Մերսի
“Մերսի” (mersi) — thanks in Armenian. Interjection, level A0, topic — polite words. the colloquial thank-you, borrowed from French; in Yerevan you hear it more often than the long shnorhakalutyun. In a live sentence: “Մերսի, շատ լավ էր” — Thanks, it was very good. You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters Մ, ե, ր, ս, ի. One of 11 words in the set “polite words” in the Armenian course.
In short
| Written in Armenian | Մերսի |
| Read in Latin letters | mersi |
| Translation | thanks |
| Other translations | Shnorhakalutyun |
| Part of speech | interjection |
| Level | A0 |
- Մերսիmersithanks
Why it looks that way
the colloquial thank-you, borrowed from French; in Yerevan you hear it more often than the long shnorhakalutyun
A word with a story stays in memory longer than one learned as a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
In a live sentence
A single word almost never appears alone in conversation. A sentence shows where it fits and what stands next to it.
- Մերսի, շատ լավ էրmersi, shat lav erThanks, it was very good
Nearby words: polite words
“Thank you”, “please” and “sorry” carry you while the rest of the words are still missing: with them even a gesture reads as a request rather than a demand.
- Բարև ձեզbarev dzezhellodzez means 'to you': the polite greeting for strangers and elders; barev alone is for friends
- Շնորհակալությունshnorhakalut'yunthank youlong word, but only one stress, on the last syllable: shnor-ha-ka-lu-TYUN
- Խնդրեմkhndrempleaseattaches to a request: mek surch, khndrem. The same word answers thank you — then it means 'don't mention it'
- Ներողությունneroghut'yunexcuse mefrom nerel — to forgive; literally 'forgiveness'
- Ինչպե՞ս եքinchpes ekhow do you do?the ek form is the polite one, for elders and strangers; es is for your own circle
- Դուքduk'you (plural)one word for the polite 'you' and for 'you' about several people
- Խնդրում եմkhndrum emplease, I ask youliterally 'I ask'. Longer and more insistent than khndrem: with it you beg a favour, not order a cup
- Մի րոպե սպասեքmi rope spasek'wait a minuterope — minute. Mi rope is also said simply as 'just a second'
- Օրիորդoriordyoung ladythe polite word for an unmarried woman — think 'miss': Oriord Ani. Everyday speech simply says ajchik
- Չարժեcharzhedon't mention itliterally 'it is not worth it'. The other answer to thanks is khndrem — that very 'please': answering thanks with it works in Armenian too
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “polite words”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “thanks” in Armenian?
the colloquial thank-you, borrowed from French; in Yerevan you hear it more often than the long shnorhakalutyun
- How do you say “please, I ask you” in Armenian?
literally 'I ask'. Longer and more insistent than khndrem: with it you beg a favour, not order a cup
- How do you say “please” in Armenian?
attaches to a request: mek surch, khndrem. The same word answers thank you — then it means 'don't mention it'
- How do you say “don't mention it” in Armenian?
literally 'it is not worth it'. The other answer to thanks is khndrem — that very 'please': answering thanks with it works in Armenian too
- How do you say “you (plural)” in Armenian?
one word for the polite 'you' and for 'you' about several people
How not to forget this word
Reading a word and remembering it are different jobs. A day later, little survives of a single reading — and that is not bad memory, that is how memory works.
- This has been tested on foreign words too. The difference shows up most when you test yourself a few days later rather than straight away.checked many timesKim & Webb, 2022, Language Learning 72(2) · 48 experiments, 3,411 participants, 98 comparisons.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- An answer you worked out yourself sticks better than one handed to you.checked many timesBertsch et al., 2007, Memory & Cognition 35(2) · 86 studies, 445 comparisons, d = 0.40.
Frequently asked
How do you say “thanks” in Armenian?
«Մերսի», read “mersi”. In a live sentence: “Մերսի, շատ լավ էր” — Thanks, it was very good. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Interjection, level A0, from the set “polite words”; written with the characters Մ, ե, ր, ս, ի.
How is “Մերսի” written in Latin letters?
mersi. This is a practical spelling — you need it to read aloud and be understood, not to meet an academic standard.
Why does this word look the way it does?
the colloquial thank-you, borrowed from French; in Yerevan you hear it more often than the long shnorhakalutyun. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
Can I hear how it sounds?
Yes, right on this page: click the word and it will play. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.