Present Subjunctive Tense
The present subjunctive tense is usually used in
conditional and relative clauses, also in clauses that express
wishes, are negative, or pseudo-interrogative. Putting it another way,
this tense is used in those clauses which are not declarative, that
is, they don't express things that certainly happen or will happen.
The clauses in which the present subjunctive is used usually begin
with words like յորժամ (when), ուր (where), եթէ (if,
that), թէ (if, that), որ (that), թող (let), թերեւս
(perhaps), մարթ է զի (it is possible that), հարկ է զի
(it is necessary that), գուցէ (perhaps), մի՛ գուցէ
(lest), etc.
The present subjunctive can be translated either
with a present or a future tense, that is why in some grammar books
(usually authored by Soviet and post-Soviet Armenian scholars from
Armenia) this tense is called “first future” (of the indicative
mood at that). However, the name “present subjunctive” is more
correct. If you don't know how to translate the verbs in present
subjunctive, first try a present tense, and only when you see it
doesn't suit the context, translate with a future tense.
The present subjunctive is formed from the present
stem of the verb (see Lesson 7) + endings.
Let us conjugate the following verbs: տեսանել,
ծնանիլ, բարձրանալ, ընկենուլ.
Conjugation “ե”
տեսանել - to see [tesanel]
տեսան - the present stem
տեսան + ից+եմ - տեսանիցեմ
- (if) I see [tesanic'em]
տեսան +ից+ես - տեսանիցես - (if)
you see [tesanic'es]
տեսան +ից+է - տեսանիցէ - (if)
he/she/it sees [tesanic'e:]
տեսան +ից+եմք - տեսանիցեմք -
(if) we see [tesanic'emk']
տեսան +ից+էք - տեսանիցէք - (if)
you see [tesanic'ek']
տեսան +ից+են - տեսանիցեն - (if)
they see [tesanic'en]
Did you notice that the endings after -ից are
the same with the endings of the present indicative, which we have
already learned?
Conjugation “ի”
ծնանիլ - to give birth, to be born*
[cәnanil]
(* The verbs of conjugation “ի” having
the same form for both active and passive voices are sometimes called
“common” verbs.)
ծնան - the present stem
ծնան + ից + իմ - ծնանիցիմ - (if) I
give birth [cәnanic'im]
ծնան + ից + իս - ծնանիցիս - (if)
you give birth [cәnanic'is]
ծնան + ից + ի - ծնանիցի - (if)
he/she/it gives birth [cәnanic'i]
ծնան + ից + իմք - ծնանիցիմք -
(if) we give birth [cәnanic'imk']
ծնան + ից + իք - ծնանիցիք - (if)
you give birth [cәnanic'ik']
ծնան + ից + ին - ծնանիցին - (if)
they give birth [cәnanic'in]
Conjugation “ա”
բարձրանալ - to rise, ascend, climb up
[bardz'ranal] or [barc'ranal]*
(* See about this pronunciation in Lesson 2,
Note in the “For Practice” section.)
բարձրան - the present stem
բարձրան + այց + եմ - բարձրանայցեմ
- (if) I rise [barc'ranayc'em]
բարձրան + այց + ես - բարձրանայցես
- (if) you rise [barc'ranayc'es]
բարձրան + այց + է - բարձրանայցէ
- (if) he/she/it rises [barc'ranayc'e:]
բարձրան + այց + եմք - բարձրանայցեմք
- (if) we rise [barc'ranayc'emk']
բարձրան + այց + էք - բարձրանայցէք
- (if) you rise [barc'ranayc'ek']
բարձրան + այց + են - բարձրանայցեն
- (if) they rise [barc'ranayc'en]
Conjugation “ու”
ընկենուլ - to throw
ընկեն - the present stem
ընկեն + ուց + ում - ընկենուցում
- (if) I throw [әnkenuc'um]
ընկեն + ուց + ուս - ընկենուցուս
- (if) you throw [әnkenuc'us]
ընկեն + ուց + ու - ընկենուցու
- (if) he/she/it throws [әnkenuc'u]
ընկեն + ուց + ումք - ընկենուցումք
- (if) we throw [әnkenuc'umk']
ընկեն + ուց + ուք - ընկենուցուք
- (if) you throw [әnkenuc'uk']
ընկեն + ուց + ուն - ընկենուցուն
- (if) they throw [әnkenuc'un]
The present subjunctive of the short forms of the verb “to be”
They are formed in the following pattern:
ից + the present indicative short forms of the verb “to be” (see Lesson 3).Or, they are identical with the present subjunctive endings of the conjugation “ե”.
իցես [ic'es]
իցէ [ic'e:]
իցեմք [ic'emk']
իցէք [ic'ek']
իցեն [ic'en]
About prefixes and suffixes of Classical Armenian
The Classical Armenian language (and Armenian
generally) is very rich with suffixes and is very flexible when
forming new words with suffixes. But you'll find very few prefixes in
Mesropian Armenian (see Lesson 4), because most of the prefixes that
we find in Post-Mesropian Armenian were created artificially by the
Armenian grammarians of the so-called Graecophil School at the end of
the fifth century. Here are Armenian prefixes created by those
grammarians, and their Greek equivalents:
ապ- apo-, ap-
առ- pros-
արտ- ek-, ex-
բաղ- syn-
բաց- apo-
գեր- hyper-
դեր- anti-
ենթ- hypo-
հակ- anti-
հոմ- homo-
մակ- epi-
յար- para-, syn-
ներ- en-
շաղ- syn-
շար- syn-
պար- peri-
ստոր- hypo-
վեր- ana-
տար- para-, dia-
փաղ- syn-
տրամ- dia-
փար- peri-
փոխ- meta-
The verb “to be” + genitive case of
nouns/pronouns
This pattern expresses possession.
- Իցէ՞ քո տուն անդ։ Do you have a
house there?
- Այո՛, է իմ տուն անդ։ Yes, I have a
house there.
Է տուն եւ եղբարց իմոց։ My
brothers too have a house.
Այլ տուն նոցա մեծ է քան զիմն։
But their house is bigger than mine.
Քո, իմ, եղբարց and նոցա are the
genitive cases of ես, դու, եղբարք and նոքա (I, you,
brothers, they) and mean “my”, “your”, “of brothers” and
“their”. But since they are used with the verb “to be”, they
are translated as “I”, “you”, “brothers”, “they”, and
the verb is translated with the verb “have”.
իմ (im) - my
ձեր (dz'er)
- your (plural)
նոցա (noc‘a) - their
եղբարք (yełbark‘) - brothers
եղբարց (yełbarc‘) - of brothers
իմոց (imoc‘) - my (genitive, plural)
քան (k‘an) - than
Reading
(Please hover over each word to see the translation)
(Please hover over each word to see the translation)
Եթէ երթայցես ի տուն, կե՛ր հաց եւ ա՛րբ ջուր, զի մի՛ նուաղիցիս։
Զիա՞րդ ուտիցեն, եթէ չկամին գործել։
Զի՞նչ է զոր դու գիտիցես, եւ մեք ոչ գիտիցեմք։
Որ ասիցէ թէ ի լոյս իցէ եւ զեղբայր իւր ատիցէ, սուտ է։
Ոչ կարէ ոք խաւսել լեզու ինչ, եթէ ոչ նախ ուսանիցի զայն։
Ասէ Եսաւ ցհայրն իւր. «Միթէ մի՞ աւրհնութիւն իցէ քո, հայր․ աւրհնեա՛»։
միթէ (mit‘e) - really, indeed. This word
doesn't have its English equivalent and is sometimes omitted in
translation. It is used in interrogative sentences.
արդեւք (a later form: արդեաւք=արդեօք)
(ardyok‘) - really, indeed. This word doesn't have its English
equivalent and is usually omitted in translation. It is used mainly
in interrogative, sometimes in negative sentences.
հաց ուտել (hac' utel) - literally means to
eat bread, but in Armenian (both in Classical and modern) this expression is also an idiom, which means “to dine”, to
eat (anything).
ուտել (utel) - to eat
նուաղիլ (nəvałil) - to faint
գործել (gorcel) - to work
զիարդ (ziard) - how
սուտ (sut) - 1. a lie. 2. a liar
ատել (atel) - to hate
կարել (karel) - to be able, can
նախ (nax) - first, firstly, in the first place
(do not confuse this with the ordinal number
առաջին (first))
առաջին (first))
մի՛ (mi) - not; used in the imperative mood and
usually with the stress mark on it to be distinguished from the
number մի (one).
աւրհնութիւն (orhnut‘iun) - blessing
աւրհնել (orhnel) - to bless
մի - one
