At the café: Wi-Fi and a charger in Armenian
A café in central Yerevan: the Wi-Fi password, an outlet, a dead battery in Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Բարև ձեզ: Այստեղ վայ-ֆայ կա՞:» — Hello. Is there Wi-Fi here?; «Այո, կա: Գաղտնաբառը կտրոնի վրա է գրված:» — Yes, there is. The password is written on the receipt. 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 café in central yerevan: the wi-fi password, an outlet, a dead battery. 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.
- Բարև ձեզ: Այստեղ վայ-ֆայ կա՞:barev dzez. aystegh vay-fay ka?Hello. Is there Wi-Fi here?
- Այո, կա: Գաղտնաբառը կտրոնի վրա է գրված:ayo, ka. gaghtnabarrə ktroni vra e grvatsYes, there is. The password is written on the receipt.
- Շնորհակալություն: Կապ չկա, սակայն:shnorhakalut'yun. kap chka, sakaynThank you. But there's no connection.
- Մի րոպե: Հեռախոսը անջատեք և նորից միացրեք:mi rope. herrakhosə anjatek' yev norits miatsrek'One minute. Turn the phone off and on again.
- Ստացվեց: Իսկ մարտկոցը նստել է, լիցքավորիչ ունե՞ք:statsvets. isk martkotsə nstel e, litsk'avorich unek'?It worked. And my battery is dead — do you have a charger?
- Վարդակը պատուհանի կողքին է, լիցքավորիչը կբերեմ:vardakə patuhani koghk'in e, litsk'avorichə kberemThe outlet is by the window, I'll bring the charger.
- Շատ շնորհակալ եմ: Քարտով վճարում ընդունո՞ւմ եք:shat shnorhakal em. k'artov vcharum əndunum ek'?Thank you very much. Do you accept card payments?
- Իհարկե: Կանխիկ էլ կարելի է:iharke. kankhik el kareli eOf course. Cash is fine too.
Lines one by one
| Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Բարև ձեզ: Այստեղ վայ-ֆայ կա՞: | barev dzez. aystegh vay-fay ka? | Hello. Is there Wi-Fi here? |
| Այո, կա: Գաղտնաբառը կտրոնի վրա է գրված: | ayo, ka. gaghtnabarrə ktroni vra e grvats | Yes, there is. The password is written on the receipt. |
| Շնորհակալություն: Կապ չկա, սակայն: | shnorhakalut'yun. kap chka, sakayn | Thank you. But there's no connection. |
| Մի րոպե: Հեռախոսը անջատեք և նորից միացրեք: | mi rope. herrakhosə anjatek' yev norits miatsrek' | One minute. Turn the phone off and on again. |
| Ստացվեց: Իսկ մարտկոցը նստել է, լիցքավորիչ ունե՞ք: | statsvets. isk martkotsə nstel e, litsk'avorich unek'? | It worked. And my battery is dead — do you have a charger? |
| Վարդակը պատուհանի կողքին է, լիցքավորիչը կբերեմ: | vardakə patuhani koghk'in e, litsk'avorichə kberem | The outlet is by the window, I'll bring the charger. |
| Շատ շնորհակալ եմ: Քարտով վճարում ընդունո՞ւմ եք: | shat shnorhakal em. k'artov vcharum əndunum ek'? | Thank you very much. Do you accept card payments? |
| Իհարկե: Կանխիկ էլ կարելի է: | iharke. kankhik el kareli e | Of course. Cash is fine too. |
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?
“Բարև ձեզ: Այստեղ վայ-ֆայ կա՞:” (barev dzez. aystegh vay-fay ka?) — Hello. Is there Wi-Fi here?. 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.