Tell me what happened in Western Armenian
One person tells a story about a spoiled evening; the other asks again and judges in Western Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Երեկ երեկոյյն փչացավ: Պատմեմ կարգով:» — Yesterday the evening was spoiled. I'll tell it in order.; «Պատմիր: Բանն այսպես եղավ՝ ինչի՞ց սկսվեց:» — Tell it. So it went like this — where did it begin? 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: one person tells a story about a spoiled evening; the other asks again and judges. 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.
- Երեկ երեկոյյն փչացավ: Պատմեմ կարգով:yereg yeregoyyn p'chatsav Badmem garkovYesterday the evening was spoiled. I'll tell it in order.
- Պատմիր: Բանն այսպես եղավ՝ ինչի՞ց սկսվեց:badmir Pann aysbes yeghav inchits sgsvetsTell it. So it went like this — where did it begin?
- Ամեն ինչ սկսվեց անորմէ, որ մեքենան չգործարկվեց:amen inch sgsvets anorme, vor mek'enan chkordzargvetsIt all began with him: the car wouldn't start.
- Իսկ դրան ի՞նչ հետեւեց: Տաքսի կանչեցի՞ր:isg tran inch hedevets Dak'si ganchetsirAnd what followed that? Did you call a taxi?
- Կանչեցի, բայց ամենաթեժ պահին սկսվեց անձրեւ:ganchetsi, payts amenat'ezh bahin sgsvets antsrevI did, but at the very height of it the rain began.
- Քիչ էր մնում ուշանայիր: Ինչո՞վ ամեն ինչ աւարտվեց:k'ich er mnum ushanayir Inchov amen inch avardvetsYou nearly missed it. How did everything end?
- Վերջիվերջո հասա, բայց թատրոնը փակ էր: Ներկայացումը հետաձգել էին:verchivercho hasa, payts t'adronə p'ag er Nergayatsumə hedatskel einIn the end I got there, but the theatre was closed. The show had been postponed.
- Ես չէի հաւատա, եթե ինքդ չպատմեիր: Այդպես ստացվեց:yes chei havada, yet'e ink't chbadmeir Aytbes sdatsvetsI wouldn't believe it if you hadn't told me yourself. So it went.
Lines one by one
| Western Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Երեկ երեկոյյն փչացավ: Պատմեմ կարգով: | yereg yeregoyyn p'chatsav Badmem garkov | Yesterday the evening was spoiled. I'll tell it in order. |
| Պատմիր: Բանն այսպես եղավ՝ ինչի՞ց սկսվեց: | badmir Pann aysbes yeghav inchits sgsvets | Tell it. So it went like this — where did it begin? |
| Ամեն ինչ սկսվեց անորմէ, որ մեքենան չգործարկվեց: | amen inch sgsvets anorme, vor mek'enan chkordzargvets | It all began with him: the car wouldn't start. |
| Իսկ դրան ի՞նչ հետեւեց: Տաքսի կանչեցի՞ր: | isg tran inch hedevets Dak'si ganchetsir | And what followed that? Did you call a taxi? |
| Կանչեցի, բայց ամենաթեժ պահին սկսվեց անձրեւ: | ganchetsi, payts amenat'ezh bahin sgsvets antsrev | I did, but at the very height of it the rain began. |
| Քիչ էր մնում ուշանայիր: Ինչո՞վ ամեն ինչ աւարտվեց: | k'ich er mnum ushanayir Inchov amen inch avardvets | You nearly missed it. How did everything end? |
| Վերջիվերջո հասա, բայց թատրոնը փակ էր: Ներկայացումը հետաձգել էին: | verchivercho hasa, payts t'adronə p'ag er Nergayatsumə hedatskel ein | In the end I got there, but the theatre was closed. The show had been postponed. |
| Ես չէի հաւատա, եթե ինքդ չպատմեիր: Այդպես ստացվեց: | yes chei havada, yet'e ink't chbadmeir Aytbes sdatsvets | I wouldn't believe it if you hadn't told me yourself. So it went. |
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?
“Երեկ երեկոյյն փչացավ: Պատմեմ կարգով:” (yereg yeregoyyn p'chatsav Badmem garkov) — Yesterday the evening was spoiled. I'll tell it in order.. 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.