LingoflyHow many shall we order in Western Armenian
Two people count how many to order: surplus, shortage, by the piece and wholesale in Western Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Քանի՞ (k'ani) հատ (had) պատուիրենք (badvirenk) երեկոյթին (yereguyt'in) համար (hamar)։» — How many shall we order for the evening?; «Հիւրերուն (hyurerun) ընդհանուր թիւը (ənthanur t'ivə) քառասուն (k'arrasun) է։» — The total number of guests is forty.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: two people count how many to order: surplus, shortage, by the piece and wholesale. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Հիւրերուն ընդհանուր թիւը քառասուն է։hyurerun ənthanur t'ivə k'arrasun eThe total number of guests is forty.
- uremn arrnenk' bahusdov, t'e haziv herik'Then shall we take with a reserve, or just enough?
- bahusdov Antseal ankam voch meg had chmnatsWith a reserve. Last time not a single one was left.
- isg hadov knenk', t'e medzadzakh aveli azhan eAnd shall we buy by the piece, or is wholesale cheaper?
Lines one by one
| Western Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Քանի՞ (k'ani) հատ (had) պատուիրենք (badvirenk) երեկոյթին (yereguyt'in) համար (hamar)։ | k'ani had badvirenk' yereguyt'in hamar | How many shall we order for the evening? |
| Հիւրերուն (hyurerun) ընդհանուր թիւը (ənthanur t'ivə) քառասուն (k'arrasun) է։ | hyurerun ənthanur t'ivə k'arrasun e | The total number of guests is forty. |
| Ուրեմն (uremn) առնենք (arrnenk) պահուստով (bahusdov), թէ (t'e)՞ հազիւ հերիք (haziv herik')։ | uremn arrnenk' bahusdov, t'e haziv herik' | Then shall we take with a reserve, or just enough? |
| Պահուստով (bahusdov)։ Անցեալ (antsyal) անգամ (ankam) ոչ մէկ հատ (voch meg had) չմնաց (chmnats)։ | bahusdov Antseal ankam voch meg had chmnats | With a reserve. Last time not a single one was left. |
| Իսկ (isg) հատով (hadov) գնե՞նք, թէ (t'e)՞ մեծածախ (medzadzakh) աւելի աժան (aveli azhan) է։ | isg hadov knenk', t'e medzadzakh aveli azhan e | And shall we buy by the piece, or is wholesale cheaper? |
| Մեծածախ (medzadzakh) գինը (kinə) կրկնակի (grgnagi) ցածր (tsadzr) է, բայց (payts) նուազագոյնը հարիւր (haryur) հատ (had)։ | medzadzakh kinə grgnagi tsadzr e, payts nvazakuynə haryur had | The wholesale price is half as low, but the minimum is a hundred pieces. |
| Հարիւրը շատ (shad) է, աւելցուկը (aveltsugə) ո՞ւր (ur) դնենք (tnenk)։ | haryurə shad e, aveltsugə ur tnenk' | A hundred is too many; where shall we put the surplus? |
| Աչքաչափով (achk'achap'ov) վաթսուն (vat'sun) հատ (had) առնենք (arrnenk), մնացածը հատով (hadov)։ | achk'achap'ov vat'sun had arrnenk', mnatsadzə hadov | By eye we'll take sixty pieces, and the rest by the piece. |
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 noticeably so. The link turns up study after study, and together those studies cover almost twenty thousand people.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 Western Armenian in this situation?
“Քանի՞ (k'ani) հատ (had) պատուիրենք (badvirenk) երեկոյթին (yereguyt'in) համար (hamar)։” (k'ani had badvirenk' yereguyt'in hamar) — How many shall we order for the evening? 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.