Armenian verb conjugation follows predictable patterns that are easy to master.

Verbs are the essential building blocks of any language.

Once you understand how Armenian verbs change to match the subject, you’ll be able to form basic sentences.

This guide breaks down the most important rules for conjugating Armenian verbs in the present tense.

I’ll cover both Eastern and Western Armenian variations so you can apply these rules no matter which dialect you’re learning.

The infinitive form of Armenian verbs

The infinitive is the base dictionary form of a verb.

In English, this is expressed with the word “to” before the action, like “to speak” or “to read”.

Eastern Armenian verbs usually end in either -ել (-el) or -ալ (-al).

Western Armenian verbs typically end in -իլ (-il), -ել (-el), or -ալ (-al).

You need to know these endings because verb conjugation requires you to alter them.

The present tense of “to be”

You must learn the verb “to be” before you can conjugate regular verbs in Eastern Armenian.

Eastern Armenian uses this verb as a helper word to build the present tense.

The forms of “to be” change depending on the pronoun of the person doing the action.

Eastern Armenian present tense conjugation

The present tense in Eastern Armenian describes actions happening right now and general ongoing facts.

To form the present tense, you first change the infinitive verb into a present participle.

You do this by replacing the -ել or -ալ verb ending with -ում (-um).

Then, you simply add the correct form of the helper verb “to be” right after it.

Here’s how you conjugate the verb խոսել (khosel), meaning “to speak”.

Here’s a dialogue example of an Eastern Armenian conjugation in use.

Western Armenian present tense conjugation

Western Armenian uses a completely different grammatical structure for the present tense.

Instead of adding an -ում ending and a helper verb, you use a special prefix particle.

You place the particle կը (gë) directly in front of the conjugated verb stem.

You then add specific endings to the verb root depending on the pronoun.

Here’s how you conjugate the verb խօսիլ (khosil), meaning “to speak” in Western Armenian.

Here’s a dialogue example showing Western Armenian present tense conjugation.

Negative verb conjugation

Making a verb negative is straightforward once you know the positive forms.

In Eastern Armenian, you attach the letter չ (ch) to the beginning of the helper verb.

The negative helper verb is then placed immediately before the main verb.

In Western Armenian, the rule is slightly different.

You drop the կը (gë) particle completely.

You then use a negative helper verb and change the ending of the main verb slightly.