A2 · Elementary Chapter 30

Demonstratives & Indefinite Articles

6 Total Rules
1 min
Rules in This Chapter Quick Practice

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the art of pointing and specifying in Armenian with precision.

  • Identify objects based on their distance from you and the listener.
  • Use 'a' versus 'this' to distinguish between specific and general items.
  • Incorporate indefinite pronouns to talk about 'some' or 'any' person or thing.
Point it out, pick it out, and make it clear.

What You'll Learn

Distinguish between demonstrative adjectives and pronouns ('this', 'that'). This chapter also introduces the concept of the indefinite article (մի) and its usage.

Learning Objectives

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

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to correctly choose between այս, այդ, and այն based on spatial distance.
  2. 2
    By the end you will be able to replace noun phrases with demonstrative pronouns like սա or դա.
  3. 3
    By the end you will be able to introduce new information using the indefinite article 'մի'.

Tips & Tricks (4)

💡

Use your hands

When learning these, physically point to things. It helps your brain map the distance.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Demonstrative Adjectives: This, That, These, Those
🎯

The 'Da' Rule

When in doubt about an abstract idea someone just said, use 'Da'. It's the safest 'that' for conversation.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Demonstrative Pronouns: This one, That one
💡

The 'One' Test

If you can replace 'a' with 'one' in English and it still makes sense, you definitely need 'մի' in Armenian.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: The Concept of Indefinite Article: One, A Certain (մի)
💡

Keep it simple

Don't overthink it. If you mean 'a', use 'մի'.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Using 'մի' for Indefiniteness: A book

Key Vocabulary (8)

այս this (near speaker) այդ that (near listener) այն that (far from both) սա this one մի a / an / one ինչ-որ some / something որևէ any / anyone խանութ shop / store

Real-World Preview

shopping-bag

At a Souvenir Shop

Review Summary

  • [այս/այդ/այն] + [Noun] + [ը/ն]
  • [սա/դա/նա] + [Verb]
  • մի + [Noun (no suffix)]

Common Mistakes

You used a pronoun (սա) as an adjective. Use 'այս' when it is followed by a noun.

Wrong: Սա գիրքը լավ է:
Correct: Այս գիրքը լավ է:

You cannot use the definite article suffix (-ը) with the indefinite article (մի). It's like saying 'a the book'.

Wrong: Ես տեսնում եմ մի գիրքը:
Correct: Ես տեսնում եմ մի գիրք:

Demonstrative adjectives in Armenian require the noun to be in the definite form (adding -ը or -ն).

Wrong: Այս գիրք լավ է:
Correct: Այս գիրքը լավ է:

Next Steps

You've just unlocked a major level of fluency. Being able to distinguish between 'this' and 'a' is a hallmark of an A2 learner. Keep it up!

Label items in your house using sticky notes with 'այս' and 'այն'.

Describe a random object in your room using 'մի' without naming it specifically.

Continue to: Time Phrases & Calendar Expressions

Quick Practice (10)

Fill in the indefinite article.

Ես ___ խնձոր եմ ուզում:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: մի
We use 'մի' before the noun to mean 'an apple'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: The Concept of Indefinite Article: One, A Certain (մի)

Fill in the blank.

Ես ունեմ ___ գիրք։

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Use 'մի' for 'a'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Using 'մի' for Indefiniteness: A book

Correct the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Այս գիրքս լավն է։

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Գիրքս լավն է
Avoid redundant pronouns.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Distinguishing Between Demonstratives and Articles

Fill in the blank.

Մի ___ սպասեք։

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Must be singular.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Using 'մի' for Indefiniteness: A book

Choose the correct demonstrative.

Սա իմ գրիչ___ է։

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ս
Proximal demonstrative.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Distinguishing Between Demonstratives and Articles

Fix the error.

Find and fix the mistake:

Մի գրքեր ունեմ։

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Remove plural.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Using 'մի' for Indefiniteness: A book

Choose the correct pronoun for an object in your own hand.

___ իմ հեռախոսն է:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Սա
Use 'Sa' for things near the speaker.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Demonstrative Pronouns: This one, That one

Correct the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Մի տղան եկավ:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Մի տղա եկավ:
Remove the definite suffix -ն when using 'մի'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: The Concept of Indefinite Article: One, A Certain (մի)

Fill in the blank with the correct word for 'any' in a negative sentence.

Ես ___ ___ գիրք չունեմ:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ոչ մի
In negative sentences, 'ոչ մի' is used with a negative verb.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: More Indefinite Pronouns: Some, Any

Add the correct definite article.

Գիրք___ սեղանին է։

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ը
Գիրք ends in a consonant.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Distinguishing Between Demonstratives and Articles

Score: /10

Common Questions (6)

Yes, if you are pointing to them. Otherwise, use personal pronouns.
It is the verb 'to be'. Without it, the sentence is incomplete.
Yes, but it's very informal or can be slightly rude. It's better to use 'Na' or 'Ays mardy' (this person).
'Na' is the standard 'he/she/that', while 'Inky' is more colloquial and often used for people already mentioned.
No, 'մի' is strictly for singular nouns. For plurals, use մի քանի (a few) or just the plural noun alone.
No, unlike English 'a/an', Armenian մի stays the same regardless of the following letter.
Previous Chapter
Infinitives & Gerunds: Verb Nouns
Next Chapter
Time Phrases & Calendar Expressions
Back to Roadmap