At the doctor: fever and weakness in Western Armenian
At the doctor: symptoms, a diagnosis, treatment and a sick note in Western Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Բարեւ ձեզ, դոկտոր: Երեք օր է վատ կը զգամ:» — Hello, doctor. For three days I have been feeling unwell.; «Ի՞նչ ախտանիշներ ունիք:» — What symptoms do you have? 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: at the doctor: symptoms, a diagnosis, treatment and a sick note. 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.
- Բարեւ ձեզ, դոկտոր: Երեք օր է վատ կը զգամ:parev tsez, togdor Yerek' or e vad gə zkamHello, doctor. For three days I have been feeling unwell.
- Ի՞նչ ախտանիշներ ունիք:inch akhdanishner unik'What symptoms do you have?
- Կոկորդս կը ցաւի, բարձր ջերմութիւն ունիմ եւ թուլութիւն:gogorts gə tsavi, partsr chermut'yun unim yev t'ulut'yunI have a sore throat, a high fever and weakness.
- Դող կա՞յ: Կը փռշտա՞ք:togh gay Gə p'rrshdak'Any chills? Do you sneeze?
- Այո, երկուսն ալ: Սա գրի՞պ է:ayo, yergusn al Sa krib eYes, both. Is it the flu?
- Ամենայն հաւանականութեամբ գրիպ է: Վարակիչ է, տան մնացեք:amenayn havanaganut'eamp krib e Varagich e, dan mnatsek'Most probably it is the flu. It is contagious — stay at home.
- Բուժումը որքա՞ն պիտի տեւէ:puzhumə vork'an bidi deveHow long will the treatment last?
- Մօտ մէկ շաբաթ: Հիւանդութեան թերթիկ պիտի գրեմ ձեզ:mod meg shapat' Hyuantut'ean t'ert'ig bidi krem tsezAbout a week. I will write you a sick note.
Lines one by one
| Western Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Բարեւ ձեզ, դոկտոր: Երեք օր է վատ կը զգամ: | parev tsez, togdor Yerek' or e vad gə zkam | Hello, doctor. For three days I have been feeling unwell. |
| Ի՞նչ ախտանիշներ ունիք: | inch akhdanishner unik' | What symptoms do you have? |
| Կոկորդս կը ցաւի, բարձր ջերմութիւն ունիմ եւ թուլութիւն: | gogorts gə tsavi, partsr chermut'yun unim yev t'ulut'yun | I have a sore throat, a high fever and weakness. |
| Դող կա՞յ: Կը փռշտա՞ք: | togh gay Gə p'rrshdak' | Any chills? Do you sneeze? |
| Այո, երկուսն ալ: Սա գրի՞պ է: | ayo, yergusn al Sa krib e | Yes, both. Is it the flu? |
| Ամենայն հաւանականութեամբ գրիպ է: Վարակիչ է, տան մնացեք: | amenayn havanaganut'eamp krib e Varagich e, dan mnatsek' | Most probably it is the flu. It is contagious — stay at home. |
| Բուժումը որքա՞ն պիտի տեւէ: | puzhumə vork'an bidi deve | How long will the treatment last? |
| Մօտ մէկ շաբաթ: Հիւանդութեան թերթիկ պիտի գրեմ ձեզ: | mod meg shapat' Hyuantut'ean t'ert'ig bidi krem tsez | About a week. I will write you a sick note. |
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?
“Բարեւ ձեզ, դոկտոր: Երեք օր է վատ կը զգամ:” (parev tsez, togdor Yerek' or e vad gə zkam) — Hello, doctor. For three days I have been feeling unwell.. 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.