At the doctor's in Western Armenian
At an appointment: a complaint, an examination, a diagnosis and what to do next in Western Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Բարեւ ձեզ, նստեք: Ի՞նչն է ձեզ անհանգստացնում:» — Hello, take a seat. What is troubling you?; «Երեք օր է՝ ստամոքսս կը ցավե, եւ ինծի վատ եմ զգում:» — For three days my stomach has been aching, and I feel unwell. 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 an appointment: a complaint, an examination, a diagnosis and what to do next. 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, նստեք: Ի՞նչն է ձեզ անհանգստացնում:parev tsez, nsdek' Inchn e tsez anhanksdatsnumHello, take a seat. What is troubling you?
- Երեք օր է՝ ստամոքսս կը ցավե, եւ ինծի վատ եմ զգում:yerek' or e sdamok'ss gə tsave, yev indzi vad em zkumFor three days my stomach has been aching, and I feel unwell.
- Ջերմութիւն կա՞: Ջերմաչափը դրե՞լ եք այսօր:chermut'yun ga Chermachap'ə trel ek' aysorDo you have a fever? Have you taken your temperature today?
- Երեկ երեսունութ էր: Կարծես թե ինչ-որ բան կերել եմ:yereg yeresunut' er Gardzes t'e inch-or pan gerel emYesterday it was thirty-eight. It seems I ate something.
- Բժշկական զննում կանցնեք, հետո կխոսենք դիագնոզի մասին:pzhshgagan znnum gantsnek', hedo gkhosenk' tiaknozi masinYou will have a medical examination, and then we'll talk about the diagnosis.
- Ցաւազրկող կարելի՞ է խմել, մինչեւ որ պատասխանը գա:tsavazrgogh gareli e khmel, minchev vor badaskhanə kaMay I take a painkiller until the answer comes?
- Կարելի է, բայց ոչ դատարկ ստամոքսին: Կողմնակի ազդեցութիւն ունի:gareli e, payts voch tadarg sdamok'sin Goghmnagi aztetsut'yun uniYou may, but not on an empty stomach. It has a side effect.
- Հասկացա: Իսկ եթե չլաւանամ, պե՞տք է հիվանդանոց պառկեմ:hasgatsa Isg yet'e chlavanam, bedk' e hivantanots barrgemUnderstood. And if I don't get better, do I have to go to hospital?
Lines one by one
| Western Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Բարեւ ձեզ, նստեք: Ի՞նչն է ձեզ անհանգստացնում: | parev tsez, nsdek' Inchn e tsez anhanksdatsnum | Hello, take a seat. What is troubling you? |
| Երեք օր է՝ ստամոքսս կը ցավե, եւ ինծի վատ եմ զգում: | yerek' or e sdamok'ss gə tsave, yev indzi vad em zkum | For three days my stomach has been aching, and I feel unwell. |
| Ջերմութիւն կա՞: Ջերմաչափը դրե՞լ եք այսօր: | chermut'yun ga Chermachap'ə trel ek' aysor | Do you have a fever? Have you taken your temperature today? |
| Երեկ երեսունութ էր: Կարծես թե ինչ-որ բան կերել եմ: | yereg yeresunut' er Gardzes t'e inch-or pan gerel em | Yesterday it was thirty-eight. It seems I ate something. |
| Բժշկական զննում կանցնեք, հետո կխոսենք դիագնոզի մասին: | pzhshgagan znnum gantsnek', hedo gkhosenk' tiaknozi masin | You will have a medical examination, and then we'll talk about the diagnosis. |
| Ցաւազրկող կարելի՞ է խմել, մինչեւ որ պատասխանը գա: | tsavazrgogh gareli e khmel, minchev vor badaskhanə ka | May I take a painkiller until the answer comes? |
| Կարելի է, բայց ոչ դատարկ ստամոքսին: Կողմնակի ազդեցութիւն ունի: | gareli e, payts voch tadarg sdamok'sin Goghmnagi aztetsut'yun uni | You may, but not on an empty stomach. It has a side effect. |
| Հասկացա: Իսկ եթե չլաւանամ, պե՞տք է հիվանդանոց պառկեմ: | hasgatsa Isg yet'e chlavanam, bedk' e hivantanots barrgem | Understood. And if I don't get better, do I have to go to hospital? |
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, նստեք: Ի՞նչն է ձեզ անհանգստացնում:” (parev tsez, nsdek' Inchn e tsez anhanksdatsnum) — Hello, take a seat. What is troubling you?. 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.