Why sort the trash in Armenian
Neighbors argue in the courtyard: are separate bins needed, and what does a personal contribution do in Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Բակում դրեցին երեք աղբաման: Ինչու՞ այդքան:» — They put three bins in the courtyard. Why so many?; «Որպեսզի աղբը տեսակավորենք. թուղթ, ապակի, մնացածը:» — So that we sort the trash: paper, glass, the rest. 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: neighbors argue in the courtyard: are separate bins needed, and what does a personal contribution do. 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.
- Բակում դրեցին երեք աղբաման: Ինչու՞ այդքան:bakum dretsin yerek' aghbaman. inchu aydk'an?They put three bins in the courtyard. Why so many?
- Որպեսզի աղբը տեսակավորենք. թուղթ, ապակի, մնացածը:vorpeszi aghbə tesakavorenk' — t'ught', apaki, mnatsatsəSo that we sort the trash: paper, glass, the rest.
- Իսկ ի՞նչ է դա տալիս: Մեկ բակը աշխարհը չի փրկի:isk inch e da talis? mek bakə ashkharhə chi p'rkiAnd what does that do? One courtyard won't save the world.
- Երկրորդային հումքը վերամշակվում է, և թափոնները նվազում են:yerkrordayin humk'ə veramshakvum e, yev t'ap'onnerə nvazum enThe recyclables get processed, and there's less waste.
- Աղբավայրը քաղաքից դուրս է, ես այնտեղ մուր չեմ տեսնում:aghbavayrə k'aghak'its durs e, yes ayntegh mur chem tesnumThe landfill is outside the city — I don't see any soot there.
- Չես տեսնում, բայց պլաստիկը քայքայվում է հարյուր տարում:ches tesnum, bayts plastikə k'ayk'ayvum e haryur tarumYou don't see it, but plastic takes a hundred years to decompose.
- Լավ, համոզեցիր: Ուրեմն սա իմ անձնական ներդրումն է:lav, hamozetsir. uremn sa im andznakan nerdrumn eAll right, you've convinced me. So this is my personal contribution.
- Հենց այդպես: Խնդրում ենք նաև աղբ չթափել բակում:hents aydpes. khndrum enk' nayev aghb cht'ap'el bakumExactly. And please don't litter in the courtyard.
Lines one by one
| Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Բակում դրեցին երեք աղբաման: Ինչու՞ այդքան: | bakum dretsin yerek' aghbaman. inchu aydk'an? | They put three bins in the courtyard. Why so many? |
| Որպեսզի աղբը տեսակավորենք. թուղթ, ապակի, մնացածը: | vorpeszi aghbə tesakavorenk' — t'ught', apaki, mnatsatsə | So that we sort the trash: paper, glass, the rest. |
| Իսկ ի՞նչ է դա տալիս: Մեկ բակը աշխարհը չի փրկի: | isk inch e da talis? mek bakə ashkharhə chi p'rki | And what does that do? One courtyard won't save the world. |
| Երկրորդային հումքը վերամշակվում է, և թափոնները նվազում են: | yerkrordayin humk'ə veramshakvum e, yev t'ap'onnerə nvazum en | The recyclables get processed, and there's less waste. |
| Աղբավայրը քաղաքից դուրս է, ես այնտեղ մուր չեմ տեսնում: | aghbavayrə k'aghak'its durs e, yes ayntegh mur chem tesnum | The landfill is outside the city — I don't see any soot there. |
| Չես տեսնում, բայց պլաստիկը քայքայվում է հարյուր տարում: | ches tesnum, bayts plastikə k'ayk'ayvum e haryur tarum | You don't see it, but plastic takes a hundred years to decompose. |
| Լավ, համոզեցիր: Ուրեմն սա իմ անձնական ներդրումն է: | lav, hamozetsir. uremn sa im andznakan nerdrumn e | All right, you've convinced me. So this is my personal contribution. |
| Հենց այդպես: Խնդրում ենք նաև աղբ չթափել բակում: | hents aydpes. khndrum enk' nayev aghb cht'ap'el bakum | Exactly. And please don't litter in the courtyard. |
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?
“Բակում դրեցին երեք աղբաման: Ինչու՞ այդքան:” (bakum dretsin yerek' aghbaman. inchu aydk'an?) — They put three bins in the courtyard. Why so many?. 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.