LingoflyPolite words in Western Armenian
10 words in Western Armenian on the topic “polite words”: Բարեւ ձեզ (parev tsez) — hello, Շնորհակալութիւն (shnorhagalut'yun) — thank you, Մերսի (mersi) — thanks, Խնդրեմ (khntrem) — please.
10 words on the topic
- Բարեւ ձեզparev tsezhelloEnds with
ձեզ(tsez) — 'to you'. The version for strangers, elders and anyone you would not call by their first name - Շնորհակալութիւնshnorhagalut'yunthank youa long word with a single stress, right at the end: shnor-ha-ga-loot-YOON
- ՄերսիmersithanksThe everyday thanks: borrowed from French, and in the diaspora you hear it more often than the long
շնորհակալութիւն(shnorhagalut'yun). Say it just like the French do - Ներողութիւնneroghut'yunexcuse meFrom
ներել(nerel), to forgive: literally 'forgiveness'. The way you open a question to a stranger and squeeze through a crowd - Ինչպէ՞ս եքinchbes ek'how are you? (formal)The verb ends in -ք, the polite turn: elders and strangers get this one. The
-եսform is for your own circle - Դուքtuk'you (plural, formal)One word for the polite 'you' to a stranger and the plural 'you' to a group — English needs two words here, Armenian makes do with one
- Չարժէcharzhedon't mention itLiterally 'it is not worth it'. The other answer to thanks is
խնդրեմ(khntrem), the very word for 'please' — Armenians return thanks with it too
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How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
What is worth knowing about these words
Բարեւ ձեզ (parev tsez) — hello. Ends with ձեզ (tsez) — 'to you'. The version for strangers, elders and anyone you would not call by their first name.
Շնորհակալութիւն (shnorhagalut'yun) — thank you. From շնորհ, a gift of grace. Classical spelling writes իւ for the 'oo' in 'moon', and the կ in the middle sounds like g, as in 'go'.
Մերսի (mersi) — thanks. The everyday thanks: borrowed from French, and in the diaspora you hear it more often than the long շնորհակալութիւն (shnorhagalut'yun). Say it just like the French do.
Խնդրեմ (khntrem) — please. Bolted onto a request: մէկ սուրճ, խնդրեմ (meg surj, khntrem) — one coffee, please. The դ sounds like t: khun-TREM. The same word answers 'thank you' — then it means 'don't mention it'.
Test yourself
Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “hello” in Western Armenian?
Ends with
ձեզ(tsez) — 'to you'. The version for strangers, elders and anyone you would not call by their first name - How do you say “wait a minute” in Western Armenian?
վայրկեան(vayrgyan) is a minute. On its own,մէկ(meg)վայրկեան(vayrgyan) works as the universal 'one sec' - How do you say “excuse me” in Western Armenian?
From
ներել(nerel), to forgive: literally 'forgiveness'. The way you open a question to a stranger and squeeze through a crowd - How do you say “thank you” in Western Armenian?
From
շնորհ, a gift of grace. Classical spelling writes իւ for the 'oo' in 'moon', and the կ in the middle sounds like g, as in 'go' - How do you say “young lady” in Western Armenian?
The polite word for an unmarried young woman, and the address that goes with it:
Օրիորդ(oriort) Անի (Ani) — Miss Ani. In everyday speech, justաղջիկ(aghchig), girl
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
“Thank you”, “please” and “sorry” carry you while the rest of the words are still missing: with them even a gesture reads as a request rather than a demand.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- Study spread over days wins not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “hello” in Western Armenian?
«Բարեւ ձեզ» (parev tsez), read “parev tsez”. Ends with ձեզ (tsez) — 'to you'. The version for strangers, elders and anyone you would not call by their first name. It is one of 10 words in the set “polite words” — the rest are in the table above.
How many polite words do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 10 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.