A2 · Elemental Capítulo 28

Expressing Obligation & Necessity

6 Reglas totales
1 min
Reglas en este capítulo Práctica rápida

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the art of expressing what you must, should, and can do in everyday Armenian.

  • Identify the verb 'to have' in various contexts.
  • Construct sentences expressing personal and general necessity.
  • Differentiate between permission, prohibition, and lack of obligation.
Command your day with confidence and clarity.

Lo que aprenderás

Learn to express 'must', 'have to', 'need to', and their negations. This chapter also covers expressing permission and prohibition using modal-like constructions.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: Explain your daily requirements and permissions to a native speaker.

Consejos y trucos (4)

🎯

The 'I' Rule

Remember that the 3rd person singular is 'uni' (ends in 'i'). This is the most common place learners trip up by saying 'une'.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: The Verb 'To Have': Ունենալ
💡

Keep it simple

Don't worry about conjugation. 'պետք է' is always the same.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Expressing Obligation: Must, Have To (պետք է)
💡

The 'Choice' Test

If you can add 'but you can if you want' to the end of the sentence, use 'պետք չէ'. If it sounds wrong, you probably need 'չպետք է'.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Lack of Obligation: Don't Have To
💡

The 'May I' Shortcut

If you forget how to conjugate, just use 'Կարելի՞ է' + Verb. It works 99% of the time for requests.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Expressing Permission: May, Can

Vocabulario clave (6)

ունենալ to have պետք է must/need to կարելի է may/it is allowed չի կարելի must not/it is forbidden ժամանակ time գործ work/business

Real-World Preview

briefcase

At the Office

Review Summary

  • Subject + Object + ունեմ/ունես/ունի...
  • Subject + պետք է + Verb
  • պետք է + Verb
  • Subject + պետք չէ + Verb
  • կարելի է + Verb
  • չի կարելի + Verb

Errores comunes

When using 'պետք է', the following verb must be in the subjunctive mood.

Wrong: Ես պետք է ունեմ (I must have)
Correcto: Ես պետք է ունենամ (I must have)

Prohibition uses 'չի կարելի', not 'պետք է' with negation.

Wrong: Պետք է ոչ գնալ (Must not go)
Correcto: Չի կարելի գնալ (It is forbidden to go)

Again, the modal triggers the subjunctive form.

Wrong: Ես պետք չէ աշխատում (I don't have to work)
Correcto: Ես պետք չէ աշխատեմ (I don't have to work)

Next Steps

You are making amazing progress! Keep practicing these modals to sound like a native speaker.

Write 5 sentences about your house rules.

Continue to: Infinitives & Gerunds: Verb Nouns

Práctica rápida (10)

Fill in the blank.

___ gna!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Mi
Mi is for prohibition.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Expressing Prohibition: Must Not

Correct the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Mi gnum.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Mi gna
Imperative required.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Expressing Prohibition: Must Not

Fill in the negative form of 'to have' for 'I'.

Ես ժամանակ ___ (don't have):

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: չունեմ
The negative prefix 'չ-' + 'ունեմ' = 'չունեմ'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: The Verb 'To Have': Ունենալ

Correct the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Mi xosir.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Mi xosa
Imperative required.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Expressing Prohibition: Must Not

Correct the sentence: 'Դու չպետք է գաս, եթե զբաղված ես:' (You don't have to come if you're busy).

Find and fix the mistake:

Դու չպետք է գաս, եթե զբաղված ես:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Պետք չէ գալ, եթե զբաղված ես:
'Չպետք է գաս' means 'You must not come'. 'Պետք չէ գալ' is the correct way to say 'don't have to'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Lack of Obligation: Don't Have To

Correct the sentence: 'Դու կարող ես խոսում հայերեն:'

Find and fix the mistake:

Դու կարող ես խոսում հայերեն:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Դու կարող ես խոսել հայերեն:
Modal verbs must be followed by the infinitive (խոսել).

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Expressing Permission: May, Can

Choose the correct way to say 'You don't have to work today'.

Այսօր ___ աշխատել:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: պետք չէ
'Պետք չէ' expresses lack of obligation.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Lack of Obligation: Don't Have To

Fill in the blank.

Ես ___ գնամ։

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: պետք է
Correct modal for obligation.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Expressing Obligation: Must, Have To (պետք է)

Fix the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Ես պետք եմ գնամ։

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ես պետք է գնամ
Do not conjugate 'պետք է'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Expressing Obligation: Must, Have To (պետք է)

Choose the correct form of 'to have' for the subject 'Մենք' (We).

Մենք մեծ տուն ___:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ունենք
The ending for 'Մենք' is '-ենք'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: The Verb 'To Have': Ունենալ

Score: /10

Preguntas frecuentes (6)

Armenian distinguishes between states and actions. 'Unem' is a state (you just have it). 'Unenum em' is for habits or processes (e.g., 'I usually have/get headaches').
No. In Armenian, you use the verb 'to be' (եմ). For example: 'Ես 20 տարեկան եմ' (I am 20 years old).
No, it is invariant.
Yes, use 'պետք էր'.
No, it is always 'պետք է'.
Yes, but the verb must be in the past tense.
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Conjunctions: Connecting Ideas
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