LingoflyBuying a device in Western Armenian
At an electronics shop: sizes, connection and what to do at a power cut in Western Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Բարեւ ձեզ (parev tsez), ջեռուցիչ (cherrutsich) կը (gə) փնտռեմ (p'ndrrem) մեծ (medz) սենեակի մը (mə) համար (hamar)։» — Hello, I am looking for a heater for a big room; «Սենեակին (senyagin) երկարութիւնն ու (u) լայնութիւնը (laynut'yunə) գիտէ (kide)՞ք։» — Do you know the length and the width of the room?
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: at an electronics shop: sizes, connection and what to do at a power cut. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Սենեակին երկարութիւնն ու լայնութիւնը գիտէ՞ք։senyagin yergarut'yunn u laynut'yunə kidek'Do you know the length and the width of the room?
- hink met'r yergarut'yun, chors laynut'yun, partsrut'yunə yerek'Five meters long, four wide, and the height is three.
- ayt baragayin ays sark'ə pavarar e, yergu ankam aveli hzor eIn that case this device will do; it is twice as powerful.
- Հոսանքի անջատման ատեն ելեկտրածինին կապակցե՞մ։hosank'i anchadman aden yelegdradzinin gabagtsemAt a power cut, should I connect it to the generator?
- Ամէն պարագայի համար մի կապակցէք, աւտօմատ կերպով պիտի անջատուի։amen baragayi hamar mi gabagtsek', avdomad gerbov bidi anchadviJust in case, don't connect it — it will switch off automatically.
Lines one by one
| Western Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Բարեւ ձեզ (parev tsez), ջեռուցիչ (cherrutsich) կը (gə) փնտռեմ (p'ndrrem) մեծ (medz) սենեակի մը (mə) համար (hamar)։ | parev tsez, cherrutsich gə p'ndrrem medz seneagi mə hamar | Hello, I am looking for a heater for a big room. |
| Սենեակին (senyagin) երկարութիւնն ու (u) լայնութիւնը (laynut'yunə) գիտէ (kide)՞ք։ | senyagin yergarut'yunn u laynut'yunə kidek' | Do you know the length and the width of the room? |
| Հինգ (hink) մեթր (met'r) երկարութիւն (yergarut'yun), չորս (chors) լայնութիւն (laynut'yun), բարձրութիւնը (partsrut'yunə)՝ երեք (yerek')։ | hink met'r yergarut'yun, chors laynut'yun, partsrut'yunə yerek' | Five meters long, four wide, and the height is three. |
| Այդ պարագային (ayt baragayin) այս (ays) սարքը (sark'ə) բաւարար (pavarar) է, երկու անգամ (yergu ankam) աւելի (aveli) հզօր է։ | ayt baragayin ays sark'ə pavarar e, yergu ankam aveli hzor e | In that case this device will do; it is twice as powerful. |
| Իսկ (isg) ի՞նչ (inch) քաշ (k'ash) ունի (uni), մինակ եմ (em), տուն (dun) պիտի (bidi) տանիմ (danim)։ | isg inch k'ash uni, minag em, dun bidi danim | And how much does it weigh? I am alone; I have to take it home. |
| Տասը (dasə) քիլոկրամ (k'ilogram)։ Առաքումը (arrak'umə) անվճար (anvjar) է, եթէ (yet'e) ապառիկով (abarrigov) վճարէք (vjarek)։ | dasə k'ilogram Arrak'umə anvjar e, yet'e abarrigov vjarek' | Ten kilograms. Delivery is free if you pay in instalments. |
| Հոսանքի (hosank'i) անջատման (anchadman) ատեն (aden) ելեկտրածինին կապակցե՞մ։ | hosank'i anchadman aden yelegdradzinin gabagtsem | At a power cut, should I connect it to the generator? |
| Ամէն պարագայի համար (amen baragayi hamar) մի (mi) կապակցէք, աւտօմատ կերպով (avdomad gerbov) պիտի (bidi) անջատուի։ | amen baragayi hamar mi gabagtsek', avdomad gerbov bidi anchadvi | Just in case, don't connect it — it will switch off automatically. |
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?
“Բարեւ ձեզ (parev tsez), ջեռուցիչ (cherrutsich) կը (gə) փնտռեմ (p'ndrrem) մեծ (medz) սենեակի մը (mə) համար (hamar)։” (parev tsez, cherrutsich gə p'ndrrem medz seneagi mə hamar) — Hello, I am looking for a heater for a big room. 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.