How to get to the warehouse in Armenian
Asking directions on the street: past, through, straight across and what to do at a dead end in Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Ներեցեք, ինչպե՞ս հասնեմ հին պահեստին:» — Excuse me, how do I get to the old warehouse?; «Գնացեք ուղիղ, անցեք եկեղեցու կողքով:» — Go straight, pass the church. 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: asking directions on the street: past, through, straight across and what to do at a dead end. 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.
- Ներեցեք, ինչպե՞ս հասնեմ հին պահեստին:neretsek', inchpes hasnem hin pahestin?Excuse me, how do I get to the old warehouse?
- Գնացեք ուղիղ, անցեք եկեղեցու կողքով:gnatsek' ughigh, antsek' yekeghetsu koghk'ovGo straight, pass the church.
- Իսկ բակի միջով կարճ ճանապարհ կա՞:isk baki mijov karch chanaparh ka?Is there a short way through the courtyard?
- Կա, բայց այնտեղ փակուղի է. պետք է ետ գալ:ka, bayts ayntegh p'akughi e. petk' e yet galThere is, but it's a dead end: you'll have to come back.
- Ուրեմն ուղիղ ճանապարհով գնամ: Հեռու՞ է:uremn ughigh chanaparhov gnam. herru e?Then I'll go straight across. Is it far?
- Մեկուկես կիլոմետր: Ուղենիշը կարմիր տանիքն է:mekukes kilometr. ughenishə karmir tanik'n eA kilometer and a half. The landmark is the red roof.
- Իսկ եթե մոլորվեմ, ո՞ւմ հարցնեմ:isk yet'e molorvem, um hartsnem?And if I get lost, whom do I ask?
- Խանութում: Բակի խորքում է, դժվար չէ գտնել:khanut'um. baki khork'um e, dzhvar che gtnelAt the store. It's deep in the courtyard, not hard to find.
Lines one by one
| Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Ներեցեք, ինչպե՞ս հասնեմ հին պահեստին: | neretsek', inchpes hasnem hin pahestin? | Excuse me, how do I get to the old warehouse? |
| Գնացեք ուղիղ, անցեք եկեղեցու կողքով: | gnatsek' ughigh, antsek' yekeghetsu koghk'ov | Go straight, pass the church. |
| Իսկ բակի միջով կարճ ճանապարհ կա՞: | isk baki mijov karch chanaparh ka? | Is there a short way through the courtyard? |
| Կա, բայց այնտեղ փակուղի է. պետք է ետ գալ: | ka, bayts ayntegh p'akughi e. petk' e yet gal | There is, but it's a dead end: you'll have to come back. |
| Ուրեմն ուղիղ ճանապարհով գնամ: Հեռու՞ է: | uremn ughigh chanaparhov gnam. herru e? | Then I'll go straight across. Is it far? |
| Մեկուկես կիլոմետր: Ուղենիշը կարմիր տանիքն է: | mekukes kilometr. ughenishə karmir tanik'n e | A kilometer and a half. The landmark is the red roof. |
| Իսկ եթե մոլորվեմ, ո՞ւմ հարցնեմ: | isk yet'e molorvem, um hartsnem? | And if I get lost, whom do I ask? |
| Խանութում: Բակի խորքում է, դժվար չէ գտնել: | khanut'um. baki khork'um e, dzhvar che gtnel | At the store. It's deep in the courtyard, not hard to find. |
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?
“Ներեցեք, ինչպե՞ս հասնեմ հին պահեստին:” (neretsek', inchpes hasnem hin pahestin?) — Excuse me, how do I get to the old warehouse?. 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.