I missed my stop in Armenian
On a bus and on the street: someone missed their stop and asks the way back in Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Ներողություն, կարելի՞ է հարցնել: Կանգառս անցա:» — Excuse me, may I ask? I missed my stop.; «Իհարկե: Ո՞ր կանգառն էր ձերը:» — Of course. Which stop was yours? 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: on a bus and on the street: someone missed their stop and asks the way back. 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.
- Ներողություն, կարելի՞ է հարցնել: Կանգառս անցա:neroghut'yun, kareli e hartsnel? kangarrs antsaExcuse me, may I ask? I missed my stop.
- Իհարկե: Ո՞ր կանգառն էր ձերը:iharke. vor kangarrn er dzerə?Of course. Which stop was yours?
- Խաչմերուկի մոտ, լուսացույցի կողքին: Այստեղից հեռո՞ւ է:khachmeruki mot, lusatsuytsi koghk'in. aysteghits herru e?By the intersection, next to the traffic light. Is it far from here?
- Ոտքով տասը րոպե: Գնացեք մայթով մինչև փողոցի վերջ:votk'ov tasə rope. gnatsek' mayt'ov minchev p'oghotsi verjAbout ten minutes on foot. Walk along the sidewalk to the end of the street.
- Իսկ հետո՞: Ցույց տվեք քարտեզի վրա, խնդրում եմ:isk heto? tsuyts tvek' k'artezi vra, khndrum emAnd then? Please show me on the map.
- Ահա: Կամուրջն անցեք, դեղատունը կլինի ձեր դիմաց:aha. kamurjn antsek', deghatunə klini dzer dimatsHere. Cross the bridge, and the pharmacy will be across from you.
- Ճի՞շտ եմ հասկացել, կանգառը դեղատան հետևում է:chisht em haskatsel, kangarrə deghatan hetevum e?Did I understand correctly, the stop is behind the pharmacy?
- Հենց այդպես: Պիկ ժամին մարդաշատ է, զգույշ եղեք:hents aydpes. pik zhamin mardashat e, zguysh yeghek'Exactly. At rush hour it's crowded there, be careful.
Lines one by one
| Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Ներողություն, կարելի՞ է հարցնել: Կանգառս անցա: | neroghut'yun, kareli e hartsnel? kangarrs antsa | Excuse me, may I ask? I missed my stop. |
| Իհարկե: Ո՞ր կանգառն էր ձերը: | iharke. vor kangarrn er dzerə? | Of course. Which stop was yours? |
| Խաչմերուկի մոտ, լուսացույցի կողքին: Այստեղից հեռո՞ւ է: | khachmeruki mot, lusatsuytsi koghk'in. aysteghits herru e? | By the intersection, next to the traffic light. Is it far from here? |
| Ոտքով տասը րոպե: Գնացեք մայթով մինչև փողոցի վերջ: | votk'ov tasə rope. gnatsek' mayt'ov minchev p'oghotsi verj | About ten minutes on foot. Walk along the sidewalk to the end of the street. |
| Իսկ հետո՞: Ցույց տվեք քարտեզի վրա, խնդրում եմ: | isk heto? tsuyts tvek' k'artezi vra, khndrum em | And then? Please show me on the map. |
| Ահա: Կամուրջն անցեք, դեղատունը կլինի ձեր դիմաց: | aha. kamurjn antsek', deghatunə klini dzer dimats | Here. Cross the bridge, and the pharmacy will be across from you. |
| Ճի՞շտ եմ հասկացել, կանգառը դեղատան հետևում է: | chisht em haskatsel, kangarrə deghatan hetevum e? | Did I understand correctly, the stop is behind the pharmacy? |
| Հենց այդպես: Պիկ ժամին մարդաշատ է, զգույշ եղեք: | hents aydpes. pik zhamin mardashat e, zguysh yeghek' | Exactly. At rush hour it's crowded there, be careful. |
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?
“Ներողություն, կարելի՞ է հարցնել: Կանգառս անցա:” (neroghut'yun, kareli e hartsnel? kangarrs antsa) — Excuse me, may I ask? I missed my stop.. 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.