About work in Armenian
Two acquaintances talk about work and vacation in Armenian. 7 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Ի՞նչ մասնագիտություն ունես:» — What's your profession?; «Ես ծրագրավորող եմ: Հեռավար եմ աշխատում:» — I'm a programmer. I work remotely. Every line can be played right on the page. The conversation is predictable: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: two acquaintances talk about work and vacation. The conversation is short and predictable — which is exactly what makes it good for a first try: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
- Ի՞նչ մասնագիտություն ունես:inch masnagitut'yun unes?What's your profession?
- Ես ծրագրավորող եմ: Հեռավար եմ աշխատում:yes tsragravorogh em. herravar em ashkhatumI'm a programmer. I work remotely.
- Գրասենյակ չե՞ս գնում:grasenyak ches gnum?You don't go to the office?
- Շաբաթը մեկ անգամ: Այնտեղ հանդիպումներ են լինում:shabat'ə mek angam. ayntegh handipumner en linumOnce a week. There are meetings there.
- Իսկ արձակուրդ ե՞րբ ունես:isk ardzakurd yerb unes?And when is your vacation?
- Հուլիսին, հաջորդ ամիս:hulisin, hajord amisIn July, next month.
- Հիանալի է: Լավ արձակուրդ:hianali e. lav ardzakurdWonderful. Have a good vacation.
Lines one by one
| Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Ի՞նչ մասնագիտություն ունես: | inch masnagitut'yun unes? | What's your profession? |
| Ես ծրագրավորող եմ: Հեռավար եմ աշխատում: | yes tsragravorogh em. herravar em ashkhatum | I'm a programmer. I work remotely. |
| Գրասենյակ չե՞ս գնում: | grasenyak ches gnum? | You don't go to the office? |
| Շաբաթը մեկ անգամ: Այնտեղ հանդիպումներ են լինում: | shabat'ə mek angam. ayntegh handipumner en linum | Once a week. There are meetings there. |
| Իսկ արձակուրդ ե՞րբ ունես: | isk ardzakurd yerb unes? | And when is your vacation? |
| Հուլիսին, հաջորդ ամիս: | hulisin, hajord amis | In July, next month. |
| Հիանալի է: Լավ արձակուրդ: | hianali e. lav ardzakurd | Wonderful. Have a good vacation. |
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 it gets in the way badly. It is one of the most reliably measured findings in the entire field.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?
“Ի՞նչ մասնագիտություն ունես:” (inch masnagitut'yun unes?) — What's your profession?. 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.