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How do present-tense verbs differ in Eastern Armenian and Western Armenian?

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The primary difference between present-tense verbs in Eastern and Western Armenian lies in their structural formation, as both varieties have evolved differently from the Old Armenian present tense, which now functions as a subjunctive in both modern languages.1

  • Western Armenian: This variety is considered more conservative in its verb structure. It forms the present tense by prefixing the particle gə to the old verb forms, which consist of the stem and personal endings. For example, the Old Armenian sir-em ("I love") becomes gə sir-em in Western Armenian.1

  • Eastern Armenian: This variety utilizes periphrastic forms to express the present tense. It combines a participle ending in -um (likely of locative origin) with the present tense of the copula em, es... ("am, are..."). Using the same example, the Old Armenian sir-em becomes sir-um em in Eastern Armenian.1