Verb Aspect and Time
Տեսակ եւ Ժամանակ Բայից

Verb Tense

• Tense is a grammatical concept which –
  • May denote time.
  • May denote aspect.
• Verb tenses in Classical Armenian:
  • Present.
  • Imperfect (uses the present stem of verbs; exists only in the Indicative mood).
  • Aorist (uses the aorist stem of verbs).

Verb Mood

• Mood is the form which a verb assumes in order to reflect the manner (modus) in which the speaker conceives the action.
• Verb moods in Classical Armenian:
  • Finite moods (verbs with tense, number and person):
    • Indicative – used to state a fact, to express an opinion believed to be a fact, or to ask a question.
    • Imperative – used to express a demand or request.
    • Subjunctive – used to state a possibility, or to express a wish or desire.
  • Verb forms sometimes designated as “non-finite” moods:
    • Infinitive – used as a substantive that abstractly express a verbal concept (action, process, state), often functioning as the subject or object of another verb.
    • Participle – essentially a verbal adjective with a number of usages (verbal, substantive, adjectival).

Aspect

• Aspect is the way in which what is denoted by the verb is viewed or regarded by the speaker/writer.
• Depending on its aspect, a verb can represent an act, event, occurrence, process or state.
• For example, consider different ways of viewing or regarding the verb “to stand”:
  • Act – action to get up on one’s feet:
    • “He stood up yesterday.”
    • “He stands up now.”
    • “He will stand up tomorrow.”
  • Process – getting up on one’s feet:
    • “When he was standing up yesterday, he tripped.”
    • “As he stands up now, he could trip.”
    • “He will be standing up often tomorrow, and may trip.”
  • State – condition of being up on one’s feet:
    • “He stood all day long yesterday.”   or   “He was standing all day long yesterday.”
    • “He stands now.”    or   “He is standing now.”
    • “He will be standing all day long tomorrow.”

Tense and Aspect

• Present tense and Imperfect tense are generally used to indicate a process, a state, or an act/event/occurrence that is ongoing, incomplete (begun but not finished) or repeated.
  • Examples of ongoing aspect:
    • “He listened to music yesterday.”
    • “He is listening to music now.”
    • “He will listen to music tomorrow.”
• Aorist tense is generally used to indicate a single, completed action or occurrence (not a process or a state).
  • Examples of completed aspect:
    • “He heard that song yesterday.”
    • “He just heard that song now.”
    • “He will hear that song tomorrow.”

Time

• The manner in which a verb describes when something happens is based on combinations of Tense and Mood:
• Example verbs:
  • ընթեռում    “read”
          Present stem:  ընթեռ–
          Aorist stem:  ընթերց–
  • ըմպեմ    “drink”
          Present stem:  ըմպ–
          Aorist stem:  արբ–
• Present time:
  • Present Indicative – ongoing action that is happening now.
    • Գրաբար ընթեռնում:
      — I read krapar.    or    I’m reading krapar.
    • Գինի ըմպեմ:
      — I drink wine.
  • Present Subjunctive – ongoing action that possibly happens now.
    (Subjunctive is also used for future time.)
    • Գրաբար ընթերիցեմ:
      — I may/will read krapar.    or    Let me read krapar.
    • Գինի ըմպիցեմ:
      — I may/will drink wine.    or    Let me drink wine.
  • Aorist Subjunctive – single occurrence that possibly happens now.
    (Subjunctive is also used for future time.)
    • Զգիրս գրաբարին ընթերից:
      — I may/will read the krapar book.    or    Let me read the krapar book.
    • Սրուակ գինւոյ արբից:
      — I may/will drink a bottle of wine.    or    Let me drink a bottle of wine.
• Past time:
  • Imperfect Indicative – ongoing or incomplete action that happened in the past.
    (Imperfect tense uses the present stems of verbs, conjugated with imperfect endings.)
    • Երէկ գրաբար ընթեռնուի:
      — Yesterday I read krapar.
    • Երէկ գինի ըմպէի:
      — Yesterday I drank wine.
  • Aorist Indicative – single occurrence or completed action that happened in the past.
    • Երէկ զգիրս գրաբարին ընթերցայ:
      — Yesterday I read the krapar book.
    • Երէկ զսրուակ գինւոյն արբի:
      — Yesterday I drank the bottle of wine.
  • Aorist Participle – single occurrence or completed action that happened in the past.
    • Բազում յոյժ գրաբար ընթերցեալ, եւ արդ ծանրացեալ են աչք իմ:
      — I read too much krapar, and now my eyes are heavy.
    • Բազում յոյժ գինի արբեալ, եւ արդ հիւանդ եմ:
      — I have drunk too much wine, and now I’m sick.
• Future time:
  • Present Subjunctive – ongoing action that possibly happens in the future.
    (Subjunctive is also used for present time.)
    • Ի վաղիւ գրաբար ընթերիցեմ:
      — Tomorrow I may/will read krapar.
    • Ի վաղիւ գինի ըմպիցեմ:
      — Tomorrow I may/will drink wine.
  • Aorist Subjunctive – single occurrence that possibly happens in the future.
    (Subjunctive is also used for present time.)
    • Ի վաղիւ զգիրս գրաբարին ընթերից:
      — Tomorrow I may/will read the krapar book.
    • Ի վաղիւ սրուակ գինւոյ արբից:
      — Tomorrow I may/will drink a bottle of wine.
• No time:
  • Present Infinitive – abstract verbal concept often acting as a noun.
    • Ընթեռուլ գրաբար կամեմ:
      — I want to read krapar.
    • Ըմպել գինի կամեմ:
      — I want to drink wine.
  • Present Imperative – request or demand that you (do not) perform an ongoing action.
    (Except for the verb “to be”, Present Imperative is used only in prohibitive statements with մի՛.)
    • Մի՛ ընթեռուր գրաբար:
      — Do not read krapar!
    • Մի՛ ըմպեր գինի:
      — Do not drink wine!
  • Aorist Imperative – request or demand that you a complete a single action.
    (Only occurs in 2nd Person singular and plural forms.)
    • Ընթերեա՛ (plural ընթերցէ՛ք) զգիրս գրաբարին:
      — Read the krapar book!
    • Ա՛րբ (plural արբէ՛ք) սրուակ գինւոյ:
      — Drink a bottle of wine!