Which one should you use?
While ուտել is the common term for eating, the verb սնվել is used in more formal or biological contexts to mean 'to feed' or 'to nourish oneself'.
How does it change in a sentence?
Armenian uses different forms of this verb to express various temporal and situational contexts. The form ուտելու եմ is the standard way to express the future tense 'I will eat' in colloquial Armenian. To express the continuous action 'I am eating', use ուտում եմ. For the gerund or adverbial sense of 'while eating' or 'during the act of eating', use ուտելիս. If you are expressing a purpose, such as 'for the purpose of eating', use the form ուտելու.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is utel. The sound /u/ is like the 'oo' in 'cool', /t/ is like the 't' in 'stop' and /l/ is like the 'l' in 'lace'.
When do people say it?
When someone is about to eat, it is customary to say Բարի ախորժակ, which means 'Bon appétit!'
Did you know?
- In colloquial Armenian, the verb ուտել is often used metaphorically to describe someone who is 'eating' or 'consuming' a lot of time or money.
- The phrase Բարի ախորժակ is the standard greeting before eating, but in some traditional households, it is considered more polite to wait for the head of the table to begin before anyone else starts to ուտել.
- Armenian uses the root of ուտել to create the word ուտեստ, which refers to a specific 'dish' or 'prepared meal' rather than the act of eating itself.
Examples in context
- Ես ուզում եմ ուտել մի բան:Yes uzum em utel mi ban:I want to eat something.
- Այնտեղ կարող եք ուտել:Ayntel karogh ek utel:You can eat there.
- Մենք ուտելու ենք հիմա:Menk utelu enk hima:We are going to eat now.
Example conversation
Levon and Ani are deciding what to do for lunch.
- Լևոն LevonԱնի, արդեն ուզում եմ ուտել:Ani, arden uzum em utel:Ani, I already want to eat.
- Անի AniԵս էլ եմ ուզում ուտել:Yes el em uzum utel:I want to eat too.
- Լևոն LevonՈւրիշ բան ուտե՞նք:Urish ban utenq?Shall we eat something else?
- Անի AniԱյո, գնացենք ռեստորան:Ayo, gnatsenq restoran:Yes, let's go to a restaurant.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ուտել, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
