῾ink῾ |
սիրեցիք sirec῾ik῾ |
սիրեցին sirec῾in |
| to speak Class II |
խոսեցի xosec῾i |
խոսեցիր xosec῾ir |
խոսեց xosec῾ |
խոսեցինք xosec῾ink῾ |
խոսեցիք xosec῾ik῾ |
խոսեցին xosec῾in |
| to read Class III |
կարդացի kardac῾i |
կարդացիր kardac῾ir |
կարդաց kardac῾ |
կարդացինք kardac῾ink῾ |
կարդացիք kardac῾ik῾ |
կարդացին kardac῾in |
| Western | | Pronoun | |||||
| gloss | 1.sg ես yes (I) |
2.sg դուն tun (thou Thou The word thou is a second person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in almost all contexts by you. It is used in parts of Northern England and by Scots. Thou is the nominative form; the oblique/objective form is thee , and the possessive is thy or thine... /you) |
3.sg ան an (he/she/it) |
1.pl մենք menk῾ (we) |
2.pl դուք tuk῾ (you (ye Ye Ye can refer to:* Ye , a form of the second-person, personal pronoun "you"* Ye , a Chinese surname* an archaic spelling of the definite article "þe" , used by early printers when the obsolescent letter "þ" was not available... )) |
3.pl անոնք anonk῾ (they) |
| to love Class I |
սիրեցի sirec῾i |
սիրեցիր sirec῾ir |
սիրեց sirec῾ |
սիրեցինք sirec῾ink῾ |
սիրեցիք sirec῾ik῾ |
սիրեցին sirec῾in |
| to speak Class II |
խօսեցա xōsec῾a |
խօսեցար xōsec῾ar |
խօսեցաւ xōsec῾av |
խօսեցանք xōsec῾ank῾ |
խօսեցաք xōsec῾ak῾ |
խօսեցան xōsec῾an |
| to read Class III |
կարդացի gartac῾i |
կարդացիր gartac῾ir |
կարդաց gartac῾ |
կարդացինք gartac῾ink῾ |
կարդացիք gartac῾ik῾ |
կարդացին gartac῾in |
| tense | Eastern | Western | gloss |
|---|---|---|---|
| present | Նա գիրքը կարդում է Na girk῾ë kardum ē |
Ան կը կարդայ գիրքը An gë garta kirk῾ë |
He is reading/reads the book |
| imperfect | Նրանք իմ գիրքը կարդում էին Nrank῾ im girk῾ë kardum ēin |
Անոնք կը կարդային իմ գիրքը Anonk῾ gë gartayin im kirk῾ë |
They were reading/used to read my book |
| future | Դու իր գիրքը կարդալու ես Du ir girk῾ë kardalu es |
Դուն պիտի կարդաս իր գիրքը Tun bidi gartas ir kirk῾ë |
You (sg) will read his book |
| preterite | Մենք մի գիրքը կարդացինք Menk῾ mi girk῾ kardac῾ink῾ |
Մենք կարդացինք գիրք մը Menk῾ gartac῾ink῾ kirk῾ më |
We read a book |
Optative Mood
The optative mood (called the subjunctive in some grammars) in Armenian is identical in both dialects. There are two tenses: non-past (present, etc...) and past (perfect, etc ...).Non-past
The non-past optative is the simple "present" conjugated form, as compared to other Indo-European languages
Indo-European languages
The Indo-European languages are a family of several hundred related languages and dialects, including most major current languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and South Asia and also historically predominant in Anatolia...
:
| Eastern | | Pronoun | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| gloss | 1.sg ես yes (I) |
2.sg դու du (thou Thou The word thou is a second person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in almost all contexts by you. It is used in parts of Northern England and by Scots. Thou is the nominative form; the oblique/objective form is thee , and the possessive is thy or thine... /you) |
3.sg նա na (he/she/it) |
1.pl մենք menk῾ (we) |
2.pl դուք duk῾ (you (ye Ye Ye can refer to:* Ye , a form of the second-person, personal pronoun "you"* Ye , a Chinese surname* an archaic spelling of the definite article "þe" , used by early printers when the obsolescent letter "þ" was not available... )) |
3.pl նրանք nrank῾ (they) |
| to love Class I |
սիրեմ sirem |
սիրես sires |
սիրի siri |
սիրենք sirenk῾ |
սիրեք sirek῾ |
սիրեն siren |
| to speak Class II |
խոսեմ xosem |
խոսես xoses |
խոսի xosi |
խոսենք xosenk῾ |
խոսեք xosek῾ |
խոսեն xosen |
| to read Class III |
կարդամ kardam |
կարդաս kardas |
կարդա karda1 |
կարդանք kardank῾ |
կարդաք kardak῾ |
կարդան kardan |
| Western | | Pronoun | |||||
| gloss | 1.sg ես yes (I) |
2.sg դուն tun (thou Thou The word thou is a second person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in almost all contexts by you. It is used in parts of Northern England and by Scots. Thou is the nominative form; the oblique/objective form is thee , and the possessive is thy or thine... /you) |
3.sg ան an (he/she/it) |
1.pl մենք menk῾ (we) |
2.pl դուք tuk῾ (you (ye Ye Ye can refer to:* Ye , a form of the second-person, personal pronoun "you"* Ye , a Chinese surname* an archaic spelling of the definite article "þe" , used by early printers when the obsolescent letter "þ" was not available... )) |
3.pl անոնք anonk῾ (they) |
| to love Class I |
սիրեմ sirem |
սիրես sires |
սիրէ sirē |
սիրենք sirenk῾ |
սիրէք sirēk῾ |
սիրեն siren |
| to speak Class II |
խօսիմ xōsim |
խօսիս xōsis |
խօսի xōsi |
խօսինք xōsink῾ |
խօսիք xōsik῾ |
խօսին xōsin |
| to read Class III |
կարդամ gartam |
կարդաս gartas |
կարդայ garta1 |
կարդանք gartank῾ |
կարդաք gartak῾ |
կարդան gartan |
1Historically, verbs of the third conjucation ended in final յ, which in traditional orthography is silent in word final position. Due to spelling reforms
Spelling reform of the Armenian language 1922-1924
The spelling reform of the Armenian language 1922–1924 was a spelling reform of the Armenian alphabet conducted in the Armenian SSR. Although it is barely practiced outside of Armenia and the Post-Soviet states because it was not adopted by Armenians in the diaspora, about half of the Armenian...
conducted in the earliest 20th century, final յ is missing from the Eastern conjugation
Past
The past optative is the simple "imperfect" conjugated form, as compared to other Indo-European languages:
| Eastern | | Pronoun | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| gloss | 1.sg ես yes (I) |
2.sg դու du (thou Thou The word thou is a second person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in almost all contexts by you. It is used in parts of Northern England and by Scots. Thou is the nominative form; the oblique/objective form is thee , and the possessive is thy or thine... /you) |
3.sg նա na (he/she/it) |
1.pl մենք menk῾ (we) |
2.pl դուք duk῾ (you (ye Ye Ye can refer to:* Ye , a form of the second-person, personal pronoun "you"* Ye , a Chinese surname* an archaic spelling of the definite article "þe" , used by early printers when the obsolescent letter "þ" was not available... )) |
3.pl նրանք nrank῾ (they) |
| to love Class I1 |
սիրեի sirei |
սիրեիր sireir |
սիրեր sirer |
սիրեինք sireink῾ |
սիրեիք sireik῾ |
սիրեին sirein |
| to speak Class II1 |
խոսեի xosei |
խոսեիր xoseir |
խոսեր xoser |
խոսեինք xoseink῾ |
խոսեիք xoseik῾ |
խոսեին xosein |
| to read Class III |
կարդայի kardayi |
կարդայիր kardayir |
կարդար kardar |
կարդայինք kardayink῾ |
կարդայիք kardayik῾ |
կարդային kardayin |
| Western | | Pronoun | |||||
| gloss | 1.sg ես yes (I) |
2.sg դուն tun (thou Thou The word thou is a second person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in almost all contexts by you. It is used in parts of Northern England and by Scots. Thou is the nominative form; the oblique/objective form is thee , and the possessive is thy or thine... /you) |
3.sg ան an (he/she/it) |
1.pl մենք menk῾ (we) |
2.pl դուք tuk῾ (you (ye Ye Ye can refer to:* Ye , a form of the second-person, personal pronoun "you"* Ye , a Chinese surname* an archaic spelling of the definite article "þe" , used by early printers when the obsolescent letter "þ" was not available... )) |
3.pl անոնք anonk῾ (they) |
| to love Class I1 |
սիրէի sirēi |
սիրէիր sirēir |
սիրէր sirēr |
սիրէինք sirēink῾ |
սիրէիք sirēik῾ |
սիրէին sirēin |
| to speak Class II1 |
խօսէի xōsēi |
խօսէիր xōsēir |
խօսէր xōsēr |
խօսէինք xōsēink῾ |
խօսէիք xōsēik῾ |
խօսէին xōsēin |
| to read Class III |
կարդայի gartayi |
կարդայիր gartayir |
կարդար gartar |
կարդայինք gartayink῾ |
կարդայիք gartayik῾ |
կարդային gartayin |
1
In both dialects, the combinations եի and էի are pronounced as though spelt "եյի" and "էյի", meaning that սիրեի and սիրէի are both pronounced [siɹeji]. The latent yod
Yod
A yod is a rare astrological aspect involving any celestial body of astrological importance. In astrology a yod is said to form whenever one planet forms quincunxes to another two planets that are separated by only a sextile . If each point of the yod were traced across an astrological chart it...
յ is written and pronounced in class III verbs.
Conditional Mood
| Non-Past Conditional | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern | | Pronoun | |||||
| gloss | 1.sg ես yes (I) |
2.sg դու du (thou Thou The word thou is a second person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in almost all contexts by you. It is used in parts of Northern England and by Scots. Thou is the nominative form; the oblique/objective form is thee , and the possessive is thy or thine... /you) |
3.sg նա na (he/she/it) |
1.pl մենք menk῾ (we) |
2.pl դուք duk῾ (you (ye Ye Ye can refer to:* Ye , a form of the second-person, personal pronoun "you"* Ye , a Chinese surname* an archaic spelling of the definite article "þe" , used by early printers when the obsolescent letter "þ" was not available... )) |
3.pl նրանք nrank῾ (they) |
| to love Class I |
կսիրեմ ksirem |
կսիրես ksires |
կսիրի ksiri |
կսիրենք ksirenk῾ |
կսիրեք ksirek῾ |
կսիրեն ksiren |
| to speak Class II |
կխոսեմ kxosem |
կխոսես kxoses |
կխոսի kxosi |
կխոսենք kxosenk῾ |
կխոսեք kxosek῾ |
կխոսեն kxosen |
| to read Class III |
կկարդամ kkardam |
կկարդաս kkardas |
կկարդա kkarda1 |
կկարդանք kkardank῾ |
կկարդաք kkardak῾ |
կկարդան kkardan |
| Western | | Pronoun | |||||
| gloss | 1.sg ես yes (I) |
2.sg դուն tun (thou Thou The word thou is a second person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in almost all contexts by you. It is used in parts of Northern England and by Scots. Thou is the nominative form; the oblique/objective form is thee , and the possessive is thy or thine... /you) |
3.sg ան an (he/she/it) |
1.pl մենք menk῾ (we) |
2.pl դուք tuk῾ (you (ye Ye Ye can refer to:* Ye , a form of the second-person, personal pronoun "you"* Ye , a Chinese surname* an archaic spelling of the definite article "þe" , used by early printers when the obsolescent letter "þ" was not available... )) |
3.pl անոնք anonk῾ (they) |
| to love Class I |
պիտի սիրէի bidi sirēi |
պիտի սիրէիր bidi sirēir |
պիտի սիրէր bidi sirēr |
պիտի սիրէինք bidi sirēink῾ |
պիտի սիրէիք bidi sirēik῾ |
պիտի սիրէին bidi sirēin |
| to speak Class II |
պիտի խօսէի bidi xōsēi |
պիտի խօսէիր bidi xōsēir |
պիտի խօսէր bidi xōsēr |
պիտի խօսէինք bidi xōsēink῾ |
պիտի խօսէիք bidi xōsēik῾ |
պիտի խօսէին bidi xōsēin |
| to read Class III |
պիտի կարդայի bidi gartayi |
պիտի կարդայիր bidi gartayir |
պիտի կարդար bidi gartar |
պիտի կարդայինք bidi gartayink῾ |
պիտի կարդայիք bidi gartayik῾ |
պիտի կարդային bidi gartayin |
| Past Conditional (Eastern only) | ||||||
| | | Pronoun | |||||
| gloss | 1.sg ես yes (I) |
2.sg դու du (thou Thou The word thou is a second person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in almost all contexts by you. It is used in parts of Northern England and by Scots. Thou is the nominative form; the oblique/objective form is thee , and the possessive is thy or thine... /you) |
3.sg նա na (he/she/it) |
1.pl մենք menk῾ (we) |
2.pl դուք duk῾ (you (ye Ye Ye can refer to:* Ye , a form of the second-person, personal pronoun "you"* Ye , a Chinese surname* an archaic spelling of the definite article "þe" , used by early printers when the obsolescent letter "þ" was not available... )) |
3.pl նրանք nrank῾ (they) |
| to love Class I1 |
կսիրեի ksirei |
կսիրեիր ksireir |
կսիրեր ksirer |
կսիրեինք ksireink῾ |
կսիրեիք ksireik῾ |
կսիրեին ksirein |
| to speak Class II1 |
կխոսեի kxosei |
կխոսեիր kxoseir |
կխոսեր kxoser |
կխոսեինք kxoseink῾ |
կխոսեիք kxoseik῾ |
կխոսեին kxosein |
| to read Class III |
կկարդայի kkardayi |
կկարդայիր kkardayir |
կկարդար kkardar |
կկարդայինք kkardayink῾ |
կկարդայիք kkardayik῾ |
կկարդային kkardayin |
The conditional
Conditional
Conditional may refer to:*Causal conditional, if X then Y, where X is a cause of Y*Conditional mood , a verb form in many languages*Conditional probability, the probability of an event A given that another event B has occurred...
in each dialect is distinct, based on how formed.
In Eastern Armenian, the non-past conditional is formed by affixing կ- before the non-past optative. With this formation, Eastern Armenian also has a past conditional with k- plus past optative. Due to phonological restrictions, կ is pronounced [kë] before another consonant: կկարդա [këkaɹˈda] (He would read); կկարդային [këkaɹdaˈjin] (They would have read).
An additional note: the Eastern conditional forms, with slight orthographic variation, are identical to the Western present and imperfect indicative forms:
| form | Eastern gloss | Western gloss |
|---|---|---|
| կը կարդայ (կկարդա) | he would read (if...) conditional |
he reads pres. indic. |
| կը կարդային (կկարդային) | they would have read (if...) past conditional |
they would read / they used to read imperf. indic. |
Because of how Western Armenian forms the conditional, it has no corresponding past conditional in the same way Eastern Armenian does.
Imperative Mood
| Eastern | | Affirmative | | Negative | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pronoun | ||||||
| gloss | 2.sg դու du (thou Thou The word thou is a second person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in almost all contexts by you. It is used in parts of Northern England and by Scots. Thou is the nominative form; the oblique/objective form is thee , and the possessive is thy or thine... /you) |
1.pl մենք menk῾ (we) |
2.pl դուք duk῾ (you (ye Ye Ye can refer to:* Ye , a form of the second-person, personal pronoun "you"* Ye , a Chinese surname* an archaic spelling of the definite article "þe" , used by early printers when the obsolescent letter "þ" was not available... )) |
2.sg դու du (thou Thou The word thou is a second person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in almost all contexts by you. It is used in parts of Northern England and by Scots. Thou is the nominative form; the oblique/objective form is thee , and the possessive is thy or thine... /you) |
1.pl մենք menk῾ (we) |
2.pl դուք duk῾ (you (ye Ye Ye can refer to:* Ye , a form of the second-person, personal pronoun "you"* Ye , a Chinese surname* an archaic spelling of the definite article "þe" , used by early printers when the obsolescent letter "þ" was not available... )) |
| to love Class I |
սիրի՜ր sirir! or սիրի՜ siri!1 |
-- | սիրեgե՜ք sirec῾ek῾! or սիրե՜ք sirek῾!1 |
մի՜ սիրիր mi sirir! or մի՜ սիրի mi siri!1 |
-- | մի՜ սիրեք mi sirek῾! |
| to speak Class II |
խոսի՜ր xosir! or խոսի՜ xosi!1 |
-- | խոսեgե՜ք xosec῾ek῾! or խոսե՜ք xosek῾!1 |
մի՜ խոսիր mi xosir! or մի՜ խոսի mi xosi!1 |
-- | մի՜ խոսեք mi xosek῾! |
| to read Class III |
կարդա՜ karda! |
-- | կարդաgե՜ք kardac῾ek῾! |
մի՜ կարդա mi karda! |
-- | մի՜ կարդաք mi kardak῾! |
| Western | | Affirmative | | Negative | ||||
| Pronoun | ||||||
| gloss | 2.sg դուն tun (thou Thou The word thou is a second person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in almost all contexts by you. It is used in parts of Northern England and by Scots. Thou is the nominative form; the oblique/objective form is thee , and the possessive is thy or thine... /you) |
1.pl մենք menk῾ (we) |
2.pl դուք tuk῾ (you (ye Ye Ye can refer to:* Ye , a form of the second-person, personal pronoun "you"* Ye , a Chinese surname* an archaic spelling of the definite article "þe" , used by early printers when the obsolescent letter "þ" was not available... )) |
2.sg դուն tun (thou Thou The word thou is a second person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in almost all contexts by you. It is used in parts of Northern England and by Scots. Thou is the nominative form; the oblique/objective form is thee , and the possessive is thy or thine... /you) |
1.pl մենք menk῾ (we) |
2.pl դուք tuk῾ (you (ye Ye Ye can refer to:* Ye , a form of the second-person, personal pronoun "you"* Ye , a Chinese surname* an archaic spelling of the definite article "þe" , used by early printers when the obsolescent letter "þ" was not available... )) |
| to love Class I |
սիրէ՜ sirē! |
սիրէ՜նք sirēnk῾! |
սիրեgէ՜ք sirec῾ēk῾! |
մի՜ սիրէ mi sirē! |
մի՜ սիրէնք mi sirēnk῾! |
մի՜ սիրէք mi sirēk῾! |
| to speak Class II |
խօսէ՜ xōsē! |
խօսի՜նք xōsink῾! |
խօսեgէ՜ք xōsec῾ēk῾! |
մի՜ խօսէ mi xōsē! |
մի՜ խօսինք mi xōsink῾! |
մի՜ խօսէք mi xōsēk῾! |
| to read Class III |
կարդա՜ garta! |
կարդա՜նք gartank῾! |
կարդաgէ՜ք gartac῾ēk῾! |
մի՜ կարդա mi garta! |
մի՜ կարդանք mi gartank῾! |
մի՜ կարդաք mi gartak῾! |
1Optional spoken forms
In both Eastern and Western Armenian, the imperative
Imperative mood
The imperative mood expresses commands or requests as a grammatical mood. These commands or requests urge the audience to act a certain way. It also may signal a prohibition, permission, or any other kind of exhortation.- Morphology :...
consists of the affirmative and the negative, and singular and plural forms (based on the second person you). Western Armenian also uses a first person plural form, indicating let's.
| Eastern form | Western form | gloss |
|---|---|---|
| Խոսի՜ր Xosir! |
Խօսէ՜ Xōsē! |
Speak (thou)! |
| -- | Մի՜ կարդանք Mi gartank῾!' |
Let's not read! |
| Սիրեgե՜ք Sirec῾ek῾! |
Սիրեgէ՜ք Sirec῾ēk῾! |
Love (ye)! |
Necessitative Mood
| Non-Past Necessitative | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern | | Pronoun | |||||
| gloss | 1.sg ես yes (I) |
2.sg դու du (thou Thou The word thou is a second person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in almost all contexts by you. It is used in parts of Northern England and by Scots. Thou is the nominative form; the oblique/objective form is thee , and the possessive is thy or thine... /you) |
3.sg նա na (he/she/it) |
1.pl մենք menk῾ (we) |
2.pl դուք duk῾ (you (ye Ye Ye can refer to:* Ye , a form of the second-person, personal pronoun "you"* Ye , a Chinese surname* an archaic spelling of the definite article "þe" , used by early printers when the obsolescent letter "þ" was not available... )) |
3.pl նրանք nrank῾ (they) |
| to love Class I |
պիտի սիրեմ piti sirem |
պիտի սիրես piti sires |
պիտի սիրի piti siri |
պիտի սիրենք piti sirenk῾ |
պիտի սիրեք piti sirek῾ |
պիտի սիրեն piti siren |
| to speak Class II |
պիտի խոսեմ piti xosem |
պիտի խոսես piti xoses |
պիտի խոսի piti xosi |
պիտի խոսենք piti xosenk῾ |
պիտի խոսեք piti xosek῾ |
պիտի խոսեն piti xosen |
| to read Class III |
պիտի կարդամ piti kardam |
պիտի կարդաս piti kardas |
պիտի կարդա piti karda1 |
պիտի կարդանք piti kardank῾ |
պիտի կարդաք piti kardak῾ |
պիտի կարդան piti kardan |
| Western | | Pronoun | |||||
| gloss | 1.sg ես yes (I) |
2.sg դուն tun (thou Thou The word thou is a second person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in almost all contexts by you. It is used in parts of Northern England and by Scots. Thou is the nominative form; the oblique/objective form is thee , and the possessive is thy or thine... /you) |
3.sg ան an (he/she/it) |
1.pl մենք menk῾ (we) |
2.pl դուք tuk῾ (you (ye Ye Ye can refer to:* Ye , a form of the second-person, personal pronoun "you"* Ye , a Chinese surname* an archaic spelling of the definite article "þe" , used by early printers when the obsolescent letter "þ" was not available... )) |
3.pl անոնք anonk῾ (they) |
| to love Class I |
սիրելու եմ sirelu em |
սիրելու ես sirelu es |
սիրելու է sirelu ē |
սիրելու ենք sirelu enk῾ |
սիրելու էք sirelu ēk῾ |
սիրելու են sirelu en |
| to speak Class II |
խօսիլու եմ xōsilu em |
խօսիլու ես xōsilu es |
խօսիլու է xōsilu ē |
խօսիլու ենք xōsilu enk῾ |
խօսիլու էք xōsilu ēk῾ |
խօսիլու են xōsilu en |
| to read Class III |
կարդալու եմ gartalu em |
կարդալու ես gartalu es |
կարդալու է gartalu ē1 |
կարդալու ենք gartalu enk῾ |
կարդալու էք gartalu ēk῾ |
կարդալու են gartalu en |
| Past Necessitative | ||||||
| Eastern | | Pronoun | |||||
| gloss | 1.sg ես yes (I) |
2.sg դու du (thou Thou The word thou is a second person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in almost all contexts by you. It is used in parts of Northern England and by Scots. Thou is the nominative form; the oblique/objective form is thee , and the possessive is thy or thine... /you) |
3.sg նա na (he/she/it) |
1.pl մենք menk῾ (we) |
2.pl դուք duk῾ (you (ye Ye Ye can refer to:* Ye , a form of the second-person, personal pronoun "you"* Ye , a Chinese surname* an archaic spelling of the definite article "þe" , used by early printers when the obsolescent letter "þ" was not available... )) |
3.pl նրանք nrank῾ (they) |
| to love Class I1 |
պիտի սիրեի piti sirei |
պիտի սիրեիր piti sireir |
պիտի սիրեր piti sirer |
պիտի սիրեինք piti sireink῾ |
պիտի սիրեիք piti sireik῾ |
պիտի սիրեին piti sirein |
| to speak Class II1 |
պիտի խոսեի piti xosei |
պիտի խոսեիր piti xoseir |
պիտի խոսեր piti xoser |
պիտի խոսեինք piti xoseink῾ |
պիտի խոսեիք piti xoseik῾ |
պիտի խոսեին piti xosein |
| to read Class III |
պիտի կարդայի piti kardayi |
պիտի կարդայիր piti kardayir |
պիտի կարդար piti kardar |
պիտի կարդայինք piti kardayink῾ |
պիտի կարդայիք piti kardayik῾ |
պիտի կարդային piti kardayin |
| Western | | Pronoun | |||||
| gloss | 1.sg ես yes (I) |
2.sg դուն tun (thou Thou The word thou is a second person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in almost all contexts by you. It is used in parts of Northern England and by Scots. Thou is the nominative form; the oblique/objective form is thee , and the possessive is thy or thine... /you) |
3.sg ան an (he/she/it) |
1.pl մենք menk῾ (we) |
2.pl դուք tuk῾ (you (ye Ye Ye can refer to:* Ye , a form of the second-person, personal pronoun "you"* Ye , a Chinese surname* an archaic spelling of the definite article "þe" , used by early printers when the obsolescent letter "þ" was not available... )) |
3.pl անոնք anonk῾ (they) |
| to love Class I1 |
սիրելու էի sirelu ēi |
սիրելու էիր sirelu ēir |
սիրելու էր sirelu ēr |
սիրելու էինք sirelu ēink῾ |
սիրելու էիք sirelu ēik῾ |
սիրելու էին sirelu ēin |
| to speak Class II1 |
խօսիլու էի xōsilu ēi |
խօսիլու էիր xōsilu ēir |
խօսիլու էր xōsilu ēr |
խօսիլու էինք xōsilu ēink῾ |
խօսիլու էիք xōsilu ēik῾ |
խօսիլու էին xōsilu ēin |
| to read Class III |
կարդալու էի gartalu ēi |
կարդալու էիր gartalu ēir |
կարդալու էր gartalu ēr |
կարդալու էինք gartalu ēink῾ |
կարդալու էիք gartalu ēik῾ |
կարդալու էին gartalu ēin |
Both dialects have what is known as the necessitative mood
Necessitative mood
The necessitative mood is a grammatical mood found in languages such as Armenian and Turkish, which combines elements of both the cohortative and the jussive moods...
(also found in Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
). Both dialects have a past and a non-past necessitative. Eastern Armenian forms its necessitative by adding particle piti before the optative forms. Western Armenian forms its necessitative with the lu future participle plus the forms of әllal (to be)
Note that the EA particle piti is orthographically identical to the Western particle bidi, meaning that the Eastern necessitative forms are identical in form to the Western future indicative and conditional. Also note that the Western necessitative forms correspond to Eastern Eastern future indicative (and future perfect (see below)):
| form | Eastern gloss | Western gloss |
|---|---|---|
| կարդալու է | he shall/will read fut. indicative |
he should/must read non-past necessitative |
| պիտի սիրեմ | I should/must love non-past necessitative |
I will/shall love fut. indicative |
Forms Unique to Eastern Armenian
Eastern Armenian has, due to how its tenses and moods are constructed, perfect forms.Present and Past Perfect
| Present Perfect | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| gloss | | Pronoun | |||||
| 1.sg ես yes (I) |
2.sg դու du (thou Thou The word thou is a second person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in almost all contexts by you. It is used in parts of Northern England and by Scots. Thou is the nominative form; the oblique/objective form is thee , and the possessive is thy or thine... /you) |
3.sg նա na (he/she/it) |
1.pl մենք menk῾ (we) |
2.pl դուք duk῾ (you (ye Ye Ye can refer to:* Ye , a form of the second-person, personal pronoun "you"* Ye , a Chinese surname* an archaic spelling of the definite article "þe" , used by early printers when the obsolescent letter "þ" was not available... )) |
3.pl նրանք nrank῾ (they) |
|
| to love Class I |
սիրել եմ sirel em |
սիրել ես sirel es |
սիրել է sirel ē |
սիրել ենք sirel enk῾ |
սիրել եք sirel ek῾ |
սիրել են sirel en |
| to speak Class II |
խոսել եմ xosel em |
խոսել ես xosel es |
խոսել է xosel ē |
խոսել ենք xosel enk῾ |
խոսել եք xosel ek῾ |
խոսել են xosel en |
| to read Class III |
կարդաgալ եմ kardac῾al em |
կարդաgալ ես kardac῾al es |
կարդաgալ է kardac῾al ē |
կարդաgալ ենք kardac῾al enk῾ |
կարդաgալ եք kardac῾al ek῾ |
կարդաgալ են kardac῾al en |
| Past Perfect (Pluperfect) | ||||||
| to love Class I |
սիրել էի sirel ēi |
սիրել էիր sirel ēir |
սիրել էր sirel ēr |
սիրել էինք sirel ēink῾ |
սիրել էիք sirel ēik῾ |
սիրել էին sirel ēin |
| to speak Class II |
խոսել էի xosel ēi |
խոսել էիր xosel ēir |
խոսել էր xosel ēr |
խոսել էինք xosel ēink῾ |
խոսել էիք xosel ēik῾ |
խոսել էին xosel ēin |
| to read Class III |
կարդաgել էի kardac῾el ēi |
կարդաgել էիր kardac῾el ēir |
կարդաgել էր kardac῾el ēr |
կարդաgել էինք kardac῾el ēink῾ |
կարդաgել էիք kardac῾el ēik῾ |
կարդաgել էին kardac῾el ēin |
The present perfect is formed with the l-past participle plus the present form of լինել (linel "to be"). The past perfect (pluperfect) is the l-past participle plus the imperfect of linel.
Future Perfect (Future In The Past)
| Future Perfect | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| gloss | | Pronoun | |||||
| 1.sg ես yes (I) |
2.sg դու du (thou Thou The word thou is a second person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in almost all contexts by you. It is used in parts of Northern England and by Scots. Thou is the nominative form; the oblique/objective form is thee , and the possessive is thy or thine... /you) |
3.sg նա na (he/she/it) |
1.pl մենք menk῾ (we) |
2.pl դուք duk῾ (you (ye Ye Ye can refer to:* Ye , a form of the second-person, personal pronoun "you"* Ye , a Chinese surname* an archaic spelling of the definite article "þe" , used by early printers when the obsolescent letter "þ" was not available... )) |
3.pl նրանք nrank῾ (they) |
|
| to love Class I |
սիրելու էի sirelu ēi |
սիրելու էիր sirelu ēir |
սիրելու էր sirelu ēr |
սիրելու էինք sirelu ēink῾ |
սիրելու էիք sirelu ēik῾ |
սիրելու էին sirelu ēin |
| to speak Class II |
խոսելու էի xoselu ēi |
խոսելու էիր xoselu ēir |
խոսելու էր xoselu ēr |
խոսելու էինք xoselu ēink῾ |
խոսելու էիք xoselu ēik῾ |
խոսելու էին xoselu ēin |
| to read Class III |
կարդալու էի kardalu ēi |
կարդալու էիր kardalu ēir |
կարդալու էր kardalu ēr |
կարդալու էինք kardalu ēink῾ |
կարդալու էիք kardalu ēik῾ |
կարդալու էին kardalu ēin |
The Eastern dialect has a future perfect (future in the past) indicative, which is formed like the future indicative tense (using the lu-participle), substituting the present forms of the verb լինել linel with the imperfect.
This tense is used with events which were most likely to happen, which were to happen, according to the speaker's firm conviction, but they either haven't happened, or it's not known.
A table of the perfect forms thus:
| Form | Tense | Gloss |
|---|---|---|
| կարդաgել եմ | present ant. | I have read |
| կարդաgել էի | past ant. | I had read |
| կարդալու էի | fut. ant. | I was (about) to read /I would read |
Putting it all together
A comparison of forms| Construction | Eastern gloss | Western gloss |
|---|---|---|
| present (simple) | optative: non-past (present) | optative: non-past (present) |
| imperfect (simple) | optative: past | optative: past |
| aorist | indicative: preterite | indicative: preterite |
| imperative | imperative | imperative |
| ge (կը) / k- (կ-) plus simple present | conditional: non-past (present) | indicative: present |
| ge (կը) / k- (կ-) plus simple imperfect | conditional: past | indicative: imperfect |
| bidi / piti (պիտի) plus simple present | necessitative: non-past (present) | indicative: future |
| bidi / piti (պիտի) plus simple imperfect | necessitative: past | conditional |
| future participle -lu plus em reflex (-լու եմ) |
indicative: future | necessitative: non-past (present) |
| future participle -lu plus ēi reflex (-լու էի) |
indicative: future perfect | necessitative: past |
| past active participle plus em reflex (-լ եմ)/(-եր եմ) |
indicative: present perfect | indicative: non-past perfect |
| past active participle plus ēi reflex (-լ էի)/(-եր էի) |
indicative: past perfect | indicative: past perfect |
| present participle -um plus em reflex (-ում եմ) |
indicative: present | -- |
| present participle -um plus ēi reflex (-ում էի) |
indicative: imperfect | -- |
There are two tables, showing the full conjugation of each dialect's verb paradigms, Eastern
Eastern Armenian verb table
The following is an Eastern Armenian verb table. The Western Armenian verb table can be found here:-Type I/II: ...
and Western
Western Armenian verb table
The following is an Western Armenian verb table. The Eastern Armenian verb table can be found here:-Type I: IndicativePresentImperfectPreteriteFuture1sg2sg3sg1pl2pl3plyestunanmenk'tuk'anonk'gë siremgë siresgë sirê...
.