LingoflyWhy sort the garbage in Western Armenian
Neighbors argue in the yard: are separate bins needed, and what does a personal contribution give in Western Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Բակին (pagin) մէջ (mech) երեք (yerek') աղբաման (aghpaman) դրին (trin)։ Ինչո՞ւ (inchu) այդքան։» — They put three bins in the yard. Why so many?; «Որպէսզի (vorbeszi) աղբը (aghpə) տեսակաւորենք (desagavorenk). թուղթ (t'ught'), ապակի (abagi), մնացածը։» — So that we sort the garbage: paper, glass, the rest.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: neighbors argue in the yard: are separate bins needed, and what does a personal contribution give. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Երկրորդային հումքը կը վերամշակուի, եւ թափօնները կը նուազին։yergrortayin humk'ə gə veramshagui, yev t'ap'onnerə gə nvazinThe recyclables are processed, and the waste decreases.
- jishd aytbes Gə khntrenk' naev aghp cht'ap'el pagin mechExactly. And we ask you not to litter in the yard.
Lines one by one
| Western Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Բակին (pagin) մէջ (mech) երեք (yerek') աղբաման (aghpaman) դրին (trin)։ Ինչո՞ւ (inchu) այդքան։ | pagin mech yerek' aghpaman trin Inchu aytk'an | They put three bins in the yard. Why so many? |
| Որպէսզի (vorbeszi) աղբը (aghpə) տեսակաւորենք (desagavorenk). թուղթ (t'ught'), ապակի (abagi), մնացածը։ | vorbeszi aghpə desagavorenk'. t'ught', abagi, mnatsadzə | So that we sort the garbage: paper, glass, the rest. |
| Իսկ (isg) ատիկա (adiga) ի՞նչ (inch) կու (gu) տայ (day)։ Մէկ (meg) բակը (pagə) աշխարհը պիտի (bidi) չփրկէ։ | isg adiga inch gu day Meg pagə ashkharhə bidi chp'rge | And what does that give? One yard won't save the world. |
| Երկրորդային (yergrortayin) հումքը (humk'ə) կը (gə) վերամշակուի (veramshagui), եւ (yev) թափօնները (t'ap'onnerə) կը (gə) նուազին։ | yergrortayin humk'ə gə veramshagui, yev t'ap'onnerə gə nvazin | The recyclables are processed, and the waste decreases. |
| Աղբավայրը (aghpavayrə) քաղաքէն (k'aghak'en) դուրս (turs) է, ես (yes) հոն (hon) մուր (mur) չեմ (chem) տեսներ (desner)։ | aghpavayrə k'aghak'en turs e, yes hon mur chem desner | The dump is outside the city; I don't see any soot there. |
| Չես (ches) տեսներ (desner), բայց (payts) պլաստիկը կը քայքայուի հարիւր տարուան մէջ (blasdigə gə k'ayk'ayui haryur darvan mech)։ | ches desner, payts blasdigə gə k'ayk'ayui haryur darvan mech | You don't see it, but plastic takes a hundred years to decompose. |
| Լաւ (lav), համոզեցիր։ Ուրեմն (uremn) ասիկա (asiga) իմ (im) անձնական (antsnagan) ներդրումն (nertrumn) է։ | lav, hamozetsir Uremn asiga im antsnagan nertrumn e | All right, you have convinced me. So this is my personal contribution. |
| Ճիշդ (jishd) այդպէս (aytbes)։ Կը (gə) խնդրենք (khntrenk) նաեւ աղբ չթափել (aghp cht'ap'el) բակին (pagin) մէջ (mech)։ | jishd aytbes Gə khntrenk' naev aghp cht'ap'el pagin mech | Exactly. And we ask you not to litter in the yard. |
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?
“Բակին (pagin) մէջ (mech) երեք (yerek') աղբաման (aghpaman) դրին (trin)։ Ինչո՞ւ (inchu) այդքան։” (pagin mech yerek' aghpaman trin Inchu aytk'an) — They put three bins in the yard. Why so many? 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.