Two options in Western Armenian
A talk about work: two options, necessity and a missed chance in Western Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Երկու տարբերակ ունիմ, եւ չ'գիտեմ՝ որը ընտրեմ:» — I have two options, and I don't know which to choose.; «Պատմիր: Իսկ դուն ի՞նչ կը մտածես:» — Tell me. And what do you think yourself? 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: a talk about work: two options, necessity and a missed chance. 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.
- Երկու տարբերակ ունիմ, եւ չ'գիտեմ՝ որը ընտրեմ:yergu darperag unim, yev ch'kidem vorə əndremI have two options, and I don't know which to choose.
- Պատմիր: Իսկ դուն ի՞նչ կը մտածես:badmir Isg tun inch gə mdadzesTell me. And what do you think yourself?
- Առաջինը հեռու է, բայց աշխատավարձը բարձր է:arrachinə herru e, payts ashkhadavartsə partsr eThe first is far, but the salary is high.
- Մի կողմէն՝ լաւ է, միւս կողմէն՝ ամեն օր ճանապարհ:mi goghmen lav e, myus goghmen amen or janabarhOn the one hand it is good; on the other, every day there is the road.
- Հենց այդ է: Անցեալ տարի նման հնարաւորութիւնը բաց թողեցի:hents ayt e Antseal dari nman hnaravorut'yunə pats t'oghetsiExactly. Last year I missed such an opportunity.
- Ուրեմն դժուար թէ երկրորդ անգամ ալ հրաժարուիս:uremn tzhuar t'e yergrort ankam al hrazharuisThen you will hardly refuse a second time either.
- Ստիպուած պիտի ըլլամ շուտով որոշել:sdibuadz bidi əllam shudov voroshelI will have to decide soon.
- Իմ կարծիքով, ընտրէ այն, ինչը իմաստ ունի քեզ համար:im gardzik'ov, əndre ayn, inchə imasd uni k'ez hamarIn my opinion, choose what makes sense to you.
Lines one by one
| Western Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Երկու տարբերակ ունիմ, եւ չ'գիտեմ՝ որը ընտրեմ: | yergu darperag unim, yev ch'kidem vorə əndrem | I have two options, and I don't know which to choose. |
| Պատմիր: Իսկ դուն ի՞նչ կը մտածես: | badmir Isg tun inch gə mdadzes | Tell me. And what do you think yourself? |
| Առաջինը հեռու է, բայց աշխատավարձը բարձր է: | arrachinə herru e, payts ashkhadavartsə partsr e | The first is far, but the salary is high. |
| Մի կողմէն՝ լաւ է, միւս կողմէն՝ ամեն օր ճանապարհ: | mi goghmen lav e, myus goghmen amen or janabarh | On the one hand it is good; on the other, every day there is the road. |
| Հենց այդ է: Անցեալ տարի նման հնարաւորութիւնը բաց թողեցի: | hents ayt e Antseal dari nman hnaravorut'yunə pats t'oghetsi | Exactly. Last year I missed such an opportunity. |
| Ուրեմն դժուար թէ երկրորդ անգամ ալ հրաժարուիս: | uremn tzhuar t'e yergrort ankam al hrazharuis | Then you will hardly refuse a second time either. |
| Ստիպուած պիտի ըլլամ շուտով որոշել: | sdibuadz bidi əllam shudov voroshel | I will have to decide soon. |
| Իմ կարծիքով, ընտրէ այն, ինչը իմաստ ունի քեզ համար: | im gardzik'ov, əndre ayn, inchə imasd uni k'ez hamar | In my opinion, choose what makes sense to you. |
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?
“Երկու տարբերակ ունիմ, եւ չ'գիտեմ՝ որը ընտրեմ:” (yergu darperag unim, yev ch'kidem vorə əndrem) — I have two options, and I don't know which to choose.. 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.