LingoflyWhat shall we do in Western Armenian
Two people discuss whether to set out in bad weather: probability, a condition and advice in Western Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Վաղը (vaghə) ճամբայ (jampa) ելլե՞նք, թէ (t'e)՞ սպասենք (sbasenk)։» — Shall we set out tomorrow, or wait?; «Ամենայն հաւանականութեամբ (amenayn havanaganut'eamp) լեռներուն (lerrnerun) վրայ (vra) ձիւն (tsyun) պիտի (bidi) ըլլայ (əllay)։» — Most probably there will be snow in the mountains.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: two people discuss whether to set out in bad weather: probability, a condition and advice. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Վաղը ճամբայ ելլե՞նք, թէ՞ սպասենք։vaghə jampa yellenk', t'e sbasenk'Shall we set out tomorrow, or wait?
- Ամենայն հաւանականութեամբ լեռներուն վրայ ձիւն պիտի ըլլայ։amenayn havanaganut'eamp lerrnerun vra tsyun bidi əllayMost probably there will be snow in the mountains.
- ayt baragayin Tilichan bidi mnank' Amen baragayi hamar vermag arrIn that case we'll stay in Dilijan. Just in case, take a blanket.
- k'u deght əllayi, yergushapt'i yert'alə amenalavə bidi əllarIn your place the best thing would be to go on Monday.
- yergushapt'i chem grnar Nuynisg yet'e tsyun kay, bidi yert'amI can't on Monday. Even if it snows, I have to go.
- angasgadz Yet'e chem skhalir, jampan yerek' zham eCertainly. If I am not mistaken, the road takes three hours.
Lines one by one
| Western Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Վաղը (vaghə) ճամբայ (jampa) ելլե՞նք, թէ (t'e)՞ սպասենք (sbasenk)։ | vaghə jampa yellenk', t'e sbasenk' | Shall we set out tomorrow, or wait? |
| Ամենայն հաւանականութեամբ (amenayn havanaganut'eamp) լեռներուն (lerrnerun) վրայ (vra) ձիւն (tsyun) պիտի (bidi) ըլլայ (əllay)։ | amenayn havanaganut'eamp lerrnerun vra tsyun bidi əllay | Most probably there will be snow in the mountains. |
| Իսկ (isg) եթէ (yet'e) ճամբան (jampan) գոցեն, ի՞նչ (inch) պիտի (bidi) ընենք (ənenk)։ | isg yet'e jampan kotsen, inch bidi ənenk' | And if they close the road, what will we do? |
| Այդ պարագային (ayt baragayin) Դիլիջան պիտի (bidi) մնանք (mnank)։ Ամէն պարագայի համար (amen baragayi hamar) վերմակ (vermag) առ (arr)։ | ayt baragayin Tilichan bidi mnank' Amen baragayi hamar vermag arr | In that case we'll stay in Dilijan. Just in case, take a blanket. |
| Քու տեղդ ըլլայի (k'u deght əllayi), երկուշաբթի (yergushapt'i) երթալը ամենալաւը (amenalavə) պիտի (bidi) ըլլար (əllar)։ | k'u deght əllayi, yergushapt'i yert'alə amenalavə bidi əllar | In your place the best thing would be to go on Monday. |
| Երկուշաբթի (yergushapt'i) չեմ (chem) կրնար (grnar)։ Նոյնիսկ եթէ (nuynisg yet'e) ձիւն (tsyun) գայ (kay), պիտի (bidi) երթամ (yert'am)։ | yergushapt'i chem grnar Nuynisg yet'e tsyun kay, bidi yert'am | I can't on Monday. Even if it snows, I have to go. |
| Լաւ (lav), բայց (payts) գոնէ զանգէ, երբ հասնիս (kone zanke, yerp hasnis)։ | lav, payts kone zanke, yerp hasnis | All right, but at least call when you get there. |
| Անկասկած (angasgadz)։ Եթէ չեմ սխալիր (yet'e chem skhalir), ճամբան (jampan) երեք (yerek') ժամ (zham) է։ | angasgadz Yet'e chem skhalir, jampan yerek' zham e | Certainly. If I am not mistaken, the road takes three hours. |
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?
“Վաղը (vaghə) ճամբայ (jampa) ելլե՞նք, թէ (t'e)՞ սպասենք (sbasenk)։” (vaghə jampa yellenk', t'e sbasenk') — Shall we set out tomorrow, or wait? 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.