This, that, and the three-way system
Distinguish what is near the speaker, near the listener, or farther from both.
Three distances instead of two
Eastern Armenian has a three-way distinction. One series replaces a noun; another series comes before a noun. The same pattern appears in words for location.
Demonstrative system
| Use | Near speaker | Near listener | Far from both |
|---|---|---|---|
| pronoun | սա — sa — this one | դա — da — that one | նա — na — that one over there |
| before a noun | այս — ays — this | այդ — ayd — that | այն — ayn — that over there |
| location | այստեղ — aystegh — here | այդտեղ — aydtegh — there by you | այնտեղ — ayntegh — over there |
Examples
Սա ի՞նչ է։Sa inch’ e?What is this?Pronunciation: ch’ is aspirated, with a puff of air.
Այս գիրքը նոր է։Ays girk’ə nor e.This book is new.Pronunciation: k’ is aspirated; ə is a short “uh” sound.
Այնտեղ սրճարան կա։Ayntegh srcharan ka.There is a café over there.Pronunciation: gh is voiced and throaty; ch is unaspirated.
Use it now
Not practised yet
Practice this lesson
Eight questions are drawn from this lesson and reshuffled every time.
Questions switch between recognition and recall, so you practise both meaning and the Armenian form.