The new colleague in Western Armenian
Two people discuss a new colleague: character, actions and whether to trust him in Western Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Ինչպիսի՞ մարդ է նոր գործընկերը:» — What is the new colleague like?; «Բծախնդիր է եւ վճռական: Բայց մի քիչ ինքնամփոփ:» — Meticulous and resolute. But a little reserved. 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 discuss a new colleague: character, actions and whether to trust him. 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.
- Ինչպիսի՞ մարդ է նոր գործընկերը:inchbisi mart e nor kordzəngerəWhat is the new colleague like?
- Բծախնդիր է եւ վճռական: Բայց մի քիչ ինքնամփոփ:pdzakhntir e yev vjrragan Payts mi k'ich ink'namp'op'Meticulous and resolute. But a little reserved.
- Ինձ թվաց՝ նեղսիրտ է: Երեկ կատակ արեցի, եւ ան լռեց:ints t'vats neghsird e Yereg gadag aretsi, yev an lrretsHe seemed touchy to me. Yesterday I joked, and he fell silent.
- Նա չարութիւնից չէ: Պարզապես դեռ լեզու չի գտել մեզ հետ:na charut'yunits che Barzabes terr lezu chi kdel mez hedIt is not out of malice. He just hasn't found his footing with us yet.
- Իսկ խոսքը պահու՞մ է: Ես չեմ սիրեր, երբ ինծի ասածը մոռանում են:isg khosk'ə bahum e Yes chem sirer, yerp indzi asadzə morranum enAnd does he keep his word? I don't like it when promises to me are forgotten.
- Միշտ: Անգամ երբ դժուար է՝ ինքնատիրապետումը անոր ուժեղ կողմն է:mishd Ankam yerp tzhuar e ink'nadirabedumə anor uzhegh goghmn eAlways. Even when it is hard: self-possession is his strong side.
- Ուրեմն իզուր եմ իրեն պարսաւել: Կխոսեմ վաղը:uremn izur em iren barsavel Gkhosem vaghəThen I judged him in vain. I'll talk to him tomorrow.
- Խոսիր: Կարեկից մարդ է, պարզապես չպարծենար դրանով:khosir Garegits mart e, barzabes chbardzenar tranovDo talk. He is a responsive person; he simply doesn't boast of it.
Lines one by one
| Western Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Ինչպիսի՞ մարդ է նոր գործընկերը: | inchbisi mart e nor kordzəngerə | What is the new colleague like? |
| Բծախնդիր է եւ վճռական: Բայց մի քիչ ինքնամփոփ: | pdzakhntir e yev vjrragan Payts mi k'ich ink'namp'op' | Meticulous and resolute. But a little reserved. |
| Ինձ թվաց՝ նեղսիրտ է: Երեկ կատակ արեցի, եւ ան լռեց: | ints t'vats neghsird e Yereg gadag aretsi, yev an lrrets | He seemed touchy to me. Yesterday I joked, and he fell silent. |
| Նա չարութիւնից չէ: Պարզապես դեռ լեզու չի գտել մեզ հետ: | na charut'yunits che Barzabes terr lezu chi kdel mez hed | It is not out of malice. He just hasn't found his footing with us yet. |
| Իսկ խոսքը պահու՞մ է: Ես չեմ սիրեր, երբ ինծի ասածը մոռանում են: | isg khosk'ə bahum e Yes chem sirer, yerp indzi asadzə morranum en | And does he keep his word? I don't like it when promises to me are forgotten. |
| Միշտ: Անգամ երբ դժուար է՝ ինքնատիրապետումը անոր ուժեղ կողմն է: | mishd Ankam yerp tzhuar e ink'nadirabedumə anor uzhegh goghmn e | Always. Even when it is hard: self-possession is his strong side. |
| Ուրեմն իզուր եմ իրեն պարսաւել: Կխոսեմ վաղը: | uremn izur em iren barsavel Gkhosem vaghə | Then I judged him in vain. I'll talk to him tomorrow. |
| Խոսիր: Կարեկից մարդ է, պարզապես չպարծենար դրանով: | khosir Garegits mart e, barzabes chbardzenar tranov | Do talk. He is a responsive person; he simply doesn't boast of it. |
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?
“Ինչպիսի՞ մարդ է նոր գործընկերը:” (inchbisi mart e nor kordzəngerə) — What is the new colleague like?. 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.