Getting to know the family in Armenian
In the courtyard: talking about children, ages and relatives in Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Այս երեխաները ձե՞րն են:» — Are these your children?; «Այո: Տղաս ինը տարեկան է, աղջիկս՝ չորս:» — Yes. My son is nine, my daughter is four. 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: in the courtyard: talking about children, ages and relatives. 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.
- Այս երեխաները ձե՞րն են:ays yerekhanerə dzern en?Are these your children?
- Այո: Տղաս ինը տարեկան է, աղջիկս՝ չորս:ayo. tghas inə tarekan e, aghjiks — chorsYes. My son is nine, my daughter is four.
- Շատ սիրուն են: Ավագը ո՞ր դպրոց է գնում:shat sirun en. avagə vor dprots e gnum?They're lovely. Which school does the older one go to?
- Բակի դիմացի դպրոց: Ոտքով քայլում է:baki dimatsi dprots. votk'ov k'aylum eThe school across from the courtyard. He walks.
- Իսկ ծնողներդ նույնպես Երևանո՞ւմ են ապրում:isk tsnoghnerd nuynpes Yerevanum en aprum?And do your parents also live in Yerevan?
- Ոչ, գյուղում: Ամեն շաբաթ գնում ենք նրանց մոտ:voch, gyughum. amen shabat' gnum enk' nrants motNo, in the village. Every week we go to see them.
- Երեխաները տատիկի ու պապիկի մոտ ուրախ են լինում:yerekhanerə tatiki u papiki mot urakh en linumThe children are happy at their grandparents' place.
- Ճիշտ ես: Քեռիս էլ այնտեղ է ապրում, բակը մեծ է:chisht es. k'erris el ayntegh e aprum, bakə mets eYou're right. My uncle lives there too, the courtyard is big.
Lines one by one
| Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Այս երեխաները ձե՞րն են: | ays yerekhanerə dzern en? | Are these your children? |
| Այո: Տղաս ինը տարեկան է, աղջիկս՝ չորս: | ayo. tghas inə tarekan e, aghjiks — chors | Yes. My son is nine, my daughter is four. |
| Շատ սիրուն են: Ավագը ո՞ր դպրոց է գնում: | shat sirun en. avagə vor dprots e gnum? | They're lovely. Which school does the older one go to? |
| Բակի դիմացի դպրոց: Ոտքով քայլում է: | baki dimatsi dprots. votk'ov k'aylum e | The school across from the courtyard. He walks. |
| Իսկ ծնողներդ նույնպես Երևանո՞ւմ են ապրում: | isk tsnoghnerd nuynpes Yerevanum en aprum? | And do your parents also live in Yerevan? |
| Ոչ, գյուղում: Ամեն շաբաթ գնում ենք նրանց մոտ: | voch, gyughum. amen shabat' gnum enk' nrants mot | No, in the village. Every week we go to see them. |
| Երեխաները տատիկի ու պապիկի մոտ ուրախ են լինում: | yerekhanerə tatiki u papiki mot urakh en linum | The children are happy at their grandparents' place. |
| Ճիշտ ես: Քեռիս էլ այնտեղ է ապրում, բակը մեծ է: | chisht es. k'erris el ayntegh e aprum, bakə mets e | You're right. My uncle lives there too, the courtyard is big. |
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?
“Այս երեխաները ձե՞րն են:” (ays yerekhanerə dzern en?) — Are these your children?. 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.