In the kitchen, with a recipe in Armenian
Cooking together: the recipe, the vegetables, the oven and the order of steps in Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Ի՞նչ ենք եփում այսօր: Բաղադրատոմս ունե՞ս:» — What are we cooking today? Do you have a recipe?; «Տատիկի բաղադրատոմսով՝ սմբուկ և լոլիկ ջեռոցում:» — Grandma's recipe: eggplant and tomatoes in the oven. 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: cooking together: the recipe, the vegetables, the oven and the order of steps. 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.
- Ի՞նչ ենք եփում այսօր: Բաղադրատոմս ունե՞ս:inch enk' yep'um aysor. baghadratoms unes?What are we cooking today? Do you have a recipe?
- Տատիկի բաղադրատոմսով՝ սմբուկ և լոլիկ ջեռոցում:tatiki baghadratomsov — smbuk yev lolik jerrotsumGrandma's recipe: eggplant and tomatoes in the oven.
- Լավ: Նախ բանջարեղենը մաքրեմ:lav. nakh banjareghenə mak'remAll right. First I'll peel the vegetables.
- Կտրատելու տախտակը վերցրու: Սխտորն էլ մանրացրու:ktratelu takhtakə vertsru. skhtorn el manratsruTake the cutting board. Mince the garlic too.
- Ջուրը եռացնե՞մ, թե՞ ուղղակի ջեռոցում թխենք:jurə yerratsnem, t'e ughghaki jerrotsum t'khenk'?Should I boil the water or will we just bake it in the oven?
- Ջեռոցում: Աղել պետք չէ շատ, հետո կաղենք:jerrotsum. aghel petk' che shat, heto kaghenk'In the oven. There's no need to salt much, we'll salt it later.
- Կափարիչը փակե՞մ: Եվ որքա՞ն ժամանակ պետք է:kap'arichə p'akem? yev vork'an zhamanak petk' e?Should I close the lid? And how much time is needed?
- Քառասուն րոպե: Հանելուց հետո թող մի քիչ հովանա:k'arrasun rope. haneluts heto t'ogh mi k'ich hovanaForty minutes. After you take it out, let it cool a little.
Lines one by one
| Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Ի՞նչ ենք եփում այսօր: Բաղադրատոմս ունե՞ս: | inch enk' yep'um aysor. baghadratoms unes? | What are we cooking today? Do you have a recipe? |
| Տատիկի բաղադրատոմսով՝ սմբուկ և լոլիկ ջեռոցում: | tatiki baghadratomsov — smbuk yev lolik jerrotsum | Grandma's recipe: eggplant and tomatoes in the oven. |
| Լավ: Նախ բանջարեղենը մաքրեմ: | lav. nakh banjareghenə mak'rem | All right. First I'll peel the vegetables. |
| Կտրատելու տախտակը վերցրու: Սխտորն էլ մանրացրու: | ktratelu takhtakə vertsru. skhtorn el manratsru | Take the cutting board. Mince the garlic too. |
| Ջուրը եռացնե՞մ, թե՞ ուղղակի ջեռոցում թխենք: | jurə yerratsnem, t'e ughghaki jerrotsum t'khenk'? | Should I boil the water or will we just bake it in the oven? |
| Ջեռոցում: Աղել պետք չէ շատ, հետո կաղենք: | jerrotsum. aghel petk' che shat, heto kaghenk' | In the oven. There's no need to salt much, we'll salt it later. |
| Կափարիչը փակե՞մ: Եվ որքա՞ն ժամանակ պետք է: | kap'arichə p'akem? yev vork'an zhamanak petk' e? | Should I close the lid? And how much time is needed? |
| Քառասուն րոպե: Հանելուց հետո թող մի քիչ հովանա: | k'arrasun rope. haneluts heto t'ogh mi k'ich hovana | Forty minutes. After you take it out, let it cool a little. |
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?
“Ի՞նչ ենք եփում այսօր: Բաղադրատոմս ունե՞ս:” (inch enk' yep'um aysor. baghadratoms unes?) — What are we cooking today? Do you have a recipe?. 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.