եմ

See also: ԵՄ, -եմ, and Appendix:Variations of "em"

Armenian

Alternative forms

• յեմ (yem) — 1922–1940 reformed orthography, following a vowel

Etymology

From Old Armenian եմ (em).

Pronunciation

(following a vowel:)

• (Eastern Armenian) IPA^(key): /jem/, [jem]
• (Western Armenian) IPA^(key): /jem/, [jem]

(following a consonant:)

• (Eastern Armenian) IPA^(key): /em/, [em]
• (Western Armenian) IPA^(key): /em/, [em]

• Audio (Eastern Armenian, following a vowel):

  (file)

Verb

եմ • (em)

1. I am

   Ես հայ եմ։ ― Es hay em. ― I am an Armenian.

   Ես հայ չեմ։ ― Es hay čʻem. ― I am not an Armenian.

   Ես գիրքը կարդալու եմ։ ― Es girkʻə kardalu em. ― I will read the book.

Conjugation

Defective conjugation (Eastern Armenian)

	singular			plural
	1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
present	եմ (em)	ես (es)	է (ē)	ենք (enkʻ)	եք (ekʻ)	են (en)
imperfective	էի (ēi)	էիր (ēir)	էր (ēr)	էինք (ēinkʻ)	էիք (ēikʻ)	էին (ēin)

More complex tenses are formed with the verb լինել (linel).

Defective negative conjugation (Eastern Armenian)

	singular			plural
	1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
present	չեմ (čʻem)	չես (čʻes)	չէ, չի1 (čʻē, čʻi1)	չենք (čʻenkʻ)	չեք (čʻekʻ)	չեն (čʻen)
imperfective	չէի (čʻēi)	չէիր (čʻēir)	չէր (čʻēr)	չէինք (čʻēinkʻ)	չէիք (čʻēikʻ)	չէին (čʻēin)

¹ Colloquial.
More complex tenses are formed with the verb չլինել (čʻlinel).

Defective conjugation (Western Armenian)

	singular			plural
	1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
present	եմ (em)	ես (es)	է (ē)	ենք (enkʻ)	էք (ēkʻ)	են (en)
imperfective	էի (ēi)	էիր (ēir)	էր (ēr)	էինք (ēinkʻ)	էիք (ēikʻ)	էին (ēin)

More complex tenses are formed with the verb ըլլալ (əllal).

Synonyms

• լինել (linel)

Old Armenian

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésmi. See also ես (es), է (ē), են (en).

Verb

եմ • (em)

1. to be

   է զի, էր զի, է ուրեք, է երբէք զի... ― ē zi, ēr zi, ē urekʻ, ē erbēkʻ zi... ― sometimes; it happens, it turns out...

   Ես եմ Աստուած՝ որ Էն։ ― Es em Astuac, or Ēn. ― I am that I am.

   Ես եմ՝ ես եմ նոյն որ ջնջեմ։ ― Es em, es em noyn or ǰnǰem. ― I am, it is I, it is I who blot out and pardon.

   Առն միոջ էին երկու որդիք։ ― Aṙn mioǰ ēin erku ordikʻ. ― A certain man had two sons. (literally, “There were two sons of one man.”)

   Էր ամաց երկոտասանից։ ― Ēr amacʻ erkotasanicʻ. ― He was twelve years old.

   Յուտել եմ։ ― Yutel em. ― I am eating.

   է զի, է երբեմն, է ուրէք, էր զի ― ē zi, ē erbemn, ē urēkʻ, ēr zi ― sometimes; now and then

   է որ, են որ ― ē or, en or ― some, some one; one ... and the other; some ... others; some... some; sometimes

   ողջ ե՛ր ― ołǰ ér ― live, fare thee well

   Են նորա երկու որդիք։ ― En nora erku ordikʻ. ― He has two sons. (literally, “There are two sons of him.”)

   իցեն այսոքիկ որպէս եւ են ― icʻen aysokʻik orpēs ew en ― whatever it may be

Conjugation

active

infinitive		—		participle	—
causative		—		aorist stem	-
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative
	present	{{{2}}}եմ ({{{2}}}em)	{{{2}}}ես ({{{2}}}es)	{{{2}}}է ({{{2}}}ē)	{{{2}}}եմք ({{{2}}}emkʻ)	{{{2}}}էք ({{{2}}}ēkʻ)	{{{2}}}են ({{{2}}}en)
	imperfect	{{{2}}}էի, {{{2}}}եի* ({{{2}}}ēi, {{{2}}}ei*)	{{{2}}}էիր, {{{2}}}եիր* ({{{2}}}ēir, {{{2}}}eir*)	{{{2}}}էր ({{{2}}}ēr)	{{{2}}}էաք, {{{2}}}եաք* ({{{2}}}ēakʻ, {{{2}}}eakʻ*)	{{{2}}}էիք, {{{2}}}եիք* ({{{2}}}ēikʻ, {{{2}}}eikʻ*)	{{{2}}}էին, {{{2}}}եին* ({{{2}}}ēin, {{{2}}}ein*)
	aorist	—	—	—	—	—	—
subjunctive
	present	{{{2}}}իցեմ ({{{2}}}icʻem)	{{{2}}}իցես ({{{2}}}icʻes)	{{{2}}}իցէ ({{{2}}}icʻē)	{{{2}}}իցեմք ({{{2}}}icʻemkʻ)	{{{2}}}իցէք ({{{2}}}icʻēkʻ)	{{{2}}}իցեն ({{{2}}}icʻen)
	aorist	—	—	—	—	—	—
imperatives
	imperative	—	ե՛ր (ér)	—	—	է՛ք, երո՛ւք (ḗkʻ, erúkʻ)	—
	cohortative	—	—	—	—	—	—
	prohibitive	—	—	—	—	—	—

• rare
  the verb is defective
  subjunctive aorist իցէի (icʻēi) and an infinitive ել (el) are attested from the Hellenizing and Latinizing schools

Derived terms

• անէ (anē)
• անէութիւն (anēutʻiwn)
• է (ē)
• էակ (ēak)
• էական (ēakan)
• էանամ (ēanam)
• էապէս (ēapēs)
• էութիւն (ēutʻiwn)
• նախէ (naxē)
• ոչէ (očʻē)
• Որ էն (Or ēn)
• չէ (čʻē)
• չէական (čʻēakan)
• չէզոք (čʻēzokʻ)
• չէութիւն (čʻēutʻiwn)
• չէր (čʻēr)
• րեն (ren)
• րէն (rēn)

Descendants

• Armenian: եմ (em)

References

• Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1971–1979) “եմ”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, Yerevan: University Press
• Awetikʻean, G., Siwrmēlean, X., Awgerean, M. (1836–1837) “եմ”, in Nor baṙgirkʻ haykazean lezui [New Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Old Armenian), Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy
• Petrosean, Matatʻeay (1879) “եմ”, in Nor Baṙagirkʻ Hay-Angliarēn [New Dictionary Armenian–English], Venice: S. Lazarus Armenian Academy