I brought the shoes back in Armenian
At a store: the size didn't fit, the receipt, exchange and refund in Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Բարև ձեզ: Երեկ այս կոշիկը գնեցի, չափսը չեկավ:» — Hello. Yesterday I bought these shoes, the size didn't fit.; «Բարև ձեզ: Չեկը պահե՞լ եք:» — Hello. Did you keep 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: at a store: the size didn't fit, the receipt, exchange and refund. 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: Երեկ այս կոշիկը գնեցի, չափսը չեկավ:barev dzez. yerek ays koshikə gnetsi, chap'sə chekavHello. Yesterday I bought these shoes, the size didn't fit.
- Բարև ձեզ: Չեկը պահե՞լ եք:barev dzez. chekə pahel ek'?Hello. Did you keep the receipt?
- Այո, չեկը մոտս է: Կարո՞ղ եմ ապրանքը փոխանակել:ayo, chekə mots e. karogh em aprank'ə p'okhanakel?Yes, I have the receipt. Can I exchange the item?
- Իհարկե: Ո՞ր չափսն է ձեզ պետք:iharke. vor chap'sn e dzez petk'?Of course. What size do you need?
- Քառասունմեկ: Կարելի՞ է նաև այլ գույնով փոխել:k'arrasunmek. kareli e nayev ayl guynov p'okhel?Forty-one. And can I also change to a different color?
- Սև գույնը առկա է, շագանակագույնը՝ ոչ:sev guynə arka e, shaganakaguynə — vochBlack is in stock, brown is not.
- Իսկ եթե ոչինչ չհամապատասխանի, վերադարձ կձևակերպե՞ք:isk yet'e vochinch chhamapataskhani, veradardz kdzevakerpek'?And if nothing fits, will you process a refund?
- Այո, տասնչորս օրվա ընթացքում, չեկով և առանց վնասի:ayo, tasnchors orva ənt'atsk'um, chekov yev arrants vnasiYes, within fourteen days, with the receipt and without damage.
Lines one by one
| Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Բարև ձեզ: Երեկ այս կոշիկը գնեցի, չափսը չեկավ: | barev dzez. yerek ays koshikə gnetsi, chap'sə chekav | Hello. Yesterday I bought these shoes, the size didn't fit. |
| Բարև ձեզ: Չեկը պահե՞լ եք: | barev dzez. chekə pahel ek'? | Hello. Did you keep the receipt? |
| Այո, չեկը մոտս է: Կարո՞ղ եմ ապրանքը փոխանակել: | ayo, chekə mots e. karogh em aprank'ə p'okhanakel? | Yes, I have the receipt. Can I exchange the item? |
| Իհարկե: Ո՞ր չափսն է ձեզ պետք: | iharke. vor chap'sn e dzez petk'? | Of course. What size do you need? |
| Քառասունմեկ: Կարելի՞ է նաև այլ գույնով փոխել: | k'arrasunmek. kareli e nayev ayl guynov p'okhel? | Forty-one. And can I also change to a different color? |
| Սև գույնը առկա է, շագանակագույնը՝ ոչ: | sev guynə arka e, shaganakaguynə — voch | Black is in stock, brown is not. |
| Իսկ եթե ոչինչ չհամապատասխանի, վերադարձ կձևակերպե՞ք: | isk yet'e vochinch chhamapataskhani, veradardz kdzevakerpek'? | And if nothing fits, will you process a refund? |
| Այո, տասնչորս օրվա ընթացքում, չեկով և առանց վնասի: | ayo, tasnchors orva ənt'atsk'um, chekov yev arrants vnasi | Yes, within fourteen days, with the receipt and without damage. |
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: Երեկ այս կոշիկը գնեցի, չափսը չեկավ:” (barev dzez. yerek ays koshikə gnetsi, chap'sə chekav) — Hello. Yesterday I bought these shoes, the size didn't fit.. 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.