A2 · Elementary Chapter 28

Expressing Obligation & Necessity

6 Total Rules
1 min
Rules in This Chapter Quick Practice

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.

What You'll Learn

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.

Tips & Tricks (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

Key Vocabulary (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

Common Mistakes

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

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

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

Wrong: Պետք է ոչ գնալ (Must not go)
Correct: 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)
Correct: 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

Quick Practice (10)

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

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

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)

Fill in the correct form of 'կարողանալ'.

Ես ___ (can) խոսել հայերեն:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: կարող եմ
The subject is 'Ես' (I), so we use 'կարող եմ'.

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

Choose the correct negative form.

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: չպետք է գնամ
Negation attaches to 'պետք'.

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

Choose the most polite way to ask to enter a room.

___ մտնել:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Կարելի՞ է
'Կարելի՞ է' is the standard polite way to ask for permission.

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

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

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 error.

Find and fix the mistake:

Պետք է գնաց։

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Պետք է գնամ
Subjunctive is needed.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Expressing Necessity: It Is Necessary (պետք է)

Fill in the correct form of the verb 'գնել' (to buy) after 'կարիք չկա'.

Կարիք չկա հաց ___:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: գնելու
'Կարիք չկա' requires the dative infinitive ending in -ու.

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

Score: /10

Common Questions (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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Infinitives & Gerunds: Verb Nouns
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