Meeting the family in Western Armenian
In the yard: a talk about children, age and relatives in Western Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Այս երեխայները ձե՞րն են:» — Are these children yours?; «Այո: Տղաս ինը տարեկան է, աղջիկս՝ չորս:» — Yes. Our son is nine, and our daughter is four. 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 yard: a talk about children, age and relatives. 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.
- Այս երեխայները ձե՞րն են:ays yerekhaynerə tsern enAre these children yours?
- Այո: Տղաս ինը տարեկան է, աղջիկս՝ չորս:ayo Dghas inə daregan e, aghchigs chorsYes. Our son is nine, and our daughter is four.
- Շատ սիրուն են: Ավագը ո՞ր դպրոց կ'երթայ:shad sirun en Avakə vor tbrots g'ert'ayThey are very sweet. Which school does the elder one go to?
- Բակի դիմացի դպրոց: Ոտքով կը քայլէ:pagi timatsi tbrots Vodk'ov gə k'ayleThe school across from the yard. He walks.
- Իսկ ծնողներդ նոյնպէս Երեւանի մէջ կ'ապրի՞ն:isg dznoghnert noynbes Yerevani mech g'abrinAnd do your parents also live in Yerevan?
- Ոչ, գիւղին մէջ: Ամեն շաբաթ կ'երթանք անոնց մօտ:voch, kyughin mech Amen shapat' g'ert'ank' anonts modNo, in a village. Every week we go to see them.
- Երեխաները տատիկի ու պապիկի մօտ ուրախ կ'ըլլան:yerekhanerə dadigi u babigi mod urakh g'əllanThe children are happy at their grandmother's and grandfather's.
- Ճիշտ ես: Քեռիս ալ այնտեղ կ'ապրի, բակը մեծ է:jishd yes K'erris al ayndegh g'abri, pagə medz eYou are right. My uncle lives there too; the yard is big.
Lines one by one
| Western Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Այս երեխայները ձե՞րն են: | ays yerekhaynerə tsern en | Are these children yours? |
| Այո: Տղաս ինը տարեկան է, աղջիկս՝ չորս: | ayo Dghas inə daregan e, aghchigs chors | Yes. Our son is nine, and our daughter is four. |
| Շատ սիրուն են: Ավագը ո՞ր դպրոց կ'երթայ: | shad sirun en Avakə vor tbrots g'ert'ay | They are very sweet. Which school does the elder one go to? |
| Բակի դիմացի դպրոց: Ոտքով կը քայլէ: | pagi timatsi tbrots Vodk'ov gə k'ayle | The school across from the yard. He walks. |
| Իսկ ծնողներդ նոյնպէս Երեւանի մէջ կ'ապրի՞ն: | isg dznoghnert noynbes Yerevani mech g'abrin | And do your parents also live in Yerevan? |
| Ոչ, գիւղին մէջ: Ամեն շաբաթ կ'երթանք անոնց մօտ: | voch, kyughin mech Amen shapat' g'ert'ank' anonts mod | No, in a village. Every week we go to see them. |
| Երեխաները տատիկի ու պապիկի մօտ ուրախ կ'ըլլան: | yerekhanerə dadigi u babigi mod urakh g'əllan | The children are happy at their grandmother's and grandfather's. |
| Ճիշտ ես: Քեռիս ալ այնտեղ կ'ապրի, բակը մեծ է: | jishd yes K'erris al ayndegh g'abri, pagə medz e | You are right. My uncle lives there too; the yard is big. |
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?
“Այս երեխայները ձե՞րն են:” (ays yerekhaynerə tsern en) — Are these children yours?. 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.