After the quarrel in Western Armenian
Two friends after a quarrel: hurt feelings, an explanation, making up in Western Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Երկու շաբաթ չենք խօսիլ: Նեղացե՞լ ես ինծմէ:» — We haven't spoken for two weeks. Are you offended at me?; «Այո, նեղացել էի: Բոլորի առջեւ ինծի նախատեցիր:» — Yes, I was hurt. You scolded me in front of everyone. 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 friends after a quarrel: hurt feelings, an explanation, making up. 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 շաբաթ չենք խօսիլ: Նեղացե՞լ ես ինծմէ:yergu shapat' chenk' khosil Neghatsel yes indzmeWe haven't spoken for two weeks. Are you offended at me?
- Այո, նեղացել էի: Բոլորի առջեւ ինծի նախատեցիր:ayo, neghatsel ei Polori arrchev indzi nakhadetsirYes, I was hurt. You scolded me in front of everyone.
- Ներիր ինծի: Այդ օրը ջղայնացած էի եւ գոռացի:nerir indzi Ayt orə chghaynatsadz ei yev korratsiForgive me. That day I was irritated and shouted.
- Չէի հասկանում, թե ինչու: Կարծում էի՝ ինծի ես մեղադրում:chei hasganum, t'e inchu Gardzum ei indzi yes meghatrumI didn't understand why. I thought you were accusing me.
- Թիւրիմացութիւն է եղել: Չեմ մեղադրում, ինքս էի սխալ:t'yurimatsut'yun e yeghel Chem meghatrum, ink's ei skhalIt was a misunderstanding. I am not accusing you — I was the one who was wrong.
- կը Հասկանամ քեզ: Ես էլ չպետք է լռեի այսքան երկար:gə Hasganam k'ez Yes el chbedk' e lrrei aysk'an yergarI understand you. I shouldn't have kept silent so long either.
- Հաշտվե՞նք: Չեմ կ'ուզի շփումը դադարեցնել քեզ հետ:hashdvenk' Chem g'uzi shp'umə tataretsnel k'ez hedShall we make up? I don't want to stop talking to you.
- Հաշտվենք: Ամեն ինչ լաւ պիտի ըլլայ, արի սուրճ խմենք:hashdvenk' Amen inch lav bidi əllay, ari surj khmenk'Let's make up. Everything will be fine — let's go have a coffee.
Lines one by one
| Western Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Երկու շաբաթ չենք խօսիլ: Նեղացե՞լ ես ինծմէ: | yergu shapat' chenk' khosil Neghatsel yes indzme | We haven't spoken for two weeks. Are you offended at me? |
| Այո, նեղացել էի: Բոլորի առջեւ ինծի նախատեցիր: | ayo, neghatsel ei Polori arrchev indzi nakhadetsir | Yes, I was hurt. You scolded me in front of everyone. |
| Ներիր ինծի: Այդ օրը ջղայնացած էի եւ գոռացի: | nerir indzi Ayt orə chghaynatsadz ei yev korratsi | Forgive me. That day I was irritated and shouted. |
| Չէի հասկանում, թե ինչու: Կարծում էի՝ ինծի ես մեղադրում: | chei hasganum, t'e inchu Gardzum ei indzi yes meghatrum | I didn't understand why. I thought you were accusing me. |
| Թիւրիմացութիւն է եղել: Չեմ մեղադրում, ինքս էի սխալ: | t'yurimatsut'yun e yeghel Chem meghatrum, ink's ei skhal | It was a misunderstanding. I am not accusing you — I was the one who was wrong. |
| կը Հասկանամ քեզ: Ես էլ չպետք է լռեի այսքան երկար: | gə Hasganam k'ez Yes el chbedk' e lrrei aysk'an yergar | I understand you. I shouldn't have kept silent so long either. |
| Հաշտվե՞նք: Չեմ կ'ուզի շփումը դադարեցնել քեզ հետ: | hashdvenk' Chem g'uzi shp'umə tataretsnel k'ez hed | Shall we make up? I don't want to stop talking to you. |
| Հաշտվենք: Ամեն ինչ լաւ պիտի ըլլայ, արի սուրճ խմենք: | hashdvenk' Amen inch lav bidi əllay, ari surj khmenk' | Let's make up. Everything will be fine — let's go have a coffee. |
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 շաբաթ չենք խօսիլ: Նեղացե՞լ ես ինծմէ:” (yergu shapat' chenk' khosil Neghatsel yes indzme) — We haven't spoken for two weeks. Are you offended at me?. 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.