LingoflyI missed my stop in Western Armenian
On a bus and in the street: a person missed their stop and asks the way back in Western Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Ներողութիւն (neroghut'yun), կարելի՞ է հարցնել (gareli e hartsnel)։ Կանգառս (gankarrs) անցայ (antsay)։» — Excuse me, may I ask? I missed my stop; «Իհարկէ (iharge)։ Ո՞ր (vor) կանգառն էր (er) ձերը։» — Of course. Which stop was yours?
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: on a bus and in the street: a person missed their stop and asks the way back. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Ներողութիւն, կարելի՞ է հարցնել։ Կանգառս անցայ։neroghut'yun, gareli e hartsnel Gankarrs antsaExcuse me, may I ask? I missed my stop.
- khachmerugin mod, lusatsuytsi goghk'in Hosge herru eBy the crossroads, next to the traffic light. Is it far from here?
- vodk'ov dasə vayrgyan Katsek' mayt'ov minchev p'oghotsin verchəTen minutes on foot. Walk along the sidewalk to the end of the street.
- Իսկ յետո՞յ։ Ցոյց տուէք քարտէզին վրայ, կը խնդրեմ։isg hedo Tsuyts duek' k'ardezin vra, gə khntremAnd then? Show me on the map, please.
- Ճի՞շդ հասկցած եմ, կանգառը դեղատան ետեւն է։jishd hasgtsadz em, gankarrə teghadan yedevn eHave I understood correctly — the stop is behind the pharmacy?
- hents aytbes Big zhamin martashad e, zkuysh yeghek'Exactly. At rush hour it is crowded there — be careful.
Lines one by one
| Western Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Ներողութիւն (neroghut'yun), կարելի՞ է հարցնել (gareli e hartsnel)։ Կանգառս (gankarrs) անցայ (antsay)։ | neroghut'yun, gareli e hartsnel Gankarrs antsa | Excuse me, may I ask? I missed my stop. |
| Իհարկէ (iharge)։ Ո՞ր (vor) կանգառն էր (er) ձերը։ | iharge Vor gankarrn er tserə | Of course. Which stop was yours? |
| Խաչմերուկին (khachmerugin) մօտ (mod), լուսացոյցի կողքին (lusatsuytsi goghk'in)։ Հոսկէ հեռո՞ւ է (hosge herru e)։ | khachmerugin mod, lusatsuytsi goghk'in Hosge herru e | By the crossroads, next to the traffic light. Is it far from here? |
| Ոտքով տասը վայրկեան (vodk'ov dasə vayrgyan)։ Գացէք (katsek) մայթով մինչեւ փողոցին վերջը (minchev p'oghotsin verchə)։ | vodk'ov dasə vayrgyan Katsek' mayt'ov minchev p'oghotsin verchə | Ten minutes on foot. Walk along the sidewalk to the end of the street. |
| Իսկ (isg) յետո՞յ։ Ցոյց տուէք քարտէզին վրայ, կը խնդրեմ (tsuyts duek' k'ardezin vra, gə khntrem)։ | isg hedo Tsuyts duek' k'ardezin vra, gə khntrem | And then? Show me on the map, please. |
| Ահա (aha)։ Կամուրջը (gamurchə) անցէք (antsek), դեղատունը (teghadunə) պիտի (bidi) ըլլայ (əllay) ձեր (tser) դիմաց (timats)։ | aha Gamurchə antsek', teghadunə bidi əllay tser timats | Here. Cross the bridge, and the pharmacy will be opposite you. |
| Ճի՞շդ հասկցած եմ (jishd hasgtsadz em), կանգառը (gankarrə) դեղատան ետեւն (yedevn) է։ | jishd hasgtsadz em, gankarrə teghadan yedevn e | Have I understood correctly — the stop is behind the pharmacy? |
| Հէնց այդպէս (hents aytbes)։ Պիկ (big) ժամին (zhamin) մարդաշատ է (martashad e), զգոյշ (zkuysh) եղէք։ | hents aytbes Big zhamin martashad e, zkuysh yeghek' | Exactly. At rush hour it is crowded there — be careful. |
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?
“Ներողութիւն (neroghut'yun), կարելի՞ է հարցնել (gareli e hartsnel)։ Կանգառս (gankarrs) անցայ (antsay)։” (neroghut'yun, gareli e hartsnel Gankarrs antsa) — Excuse me, may I ask? I missed my stop. 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.