Language/Armenian/Grammar/Verb-Conjugation

Armenian → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Basic Sentence Structure → Verb Conjugation

Introduction

In this lesson, we will delve into the concept of verb conjugation in the Armenian language. Verb conjugation is an essential aspect of Armenian grammar as it allows us to express different tenses, moods, and aspects in our sentences. Understanding how to conjugate verbs correctly will greatly enhance your ability to communicate in Armenian and express yourself accurately.

In this comprehensive lesson, we will explore the basic rules and patterns of verb conjugation in Armenian. We will cover the different verb forms, including the present, past, and future tenses, as well as the imperative mood. Along the way, we will provide numerous examples and practice exercises to solidify your understanding of verb conjugation in Armenian.

By the end of this lesson, you will have a strong foundation in Armenian verb conjugation and be able to construct sentences with confidence. So let's dive in and discover the beauty of Armenian grammar!

Armenian Verb Conjugation

Armenian verbs undergo changes in their form depending on various factors such as tense, mood, aspect, and subject agreement. These changes are known as verb conjugations. In this section, we will explore the different conjugation patterns and rules for Armenian verbs.

Present Tense

The present tense is used to describe actions that are happening right now or are ongoing. In Armenian, the present tense is formed by adding specific endings to the verb stem.

To conjugate a regular verb in the present tense, we generally remove the infinitive ending "-ել" or "-ալ" and add the appropriate endings according to the subject agreement. Let's take a look at some examples:

Example 1

Here's how we conjugate the verb "գրել" (to write) in the present tense:

Armenian	Pronunciation	English
ես գրում եմ	es grum em	I am writing
դու գրում ես	du grum es	you are writing (singular)
նա գրում է	na grum e	he/she is writing
մենք գրում ենք	menk grum enk	we are writing
դուք գրում եք	duk grum ek	you are writing (plural)
նրանք գրում են	nrank grum en	they are writing

As you can see, the verb "գրել" is conjugated differently for each subject pronoun. The verb stem remains the same, and we add the appropriate endings to indicate the subject agreement.

Example 2

Let's look at another example with the verb "սիրել" (to love):

Armenian	Pronunciation	English
ես սիրում եմ	es sirum em	I am loving
դու սիրում ես	du sirum es	you are loving (singular)
նա սիրում է	na sirum e	he/she is loving
մենք սիրում ենք	menk sirum enk	we are loving
դուք սիրում եք	duk sirum ek	you are loving (plural)
նրանք սիրում են	nrank sirum en	they are loving

In this example, the verb stem "սիրե" remains the same, and we add the appropriate endings to indicate the subject agreement.

Past Tense

The past tense is used to describe actions that have already happened in the past. In Armenian, the past tense is formed by adding specific endings to the verb stem.

To conjugate a regular verb in the past tense, we generally remove the infinitive ending "-ել" or "-ալ" and add the appropriate endings according to the subject agreement. Let's take a look at some examples:

Example 1

Here's how we conjugate the verb "գրել" (to write) in the past tense:

Armenian	Pronunciation	English
ես գրեցի	es grets'i	I wrote
դու գրեցիր	du grets'ir	you wrote (singular)
նա գրեց	na grets'	he/she wrote
մենք գրեցինք	menk grets'ink	we wrote
դուք գրեցիք	duk grets'ik	you wrote (plural)
նրանք գրեցին	nrank grets'in	they wrote

In this example, the verb "գրել" is conjugated differently for each subject pronoun in the past tense. Again, the verb stem remains the same, and we add the appropriate endings to indicate the subject agreement.

Example 2

Let's look at another example with the verb "սիրել" (to love):

Armenian	Pronunciation	English
ես սիրեցի	es sirets'i	I loved
դու սիրեցիր	du sirets'ir	you loved (singular)
նա սիրեց	na sirets'	he/she loved
մենք սիրեցինք	menk sirets'ink	we loved
դուք սիրեցիք	duk sirets'ik	you loved (plural)
նրանք սիրեցին	nrank sirets'in	they loved

In this example, the verb stem "սիրե" remains the same, and we add the appropriate endings to indicate the subject agreement in the past tense.

Future Tense

The future tense is used to describe actions that will happen in the future. In Armenian, the future tense is formed by adding specific endings to the verb stem.

To conjugate a regular verb in the future tense, we generally remove the infinitive ending "-ել" or "-ալ" and add the appropriate endings according to the subject agreement. Let's take a look at some examples:

Example 1

Here's how we conjugate the verb "գրել" (to write) in the future tense:

Armenian	Pronunciation	English
ես կգրեմ	es k'grem	I will write
դու կգրես	du k'gres	you will write (singular)
նա կգրի	na k'gri	he/she will write
մենք կգրենք	menk k'grenk	we will write
դուք կգրեք	duk k'grek	you will write (plural)
նրանք կգրեն	nrank k'gren	they will write

In this example, the verb "գրել" is conjugated differently for each subject pronoun in the future tense. Once again, the verb stem remains the same, and we add the appropriate endings to indicate the subject agreement.

Example 2

Let's look at another example with the verb "սիրել" (to love):

Armenian	Pronunciation	English
ես կսիրեմ	es k'sirem	I will love
դու կսիրես	du k'sires	you will love (singular)
նա կսիրի	na k'siri	he/she will love
մենք կսիրենք	menk k'sirenk	we will love
դուք կսիրեք	duk k'sirek	you will love (plural)
նրանք կսիրեն	nrank k'siren	they will love

In this example, the verb stem "սիրե" remains the same, and we add the appropriate endings to indicate the subject agreement in the future tense.

Imperative Mood

The imperative mood is used to give commands or make requests. In Armenian, the imperative mood is formed by adding specific endings to the verb stem.

To conjugate a regular verb in the imperative mood, we generally remove the infinitive ending "-ել" or "-ալ" and add the appropriate endings according to the subject agreement. Let's take a look at some examples:

Example 1

Here's how we conjugate the verb "գրել" (to write) in the imperative mood:

Armenian	Pronunciation	English
գրի	gri	write (singular)
գրեք	grek	write (plural)

In this example, the verb "գրել" is conjugated differently for the singular and plural forms in the imperative mood. Again, the verb stem remains the same, and we add the appropriate endings to indicate the subject agreement.

Example 2

Let's look at another example with the verb "սիրել" (to love):

Armenian	Pronunciation	English
սիրի	siri	love (singular)
սիրեք	sirek	love (plural)

In this example, the verb stem "սիրե" remains the same, and we add the appropriate endings to indicate the subject agreement in the imperative mood.

Cultural Insights

Armenian verb conjugation reflects not only the grammatical structure of the language but also the cultural and historical influences on the Armenian people. Throughout history, Armenia has been influenced by various neighboring civilizations, including Persian, Arabic, Turkish, and Russian. These influences have left their mark on the Armenian language, including its verb conjugation patterns.

It's interesting to note that Armenian verb conjugation is relatively complex compared to some other languages. This complexity can be attributed to the rich history and cultural diversity of the Armenian people. By exploring the intricacies of Armenian verb conjugation, we gain insight into the linguistic and cultural heritage of Armenia.

Exercise

Now, it's time to put your knowledge of Armenian verb conjugation into practice! Complete the following exercises by conjugating the given verbs according to the specified tense and subject agreement. Check your answers at the end.

1. Conjugate the verb "մետաղանիշ" (to eat) in the present tense for the following subject pronouns: "ես" (I), "դու" (you, singular), "նա" (he/she), "մենք" (we), "դուք" (you, plural), "նրանք" (they).

2. Conjugate the verb "գրել" (to write) in the past tense for the following subject pronouns: "ես" (I), "դու" (you, singular), "նա" (he/she), "մենք" (we), "դուք" (you, plural), "նրանք" (they).

3. Conjugate the verb "սիրել" (to love) in the future tense for the following subject pronouns: "ես" (I), "դու" (you, singular), "նա" (he/she), "մենք" (we), "դուք" (you, plural), "նրանք" (they).

4. Conjugate the verb "պատմել" (to tell) in the imperative mood for the singular and plural forms.

Solutions

1. Conjugation of the verb "մետաղանիշ" (to eat) in the present tense: - ես մետաղանում եմ (es metaghanum em) - I am eating - դու մետաղանում ես (du metaghanum es) - you are eating (singular) - նա մետաղանում է (na metaghanum e) - he/she is eating - մենք մետաղանում ենք (menk metaghanum enk) - we are eating - դուք մետաղանում եք (duk metaghanum ek) - you are eating (plural) - նրանք մետաղանում են (nrank metaghanum en) - they are eating

2. Conjugation of the verb "գրել" (to write) in the past tense: - ես գրեցի (es grets'i) - I wrote - դու գրեցիր (du grets'ir) - you wrote (singular) - նա գրեց (na grets') - he/she wrote - մենք գրեցինք (menk grets'ink) - we wrote - դուք գրեցիք (duk grets'ik) - you wrote (plural) - նրանք գրեցին (nrank grets'in) - they wrote

3. Conjugation of the verb "սիրել" (to love) in the future tense: - ես կսիրեմ (es k'sirem) - I will love - դու կսիրես (du k'sires) - you will love (singular) - նա կսիրի (na k'siri) - he/she will love - մենք կսիրենք (menk k'sirenk) - we will love - դուք կսիրեք (duk k'sirek) - you will love (plural) - նրանք կսիրեն (nrank k'siren) - they will love

4. Conjugation of the verb "պատմել" (to tell) in the imperative mood: - պատմի (patmi) - tell (singular) - պատմեք (patmek) - tell (plural)

Congratulations on completing the exercise! You are now well-versed in Armenian verb conjugation.

Table of Contents - Armenian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Alphabet and Pronunciation

• Armenian Alphabet
• Pronunciation Rules

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-20
• Telling Time

  ---

Basic Sentence Structure

• Subject-Verb-Object
• Yes/No Questions

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Describing Relationships

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Noun Gender and Plurals
• Personal Pronouns

  ---

Food and Dining

• Common Foods
• Eating Out

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Asking for Directions

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Descriptive Adjectives
• Adverbs of Time, Manner, and Place

  ---

Armenian Traditions and Customs

• Holidays and Celebrations
• Traditional Music and Dance

Sources

• Armenian/Grammar - Wikibooks, open books for an open world
• Armenian conjugation
• Eastern Armenian verb table - Wikipedia

Other Lessons

• Imperative Mood
• Definite Pronouns
• The Future Perfect Tense
• Adjective Endings
• Cases of Nouns
• Obligatory Mood Future Obligatory
• Question Mark and Exclamation Point
• 0 to A1 Course
• The Past Perfect Tense
• Demonstrative pronouns