LingoflyPolite words in Armenian
11 words in Armenian on the topic “polite words”: Բարև ձեզ (barev dzez) — hello, Շնորհակալություն (shnorhakalut'yun) — thank you, Մերսի (mersi) — thanks, Խնդրեմ (khndrem) — please. 11 words can be played from recordings.
11 words on the topic
- 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
- Մերսիmersithanksthe colloquial thank-you, borrowed from French; in Yerevan you hear it more often than the long shnorhakalutyun
- 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
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How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
What is worth knowing about these words
Բարև ձեզ (barev dzez) — hello. Dzez means 'to you': the polite greeting for strangers and elders; barev alone is for friends.
Շնորհակալություն (shnorhakalut'yun) — thank you. From shnorh — grace, a gift. In speech the long word is often swapped for the short borrowed mersi.
Մերսի (mersi) — thanks. The colloquial thank-you, borrowed from French; in Yerevan you hear it more often than the long shnorhakalutyun.
Խնդրեմ (khndrem) — please. Attaches to a request: mek surch, khndrem. The same word answers thank you — then it means 'don't mention it'.
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is Բարև ձեզ (barev dzez) — hello.
- What is this word?
It is Խնդրում եմ (khndrum em) — please, I ask you.
- What is this word?
It is Խնդրեմ (khndrem) — please.
- What is this word?
It is Չարժե (charzhe) — don't mention it.
- What is this word?
It is Դուք (duk') — you (plural).
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “hello” in Armenian?
dzez means 'to you': the polite greeting for strangers and elders; barev alone is for friends
- 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 to learn the set instead of just reading it
“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.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- 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.
- Study spread over days wins not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “hello” in Armenian?
«Բարև ձեզ» (barev dzez), read “barev dzez”. Dzez means 'to you': the polite greeting for strangers and elders; barev alone is for friends. It is one of 11 words in the set “polite words” — the rest are in the table above.
How many polite words do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 11 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.
Is there audio?
Yes, 11 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.