Tickets to the show in Western Armenian
At the theatre box office: a premiere, free seats and the price in Western Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Բարեւ, ուրբաթ օրվա ներկայացման տոմս կա՞:» — Hello, are there tickets for Friday's show?; «Ուրբաթ պրեմիերա է, մնացել են միայն վէրջին շարքերը:» — Friday is the premiere; only the last rows are left. 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 theatre box office: a premiere, free seats and the price. 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, ուրբաթ օրվա ներկայացման տոմս կա՞:parev, urpat' orva nergayatsman doms gaHello, are there tickets for Friday's show?
- Ուրբաթ պրեմիերա է, մնացել են միայն վէրջին շարքերը:urpat' bremiera e, mnatsel en miayn verchin shark'erəFriday is the premiere; only the last rows are left.
- Իսկ բեմը այնտեղից երեւո՞ւմ է լաւ:isg pemə ayndeghits yerevum e lavAnd is the stage visible well from there?
- կը Երեւայ, բայց դերասանների դեմքերը հեռու են:gə Yerevay, payts terasanneri temk'erə herru enIt is visible, but the actors' faces are far away.
- Այդ դեպքում վերցնեմ շաբաթվա տոմս: Ի՞նչ արժե:ayt tebk'um vertsnem shapat'va doms Inch arzheIn that case I'll take a ticket for Saturday. How much is it?
- Չորս հազար դրամ: Ուսանողի քարտով՝ երեք հազար:chors hazar tram Usanoghi k'ardov yerek' hazarFour thousand drams. With a student card — three thousand.
- Երկու տոմս տվեք: Ծափահարութիւնները երկա՞ր են տեւում:yergu doms dvek' Dzap'aharut'yunnerə yergar en devumGive me two tickets. Do the applause last long?
- Այս ռեժիսորի մոտ՝ միշտ: Ազդագիրը վերցրեք, այնտեղ սիւժեն է:ays rrezhisori mod mishd Aztakirə vertsrek', ayndegh syuzhen eWith this director — always. Take a playbill; the plot is there.
Lines one by one
| Western Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Բարեւ, ուրբաթ օրվա ներկայացման տոմս կա՞: | parev, urpat' orva nergayatsman doms ga | Hello, are there tickets for Friday's show? |
| Ուրբաթ պրեմիերա է, մնացել են միայն վէրջին շարքերը: | urpat' bremiera e, mnatsel en miayn verchin shark'erə | Friday is the premiere; only the last rows are left. |
| Իսկ բեմը այնտեղից երեւո՞ւմ է լաւ: | isg pemə ayndeghits yerevum e lav | And is the stage visible well from there? |
| կը Երեւայ, բայց դերասանների դեմքերը հեռու են: | gə Yerevay, payts terasanneri temk'erə herru en | It is visible, but the actors' faces are far away. |
| Այդ դեպքում վերցնեմ շաբաթվա տոմս: Ի՞նչ արժե: | ayt tebk'um vertsnem shapat'va doms Inch arzhe | In that case I'll take a ticket for Saturday. How much is it? |
| Չորս հազար դրամ: Ուսանողի քարտով՝ երեք հազար: | chors hazar tram Usanoghi k'ardov yerek' hazar | Four thousand drams. With a student card — three thousand. |
| Երկու տոմս տվեք: Ծափահարութիւնները երկա՞ր են տեւում: | yergu doms dvek' Dzap'aharut'yunnerə yergar en devum | Give me two tickets. Do the applause last long? |
| Այս ռեժիսորի մոտ՝ միշտ: Ազդագիրը վերցրեք, այնտեղ սիւժեն է: | ays rrezhisori mod mishd Aztakirə vertsrek', ayndegh syuzhen e | With this director — always. Take a playbill; the plot is there. |
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, ուրբաթ օրվա ներկայացման տոմս կա՞:” (parev, urpat' orva nergayatsman doms ga) — Hello, are there tickets for Friday's show?. 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.