After a quarrel in Armenian
Two friends after a quarrel: hurt feelings, an explanation, making up in Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Երկու շաբաթ չենք խոսել: Նեղացե՞լ ես ինձնից:» — We haven't talked for two weeks. Are you upset with me?; «Այո, նեղացել էի: Բոլորի առջև ինձ նախատեցիր:» — Yes, I was upset. You scolded me in front of everyone. 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: two friends after a quarrel: hurt feelings, an explanation, making up. 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.
- Երկու շաբաթ չենք խոսել: Նեղացե՞լ ես ինձնից:yerku shabat' chenk' khosel. neghatsel es indznits?We haven't talked for two weeks. Are you upset with me?
- Այո, նեղացել էի: Բոլորի առջև ինձ նախատեցիր:ayo, neghatsel ei. bolori arrjev indz nakhatetsirYes, I was upset. You scolded me in front of everyone.
- Ներիր ինձ: Այդ օրը ջղայնացած էի և գոռացի:nerir indz. ayd orə jghaynatsats ei yev gorratsiForgive me. That day I was irritated and yelled.
- Չէի հասկանում, թե ինչու: Կարծում էի՝ ինձ ես մեղադրում:chei haskanum, t'e inchu. kartsum ei — indz es meghadrumI didn't understand why. I thought you were blaming me.
- Թյուրիմացություն է եղել: Չեմ մեղադրում, ինքս էի սխալ:t'yurimatsut'yun e yeghel. chem meghadrum, ink's ei skhalIt was a misunderstanding. I'm not blaming you, I was the one who was wrong.
- Հասկանում եմ քեզ: Ես էլ չպետք է լռեի այսքան երկար:haskanum em k'ez. yes el chpetk' e lrrei aysk'an yerkarI understand you. I shouldn't have kept silent so long either.
- Հաշտվե՞նք: Չեմ ուզում շփումը դադարեցնել քեզ հետ:hashtvenk'? chem uzum shp'umə dadaretsnel k'ez hetShall we make up? I don't want to stop talking to you.
- Հաշտվենք: Ամեն ինչ լավ կլինի, արի սուրճ խմենք:hashtvenk'. amen inch lav klini, ari surch khmenk'Let's make up. Everything will be fine, let's go have a coffee.
Lines one by one
| Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Երկու շաբաթ չենք խոսել: Նեղացե՞լ ես ինձնից: | yerku shabat' chenk' khosel. neghatsel es indznits? | We haven't talked for two weeks. Are you upset with me? |
| Այո, նեղացել էի: Բոլորի առջև ինձ նախատեցիր: | ayo, neghatsel ei. bolori arrjev indz nakhatetsir | Yes, I was upset. You scolded me in front of everyone. |
| Ներիր ինձ: Այդ օրը ջղայնացած էի և գոռացի: | nerir indz. ayd orə jghaynatsats ei yev gorratsi | Forgive me. That day I was irritated and yelled. |
| Չէի հասկանում, թե ինչու: Կարծում էի՝ ինձ ես մեղադրում: | chei haskanum, t'e inchu. kartsum ei — indz es meghadrum | I didn't understand why. I thought you were blaming me. |
| Թյուրիմացություն է եղել: Չեմ մեղադրում, ինքս էի սխալ: | t'yurimatsut'yun e yeghel. chem meghadrum, ink's ei skhal | It was a misunderstanding. I'm not blaming you, I was the one who was wrong. |
| Հասկանում եմ քեզ: Ես էլ չպետք է լռեի այսքան երկար: | haskanum em k'ez. yes el chpetk' e lrrei aysk'an yerkar | I understand you. I shouldn't have kept silent so long either. |
| Հաշտվե՞նք: Չեմ ուզում շփումը դադարեցնել քեզ հետ: | hashtvenk'? chem uzum shp'umə dadaretsnel k'ez het | Shall we make up? I don't want to stop talking to you. |
| Հաշտվենք: Ամեն ինչ լավ կլինի, արի սուրճ խմենք: | hashtvenk'. amen inch lav klini, ari surch khmenk' | Let's make up. Everything will be fine, let's go have a coffee. |
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?
“Երկու շաբաթ չենք խոսել: Նեղացե՞լ ես ինձնից:” (yerku shabat' chenk' khosel. neghatsel es indznits?) — We haven't talked for two weeks. Are you upset with me?. 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.