LingoflyPhrases that save you in Western Armenian
21 words in Western Armenian on the topic “phrases that save you”: Չեմ հասկնար (chem hasgnar) — I don't understand, Կրկնեցէք, խնդրեմ (grgnetsek', khntrem) — repeat, please, Դանդաղ (tantagh) — slowly, Օգնեցէք (oknetsek') — help!
21 words on the topic
- Չեմ հասկնարchem hasgnarI don't understandWestern-style negation: the prefix
չ-('not') welded onto the 'am' verb plus a form in -ար. An Eastern speaker would say չեմ (chem) հասկանում — same meaning, different form. The phrase you will reach for most in week one - Կրկնեցէք, խնդրեմgrgnetsek', khntremrepeat, pleaseFrom
կրկնել(grgnel), to repeat. կ sounds like g here: gər-gə-ne-TSEK'. No vowel letter stands between կ, ր and կ — the little ը hides there anyway - Օգնեցէքoknetsek'help!The polite imperative of
օգնել(oknel), to help — the word every passer-by should react to. Start with ok-ne-TSEK' and the rest of the sentence can wait - ԿորսուեցայgorsuetsayI'm lostThe Western past-tense form: gor-soo-et-SAY. The Eastern standard builds the same meaning with different pieces — the phrase works everywhere all the same
- Չի աշխատիրchi ashkhadirit doesn't workThe same verb 'to work' used about people. Western negation:
չի(chi) plus a form in -իր - Կոտրուած էgodruadz eit's brokenPast with a result: it broke and it is still broken now — Armenian packs both into
կոտրուած է(godruadz e) - Կը կաթիgə gat'iit leaksLiterally 'it drips'. Said about a faucet, a pipe and a ceiling alike
- Վարպետ կանչեցէքvarbed ganchetsek'call a repairman
վարպետ(varbed) is a master of the trade, a respectful word.Կանչեցէք(ganchetsek), 'call', is also how you call a taxi - Չեմ կրնար բանալchem grnar panalI can't open it
կրնալ(grnal) is 'to be able', and the negation again rides in front: չեմ (chem) կրնար (grnar) — I cannot. The pattern is everywhere - Ինծի դոկտոր է պէտքindzi togdor e bedk'I need a doctorThe frame ինծի (indzi) ... է պէտք (bedk) works with any word at all: ինծի (indzi)
ջուր(chur) է պէտք (bedk) — I need water. Learn the frame and you can need anything - ԶգոյշzkuyshcarefulShouted as a single word. The full form is
զգոյշ(zkuysh) եղիր (yeghir) — be careful - Վտանգաւորvdankavordangerous
վտանգis danger, and the suffix -աւոր does the job English gives to '-ous' - Ոստիկանութիւն կանչեցէքvosdiganut'yun ganchetsek'call the police
ոստիկան(vosdigan) is a police officer. The emergency number in Armenia is 102 - Անձնագիրս կորսնցուցած եմantsnakirs gorsntsutsadz emI lost my passport
անձնագիր(antsnakir) is passport, and -ս is 'my'.Կորսնցնել(gorsntsnel) loses a thing;կորսուեցայ(gorsuetsay) is when YOU get lost - Վատ կը զգամvad gə zkamI feel unwellLiterally 'I feel bad'.
Զգալis 'to feel' — the same verb feels the cold and the mood - Ձեռք մի տաքtserrk' mi dak'don't touchLiterally 'don't give a hand'. Armenian builds prohibitions with the particle
մի(mi) in front of the verb - Նորէն բացատրեցէքnoren patsadretsek'explain it again
նորէն(noren) is again — literally 'from new'. The most useful phrase in any classroom - Անգլերէն կը խօսի՞քankleren gə khosik'do you speak EnglishThe question mark ՞ sits over the stressed syllable of the word asked about — կը (gə) խօսի՞ք (khosik) — and a plain period still ends the line. Informally: կը (gə)
խօսի(khosi)՞ս
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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
Չեմ հասկնար (chem hasgnar) — I don't understand. Western-style negation: the prefix չ- ('not') welded onto the 'am' verb plus a form in -ար. An Eastern speaker would say չեմ (chem) հասկանում — same meaning, different form. The phrase you will reach for most in week one.
Կրկնեցէք, խնդրեմ (grgnetsek', khntrem) — repeat, please. From կրկնել (grgnel), to repeat. կ sounds like g here: gər-gə-ne-TSEK'. No vowel letter stands between կ, ր and կ — the little ը hides there anyway.
Դանդաղ (tantagh) — slowly. Covers 'slowly' and 'slow': դանդաղ (tantagh) քայլել — to walk slowly, դանդաղ (tantagh) մարդ (mart) — a slow person. The դ sounds like t and ղ is the throaty gh: tan-TAGH.
Օգնեցէք (oknetsek') — help! The polite imperative of օգնել (oknel), to help — the word every passer-by should react to. Start with ok-ne-TSEK' and the rest of the sentence can wait.
Test yourself
Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “I don't understand” in Western Armenian?
Western-style negation: the prefix
չ-('not') welded onto the 'am' verb plus a form in -ար. An Eastern speaker would say չեմ (chem) հասկանում — same meaning, different form. The phrase you will reach for most in week one - How do you say “it doesn't work” in Western Armenian?
The same verb 'to work' used about people. Western negation:
չի(chi) plus a form in -իր - How do you say “I can't open it” in Western Armenian?
կրնալ(grnal) is 'to be able', and the negation again rides in front: չեմ (chem) կրնար (grnar) — I cannot. The pattern is everywhere - How do you say “call the police” in Western Armenian?
ոստիկան(vosdigan) is a police officer. The emergency number in Armenia is 102 - How do you say “do you speak English” in Western Armenian?
The question mark ՞ sits over the stressed syllable of the word asked about — կը (gə) խօսի՞ք (khosik) — and a plain period still ends the line. Informally: կը (gə)
խօսի(khosi)՞ս
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
“I don't understand”, “say that again”, “slower, please”, “help”. They are learned first for a reason: they bring back a conversation that has already gone wrong.
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 “I don't understand” in Western Armenian?
«Չեմ հասկնար» (chem hasgnar), read “chem hasgnar”. Western-style negation: the prefix չ- ('not') welded onto the 'am' verb plus a form in -ար. An Eastern speaker would say չեմ (chem) հասկանում — same meaning, different form. The phrase you will reach for most in week one. It is one of 21 words in the set “phrases that save you” — the rest are in the table above.
How many emergency phrases do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 21 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.