Tickets to the show in Armenian
At the theater box office: the premiere, available seats and the price in Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Բարև, ուրբաթ օրվա ներկայացման տոմս կա՞:» — Hello, are there tickets for the show on Friday?; «Ուրբաթ պրեմիերա է, մնացել են միայն վերջին շարքերը:» — Friday is the premiere, only the last rows are left. 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 theater box office: the premiere, available seats and the price. 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, ուրբաթ օրվա ներկայացման տոմս կա՞:barev, urbat' orva nerkayatsman toms ka?Hello, are there tickets for the show on Friday?
- Ուրբաթ պրեմիերա է, մնացել են միայն վերջին շարքերը:urbat' premiera e, mnatsel en miayn verjin shark'erəFriday is the premiere, only the last rows are left.
- Իսկ բեմը այնտեղից երևո՞ւմ է լավ:isk bemə aynteghits yerevum e lav?And is the stage clearly visible from there?
- Երևում է, բայց դերասանների դեմքերը հեռու են:yerevum e, bayts derasanneri demk'erə herru enYou can see, but the actors' faces are far away.
- Այդ դեպքում վերցնեմ շաբաթվա տոմս: Ի՞նչ արժե:ayd depk'um vertsnem shabat'va toms. inch arzhe?Then I'll take a ticket for Saturday. How much is it?
- Չորս հազար դրամ: Ուսանողի քարտով՝ երեք հազար:chors hazar dram. usanoghi k'artov — yerek' hazarFour thousand drams. With a student card — three thousand.
- Երկու տոմս տվեք: Ծափահարությունները երկա՞ր են տևում:yerku toms tvek'. tsap'aharut'yunnerə yerkar en tevum?Give me two tickets. Does the applause last long?
- Այս ռեժիսորի մոտ՝ միշտ: Ազդագիրը վերցրեք, այնտեղ սյուժեն է:ays rrezhisori mot — misht. azdagirə vertsrek', ayntegh syuzhen eWith this director, always. Take the playbill, the plot is there.
Lines one by one
| Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Բարև, ուրբաթ օրվա ներկայացման տոմս կա՞: | barev, urbat' orva nerkayatsman toms ka? | Hello, are there tickets for the show on Friday? |
| Ուրբաթ պրեմիերա է, մնացել են միայն վերջին շարքերը: | urbat' premiera e, mnatsel en miayn verjin shark'erə | Friday is the premiere, only the last rows are left. |
| Իսկ բեմը այնտեղից երևո՞ւմ է լավ: | isk bemə aynteghits yerevum e lav? | And is the stage clearly visible from there? |
| Երևում է, բայց դերասանների դեմքերը հեռու են: | yerevum e, bayts derasanneri demk'erə herru en | You can see, but the actors' faces are far away. |
| Այդ դեպքում վերցնեմ շաբաթվա տոմս: Ի՞նչ արժե: | ayd depk'um vertsnem shabat'va toms. inch arzhe? | Then I'll take a ticket for Saturday. How much is it? |
| Չորս հազար դրամ: Ուսանողի քարտով՝ երեք հազար: | chors hazar dram. usanoghi k'artov — yerek' hazar | Four thousand drams. With a student card — three thousand. |
| Երկու տոմս տվեք: Ծափահարությունները երկա՞ր են տևում: | yerku toms tvek'. tsap'aharut'yunnerə yerkar en tevum? | Give me two tickets. Does the applause last long? |
| Այս ռեժիսորի մոտ՝ միշտ: Ազդագիրը վերցրեք, այնտեղ սյուժեն է: | ays rrezhisori mot — misht. azdagirə vertsrek', ayntegh syuzhen e | With this director, always. Take the playbill, the plot is there. |
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, ուրբաթ օրվա ներկայացման տոմս կա՞:” (barev, urbat' orva nerkayatsman toms ka?) — Hello, are there tickets for the show on Friday?. 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.