The week's plan in Western Armenian
Two people align their plans: first, then, but, and at the last moment in Western Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Շաբաթ օրը ի՞նչ պլան ունիս:» — What plans do you have for Saturday?; «Սկիզբը շուկայյ, հետո՝ ծնողներու մօտ:» — First the market, then to my parents. 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 align their plans: first, then, but, and at the last moment. 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.
- Շաբաթ օրը ի՞նչ պլան ունիս:shapat' orə inch blan unisWhat plans do you have for Saturday?
- Սկիզբը շուկայյ, հետո՝ ծնողներու մօտ:sgizpə shugayy, hedo dznoghneru modFirst the market, then to my parents.
- Երեկոյան ազա՞տ ես: Համերգի տոմս ունիմ:yeregoyan azad yes Hamerki doms unimAre you free in the evening? I have a concert ticket.
- Հեռու է, փոխարենը վաղուց չեմ եղած այնտեղ:herru e, p'okharenə vaghuts chem yeghadz ayndeghIt is far, but I haven't been there for a long time.
- Տոմսերը նախապէս վերցուցած եմ, որպէսզի հերթին մէջ չկանգնինք:domserə nakhabes vertsutsadz em, vorbeszi hert'in mech chganknink'I took the tickets in advance, so as not to stand in line.
- Ճիշտ ըրիր: Անցեալ անգամ վէրջին պահին չեղարկեցինք:jishd ərir Antseal ankam verchin bahin cheghargetsink'Well done. Last time we cancelled at the last moment.
- Հենց որ դուրս գաս, զանգիր, ու միասին պիտի երթանք:hents vor turs kas, zankir, u miasin bidi yert'ank'As soon as you get out, call, and we'll go together.
- Լաւ: Ընդհանուր առմամբ, շաբաթը լաւ կ'անցնի:lav Ənthanur arrmamp, shapat'ə lav g'antsniAll right. All in all, the week is going well.
Lines one by one
| Western Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Շաբաթ օրը ի՞նչ պլան ունիս: | shapat' orə inch blan unis | What plans do you have for Saturday? |
| Սկիզբը շուկայյ, հետո՝ ծնողներու մօտ: | sgizpə shugayy, hedo dznoghneru mod | First the market, then to my parents. |
| Երեկոյան ազա՞տ ես: Համերգի տոմս ունիմ: | yeregoyan azad yes Hamerki doms unim | Are you free in the evening? I have a concert ticket. |
| Հեռու է, փոխարենը վաղուց չեմ եղած այնտեղ: | herru e, p'okharenə vaghuts chem yeghadz ayndegh | It is far, but I haven't been there for a long time. |
| Տոմսերը նախապէս վերցուցած եմ, որպէսզի հերթին մէջ չկանգնինք: | domserə nakhabes vertsutsadz em, vorbeszi hert'in mech chganknink' | I took the tickets in advance, so as not to stand in line. |
| Ճիշտ ըրիր: Անցեալ անգամ վէրջին պահին չեղարկեցինք: | jishd ərir Antseal ankam verchin bahin cheghargetsink' | Well done. Last time we cancelled at the last moment. |
| Հենց որ դուրս գաս, զանգիր, ու միասին պիտի երթանք: | hents vor turs kas, zankir, u miasin bidi yert'ank' | As soon as you get out, call, and we'll go together. |
| Լաւ: Ընդհանուր առմամբ, շաբաթը լաւ կ'անցնի: | lav Ənthanur arrmamp, shapat'ə lav g'antsni | All right. All in all, the week is going well. |
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?
“Շաբաթ օրը ի՞նչ պլան ունիս:” (shapat' orə inch blan unis) — What plans do you have for Saturday?. 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.