I've brought the shoes back in Western Armenian
At the shop: the size didn't fit, the cheque, an exchange and a return in Western Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Բարեւ ձեզ: Երեկ այս կոշիկը գնեցի, չափսը չեկավ:» — Hello. Yesterday I bought these shoes, and the size didn't fit.; «Բարեւ ձեզ: Չեկը պահե՞լ եք:» — Hello. Have you kept the cheque? 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 shop: the size didn't fit, the cheque, an exchange and a return. 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: Երեկ այս կոշիկը գնեցի, չափսը չեկավ:parev tsez Yereg ays goshigə knetsi, chap'sə chegavHello. Yesterday I bought these shoes, and the size didn't fit.
- Բարեւ ձեզ: Չեկը պահե՞լ եք:parev tsez Chegə bahel ek'Hello. Have you kept the cheque?
- Այո, չեկը մոտս է: Կրնա՞մ ապրանքը փոխանակել:ayo, chegə mods e Grnam abrank'ə p'okhanagelYes, I have the cheque. May I exchange the item?
- Իհարկե: Ո՞ր չափսն է ձեզ պէտք:iharge Vor chap'sn e tsez bedk'Of course. Which size do you need?
- Քառասունմէկ: Կարելի՞ է նաւ այլ գույնով փոխել:k'arrasunmeg Gareli e nav ayl kuynov p'okhelForty-one. And can I also change it for another color?
- Սեւ գույնը առկա է, շագանակագույնը՝ ոչ:sev kuynə arrga e, shakanagakuynə vochThe black color is in stock; the brown one is not.
- Իսկ եթե ոչինչ չհամապատասխանի, վերադարձ կձեւակերպե՞ք:isg yet'e vochinch chhamabadaskhani, veratarts gtsevagerbek'And if nothing fits, will you process a return?
- Այո, տասնչորս օրվա ընթացքում, չեկով եւ առանց վնասի:ayo, dasnchors orva ənt'atsk'um, chegov yev arrants vnasiYes, within fourteen days, with the cheque and without damage.
Lines one by one
| Western Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Բարեւ ձեզ: Երեկ այս կոշիկը գնեցի, չափսը չեկավ: | parev tsez Yereg ays goshigə knetsi, chap'sə chegav | Hello. Yesterday I bought these shoes, and the size didn't fit. |
| Բարեւ ձեզ: Չեկը պահե՞լ եք: | parev tsez Chegə bahel ek' | Hello. Have you kept the cheque? |
| Այո, չեկը մոտս է: Կրնա՞մ ապրանքը փոխանակել: | ayo, chegə mods e Grnam abrank'ə p'okhanagel | Yes, I have the cheque. May I exchange the item? |
| Իհարկե: Ո՞ր չափսն է ձեզ պէտք: | iharge Vor chap'sn e tsez bedk' | Of course. Which size do you need? |
| Քառասունմէկ: Կարելի՞ է նաւ այլ գույնով փոխել: | k'arrasunmeg Gareli e nav ayl kuynov p'okhel | Forty-one. And can I also change it for another color? |
| Սեւ գույնը առկա է, շագանակագույնը՝ ոչ: | sev kuynə arrga e, shakanagakuynə voch | The black color is in stock; the brown one is not. |
| Իսկ եթե ոչինչ չհամապատասխանի, վերադարձ կձեւակերպե՞ք: | isg yet'e vochinch chhamabadaskhani, veratarts gtsevagerbek' | And if nothing fits, will you process a return? |
| Այո, տասնչորս օրվա ընթացքում, չեկով եւ առանց վնասի: | ayo, dasnchors orva ənt'atsk'um, chegov yev arrants vnasi | Yes, within fourteen days, with the cheque and without damage. |
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: Երեկ այս կոշիկը գնեցի, չափսը չեկավ:” (parev tsez Yereg ays goshigə knetsi, chap'sə chegav) — Hello. Yesterday I bought these shoes, and the size didn't fit.. 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.