Football in the courtyard in Armenian
A courtyard: inviting someone to play football, agreeing on a time in Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Երեկոյան ֆուտբոլ ենք խաղում: Կգա՞ս:» — We're playing football in the evening. Will you come?; «Հաճույքով: Ժամը քանիսի՞ն:» — With pleasure. What time? 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: a courtyard: inviting someone to play football, agreeing on a time. 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.
- Երեկոյան ֆուտբոլ ենք խաղում: Կգա՞ս:yerekoyan futbol enk' khaghum. kgas?We're playing football in the evening. Will you come?
- Հաճույքով: Ժամը քանիսի՞ն:hachuyk'ov. zhamə k'anisin?With pleasure. What time?
- Յոթին, մարզադաշտի կողքի բակում:yot'in, marzadashti koghk'i bakumAt seven, in the courtyard next to the stadium.
- Գնդակ ունե՞ք, թե՞ բերեմ իմը:gndak unek', t'e berem imə?Do you have a ball, or should I bring mine?
- Բեր, մերը կորել է: Երկու թիմ կլինենք:ber, merə korel e. yerku t'im klinenk'Bring it, ours got lost. We'll be two teams.
- Անցած անգամ պարտվեցինք: Այս անգամ կհաղթենք:antsats angam partvetsink'. ays angam khaght'enk'Last time we lost. This time we'll win.
- Երևի: Բայց առաջ մարզում է պետք:yerevi. bayts arraj marzum e petk'Maybe. But first we need practice.
- Համաձայն եմ: Եթե ուշանամ, կզանգեմ:hamadzayn em. yet'e ushanam, kzangemAgreed. If I'm late, I'll call.
Lines one by one
| Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Երեկոյան ֆուտբոլ ենք խաղում: Կգա՞ս: | yerekoyan futbol enk' khaghum. kgas? | We're playing football in the evening. Will you come? |
| Հաճույքով: Ժամը քանիսի՞ն: | hachuyk'ov. zhamə k'anisin? | With pleasure. What time? |
| Յոթին, մարզադաշտի կողքի բակում: | yot'in, marzadashti koghk'i bakum | At seven, in the courtyard next to the stadium. |
| Գնդակ ունե՞ք, թե՞ բերեմ իմը: | gndak unek', t'e berem imə? | Do you have a ball, or should I bring mine? |
| Բեր, մերը կորել է: Երկու թիմ կլինենք: | ber, merə korel e. yerku t'im klinenk' | Bring it, ours got lost. We'll be two teams. |
| Անցած անգամ պարտվեցինք: Այս անգամ կհաղթենք: | antsats angam partvetsink'. ays angam khaght'enk' | Last time we lost. This time we'll win. |
| Երևի: Բայց առաջ մարզում է պետք: | yerevi. bayts arraj marzum e petk' | Maybe. But first we need practice. |
| Համաձայն եմ: Եթե ուշանամ, կզանգեմ: | hamadzayn em. yet'e ushanam, kzangem | Agreed. If I'm late, I'll call. |
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?
“Երեկոյան ֆուտբոլ ենք խաղում: Կգա՞ս:” (yerekoyan futbol enk' khaghum. kgas?) — We're playing football in the evening. Will you come?. 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.