Negation
Make negative identity, state, possession, and action sentences.
The negative auxiliary moves before the main verb
With present action verbs, use the negative forms of “to be” before the -ում (-um) form. The third-person singular action form is չի (ch’i), while the standalone negative of “is” is չէ (ch’e).
Negative present action
| Person | Armenian | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | չեմ կարդում | ch’em kardum | I do not read |
| you, informal | չես կարդում | ch’es kardum | you do not read |
| he / she | չի կարդում | ch’i kardum | does not read |
| we | չենք կարդում | ch’enk’ kardum | we do not read |
| you, plural / polite | չեք կարդում | ch’ek’ kardum | you do not read |
| they | չեն կարդում | ch’en kardum | they do not read |
Examples
Ես միս չեմ ուտում։Yes mis ch’em utum.I do not eat meat.Pronunciation: ch’ is aspirated.
Նա այսօր չի աշխատում։Na aysor ch’i ashkhatum.He / she is not working today.Pronunciation: ch’ is aspirated; kh is throaty.
Սա թանկ չէ։Sa t’ank ch’e.This is not expensive.Pronunciation: t’ and ch’ are aspirated.
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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.