A1 Negation 1 min read Fácil

Negating Verbs: I Am Not Doing

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Practícalo

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

To negate a verb in the present tense, place the negative auxiliary 'chem' before the participle ending in -um.

  • Use 'chem' for 'I am not' (e.g., 'chem kardum' - I am not reading).
  • Use 'ches' for 'You are not' (e.g., 'ches kardum' - You are not reading).
  • Use 'chi' for 'He/She/It is not' (e.g., 'chi kardum' - He is not reading).
Negative Auxiliary (chem/ches/chi) + Verb-um

2. Negative Present Conjugation

Person Negative Auxiliary Verb-um Example
1st Sing
chem
kardum
Es chem kardum
2nd Sing
ches
kardum
Du ches kardum
3rd Sing
chi
kardum
Na chi kardum
1st Pl
chenq
kardum
Menq chenq kardum
2nd Pl
cheq
kardum
Duk cheq kardum
3rd Pl
chen
kardum
Nranq chen kardum

Meanings

This rule is used to negate actions currently happening or habitual actions in the present tense.

1

Present Continuous Negation

Denying an action happening right now.

“Es chem xosum.”

“Du ches gnum.”

2

Habitual Negation

Denying a general habit or routine.

“Es chem sirum surj.”

“Menq chenq xaghum.”

Reference Table

Reference table for Negating Verbs: I Am Not Doing
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Verb-um + em/es/e...
Es kardum em
Negative
chem/ches/chi... + Verb-um
Es chem kardum
Question
chem/ches/chi... + Verb-um?
Du ches kardum?
Short Yes
Ayo
Ayo
Short No
Vo'ch
Vo'ch
Negative Answer
Vo'ch, chem kardum
Vo'ch, chem kardum

Espectro de formalidad

Formal
Es chem gnum.

Es chem gnum. (General)

Neutral
Chem gnum.

Chem gnum. (General)

Informal
Chem gnum.

Chem gnum. (General)

Jerga
Chem gna.

Chem gna. (General)

Negation Map

Negation

Singular

  • chem I am not
  • ches You are not
  • chi He/She is not

Plural

  • chenq We are not
  • cheq You are not
  • chen They are not

Ejemplos por nivel

1

Es chem utum.

I am not eating.

2

Du ches gnum.

You are not going.

3

Na chi xosum.

He is not speaking.

4

Menq chenq sirum.

We do not like it.

1

Duk cheq ashxatum aysor.

You are not working today.

2

Nranq chen lsum.

They are not listening.

3

Es chem uzum gnal.

I do not want to go.

4

Na chi kardum girq.

He is not reading a book.

1

Chem karogh gal.

I cannot come.

2

Ches tesnum, vor ashxatum em?

Don't you see that I am working?

3

Chi uzum xosel ayd masin.

He doesn't want to talk about that.

4

Chenq haskanum, te inchu.

We don't understand why.

1

Chem havatum, vor sa chisht e.

I don't believe this is correct.

2

Na chi patrastvum meknel.

He is not preparing to leave.

3

Duk cheq gitakcum iravichaky.

You do not realize the situation.

4

Nranq chen cankanum masnakcel.

They do not wish to participate.

1

Chem entadrum, te da hnaravor e.

I do not assume that is possible.

2

Chi nshanakum, vor menq sxal enq.

It does not mean that we are wrong.

3

Chenq karogh andradarnal ayd harcin.

We cannot address that issue.

4

Du ches gnahatum iravitchaki lurjutyuny.

You do not appreciate the gravity of the situation.

1

Chem karogh antari mnal ays harci handep.

I cannot remain indifferent to this issue.

2

Chi hamapatasxanum mer skzbunqnerin.

It does not correspond to our principles.

3

Chenq karogh yndunel nman arajark.

We cannot accept such a proposal.

4

Du ches gitakcum, te inchqan karevor e da.

You do not realize how important that is.

Fácil de confundir

Negating Verbs: I Am Not Doing vs Past Tense Negation

Learners try to use 'chem' for past actions.

Negating Verbs: I Am Not Doing vs Future Tense Negation

Learners confuse future negation with present.

Negating Verbs: I Am Not Doing vs Imperative Negation

Learners use 'chem' for commands.

Errores comunes

✗

Es gnum chem

✓

Es chem gnum

Auxiliary must come before the verb.
✗

Es chem gnal

✓

Es chem gnum

Must use -um suffix.
✗

Es chi gnum

✓

Es chem gnum

Wrong auxiliary for 'I'.
✗

Es chem gnum not

✓

Es chem gnum

Don't add 'not' at the end.
✗

Menq chem gnum

✓

Menq chenq gnum

Plural auxiliary needed.
✗

Du chi gnum

✓

Du ches gnum

Wrong auxiliary for 'you'.
✗

Na chen gnum

✓

Na chi gnum

Wrong auxiliary for 'he/she'.
✗

Chem karogh gnal

✓

Chem karogh gnal

Wait, this is correct, but learners often add -um to 'karogh'.
✗

Chi uzum gnum

✓

Chi uzum gnal

Second verb stays in infinitive.
✗

Chenq lsel

✓

Chenq lsum

Wrong aspect.
✗

Chem linum gnum

✓

Chem gnum

Redundant auxiliary.

Patrones de oraciones

Es ___ ___.

Du ___ ___?

Na ___ ___.

Menq ___ ___.

Real World Usage

Texting constant

Chem karogh.

Ordering Food very common

Chem uzum.

Job Interview common

Chem ashxatum.

Travel common

Chem gnum.

Social Media common

Chem sirum.

Classroom very common

Chem haskanum.

💡

Drop the pronoun

You don't need to say 'Es'. Just 'Chem gnum' is perfect.
⚠️

Watch the suffix

Always check for -um. If it's not there, it's not present tense.
🎯

Practice aloud

Say the whole conjugation table out loud to build speed.
💬

Polite refusal

Use 'Chem uzum' to politely decline offers.

Smart Tips

Use 'Chem giti' or 'Chem haskanum'.

Es gitem vo'ch. → Chem giti.

Use 'Chem uzum'.

Es uzum chem. → Chem uzum.

Use 'Chem karogh'.

Es karogh chem. → Chem karogh.

Use 'Chem sirum'.

Es sirum chem. → Chem sirum.

Pronunciación

/tʃɛm/

Chem

The 'ch' is aspirated. Pronounced like 'ch' in 'check'.

Statement

Es chem gnum ↓

Falling intonation for facts.

Question

Du ches gnum? ↑

Rising intonation for questions.

Memorízalo

Mnemotecnia

Think of 'CHEM' as 'CH-EM' (CH-I am). If you are not doing it, you are 'CH-EM' doing it.

Asociación visual

Imagine a big red 'X' over a person doing an action, and the word 'CHEM' floating in the air above them.

Rhyme

When you want to say no, don't be glum, just add 'chem' before the 'um'.

Story

A man named Chem is very stubborn. Every time someone asks him to do something, he says 'Chem!' and then adds the verb. 'Chem utum!' (I'm not eating!), 'Chem gnum!' (I'm not going!). He is the king of negation.

Word Web

chemcheschichenqcheqchenumvo'ch

Desafío

For the next 5 minutes, look at things around you and say out loud what you are NOT doing (e.g., 'Es chem xosum' - I am not speaking).

Notas culturales

Armenians often drop the subject pronoun. 'Chem gnum' is more natural than 'Es chem gnum'.

The pronunciation of 'ch' might vary slightly, but the grammar is identical.

This is the standard form used in Armenia today.

The negative auxiliary 'chem' comes from the Old Armenian 'ch-' (not) + 'em' (I am).

Inicios de conversación

“

Du gnum es xanut?

“

Du sirum es surj?

“

Du ashxatum es aysor?

“

Du haskanum es ays dasy?

Temas para diario

Write 3 things you are not doing right now.
Write 3 things you do not like to do.
Describe a day where you are not working.
Explain why you are not going to a party.

Errores comunes

Incorrect

Correcto

Incorrect

Correcto

Incorrect

Correcto

Incorrect

Correcto

Test Yourself

Fill in the blank.

Es ___ gnum.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: chem
1st person singular uses 'chem'.
Choose the correct form. Opción múltiple

Du ___ kardum.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ches
2nd person singular uses 'ches'.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Na chem gnum.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Na chi gnum
3rd person singular uses 'chi'.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

Arrange the words in the correct order:

All words placed

Click words above to build the sentence

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Es chem gnum
Correct order is Subject-Auxiliary-Verb.
Translate to Armenian. Traducción

We are not eating.

Answer starts with: Men...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Menq chenq utum
1st person plural uses 'chenq'.
Match the person to the auxiliary. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: chenq
Menq is 1st person plural.
Conjugate for 'They'. Conjugation Drill

Nranq ___ gnum.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: chen
3rd person plural uses 'chen'.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Gnum es? B: Vo'ch, ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: chem gnum
Answering for self.

Score: /8

Ejercicios de practica

8 exercises
Fill in the blank.

Es ___ gnum.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: chem
1st person singular uses 'chem'.
Choose the correct form. Opción múltiple

Du ___ kardum.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ches
2nd person singular uses 'ches'.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Na chem gnum.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Na chi gnum
3rd person singular uses 'chi'.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

gnum / chem / Es

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Es chem gnum
Correct order is Subject-Auxiliary-Verb.
Translate to Armenian. Traducción

We are not eating.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Menq chenq utum
1st person plural uses 'chenq'.
Match the person to the auxiliary. Match Pairs

Menq -> ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: chenq
Menq is 1st person plural.
Conjugate for 'They'. Conjugation Drill

Nranq ___ gnum.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: chen
3rd person plural uses 'chen'.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Gnum es? B: Vo'ch, ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: chem gnum
Answering for self.

Score: /8

Preguntas frecuentes (8)

Only for present tense negation. Past and future have different rules.

It's the present participle marker in Armenian.

No, it's often dropped for natural speech.

Only the first one (the auxiliary) is negated.

It's neutral and used in all registers.

Just add a question mark or change intonation.

No, 'vo'ch' is for the whole sentence, not inside the verb.

No, 'vo'ch' is 'no', 'chem' is 'I am not'.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

In Other Languages

Spanish low

No + verb

Armenian conjugates the negative particle.

French low

ne + verb + pas

Armenian is more compact.

German low

nicht

Armenian negation is part of the verb.

Japanese moderate

-nai

Armenian uses a separate word.

Arabic low

la

Armenian negation is verbal.

Chinese low

bu

Armenian conjugation.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Forming Questions with Verbs: Are you eating?
Next
Common Irregular Verbs: To Go, To Come

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A1

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