What has changed in the city in Armenian
Two people meet after a long break: what changed in the city over a decade in Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Տասը տարի չեմ եղել այստեղ: Ամեն ինչ փոխվել է:» — I haven't been here for ten years. Everything has changed.; «Այո, վերջին տասնամյակում քաղաքը շատ մեծացավ:» — Yes, over the last decade the city has grown a lot. 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 people meet after a long break: what changed in the city over a decade. 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.
- Տասը տարի չեմ եղել այստեղ: Ամեն ինչ փոխվել է:tasə tari chem yeghel aystegh. amen inch p'okhvel eI haven't been here for ten years. Everything has changed.
- Այո, վերջին տասնամյակում քաղաքը շատ մեծացավ:ayo, verjin tasnamyakum k'aghak'ə shat metsatsavYes, over the last decade the city has grown a lot.
- Իսկ հին շուկան դեռ կա՞, թե՞ արդեն քանդել են:isk hin shukan derr ka, t'e arden k'andel en?Is the old market still there, or has it already been torn down?
- Քանդեցին: Հիմա այնտեղ պուրակ է՝ կանաչապատումից հետո:k'andetsin. hima ayntegh purak e — kanachapatumits hetoTorn down. Now there's a small park there, after the landscaping.
- Կարծես հիմա տեսնեմ այն շուկան: Մանկությունս այնտեղ էր:kartses hima tesnem ayn shukan. mankut'yuns ayntegh erI can see that market as if it were now. My childhood was there.
- Մեր օրերում ամեն ինչ արագ է փոխվում: Դժվար է համակերպվել:mer orerum amen inch arag e p'okhvum. dzhvar e hamakerpvelNowadays everything changes quickly. It's hard to get used to.
- Բայց ինչ-որ բան մնաց նույնը՝ մարդիկ նույնքան բարի են:bayts inch-vor ban mnats nuynə — mardik nuynk'an bari enBut something stayed the same: people are just as kind.
- Ճիշտ է: Այսուհետ ավելի հաճախ արի, մի սպասիր տասը տարի:chisht e. aysuhet aveli hachakh ari, mi spasir tasə tariRight. From now on come more often, don't wait ten years.
Lines one by one
| Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Տասը տարի չեմ եղել այստեղ: Ամեն ինչ փոխվել է: | tasə tari chem yeghel aystegh. amen inch p'okhvel e | I haven't been here for ten years. Everything has changed. |
| Այո, վերջին տասնամյակում քաղաքը շատ մեծացավ: | ayo, verjin tasnamyakum k'aghak'ə shat metsatsav | Yes, over the last decade the city has grown a lot. |
| Իսկ հին շուկան դեռ կա՞, թե՞ արդեն քանդել են: | isk hin shukan derr ka, t'e arden k'andel en? | Is the old market still there, or has it already been torn down? |
| Քանդեցին: Հիմա այնտեղ պուրակ է՝ կանաչապատումից հետո: | k'andetsin. hima ayntegh purak e — kanachapatumits heto | Torn down. Now there's a small park there, after the landscaping. |
| Կարծես հիմա տեսնեմ այն շուկան: Մանկությունս այնտեղ էր: | kartses hima tesnem ayn shukan. mankut'yuns ayntegh er | I can see that market as if it were now. My childhood was there. |
| Մեր օրերում ամեն ինչ արագ է փոխվում: Դժվար է համակերպվել: | mer orerum amen inch arag e p'okhvum. dzhvar e hamakerpvel | Nowadays everything changes quickly. It's hard to get used to. |
| Բայց ինչ-որ բան մնաց նույնը՝ մարդիկ նույնքան բարի են: | bayts inch-vor ban mnats nuynə — mardik nuynk'an bari en | But something stayed the same: people are just as kind. |
| Ճիշտ է: Այսուհետ ավելի հաճախ արի, մի սպասիր տասը տարի: | chisht e. aysuhet aveli hachakh ari, mi spasir tasə tari | Right. From now on come more often, don't wait ten years. |
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?
“Տասը տարի չեմ եղել այստեղ: Ամեն ինչ փոխվել է:” (tasə tari chem yeghel aystegh. amen inch p'okhvel e) — I haven't been here for ten years. Everything has changed.. 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.