Meaning
Asking for a time.
Cultural Background
Armenians often use 'Ե՞րբ' rhetorically to express that something is long overdue. In Western Armenian (spoken by much of the Diaspora), 'Երբ' is pronounced slightly differently (Yer-p), but the usage remains identical. In the capital, 'Ե՞րբ' is often followed by 'հը՞' (hy?) for emphasis in casual speech. Classical Armenian (Grabar) used 'Յորժամ' (Yorzham) instead of 'Yerb' in many poetic contexts, which you might still see in church services.
The Question Mark Rule
Always place the ՞ on the 'ե'. It's the most common spelling mistake for beginners.
Don't use for 'If'
Remember that 'Yerb' is for time, 'Ete' is for conditions. Don't swap them!
Meaning
Asking for a time.
The Question Mark Rule
Always place the ՞ on the 'ե'. It's the most common spelling mistake for beginners.
Don't use for 'If'
Remember that 'Yerb' is for time, 'Ete' is for conditions. Don't swap them!
Relative vs Interrogative
If you aren't asking a question, drop the ՞. It changes the word from 'When?' to 'When...'
Armenian Time
If someone says 'Yerb?' and you answer a time, they might still be late. It's cultural!
Test Yourself
Fill in the blank with the correct form of 'When' (with or without the question mark).
____ է քո ծննդյան օրը:
Since this is a question, you must use the form with the question mark (paruyk).
Which sentence is grammatically correct?
Choose the correct sentence:
The question mark goes on the last vowel of the question word, and the sentence ends with a full stop (colon in Armenian).
Complete the dialogue.
Ա: ____ է սկսվում ֆիլմը: Բ: Ժամը ութին:
The answer 'At eight o'clock' indicates that the question must be 'When?'.
Match the sentence to the situation.
Sentence: 'Երբ տուն հասնես, զանգիր:'
This is a statement/instruction using 'when' as a relative pronoun.
🎉 Score: /4
Visual Learning Aids
Practice Bank
4 exercises____ է քո ծննդյան օրը:
Since this is a question, you must use the form with the question mark (paruyk).
Choose the correct sentence:
The question mark goes on the last vowel of the question word, and the sentence ends with a full stop (colon in Armenian).
Ա: ____ է սկսվում ֆիլմը: Բ: Ժամը ութին:
The answer 'At eight o'clock' indicates that the question must be 'When?'.
Sentence: 'Երբ տուն հասնես, զանգիր:'
This is a statement/instruction using 'when' as a relative pronoun.
🎉 Score: /4
Frequently Asked Questions
10 questionsIt goes directly on the vowel 'ե' (Ե՞րբ).
No, you should use 'Ete' (եթե) for conditions.
'Yerb vor' is more colloquial and often means 'whenever' or 'at the time that'.
Use 'Երբվանից' (Yerbvanits).
Use 'Մինչև երբ' (Minchev yerb).
It is neutral and used in all settings.
No, it is an indeclinable question word.
Use 'Երբևէ' (Yerbeve).
Rarely. It usually starts the question or the clause.
It is spelled the same but the 'b' is pronounced more like a 'p'.
Related Phrases
Երբևէ
specialized formEver
Երբեմն
builds onSometimes
Երբ որ
similarWhenever / At the time that
Մինչև երբ
builds onUntil when
Երբվանից
builds onSince when
