LingoflyAt the doctor: fever and weakness in Armenian
At the doctor's: symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and a sick note in Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Բարև ձեզ (barev dzez), բժիշկ (bzhishk)։ Երեք (yerek') օր (or) է վատ եմ զգում (vat em zgum)։» — Hello, doctor. I've been feeling unwell for three days; «Ի՞նչ (inch) ախտանիշներ ունեք (unek)։» — What are your symptoms? Every line can be played right on the page.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: at the doctor's: symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and a sick note. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- barev dzez, bzhishk. yerek' or e vat em zgumHello, doctor. I've been feeling unwell for three days.
- kokords tsavum e, bardzr jermut'yun unem yev t'ulut'yunI have a sore throat, a high fever and weakness.
- amenayn havanakanut'yamb grip e. varakich e, tanə mnatsek'Most likely it's the flu. It's contagious, stay home.
- Բուժումը որքա՞ն կտևի։buzhumə vork'an ktevi?How long will the treatment last?
- mot mek shabat'. hivandut'yan t'ert'ik kgrem dzezAbout a week. I'll write you a sick note.
Lines one by one
| Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Բարև ձեզ (barev dzez), բժիշկ (bzhishk)։ Երեք (yerek') օր (or) է վատ եմ զգում (vat em zgum)։ | barev dzez, bzhishk. yerek' or e vat em zgum | Hello, doctor. I've been feeling unwell for three days. |
| Ի՞նչ (inch) ախտանիշներ ունեք (unek)։ | inch akhtanishner unek'? | What are your symptoms? |
| Կոկորդս ցավում է (kokords tsavum e), բարձր ջերմություն (bardzr jermut'yun) ունեմ (unem) և թուլություն (t'ulut'yun)։ | kokords tsavum e, bardzr jermut'yun unem yev t'ulut'yun | I have a sore throat, a high fever and weakness. |
| Դող (dogh) կա (ka)՞։ Փռշտո՞ւմ եք (ek)։ | dogh ka? p'rrshtum ek'? | Do you have chills? Are you sneezing? |
| Այո (ayo), երկուսն էլ (yerkusn el)։ Սա (sa) գրի (gri)՞պ է։ | ayo, yerkusn el. sa grip e? | Yes, both. Is it the flu? |
| Ամենայն հավանականությամբ (amenayn havanakanut'yamb) գրիպ (grip) է։ Վարակիչ (varakich) է, տանը (tanə) մնացեք։ | amenayn havanakanut'yamb grip e. varakich e, tanə mnatsek' | Most likely it's the flu. It's contagious, stay home. |
| Բուժումը (buzhumə) որքա՞ն (vork'an) կտևի (ktevi)։ | buzhumə vork'an ktevi? | How long will the treatment last? |
| Մոտ (mot) մեկ շաբաթ (mek shabat')։ Հիվանդության թերթիկ (hivandut'yan t'ert'ik) կգրեմ ձեզ (dzez)։ | mot mek shabat'. hivandut'yan t'ert'ik kgrem dzez | About a week. I'll write you a sick note. |
How to prepare for a conversation like this
Memorizing the lines is not enough: the other person will say their own thing, not what is written. What helps more is catching the key words by ear and keeping three rescue phrases ready: “I don't understand”, “repeat, please”, “slower”.
And one more thing phrasebooks do not mention: awkwardness gets in the way more than not knowing the words.
- Fear of making mistakes gets in the way of learning a language, and noticeably so. The link turns up study after study, and together those studies cover almost twenty thousand people.checked many timesTeimouri, Goetze & Plonsky, 2019, Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41(2) · 19,933 participants from 23 countries; correlation with results r = −0.36.
- That fear can be dealt with — the methods have been tested and they work.checked many timesXiong et al., 2024, Journal of Language and Social Psychology · 37 studies, anxiety reduced by −0.61. Of the seven conditions examined, only age turned out to matter.
Frequently asked
How do you start a conversation in Armenian in this situation?
“Բարև ձեզ (barev dzez), բժիշկ (bzhishk)։ Երեք (yerek') օր (or) է վատ եմ զգում (vat em zgum)։” (barev dzez, bzhishk. yerek' or e vat em zgum) — Hello, doctor. I've been feeling unwell for three days. The first line in such a conversation is almost always the same, and that is the one worth learning: the other person will carry it from there.
What if you did not understand the reply?
Say “I don't understand” and “repeat, please” — both are in the rescue set. Admitting your language is still shaky almost always makes the other person more patient.
Should you memorize the dialogue?
No. It is more useful to catch the key words by ear: the other person will say their own thing, and a memorized line will not always fit their reply.