How to get to the warehouse in Western Armenian
In the street asking the way: past, through, straight across and what to do at a dead end in Western Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Ներեցեք, ինչպե՞ս հասնեմ հին պահեստին:» — Excuse me, how do I get to the old warehouse?; «Գնացեք ուղիղ, անցեք եկեղեցու կողքով:» — Go straight, pass by the church. 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: in the street asking the way: past, through, straight across and what to do at a dead end. 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.
- Ներեցեք, ինչպե՞ս հասնեմ հին պահեստին:neretsek', inchbes hasnem hin bahesdinExcuse me, how do I get to the old warehouse?
- Գնացեք ուղիղ, անցեք եկեղեցու կողքով:knatsek' ughigh, antsek' yegeghetsu goghk'ovGo straight, pass by the church.
- Իսկ բակի միջով կարճ ճանապարհ կա՞:isg pagi michov garj janabarh gaAnd is there a short way through the yard?
- Կայ, բայց այնտեղ փակուղի է. պէտք է ետ գալ:gay, payts ayndegh p'agughi e. bedk' e yed kalThere is, but there is a dead end there — you'll have to come back.
- Ուրեմն ուղիղ ճանապարհով երթամ: Հեռու՞ է:uremn ughigh janabarhov yert'am Herru eThen I'll go the straight way. Is it far?
- Մէկուկես կիլոմետր: Ուղենիշը կարմիր տանիքն է:meguges gilomedr Ughenishə garmir danik'n eA kilometer and a half. The landmark is the red roof.
- Իսկ եթե մոլորվեմ, ո՞ւմ հարցնեմ:isg yet'e molorvem, um hartsnemAnd if I get lost, whom do I ask?
- Խանութում: Բակի խորքի մէջ է, դժուար չէ գտնել:khanut'um Pagi khork'i mech e, tzhuar che kdnelAt the shop. It is at the back of the yard — not hard to find.
Lines one by one
| Western Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Ներեցեք, ինչպե՞ս հասնեմ հին պահեստին: | neretsek', inchbes hasnem hin bahesdin | Excuse me, how do I get to the old warehouse? |
| Գնացեք ուղիղ, անցեք եկեղեցու կողքով: | knatsek' ughigh, antsek' yegeghetsu goghk'ov | Go straight, pass by the church. |
| Իսկ բակի միջով կարճ ճանապարհ կա՞: | isg pagi michov garj janabarh ga | And is there a short way through the yard? |
| Կայ, բայց այնտեղ փակուղի է. պէտք է ետ գալ: | gay, payts ayndegh p'agughi e. bedk' e yed kal | There is, but there is a dead end there — you'll have to come back. |
| Ուրեմն ուղիղ ճանապարհով երթամ: Հեռու՞ է: | uremn ughigh janabarhov yert'am Herru e | Then I'll go the straight way. Is it far? |
| Մէկուկես կիլոմետր: Ուղենիշը կարմիր տանիքն է: | meguges gilomedr Ughenishə garmir danik'n e | A kilometer and a half. The landmark is the red roof. |
| Իսկ եթե մոլորվեմ, ո՞ւմ հարցնեմ: | isg yet'e molorvem, um hartsnem | And if I get lost, whom do I ask? |
| Խանութում: Բակի խորքի մէջ է, դժուար չէ գտնել: | khanut'um Pagi khork'i mech e, tzhuar che kdnel | At the shop. It is at the back of the yard — not hard to find. |
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?
“Ներեցեք, ինչպե՞ս հասնեմ հին պահեստին:” (neretsek', inchbes hasnem hin bahesdin) — Excuse me, how do I get to the old warehouse?. 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.