I'm calling the repairman in Western Armenian
A call to the landlord: the kitchen tap is leaking in Western Armenian. 7 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Բարեւ ձեզ. Խոհանոցի մէջ ջուրը կը կաթէ:» — Hello. The water is dripping in the kitchen.; «Ե՞րբ սկսուած է:» — When did it start? The conversation is predictable: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: a call to the landlord: the kitchen tap is leaking. The conversation is short and predictable — which is exactly what makes it good for a first try: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
- Բարեւ ձեզ. Խոհանոցի մէջ ջուրը կը կաթէ:parev tsez. Khohanotsi mech churə gə gat'eHello. The water is dripping in the kitchen.
- Ե՞րբ սկսուած է:yerp sgsuadz eWhen did it start?
- Երէկ երեկոյյան. Տաք ջուր ալ չկայ:yereg yeregoyyan. Dak' chur al chgayYesterday evening. And there is no hot water either.
- Հասկացայ. Վարպետ պիտի ղարկեմ:hasgatsay. Varbed bidi ghargemUnderstood. I will send a repairman.
- Ե՞րբ պիտի գաք. Ես մինչեւ վեցը տան մէջ եմ:yerp bidi kak'. Yes minchev vetsə dan mech emWhen will you come? I am home until six.
- Ժամը չորսին. Խնդրեմ սպասեք:zhamə chorsin. Khntrem sbasek'At four o'clock. Please wait for me.
- Լաւ, շնորհակալութիւն. Կը սպասեմ:lav, shnorhagalut'yun. Gə sbasemAll right, thank you. I'll be waiting.
Lines one by one
| Western Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Բարեւ ձեզ. Խոհանոցի մէջ ջուրը կը կաթէ: | parev tsez. Khohanotsi mech churə gə gat'e | Hello. The water is dripping in the kitchen. |
| Ե՞րբ սկսուած է: | yerp sgsuadz e | When did it start? |
| Երէկ երեկոյյան. Տաք ջուր ալ չկայ: | yereg yeregoyyan. Dak' chur al chgay | Yesterday evening. And there is no hot water either. |
| Հասկացայ. Վարպետ պիտի ղարկեմ: | hasgatsay. Varbed bidi ghargem | Understood. I will send a repairman. |
| Ե՞րբ պիտի գաք. Ես մինչեւ վեցը տան մէջ եմ: | yerp bidi kak'. Yes minchev vetsə dan mech em | When will you come? I am home until six. |
| Ժամը չորսին. Խնդրեմ սպասեք: | zhamə chorsin. Khntrem sbasek' | At four o'clock. Please wait for me. |
| Լաւ, շնորհակալութիւն. Կը սպասեմ: | lav, shnorhagalut'yun. Gə sbasem | All right, thank you. I'll be waiting. |
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 it gets in the way badly. It is one of the most reliably measured findings in the entire field.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. Խոհանոցի մէջ ջուրը կը կաթէ:” (parev tsez. Khohanotsi mech churə gə gat'e) — Hello. The water is dripping in the kitchen.. 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.