Aspect: aspect
| Values: | Dur | Imp | Iter | Perf | Prog | Prosp |
Aspect is a feature that specifies the temporal structure of an action, such as its duration or whether it is completed. In Western Armenian, some tenses are combinations of tense and aspect.
Note that some aspectual meanings in (secondary) compound tenses may be expressed at participles.
Imp: imperfect aspect
The action took, takes, or will take place over a period of time, without specifying whether or when it was, is, or will be completed.
Examples
- նոյն համոզումը ունէր/noyn hamozowmë ownēr “He/She shared the same conviction.”,
- որոշապէս թուականը չեմ յիշեր/orošapēs t’owakanë čem yišer “I don’t remember the exact date”,
- Կայ խոշոր տարբերութիւն մը/Kay xošor tarberowt’iwn më “There is a big difference.”
Perf: perfect aspect
The action is presented as completed. Since this aspect focuses on the point of completion, it does not work well with the present tense.
Examples
- պուլկարական բանակը թողուցի ու փախայ/powlkarakan banakë t’oġowc’i ow p’axay “I left the Bulgarian army and fled”,
- շատ ուշ ճանչցած էր զայն/šat owš č̣ančc’aç ēr zayn “he/she had recognized him/her very late”,
- այլեւս մնացեր էր հոն/aylews mnac’er ēr hon “he/she had stayed there for good”.
Prosp: prospective aspect
In general, prospective aspect can be described as relative future: the action is/was/will be expected to take place at a moment that follows the reference point; the reference point itself can be in past, present or future.
In some contexts, subjunctive and conditional forms may also indicate prospective aspect and signal an event that is expected to take place. The prospective meaning is especially common in conditional imperfect forms.
The future participle also indicates prospective aspect.
Examples
- ալ անկարելի է որ հոս մնամ/al ankareli ē or hos mnam “it is no longer possible for me to stay here”,
- երբոր խօսքս աւարտեմ, պիտի թողուք որ մեկնիմ/erbor xòsk’s awartem, piti t’oġowk’ or meknim “when I finish my speech, you must let me leave”,
- մեր գիտնալիք բանը չէ/mer gitnalik’ banë čē “it is none of our business, it is not for us to know”,
- բան մը ունէր ըսելիք/ban më ownēr ëselik’ “he/she had something to say”,
- դեռ բաւական բաներ մը ունէին պատրաստելիք/deṙ bawakan baner më ownēin patrastelik’ “they still had quite a few things to prepare”.
Prog: progressive aspect
The action is in progress with respect to the current or a reference time. The (AUX_)[] կոր indicates progressive aspect.
Examples
- սարսափելի օրերու մէջ կ՚ապրինք կոր/sarsap’eli òrerow mēǰ k՚aprink’ kor “we are living through horrifying days”,
- չեմ կրնար կոր կատարել պարտականութիւնս/čem krnar kor katarel partakanowt’iwns “I cannot fulfill my duty right now”,
- բայց ան կը սիրէ կոր քեզ/bayc’ an kë sirē kor k’ez “but he/she keeps loving you”.
Dur: durative aspect
The situation extends over a period of time without reference to its endpoint.
The subject participle expresses durative aspect.
Examples
- խաւարի մէջ ապրող դիւային էակ մը/xawari mēǰ aproġ diwayin ēak më “a demonic creature living in the dark”,
- ասդին անդին քուրջեր հաւաքող մարդիկ/asdin andin k’owrǰer hawak’oġ mardik “people gathering rags here and there”,
- պատուհանէն հոսող առատ լոյսին տակ/patowhanēn hosoġ aṙat loysin tak “under the abundant light streaming from the window”.
Iter: iterative
Denotes repeated action, with multiplicative or distributive meanings. Western Armenian has three main iterative markers -ատ/-at, -ըտ/-ët, -ուըռտ/-owëṙt, -կլտ/-klt, -կոտ/-kot, -կռտ/-kṙt, -շտկ/-štk, -ոտ/-ot, -ուըտ/-owët, -ռտ/-ṙt, -տ/-t, -տկ/-tk or root reduplication.
Note that in Western Armenian iterative is considered as a lexical feature of verbs, thus they have morphologically related non-iterative counterparts, but it is not a regular system and the two verbs are represented by different lemmas. We mark them as biaspectual.
Examples
- թռչիլ/t’ṙčil “to jump”, թռչկոտիլ/t’ṙčkotil “to hop”,
- կտրել/ktrel “to cut”, կտրտել/ktrtel “to chop, to dice”,
- կռուիլ/kṙowil “to quarrel”, կռուըտիլ/kṙowëtil “to bicker, to squabble”.
Aspect in other languages: [arr] [axm] [bej] [bg] [bm] [bor] [cs] [ctn] [egy] [el] [eme] [ga] [gn] [gub] [ha] [hu] [hy] [hyw] [jaa] [ka] [ky] [la] [mdf] [myu] [myv] [naq] [nci] [nmf] [oge] [pcm] [ps] [qpm] [ru] [ruc] [say] [sl] [tpn] [tr] [tt] [u] [uk] [urb] [urj] [xcl] [xmf] [yrl]