Verbs
Բայք

Verbs in Classical Armenian are classified in five groups, based on the characteristic vowel in their Present Indicative endings:

Verb Stems

Verbs in Classical Armenian are based on a two-stem system, in which verbal forms are built upon a present stem and an aorist stem.

Verb stems consist of a root and possibly a stem suffix directly after the root (before the characteristic vowel and other endings). Present-stem roots may have the directly after the rootfixes -ան-, -ն-, -չ-, and -նչ-, and aorist-stem roots may have the directly after the rootfix -(vowel)ց-. For example:

Note that syllable stress alternation may result in the loss or alternation of the vowel in the roots. Stem suffixes will be considered further in the Aorist-Stem Verbs section.

Present-stem verbs denote an ongoing, developing or continuous action, while aorist-stem verbs refer to a completed action. For example:

The distinction between the two stems is not one of present tense vs. past tense, as understood in English grammar, but one of aspect. It does not relate to the actual point in time at which the action occured, but rather to the ongoing or completed nature of the action. (See the Verb Aspect and Time page.)

Verb Moods

In grammar, mood (or mode) refers to the manner or tone of a verb which communicates the Speaker’s intended quality or character of a statment, such as real or unreal, certain or possible, wished or demanded. The three principal verb moods are indicative, subjunctive, and imperative.

Indicative Mood

The indicative mood is used to state a fact, to express an opinion believed to be a fact, or to ask a question. For example:

• Եւ Բանն մարմին եղեւ եւ բնակ­եաց ՚ի մեզ, եւ տեսաք զփառս նորա, զփառս իբրեւ զմի­ածնի առ ՚ի Հօրէ, լի շնոր­հօք եւ ճշ­մարտ­ու­թեամբ:
• And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  (John 1:14.)
• Ո՞վ է սա Թագաւոր փառ­աց, Տէր հզօր զօր­ու­թեամբ իւր­ով, Տէր հզօր ՚ի պատ­եր­ազմի:
• Who is this King of glory? The Lord mighty with power, the Lord mighty in battle.  (Psa 24:8 (23:8 lxx).)
• Հաւատով խոս­տո­վան­իմ եւ երկիր պագ­անեմ քեզ. Հայր եւ Որդի եւ Սուրբ Հոգի…
• With faith I confess and worship you, Father and Son and Holy Spirit…  (Nersēs Shnorh­ali, Hav­adov Khos­dov­anim.)

Subjunctive Mood

The subjunctive mood is used to state a possibility, or to express a wish or desire. For example:

• Սարկաւագն. Աստուծոյ երկր­պագ­եսցուք:
• The Deacon: Let us bow down to God.  (Badarak.)
• Հուր կենդանի Քրիս­տոս, զհուր սիրոյ քո՝ զոր արկեր յեր­կիր, բոր­բոքեա՛ յանձն իմ. զի այրեսցէ զաղտ հոգւոյ իմոյ…
• Christ, living fire, inflame my being in the fire of your love, which you spread forth on earth, so that it may burn away the filth of my soul…  (Nersēs Shnorh­ali, Hav­adov Khos­dov­anim.)
• Պահապան ամենայնի Քրի­ստոս, աջ քո հով­անի լիցի ՚ի վերայ իմ ՚ի տուէ եւ ՚ի գիշերի… զի մի՛ երբէք սասան­եցայց:
• Christ, guardian of all, may your right hand be a shelter over me through day and night… so that I may never be shaken.  (ibid.)

Imperative Mood

The imperative mood is used to express a demand or request. For example:

• Դպիրքն. Յիշեա՛ Տէր եւ ողորմեա՛:
• The Choir: Be mindful, Lord, and have mercy.  (Badarak.)
• Եւ մի՛ տանիր զմեզ ՚ի փորձ­ու­թիւն. այլ փրկեա՛ զմեզ ՚ի չարէ։
• And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  (Lord’s Prayer.)
• Եւ ողորմեա՛ քո արար­ածոյց եւ ինձ բազ­մա­մեղիս:
• And have mercy on your creatures and on me, with much sin.  (Nersēs Shnorh­ali, Hav­adov Khos­dov­anim.)

Present-Stem Verbs

As stated above, present-stem verb forms denote an ongoing, developing or continuous action.

Present Indicative

Endings for Present Indicative verbs are formed by adding the following suffixes to the characteristic vowels of the verbs (ե, ի, ա, ու, ւ):

In forming the endings, the suffix letter -յ acts on certain characterictic vowels as follows:

The Present Indicative is conjugated by adding these endings to the present stems of verbs, as shown in the examples below:

Present Infinitive

The present infinitive forms are built on the present stems with the following endings:

Examples using the same stems are shown below:

Infinitive verbs are declined as follows:

Imperfect Indicative

The Imperfect Indicative is a verb form which combines an occurence in the past with an ongoing aspect.5 The forms are built on the present stems with the following endings:

Imperfect Indicative conjugated forms are shown in the examples below:

Since -եմ and -իմ verbs share the same endings, verbal pairs such as սիրեմ, “I love”, and սիրիմ, “I am loved”, lose their distinction in the imperfect սիրէի, “I loved”.6

Present Subjunctive

Present Subjunctive forms are built on the present stems with endings created as follows:

• characteristic verb vowel,
• plus the suffix -ից (which depreciates the prior ե and ի vowels),
• plus:
  • for -եմ, -իմ and -ում verbs, their respective present infinitive -եմ, -իմ or -ում endings, or
  • for -ամ and -ոմ verbs, the present infinitive -եմ endings.

Present Subjunctive conjugated forms are shown in the examples below:

English renderings of Present Subjunctive verbs include the prefaces “I may”, “I shall”, “I should” and “let me”.

Present Imperative

Except for the verb “to be”, the Present Imperative is used only in prohibitive statements, by using the negative particle մի՛. Only the second person singular has distinct forms; the others use the Present Indicative forms. The (prohibitive) Present Imperative form in the second person singular uses the present stem with the characteristic verb vowel, plus the suffix -ր, as shown in the examples below:

Aorist-Stem Verbs

As stated above, aorist-stem verb forms denote a completed action.

There are five basic distinctions between present-stem verbs and aorist-stem verbs, with regard to whether the roots are extended with a stem suffix (-ան-, -ն-, -չ-, or -նչ- for present stems, and -(vowel)ց- for aorist stems). These are illustrated below:

Aorist verbs without these suffixes are called Root aorists (sometimes called Strong or Second aorists). Those with the -(vowel)ց- suffixes are referred to as -Vց aorists (sometimes called Weak or First aorists).

Aorist verbs also distinguish between the active A and mediopassive MP voices, by means of different of suffixes.

Aorist Indicative

The Aorist Indicative forms are built on the aorist stems with following endings:

Aorist Indicative conjugated forms are shown in the examples below:

A given root may take endings of both active and mediopassive voices, as shown in the examples below:

Note that forms which would otherwise be monosyllabic are given the augment ե-; thus բեր becomes եբեր. The augment does not appear when the monosyllable begins with a vowel, e.g., ած (aor.3per.sg. of ածեմ, “I lead”).8

Note also the alternation ե/եա, with եա occuring in locations where the syllable carries stress; thus սիրեց becomes սիրեաց. In general, when the stem is subject to vowel alternation, the full grade is displayed in the aorist third person singular (which uses the aorist stem without an ending). For example:

The last two words are examples of regular vowel alternation in the verbal root itself, carried over into the aorist third person singular.

Aorist Subjunctive

Except for second person plural, the Aorist Subjunctive endings are based on -ից, which becomes -յց after an -ա-. In unstressed syllables, the -ի- drops. The second person plural ending is -ջիք for both singular an plural. Thus the Aorist Subjunctive forms are built on the aorist stems with following endings:

The alternate mediopassive endings are used for -իմ verbs, and some anomalous verbs.

Aorist Subjunctive conjugated forms are shown in the examples below:

Note that in polysyllabic extended -Vց stems, the -ց changes to -ս before a consonant. This does not occur in monosyllabic -Vց stems, e.g., լացից, լացցես, etc.

Aorist Imperative

The Aorist Imperative only have second person forms, which are built on the aorist stems with following endings:

Note that the second person plural forms are the same as those of the Aorist Indicative. Variations to these endings are outlined further below.

Aorist Imperative conjugated forms are shown in the examples below:

A.  Second person singular Aorist Imperative forms are generally identical to the bare aorist stem (i.e., no ending), except:

1.  Verbs with extended present stems always use mediopassive ending -իր:

2.  Verbs with both the extended present stem suffix -ան- and the extended aorist stem suffix -աց- occasionally use the mediopassive ending -իր:

B.  Polysyllabic second person singular Aorist Imperative forms with extended aorist stems have the following tendencies:

1.  -աց reduces to -ա:

2.  -եց reduces to -եա in the active voice, and to -եաց in the mediopassive:

C.  Monosyllabic second person singular Aorist Imperative forms with extended aorist stems remain unchanged:

Passive Voice

In Classical Armenian, transitive verbs10 occur in both active and passive constructions. However, the distinction between active and passive voice is not always distinguished by the morphology or form of the verb.

Passive Voice in the Present System of Verbs

In the Present Indicative, Present Subjunctive and (prohibitive) Present Imperative tenses, -եմ verbs may form a passive voice by changing the characteristic vowel from ե to ի. For example:

• Ես եմ հովիւն քաջ, եւ ճանաչեմ (active) զիմսն եւ ճանաչիմ (passive) յիմոցն:
• I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and am known by mine.  (John 10:14.)

Example of vowel substitution for passive voice, using the verb “to lead”:

In the Imperfect Indicative tense, the distinction between active and passive is lost, since -իմ verbs are conjugated the same as -եմ verbs. For example:

Verbs that are -ամ and -ում, and verbs that are inherently -իմ, do not form passives by vowel substitution. These verbs make no formal distinction between active and passive throughout the entire Present system. For example:

Aorist Mediopassive

The Aorist system maintains a morphological distinction between active and passive voices, with the contrast distinguished by regular alternation of endings. For example:

Note that the following Aorist conjugations make no distinction between active and passive:

• Aorist Indicative – 1st Person Plural (-աք ending)
•    for example:  փորձեցաք – “we tempted,  we were tempted”
• Aorist Subjunctive – 1st Person Plural (-ցուք ending)
•    for example:  արգելցուք – “we shall hinder,  we shall be hindered”
• Aorist Subjunctive – 2nd Person Plural (-ջիք ending)
•    for example:  պատմեսցջիք – “you (pl.) shall tell,  you (pl.) shall be told”

In the Aorist system, some transitive verbs are found only with passive forms. When taken out of context, these forms are ambiguous – they may have active meaning and take an object, or have true passive (and therefore intransitive) meaning. For this reason, the term mediopassive is often used instead of “passive” to describe the non-active forms of Aorist conjugation.

Verbs that have only mediopassive Aorist endings are typically those with Present forms of -իմ, -անամ, and -նում. Below are examples of verbs that have active and passive Aorist forms, and verbs that have only mediopassive Aorist forms:

Other Aspects of Passive Usage

A.  Non-finite verb forms (participles, infinitives and verbal adjectives) make no morphological distinction between active and passive, with the meaning determined by context. For example:

• Եւ էր նա անդ զաւուրս քառասուն փորձեալ (passive) ՚ի Սատանայէ:
• And he was there forty days tempted by Satan.  (Mark 1:13.)
• Եւ առեալ (active) զեւթն նկանակն եւ զձկունսն…
• And he took the seven loaves and the fish…  (Matt. 15:36.)

B.  When verb morphology does not distinguish voice contrast, ambiguity is often avoided by one of two means:

1. Stem Substitution.  For example:  հեղու – “he pours”   versus   հեղանի – “it is poured”
2. Compound Tenses.  For example:  բերեի – “I was carrying”   versus   բերեալ լինեի – “I was being carried”

C.  In passive statements, the agents of the action are treated differently, depending on whether they be animate or inanimate. When the agent is a person, the agent uses the preposition ՚ի with the Ablative case:

• Եւ մկրտէին ՚ի նմանէ (abl.) ՚ի Յորդանան…
• And they were baptised by him in the Jordan…  (Matt. 3:6.)

When the agent is a thing, the agent is in the Instrumental case:

• … քանզի ահիւ մեծաւ (ins.) տագնապէին.
• … for they were seized with great fear.  (Luke 8:37.)

1 Verbs in Classical Armenian are designated by their first person singular form (e.g., սիրեմ, “I love”), rather than their infinitive form (սիրել, “to love”), due to the fact the infinitive ending -ել applies to both -եմ and -իմ verbs, and there would be no way to distinguish verbal pairs such as սիրեմ and սիրիմ, which share the same infinitive form.

2 The only -ոմ verb is գոմ, which has only been recorded in third person forms, although other conjugated forms theoretically exist.

3 Most aorist stems use the same root as the present stem, e.g., ճաշակեմ – ճաշակեցի. There are exceptions, however, in which the aorist stem is irregular, e.g., ըմպեմ – արբի.

4 In the Post-Classical period, the ending -իլ was used to distinguish -իմ verbs from -եմ verbs in the Present Infinitive, e.g., սիրիլ = “to be loved”.

5 Verbs in the Imperfect Indicative form are often rendered into English with a simple past tense.

6 In the Post-Classical period, the ending -իւր was used to distinguish -իմ verbs from -եմ verbs in the third person singular Imperfect Indicative, e.g., սիրիւր = “he was loved” (from սիրիմ), versus սիրէր = “he loved” (from սիրեմ).

7 The form գուցէ, “it may exist”, is often used in the adverbial sense of “perhaps”.

8 In the Post-Classical period, these forms also gained the augment -էած.

9 This example shows the formation of the present stem կլան- from the root կուլ, plus the stem suffix -ան, and the loss of the vowel -ու-. The other examples are similar, with either a loss or alternation of the vowel.

10 Transitive verbs require an object to receive the action, e.g. Եւ նա ոչ ետ նմա պատասխանի, “And he did not give an answer (object) to her” (Matt 15:23.). Intransitive verbs do not take an object, e.g., … եւ անդ կայր յաղօթս, “… and there he stood in prayer” (Mark 1:35). Most -եմ verbs are transitive, and most -իմ verbs are intransitive.