At an Armenian course in Western Armenian
At a language school: level, schedule, price and how progress will be checked in Western Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Բարեւ ձեզ: Հայերենի դասընթացներ եմ փնտրում:» — Hello. I am looking for Armenian courses.; «Բարեւ: Լեզվի ի՞նչ մակարդակ ունիք:» — Hello. What is your language level? 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 a language school: level, schedule, price and how progress will be checked. 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: Հայերենի դասընթացներ եմ փնտրում:parev tsez Hayereni tasənt'atsner em p'ndrumHello. I am looking for Armenian courses.
- Բարեւ: Լեզվի ի՞նչ մակարդակ ունիք:parev Lezvi inch magartag unik'Hello. What is your language level?
- Դեռ սկսնակ եմ: կը Կարդամ, բայց լսելով դժուար եմ հասկանում:terr sgsnag em gə Gartam, payts lselov tzhuar em hasganumI am still a beginner. I read, but I understand by ear with difficulty.
- Այդ դեպքում՝ արտասանութիւն եւ լսողութիւն: Առաջին դասը անվճար է:ayt tebk'um ardasanut'yun yev lsoghut'yun Arrachin tasə anvjar eIn that case — pronunciation and listening. The first lesson is free.
- Իսկ քերականությո՞ւնը: Ինձ դժուար է տրվում:isg k'eraganut'yunə Ints tzhuar e drvumAnd the grammar? It comes hard to me.
- Քայլ առ քայլ: Տեսութիւնը քիչ, պրակտիկան՝ շատ:k'ayl arr k'ayl Desut'yunə k'ich, bragdigan shadStep by step. Little theory, much practice.
- Եթե դաս բաց թողնեմ, կոնսպեկտ կլինի՞:yet'e tas pats t'oghnem, gonsbegd gliniIf I miss a class, will there be notes?
- Այո, առցանց: Ինքնուրույն կվերականգնեք, եւ ամեն անգամ աւելի լաւ պիտի ըլլայ:ayo, arrtsants Ink'nuruyn gveraganknek', yev amen ankam aveli lav bidi əllayYes, online. You'll catch up on your own, and each time it will be better.
Lines one by one
| Western Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Բարեւ ձեզ: Հայերենի դասընթացներ եմ փնտրում: | parev tsez Hayereni tasənt'atsner em p'ndrum | Hello. I am looking for Armenian courses. |
| Բարեւ: Լեզվի ի՞նչ մակարդակ ունիք: | parev Lezvi inch magartag unik' | Hello. What is your language level? |
| Դեռ սկսնակ եմ: կը Կարդամ, բայց լսելով դժուար եմ հասկանում: | terr sgsnag em gə Gartam, payts lselov tzhuar em hasganum | I am still a beginner. I read, but I understand by ear with difficulty. |
| Այդ դեպքում՝ արտասանութիւն եւ լսողութիւն: Առաջին դասը անվճար է: | ayt tebk'um ardasanut'yun yev lsoghut'yun Arrachin tasə anvjar e | In that case — pronunciation and listening. The first lesson is free. |
| Իսկ քերականությո՞ւնը: Ինձ դժուար է տրվում: | isg k'eraganut'yunə Ints tzhuar e drvum | And the grammar? It comes hard to me. |
| Քայլ առ քայլ: Տեսութիւնը քիչ, պրակտիկան՝ շատ: | k'ayl arr k'ayl Desut'yunə k'ich, bragdigan shad | Step by step. Little theory, much practice. |
| Եթե դաս բաց թողնեմ, կոնսպեկտ կլինի՞: | yet'e tas pats t'oghnem, gonsbegd glini | If I miss a class, will there be notes? |
| Այո, առցանց: Ինքնուրույն կվերականգնեք, եւ ամեն անգամ աւելի լաւ պիտի ըլլայ: | ayo, arrtsants Ink'nuruyn gveraganknek', yev amen ankam aveli lav bidi əllay | Yes, online. You'll catch up on your own, and each time it will be better. |
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: Հայերենի դասընթացներ եմ փնտրում:” (parev tsez Hayereni tasənt'atsner em p'ndrum) — Hello. I am looking for Armenian courses.. 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.