At the doctor in Armenian
At a doctor's appointment: the complaint, the examination, the diagnosis and next steps in Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Բարև ձեզ, նստեք: Ի՞նչն է ձեզ անհանգստացնում:» — Hello, have a seat. What's bothering you?; «Երեք օր է՝ ստամոքսս ցավում է, և ինձ վատ եմ զգում:» — My stomach has been hurting for three days, and I feel unwell. 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 doctor's appointment: the complaint, the examination, the diagnosis and next 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.
- Բարև ձեզ, նստեք: Ի՞նչն է ձեզ անհանգստացնում:barev dzez, nstek'. inchn e dzez anhangstatsnum?Hello, have a seat. What's bothering you?
- Երեք օր է՝ ստամոքսս ցավում է, և ինձ վատ եմ զգում:yerek' or e — stamok'ss tsavum e, yev indz vat em zgumMy stomach has been hurting for three days, and I feel unwell.
- Ջերմություն կա՞: Ջերմաչափը դրե՞լ եք այսօր:jermut'yun ka? jermachap'ə drel ek' aysor?Do you have a fever? Did you take your temperature today?
- Երեկ երեսունութ էր: Կարծես թե ինչ-որ բան կերել եմ:yerek yeresunut' er. kartses t'e inch-vor ban kerel emYesterday it was thirty-eight. It seems I ate something.
- Բժշկական զննում կանցնեք, հետո կխոսենք դիագնոզի մասին:bzhshkakan znnum kantsnek', heto kkhosenk' diagnozi masinYou'll have an examination, then we'll talk about the diagnosis.
- Ցավազրկող կարելի՞ է խմել, մինչև որ պատասխանը գա:tsavazrkogh kareli e khmel, minchev vor pataskhanə ga?Can I take a painkiller until the results come?
- Կարելի է, բայց ոչ դատարկ ստամոքսին: Կողմնակի ազդեցություն ունի:kareli e, bayts voch datark stamok'sin. koghmnaki azdetsut'yun uniYou can, but not on an empty stomach. It has a side effect.
- Հասկացա: Իսկ եթե չլավանամ, պե՞տք է հիվանդանոց պառկեմ:haskatsa. isk yet'e chlavanam, petk' e hivandanots parrkem?Got it. And if it doesn't get better, do I need to go to the hospital?
Lines one by one
| Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Բարև ձեզ, նստեք: Ի՞նչն է ձեզ անհանգստացնում: | barev dzez, nstek'. inchn e dzez anhangstatsnum? | Hello, have a seat. What's bothering you? |
| Երեք օր է՝ ստամոքսս ցավում է, և ինձ վատ եմ զգում: | yerek' or e — stamok'ss tsavum e, yev indz vat em zgum | My stomach has been hurting for three days, and I feel unwell. |
| Ջերմություն կա՞: Ջերմաչափը դրե՞լ եք այսօր: | jermut'yun ka? jermachap'ə drel ek' aysor? | Do you have a fever? Did you take your temperature today? |
| Երեկ երեսունութ էր: Կարծես թե ինչ-որ բան կերել եմ: | yerek yeresunut' er. kartses t'e inch-vor ban kerel em | Yesterday it was thirty-eight. It seems I ate something. |
| Բժշկական զննում կանցնեք, հետո կխոսենք դիագնոզի մասին: | bzhshkakan znnum kantsnek', heto kkhosenk' diagnozi masin | You'll have an examination, then we'll talk about the diagnosis. |
| Ցավազրկող կարելի՞ է խմել, մինչև որ պատասխանը գա: | tsavazrkogh kareli e khmel, minchev vor pataskhanə ga? | Can I take a painkiller until the results come? |
| Կարելի է, բայց ոչ դատարկ ստամոքսին: Կողմնակի ազդեցություն ունի: | kareli e, bayts voch datark stamok'sin. koghmnaki azdetsut'yun uni | You can, but not on an empty stomach. It has a side effect. |
| Հասկացա: Իսկ եթե չլավանամ, պե՞տք է հիվանդանոց պառկեմ: | haskatsa. isk yet'e chlavanam, petk' e hivandanots parrkem? | Got it. And if it doesn't get better, do I need to go to the hospital? |
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, նստեք: Ի՞նչն է ձեզ անհանգստացնում:” (barev dzez, nstek'. inchn e dzez anhangstatsnum?) — Hello, have a seat. What's bothering you?. 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.