LingoflyA festive table in Western Armenian
Two relatives prepare a family celebration: the table, the guests, the gift and the custom in Western Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Կիրակի (giragi) տնօրհնեք (dnorhnek') է, քանի՞ (k'ani) հոգի (hoki) կը (gə) սպասենք (sbasenk)։» — On Sunday there is a housewarming; how many people are we expecting?; «Համարեա բոլորը (hamarea polorə) պիտի (bidi) գան (kan), մօտաւորապէս (modavorabes) քսան (k'san) հոգի (hoki)։» — Almost everyone will come, about twenty people.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: two relatives prepare a family celebration: the table, the guests, the gift and the custom. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- hamarea polorə bidi kan, modavorabes k'san hokiAlmost everyone will come, about twenty people.
- Այդ պարագային սեղանը պատշգամբին վրայ ալ պիտի պատրաստենք։ayt baragayin seghanə badshkampin vra al bidi badrasdenk'In that case we'll lay the table on the balcony too.
- isg nver inch danink', mezi mod aytbes e əntunvadzAnd what shall we bring as a gift? That is how it is done with us.
- tramagan nver yev dzaghgep'unch Hatsn u aghə medz k'uyrə gə daniMoney and a bunch of flowers. The bread and the salt are carried by the elder sister.
- Հիւրերը ինչո՞վ հիւրասիրենք, ազգային ուտեստ պատրաստե՞մ։hyurerə inchov hyurasirenk', azkayin udesd badrasdemHow shall we treat the guests? Shall I cook a national dish?
- Խորոված ըրէ, իսկ ես պիտի թխեմ։ Թող տօնը ուրախ ըլլայ։khorovadz əre, isg yes bidi t'khem T'ogh donə urakh əllayYou make the barbecue, and I'll bake. May the holiday be merry.
Lines one by one
| Western Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Կիրակի (giragi) տնօրհնեք (dnorhnek') է, քանի՞ (k'ani) հոգի (hoki) կը (gə) սպասենք (sbasenk)։ | giragi dnorhnek' e, k'ani hoki gə sbasenk' | On Sunday there is a housewarming; how many people are we expecting? |
| Համարեա բոլորը (hamarea polorə) պիտի (bidi) գան (kan), մօտաւորապէս (modavorabes) քսան (k'san) հոգի (hoki)։ | hamarea polorə bidi kan, modavorabes k'san hoki | Almost everyone will come, about twenty people. |
| Այդ պարագային (ayt baragayin) սեղանը (seghanə) պատշգամբին (badshkampin) վրայ (vra) ալ (al) պիտի (bidi) պատրաստենք։ | ayt baragayin seghanə badshkampin vra al bidi badrasdenk' | In that case we'll lay the table on the balcony too. |
| Ես (yes) տունը (dunə) պիտի (bidi) զարդարեմ, լուսաշղթան (lusashght'an) պատուհանին (baduhanin) կախեմ։ | yes dunə bidi zartarem, lusashght'an baduhanin gakhem | I'll decorate the house and hang a garland on the window. |
| Իսկ (isg) նուէր (nuer) ի՞նչ (inch) տանինք, մեզի մօտ այդպէս է ընդունուած (mezi mod aytbes e əntunvadz)։ | isg nver inch danink', mezi mod aytbes e əntunvadz | And what shall we bring as a gift? That is how it is done with us. |
| Դրամական նուէր (tramagan nver) եւ (yev) ծաղկեփունջ (dzaghgep'unch)։ Հացն ու (u) աղը (aghə) մեծ (medz) քոյրը (k'uyrə) կը (gə) տանի (dani)։ | tramagan nver yev dzaghgep'unch Hatsn u aghə medz k'uyrə gə dani | Money and a bunch of flowers. The bread and the salt are carried by the elder sister. |
| Հիւրերը (hyurerə) ինչո՞վ հիւրասիրենք, ազգային ուտեստ (azkayin udesd) պատրաստե՞մ։ | hyurerə inchov hyurasirenk', azkayin udesd badrasdem | How shall we treat the guests? Shall I cook a national dish? |
| Խորոված ըրէ (əre), իսկ (isg) ես (yes) պիտի (bidi) թխեմ։ Թող (t'ogh) տօնը (donə) ուրախ (urakh) ըլլայ (əllay)։ | khorovadz əre, isg yes bidi t'khem T'ogh donə urakh əllay | You make the barbecue, and I'll bake. May the holiday be merry. |
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?
“Կիրակի (giragi) տնօրհնեք (dnorhnek') է, քանի՞ (k'ani) հոգի (hoki) կը (gə) սպասենք (sbasenk)։” (giragi dnorhnek' e, k'ani hoki gə sbasenk') — On Sunday there is a housewarming; how many people are we expecting? 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.