Twenty years later in Western Armenian
Two classmates meet by chance: life stories, changes and agreeing to meet in Western Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Մի՞թե դու ես: Քսան տարի չենք հանդիպիլ:» — Is it really you? We haven't seen each other for twenty years.; «Այ քեզ բան: Դու գրեթե չես փոխվել:» — Well I never. You have hardly changed. 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 classmates meet by chance: life stories, changes and agreeing to meet. 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.
- Մի՞թե դու ես: Քսան տարի չենք հանդիպիլ:mit'e tu yes K'san dari chenk' hantibilIs it really you? We haven't seen each other for twenty years.
- Այ քեզ բան: Դու գրեթե չես փոխվել:ay k'ez pan Tu kret'e ches p'okhvelWell I never. You have hardly changed.
- Դպրոցն աւարտեցի եւ արտերկիր տեղափոխվեցի:tbrotsn avardetsi yev ardergir deghap'okhvetsiI finished school and moved abroad.
- Լո՞ւրջ: Այնտեղ քանի՞ տարի ես ապրիլ:lurch Ayndegh k'ani dari yes abrilReally? How many years did you live there?
- Այդ երկրում հինգ տարի եմ ապրիլ: Հետո ամեն ինչ փոխվեց:ayt yergrum hink dari em abril Hedo amen inch p'okhvetsI lived in that country for five years. Then everything changed.
- Դեպի լաւը, հուսով եմ: Ընտանիք կազմեցի՞ր:tebi lavə, husov em Əndanik' gazmetsirFor the better, I hope. Did you start a family?
- Այո, երկու երեխայ: Հիմա հայրենի քաղաքում ենք, ժամանակավորապես:ayo, yergu yerekhay Hima hayreni k'aghak'um enk', zhamanagavorabesYes, two children. Now we are in our home city, for a while.
- Հանդիպենք հանգիստ: Ցանկացած ժամի զանգիր, ես ազատ եմ օրվա երկրորդ կեսին:hantibenk' hankisd Ts'angatsadz zhami zankir, yes azad em orva yergrort gesinLet's meet and take our time. Call at any hour; I am free in the afternoon.
Lines one by one
| Western Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Մի՞թե դու ես: Քսան տարի չենք հանդիպիլ: | mit'e tu yes K'san dari chenk' hantibil | Is it really you? We haven't seen each other for twenty years. |
| Այ քեզ բան: Դու գրեթե չես փոխվել: | ay k'ez pan Tu kret'e ches p'okhvel | Well I never. You have hardly changed. |
| Դպրոցն աւարտեցի եւ արտերկիր տեղափոխվեցի: | tbrotsn avardetsi yev ardergir deghap'okhvetsi | I finished school and moved abroad. |
| Լո՞ւրջ: Այնտեղ քանի՞ տարի ես ապրիլ: | lurch Ayndegh k'ani dari yes abril | Really? How many years did you live there? |
| Այդ երկրում հինգ տարի եմ ապրիլ: Հետո ամեն ինչ փոխվեց: | ayt yergrum hink dari em abril Hedo amen inch p'okhvets | I lived in that country for five years. Then everything changed. |
| Դեպի լաւը, հուսով եմ: Ընտանիք կազմեցի՞ր: | tebi lavə, husov em Əndanik' gazmetsir | For the better, I hope. Did you start a family? |
| Այո, երկու երեխայ: Հիմա հայրենի քաղաքում ենք, ժամանակավորապես: | ayo, yergu yerekhay Hima hayreni k'aghak'um enk', zhamanagavorabes | Yes, two children. Now we are in our home city, for a while. |
| Հանդիպենք հանգիստ: Ցանկացած ժամի զանգիր, ես ազատ եմ օրվա երկրորդ կեսին: | hantibenk' hankisd Ts'angatsadz zhami zankir, yes azad em orva yergrort gesin | Let's meet and take our time. Call at any hour; I am free in the afternoon. |
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?
“Մի՞թե դու ես: Քսան տարի չենք հանդիպիլ:” (mit'e tu yes K'san dari chenk' hantibil) — Is it really you? We haven't seen each other for twenty years.. 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.