Tell me what happened in Armenian
One tells the story of a ruined evening, the other asks back and reacts in Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Երեկ երեկոն փչացավ: Պատմեմ կարգով:» — Yesterday the evening went wrong. I'll tell it in order.; «Պատմիր: Բանն այսպես եղավ՝ ինչի՞ց սկսվեց:» — Tell me. So this is how it went — what did it start with? 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: one tells the story of a ruined evening, the other asks back and reacts. 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.
- Երեկ երեկոն փչացավ: Պատմեմ կարգով:yerek yerekon p'chatsav. patmem kargovYesterday the evening went wrong. I'll tell it in order.
- Պատմիր: Բանն այսպես եղավ՝ ինչի՞ց սկսվեց:patmir. bann ayspes yeghav — inchits sksvets?Tell me. So this is how it went — what did it start with?
- Ամեն ինչ սկսվեց նրանից, որ մեքենան չգործարկվեց:amen inch sksvets nranits, vor mek'enan chgortsarkvetsIt all started with the car not starting.
- Իսկ դրան ի՞նչ հետևեց: Տաքսի կանչեցի՞ր:isk dran inch hetevets? tak'si kanchetsir?And what followed? Did you call a taxi?
- Կանչեցի, բայց ամենաթեժ պահին սկսվեց անձրև:kanchetsi, bayts amenat'ezh pahin sksvets andzrevI did, but right in the middle it started raining.
- Քիչ էր մնում ուշանայիր: Ինչո՞վ ամեն ինչ ավարտվեց:k'ich er mnum ushanayir. inchov amen inch avartvets?You almost missed it. How did it all end?
- Վերջիվերջո հասա, բայց թատրոնը փակ էր: Ներկայացումը հետաձգել էին:verjiverjo hasa, bayts t'atronə p'ak er. nerkayatsumə hetadzgel einIn the end I made it, but the theater was closed. The show was postponed.
- Ես չէի հավատա, եթե ինքդ չպատմեիր: Այդպես ստացվեց:yes chei havata, yet'e ink'd chpatmeir. aydpes statsvetsI wouldn't have believed it if you hadn't told me yourself. That's how it went.
Lines one by one
| Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Երեկ երեկոն փչացավ: Պատմեմ կարգով: | yerek yerekon p'chatsav. patmem kargov | Yesterday the evening went wrong. I'll tell it in order. |
| Պատմիր: Բանն այսպես եղավ՝ ինչի՞ց սկսվեց: | patmir. bann ayspes yeghav — inchits sksvets? | Tell me. So this is how it went — what did it start with? |
| Ամեն ինչ սկսվեց նրանից, որ մեքենան չգործարկվեց: | amen inch sksvets nranits, vor mek'enan chgortsarkvets | It all started with the car not starting. |
| Իսկ դրան ի՞նչ հետևեց: Տաքսի կանչեցի՞ր: | isk dran inch hetevets? tak'si kanchetsir? | And what followed? Did you call a taxi? |
| Կանչեցի, բայց ամենաթեժ պահին սկսվեց անձրև: | kanchetsi, bayts amenat'ezh pahin sksvets andzrev | I did, but right in the middle it started raining. |
| Քիչ էր մնում ուշանայիր: Ինչո՞վ ամեն ինչ ավարտվեց: | k'ich er mnum ushanayir. inchov amen inch avartvets? | You almost missed it. How did it all end? |
| Վերջիվերջո հասա, բայց թատրոնը փակ էր: Ներկայացումը հետաձգել էին: | verjiverjo hasa, bayts t'atronə p'ak er. nerkayatsumə hetadzgel ein | In the end I made it, but the theater was closed. The show was postponed. |
| Ես չէի հավատա, եթե ինքդ չպատմեիր: Այդպես ստացվեց: | yes chei havata, yet'e ink'd chpatmeir. aydpes statsvets | I wouldn't have believed it if you hadn't told me yourself. That's how it went. |
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?
“Երեկ երեկոն փչացավ: Պատմեմ կարգով:” (yerek yerekon p'chatsav. patmem kargov) — Yesterday the evening went wrong. I'll tell it in order.. 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.