The new colleague in Armenian
Two people discuss a new colleague: character, actions and whether to trust him in Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Ինչպիսի՞ մարդ է նոր գործընկերը:» — What kind of person is the new colleague?; «Բծախնդիր է և վճռական: Բայց մի քիչ ինքնամփոփ:» — Meticulous and decisive. But a bit reserved. 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 discuss a new colleague: character, actions and whether to trust him. 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.
- Ինչպիսի՞ մարդ է նոր գործընկերը:inchpisi mard e nor gortsənkerə?What kind of person is the new colleague?
- Բծախնդիր է և վճռական: Բայց մի քիչ ինքնամփոփ:btsakhndir e yev vchrrakan. bayts mi k'ich ink'namp'op'Meticulous and decisive. But a bit reserved.
- Ինձ թվաց՝ նեղսիրտ է: Երեկ կատակ արեցի, և նա լռեց:indz t'vats — neghsirt e. yerek katak aretsi, yev na lrretsIt seemed to me he's touchy. Yesterday I joked, and he went quiet.
- Նա չարությունից չէ: Պարզապես դեռ լեզու չի գտել մեզ հետ:na charut'yunits che. parzapes derr lezu chi gtel mez hetHe doesn't mean any harm. He just hasn't warmed up to us yet.
- Իսկ խոսքը պահու՞մ է: Ես չեմ սիրում, երբ ինձ ասածը մոռանում են:isk khosk'ə pahum e? yes chem sirum, yerb indz asatsə morranum enDoes he keep his word? I don't like it when what was promised to me is forgotten.
- Միշտ: Անգամ երբ դժվար է՝ ինքնատիրապետումը նրա ուժեղ կողմն է:misht. angam yerb dzhvar e — ink'natirapetumə nra uzhegh koghmn eAlways. Even when it's hard: self-restraint is his strong side.
- Ուրեմն իզուր եմ նրան պարսավել: Կխոսեմ վաղը:uremn izur em nran parsavel. kkhosem vaghəThen I judged him for nothing. I'll talk to him tomorrow.
- Խոսիր: Կարեկից մարդ է, պարզապես չի պարծենում դրանով:khosir. karekits mard e, parzapes chi partsenum dranovDo talk to him. He's a responsive person, he just doesn't brag about it.
Lines one by one
| Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Ինչպիսի՞ մարդ է նոր գործընկերը: | inchpisi mard e nor gortsənkerə? | What kind of person is the new colleague? |
| Բծախնդիր է և վճռական: Բայց մի քիչ ինքնամփոփ: | btsakhndir e yev vchrrakan. bayts mi k'ich ink'namp'op' | Meticulous and decisive. But a bit reserved. |
| Ինձ թվաց՝ նեղսիրտ է: Երեկ կատակ արեցի, և նա լռեց: | indz t'vats — neghsirt e. yerek katak aretsi, yev na lrrets | It seemed to me he's touchy. Yesterday I joked, and he went quiet. |
| Նա չարությունից չէ: Պարզապես դեռ լեզու չի գտել մեզ հետ: | na charut'yunits che. parzapes derr lezu chi gtel mez het | He doesn't mean any harm. He just hasn't warmed up to us yet. |
| Իսկ խոսքը պահու՞մ է: Ես չեմ սիրում, երբ ինձ ասածը մոռանում են: | isk khosk'ə pahum e? yes chem sirum, yerb indz asatsə morranum en | Does he keep his word? I don't like it when what was promised to me is forgotten. |
| Միշտ: Անգամ երբ դժվար է՝ ինքնատիրապետումը նրա ուժեղ կողմն է: | misht. angam yerb dzhvar e — ink'natirapetumə nra uzhegh koghmn e | Always. Even when it's hard: self-restraint is his strong side. |
| Ուրեմն իզուր եմ նրան պարսավել: Կխոսեմ վաղը: | uremn izur em nran parsavel. kkhosem vaghə | Then I judged him for nothing. I'll talk to him tomorrow. |
| Խոսիր: Կարեկից մարդ է, պարզապես չի պարծենում դրանով: | khosir. karekits mard e, parzapes chi partsenum dranov | Do talk to him. He's a responsive person, he just doesn't brag about it. |
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?
“Ինչպիսի՞ մարդ է նոր գործընկերը:” (inchpisi mard e nor gortsənkerə?) — What kind of person is the new colleague?. 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.