LESSON 3 - PLURAL AND DEFINITE/INDEFINITE ARTICLE

Plural
In Armenian, the plural is formed by adding the suffix եր (er) to the noun if it is a one syllable word or by adding the suffix ներ (ner) to the noun if it has more than one syllable.

Examples:
- տուն * dtun * house, տուներ * dtuner * houses
- գիրք * girk * book, գրքեր * guhrker * books (the vowel ի drops out when a suffix is added to a word, and is replaced by an unwritten ը)
- շուն * shun * dog, շուներ * shuner * dogs
- սենյակ * senyac * room, սենյակներ * senyacner * rooms
- սեղան * seghan * table, սեղաններ * seghanner * tables

Definite Article
The definite article is the letter ը (uh) added to the end of the noun if the last letter of the noun is a consonant. If the last letter of the noun is a vowel, then the definite article is formed by adding the letter ն (n) at the end of the noun. However, if the noun is followed by any of the words եմ, ես, է, ենք, եք, են, (verb to be, present tense) էի, էիր, էր, էինք, էիք, էին, (verb to be, past tense) or էլ (el, meaning also) [see succeeding lessons for all the preceding], then the letter ն is used for the definite article, even if the noun ends in a consonant.

Indefinite Article
The indefinite article is the word մի, which precedes the noun, for example: Մի գավաթ թեյ (mi gavat tey - a cup of tea). Often, however, the indefinite article is not used, as a noun which is not in the definite or posessive article is assumed to be indefinite.