At the university: the dean's office in Armenian
At the dean's office: the schedule, a retake, a certificate for the dormitory in Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Բարև ձեզ: Ես առաջին կուրսի ուսանող եմ:» — Hello. I'm a first-year student.; «Բարև: Ո՞ր ֆակուլտետից եք:» — Hello. Which faculty are you from? 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: at the dean's office: the schedule, a retake, a certificate for the dormitory. 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: Ես առաջին կուրսի ուսանող եմ:barev dzez. yes arrajin kursi usanogh emHello. I'm a first-year student.
- Բարև: Ո՞ր ֆակուլտետից եք:barev. vor fakultetits ek'?Hello. Which faculty are you from?
- Կենսաբանության: Դասացուցակը փոխվե՞լ է:kensabanut'yan. dasatsutsakə p'okhvel e?Biology. Has the class schedule changed?
- Այո, երկուշաբթի դասախոսությունը ժամը տասին է:ayo, yerkushabt'i dasakhosut'yunə zhamə tasin eYes, the lecture on Monday is at ten o'clock.
- Շնորհակալություն: Ֆիզիկայի քննությունից կտրվել եմ, ե՞րբ է վերահանձնումը:shnorhakalut'yun. fizikayi k'nnut'yunits ktrvel em, yerb e verahandznumə?Thank you. I failed the physics exam — when is the retake?
- Հունվարի քսանին: Նյութը նորից կրկնեք:hunvari k'sanin. nyut'ə norits krknek'On the twentieth of January. Review the material from the beginning.
- Լավ: Հանրակացարանի համար տեղեկանք պե՞տք է:lav. hanrakatsarani hamar teghekank' petk' e?All right. Is a certificate needed for the dormitory?
- Այո: Դիմում ներկայացրեք, և վաղը կպատրաստենք:ayo. dimum nerkayatsrek', yev vaghə kpatrastenk'Yes. Submit an application, and tomorrow we'll prepare it.
Lines one by one
| Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Բարև ձեզ: Ես առաջին կուրսի ուսանող եմ: | barev dzez. yes arrajin kursi usanogh em | Hello. I'm a first-year student. |
| Բարև: Ո՞ր ֆակուլտետից եք: | barev. vor fakultetits ek'? | Hello. Which faculty are you from? |
| Կենսաբանության: Դասացուցակը փոխվե՞լ է: | kensabanut'yan. dasatsutsakə p'okhvel e? | Biology. Has the class schedule changed? |
| Այո, երկուշաբթի դասախոսությունը ժամը տասին է: | ayo, yerkushabt'i dasakhosut'yunə zhamə tasin e | Yes, the lecture on Monday is at ten o'clock. |
| Շնորհակալություն: Ֆիզիկայի քննությունից կտրվել եմ, ե՞րբ է վերահանձնումը: | shnorhakalut'yun. fizikayi k'nnut'yunits ktrvel em, yerb e verahandznumə? | Thank you. I failed the physics exam — when is the retake? |
| Հունվարի քսանին: Նյութը նորից կրկնեք: | hunvari k'sanin. nyut'ə norits krknek' | On the twentieth of January. Review the material from the beginning. |
| Լավ: Հանրակացարանի համար տեղեկանք պե՞տք է: | lav. hanrakatsarani hamar teghekank' petk' e? | All right. Is a certificate needed for the dormitory? |
| Այո: Դիմում ներկայացրեք, և վաղը կպատրաստենք: | ayo. dimum nerkayatsrek', yev vaghə kpatrastenk' | Yes. Submit an application, and tomorrow we'll prepare 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?
“Բարև ձեզ: Ես առաջին կուրսի ուսանող եմ:” (barev dzez. yes arrajin kursi usanogh em) — Hello. I'm a first-year student.. 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.