Armenian Language Lesson 2 : Articles

Armenian Language Lesson 2 : Articles

Armenian Language Lesson 2: Definite and Indefinite Articles with Nouns explains how nouns (գոյական) in Armenian name a person, place, thing, or idea, such as գիրք (book), տուն (house), or տղա (boy). Unlike English or French, Armenian does not use separate words for articles like “a” or “the.” Instead, the definite article “the” is attached to the end of the noun. If a noun ends with a consonant, the ending ը (ë) is used, as in գիրքը (the book). If it ends with a vowel, the ending ն (n) is added, as in տունը (the house). Sometimes, ն is used for smoother pronunciation, as in տղան (the boy).

The indefinite article “a / an” does not exist as a separate word; a noun without a definite ending is understood as indefinite, for example, գիրք (a book) or տուն (a house). Therefore, in Armenian Language Lesson 2: Definite and Indefinite Articles with Nouns, learners see how the meaning of definiteness depends on the noun ending and context.

1. The Noun (Գոյական)

In Armenian, a noun (գոյական / goyakan) is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea.
Examples:

• գիրք (girk’) — book

• տուն (tun) — house

• աղջիկ (aghjik) — girl

2. No separate word for “a” or “the”

In English or French, we say:

• “a book” / “the book”

• “un livre” / “le livre”

In Armenian, we don’t have separate words for “a” or “the”.
Instead, we use endings added to the noun.

3. The Definite Article (like “the”)

In Armenian, the definite article is attached to the end of the word :

4. The Indefinite Article (like “a / an”)

There’s no separate word for “a” in Armenian.
We understand it from the context.

Examples:

• գիրք (girk’) → a book

• տուն (tun) → a house

• աղջիկ (aghjik) → a girl

So:

գիրք եմ կարդում → I’m reading a book.
գիրքը եմ կարդում → I’m reading the book.

5. Quick comparison