What has changed in the city in Western Armenian
Two people meet after a long break: what has changed in the city over a decade in Western Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Տասը տարի չեմ եղել այստեղ: Ամեն ինչ փոխվել է:» — I haven't been here for ten years. Everything has changed.; «Այո, վէրջին տասնամյակում քաղաքը շատ մեծացավ:» — Yes, over the last decade the city has grown a lot. 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: two people meet after a long break: what has changed in the city over a decade. 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.
- Տասը տարի չեմ եղել այստեղ: Ամեն ինչ փոխվել է:dasə dari chem yeghel aysdegh Amen inch p'okhvel eI haven't been here for ten years. Everything has changed.
- Այո, վէրջին տասնամյակում քաղաքը շատ մեծացավ:ayo, verchin dasnamyagum k'aghak'ə shad medzatsavYes, over the last decade the city has grown a lot.
- Իսկ հին շուկայյն դեռ կա՞, թե՞ արդէն քանդել են:isg hin shugayyn terr ga, t'e arten k'antel enAnd is the old market still there, or has it already been demolished?
- Քանդեցին: Հիմա այնտեղ պուրակ է՝ կանաչապատումից հետո:k'antetsin Hima ayndegh burag e ganachabadumits hedoThey demolished it. Now there is a small park there, after the landscaping.
- Կարծես այժմ տեսնեմ այն շուկայյն: Մանկութիւնս այնտեղ էր:gardzes ayzhm desnem ayn shugayyn Mangut'yuns ayndegh erI can see that market as if it were now. My childhood was there.
- Մեր օրերում ամեն ինչ արագ է փոխվում: Դժվար է համակերպվել:mer orerum amen inch arak e p'okhvum Tzhvar e hamagerbvelNowadays everything changes quickly. It is hard to come to terms with.
- Բայց ինչ-որ բան մնաց նույնը՝ մարդիկ նույնքան բարի են:payts inch-or pan mnats nuynə martig nuynk'an pari enBut something stayed the same — the people are just as kind.
- Ճիշտ է: Այսուհետ աւելի հաճախ արի, մի սպասիր տասը տարի:jishd e Aysuhed aveli hajakh ari, mi sbasir dasə dariTrue. From now on come more often — don't wait ten years.
Lines one by one
| Western Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Տասը տարի չեմ եղել այստեղ: Ամեն ինչ փոխվել է: | dasə dari chem yeghel aysdegh Amen inch p'okhvel e | I haven't been here for ten years. Everything has changed. |
| Այո, վէրջին տասնամյակում քաղաքը շատ մեծացավ: | ayo, verchin dasnamyagum k'aghak'ə shad medzatsav | Yes, over the last decade the city has grown a lot. |
| Իսկ հին շուկայյն դեռ կա՞, թե՞ արդէն քանդել են: | isg hin shugayyn terr ga, t'e arten k'antel en | And is the old market still there, or has it already been demolished? |
| Քանդեցին: Հիմա այնտեղ պուրակ է՝ կանաչապատումից հետո: | k'antetsin Hima ayndegh burag e ganachabadumits hedo | They demolished it. Now there is a small park there, after the landscaping. |
| Կարծես այժմ տեսնեմ այն շուկայյն: Մանկութիւնս այնտեղ էր: | gardzes ayzhm desnem ayn shugayyn Mangut'yuns ayndegh er | I can see that market as if it were now. My childhood was there. |
| Մեր օրերում ամեն ինչ արագ է փոխվում: Դժվար է համակերպվել: | mer orerum amen inch arak e p'okhvum Tzhvar e hamagerbvel | Nowadays everything changes quickly. It is hard to come to terms with. |
| Բայց ինչ-որ բան մնաց նույնը՝ մարդիկ նույնքան բարի են: | payts inch-or pan mnats nuynə martig nuynk'an pari en | But something stayed the same — the people are just as kind. |
| Ճիշտ է: Այսուհետ աւելի հաճախ արի, մի սպասիր տասը տարի: | jishd e Aysuhed aveli hajakh ari, mi sbasir dasə dari | True. From now on come more often — don't wait ten years. |
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?
“Տասը տարի չեմ եղել այստեղ: Ամեն ինչ փոխվել է:” (dasə dari chem yeghel aysdegh Amen inch p'okhvel e) — I haven't been here for ten years. Everything has changed.. 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.