LingoflyWhat should we do in Armenian
Two people discuss whether to travel in bad weather: probability, condition and advice in Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Վաղը (vaghə) ճանապարհ (chanaparh) ընկնե՞նք, թե (t'e)՞ սպասենք (spasenk)։» — Do we set out tomorrow or wait?; «Ամենայն հավանականությամբ (amenayn havanakanut'yamb) ձյուն (dzyun) կլինի (klini) լեռներում (lerrnerum)։» — Most likely there will be snow in the mountains. Every line can be played right on the page.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: two people discuss whether to travel in bad weather: probability, condition and advice. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Ամենայն հավանականությամբ ձյուն կլինի լեռներում։amenayn havanakanut'yamb dzyun klini lerrnerumMost likely there will be snow in the mountains.
- ayd depk'um kmnank' dilijanum. amen depk'i hamar vertsru vermakIn that case we'll stay in Dilijan. Just in case, take a blanket.
- k'o teghə linei, amenalavə kliner yerkushabt'i gnalIf I were you, I'd go on Monday — that's best.
- yerkushabt'i chem karogh. nuynisk yet'e dzyun ga, piti gnamI can't on Monday. Even if it snows, I have to go.
- ankaskats. yet'e chem skhalvum, chanaparhə yerek' zham eDefinitely. If I'm not mistaken, the trip takes three hours.
Lines one by one
| Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Վաղը (vaghə) ճանապարհ (chanaparh) ընկնե՞նք, թե (t'e)՞ սպասենք (spasenk)։ | vaghə chanaparh ənknenk', t'e spasenk'? | Do we set out tomorrow or wait? |
| Ամենայն հավանականությամբ (amenayn havanakanut'yamb) ձյուն (dzyun) կլինի (klini) լեռներում (lerrnerum)։ | amenayn havanakanut'yamb dzyun klini lerrnerum | Most likely there will be snow in the mountains. |
| Իսկ (isk) եթե (yet'e) ճանապարհը (chanaparhə) փակեն, ի՞նչ (inch) ենք (enk) անելու (anelu)։ | isk yet'e chanaparhə p'aken, inch enk' anelu? | And if they close the road, what will we do? |
| Այդ դեպքում (ayd depk'um) կմնանք (kmnank) Դիլիջանում։ Ամեն դեպքի համար (amen depk'i hamar) վերցրու (vertsru) վերմակ (vermak)։ | ayd depk'um kmnank' dilijanum. amen depk'i hamar vertsru vermak | In that case we'll stay in Dilijan. Just in case, take a blanket. |
| Քո տեղը լինեի (k'o teghə linei), ամենալավը (amenalavə) կլիներ երկուշաբթի (yerkushabt'i) գնալ (gnal)։ | k'o teghə linei, amenalavə kliner yerkushabt'i gnal | If I were you, I'd go on Monday — that's best. |
| Երկուշաբթի (yerkushabt'i) չեմ (chem) կարող (karogh)։ Նույնիսկ եթե (nuynisk yet'e) ձյուն (dzyun) գա (ga), պիտի (piti) գնամ (gnam)։ | yerkushabt'i chem karogh. nuynisk yet'e dzyun ga, piti gnam | I can't on Monday. Even if it snows, I have to go. |
| Լավ (lav), բայց (bayts) գոնե (gone) զանգիր (zangir), մինչև որ (minchev vor) հասնես (hasnes)։ | lav, bayts gone zangir, minchev vor hasnes | All right, but at least call when you get there. |
| Անկասկած (ankaskats)։ Եթե չեմ սխալվում (yet'e chem skhalvum), ճանապարհը (chanaparhə) երեք (yerek') ժամ (zham) է։ | ankaskats. yet'e chem skhalvum, chanaparhə yerek' zham e | Definitely. If I'm not mistaken, the trip takes three hours. |
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?
“Վաղը (vaghə) ճանապարհ (chanaparh) ընկնե՞նք, թե (t'e)՞ սպասենք (spasenk)։” (vaghə chanaparh ənknenk', t'e spasenk'?) — Do we set out tomorrow or wait? 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.