Language/Armenian/Grammar/Nouns

Armenian Grammar - Nouns

Hi Armenian learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will dive into Armenian nouns and everything you need to know about them.

Introduction

Nouns are a crucial part of the Armenian Grammar. They are used to name objects, people, places, and concepts. In Armenian, nouns have gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural). Understanding these rules will help you build your vocabulary and have basic conversations in Armenian.

Don't hesitate to look into these other pages after completing this lesson: The Genitive Case, Cases of Nouns, Conditional Sentences & Comma and Colon Usage.

Gender

Armenian nouns can either be masculine or feminine. The gender can typically be recognized by the endings of the words. Let's take a look at examples below:

Armenian	Pronunciation	English
մարդ (mard)	/märd/	man (masculine)
թուղթ (tught)	/tʰuʁtʰ/	paper (feminine)
մատ (mat)	/mɑtʰ/	table (masculine)
անձ (andz)	/ɑndz/	woman (feminine)

As you can see, in some cases, the gender can be determined by the sound of the word (e.g., մարդ, man, sounds masculine, while անձ, woman, has a more feminine sound). However, in many cases, the gender can only be determined by the word ending. Here are some common gender determiners:

• Masculine endings: -ի (i), -ը (ë), -ում (um), -ու (u), -ան (an), -ար (ar), -ո (o), -օ (o).
• Feminine endings: -ա (a), -ույն (uyn), -ու (u), -թույն (tʰuyn).

Here are some examples using the gender determiners:

Armenian	Pronunciation	English
գարուն (karun)	/käˈɾun/	spring (masculine)
ստորագրություն (storagrutyun)	/stɔrɑɡruˈtʰjun/	signature (feminine)
բերան (beran)	/bɛˈɾɑn/	tongue (masculine)
տուր (tur)	/tur/	road, way (feminine)

Note that there are exceptions to these rules, and some words, even if they have a feminine ending, could be masculine. Therefore, it is important to familiarize yourself with the gender of the word by remembering it when learning new vocabulary.

Number

Armenian nouns can also have singular or plural forms, which indicates whether there is one or more of that particular object, person, or concept. To form the plural, you typically add one of the following endings:

• -ներ (-ner)
• -ները (-nerë)
• -եր (-er)
• -երը (-erë)

Here are some examples:

Armenian	Pronunciation	English
գլուխ (glukh)	/ɡluˈχ/	head (singular)
գլուխներ (glukhner)	/ɡluˈχnɛr/	heads (plural)
տուն (tun)	/tun/	house (singular)
տուններ (tunner)	/tuˈnnɛr/	houses (plural)
պոր (por)	/pɔr/	pig (singular)
պորեր (pore'r)	/pɔˈrɛr/	pigs (plural)

It is worth noting that there are some exceptions to these plural rules, and some words have irregular plural forms. Therefore, it is essential to memorize the plural forms of nouns individually.

Examples in Context

To fully understand Armenian nouns, here is an example dialogue between two friends:

• Person 1: Սիրում եմ բուսերը: (Sirovum em buserë.) (I love flowers.)
• Person 2: Ինչպես կարող ես որոշել, թե տանջը իր կողքին է: (Inchpes karogh es voroshel, te t’anjë ir kog’kin e.) (You can tell by the scent that it's near.)

Conclusion

Nouns are a crucial part of the Armenian language. By understanding the gender and number rules of Armenian nouns, you can develop your vocabulary and engage in basic conversations with ease. Remember to ask native speakers any questions you may have, and practice regularly. Also, feel free to browse Armenian grammar on Polyglot Club to improve your skills.

Sources

• Eastern Armenian - Wikipedia
• Armenian language - Wikipedia

Having concluded this lesson, consider checking out these related pages: The Future Subjunctive Mood, Present Tense, This, That and the Other One & Present Continuous Tense.

Other Lessons

• Verb Declension
• The Verb to Have
• Simple Past
• Irregular Present Tense Verbs
• Time
• How to Use Be
• Conditional Mood Past Conditional
• The Future Subjunctive Mood
• Conditional Mood
• The Ablative Case