Simple Armenian conversation - in the street, in shops and restaurants, and catching up with family member and telling them about my life.

Welcome! I am so excited to help you start speaking Armenian. It is a beautiful, expressive language, and learning it will make your interactions with family and locals incredibly special.

To make sure we tailor this journey perfectly to your pace and goals, I would love to hear a bit about your starting point.

To get us started, could you tell me a little bit about your current level of Armenian—are you a complete beginner, or do you know a few words already?

I can speak some Armenian (maybe A1 level actively, A2 level vocabulary passively). I can read and speak slowly with lots of effort. I can also understand some slowly spoken conversation, but get lost when it turns into a fast paced normal flow of conversation

It is completely normal to feel like you are drowning once a conversation hits full, natural speed. Since you already have some vocabulary and reading skills under your belt, we can focus on bridging that gap so you feel more comfortable in real-world flow.

Let's take a look at the path we will take to get you speaking and understanding comfortably in daily life.

Your path

Navigating Shops and Restaurants

Family and Personal Life Updates

To start off our first topic, Greetings and Introductions, let's look at how the language adapts depending on who you are speaking to. In Armenian, showing respect is woven deeply into everyday speech. This is especially true with the word for "hello." If you are talking to a friend, a family member, or a child, you use the informal greeting: Բարև () But if you are greeting a shopkeeper, a waiter, an older relative, or someone you don't know well, you transition to the polite, formal version: Բարև Ձեզ ()

This distinction is your first secret weapon to slow down native speakers. When you start an interaction with a polite, natural Barev Dzez, it shows respect right away, making people much more eager to help you and speak at a pace you can easily follow.

Before going further, i don't have an account

I can absolutely keep a running, neat vocabulary list of everything we cover so you can copy and save it whenever you want! No account is needed at all—we will keep everything right here in our chat.

Since we are practicing greetings, let's look at the absolute must-know ways to ask "how are you?" in Armenian.

Just like our hellos, this changes depending on who you are speaking to. If you are chatting casually with a friend or a family member, you ask:

Ինչպե՞ս ես ()

But if you are talking to an elder, a stranger, or want to show polite respect, you use the formal version:

Ինչպե՞ս եք ()

This is way too simple. I know all this. I need a way to practice full everyday conversations

I hear you loud and clear. Let's skip the basics and dive straight into the real flow of conversation where things move quickly.

To train your ear and tongue for natural speed, we'll practice with a realistic exchange. We are skipping straight to the second step of our learning path: Navigating Shops and Restaurants. Imagine you are walking into a bustling café in Yerevan. Instead of a stiff, textbook exchange, the waiter walks up and says: Բարև Ձեզ, համեցե՛ք։ Մենյուն կբերե՞մ։ ()

In a fast-paced environment, you want to reply smoothly without stammering. Let's practice your first response. How would you naturally tell them: "Yes, please, and may I have some water?" using conversational Armenian?

Let's continue to learning numbers and prices for shopping.

I would be happy to keep a running document of all the phrases and vocabulary we cover. Let's make sure you have everything saved neatly as we move forward.

To navigate prices in a lively Yerevan market or a local shop, we need to master how numbers work. In Armenian, once you know the single digits, building larger numbers is incredibly logical and follows a consistent pattern.

Number	Armenian	Phonetic
1	Մեկ	mek
2	Երկու	erku
3	Երեք	yerek
4	Չորս	chors
5	Հինգ	hing
6	Վեց	vets
7	Յոթ	yot
8	Ութ	ut
9	Ինը	ine
10	Տասը	tase

When you want to build tens, the base word is (ten). To make numbers from 11 to 19, you simply start with the prefix tasn- and glue the single digit directly to the end of it. For example, 11 is tasnmek (

10 + 1

), and 12 is tasnerku (

10 + 2

Yes, I know numbers, no need to dwell on this

I hear you loud and clear. Let's skip the small talk and jump right into the lively action of a Yerevan fruit market, where we can practice bargaining and asking about prices in real-world conversations.

When you are browsing a stall stacked with fresh peaches or pomegranates, you want to point to what you want and confidently ask how much it is. To ask "How much is this?", you say: Այս ինչ արժե՞ () Alternatively, if you want a quicker, highly common way to say "How much does it cost?", you can simply ask: Ինչքա՞ն է ()

Let's put this straight into practice. Imagine you are standing in front of a market vendor selling sweet apricots (ծիրան / tsiran).

How would you point to them and ask, "How much are the apricots?" using what we just learned?

Ծիրաններ ի՞նչ արժե

Armenian Language

LV 1

Skills

Excellent! That is absolutely correct. Ծիրաններ ի՞նչ արժե () is a perfectly natural way to ask that.

Now, let's step up the game. When the vendor tells you the price, they might give you a high number. If you want to see if they can drop the price a bit, you need a polite bargaining phrase. In Armenian, a very common and friendly way to ask "Can you make it a bit cheaper?" is: Մի քիչ էժան կանե՞ք ()

Let's see how this feels in a quick mock roleplay.

Imagine I am the market vendor. I hold up a bag of beautiful apricots and say:

Այս ծիրանները տասը հազար դրամ է։ (These apricots are ten thousand dram.)

How would you use our new phrase to ask me to lower the price?

Չե, չափազանց թանկ ե։ 5000 dram

That is a brilliant counter-offer, and you used the perfect word: չափազանց ([{}]), which means "extremely" or "excessively."

When you say Չէ, չափազանց թանկ է ([{<Che, chaphazants thank eh>}]), you are saying, "No, it's way too expensive!"

In a real market, the vendor will likely smile, pretend to be slightly heartbroken, and offer a middle ground rather than dropping straight to half price. They might say:

Լավ, ձեզ համար՝ ութ հազար դրամ (Lav, dzez hamar: ut hazar dram—Okay, for you: eight thousand dram).

Since we want to make sure you have all these useful words ready, let's look at the document option we mentioned earlier.

To keep our momentum going, would you like me to keep a running document of these conversational phrases and vocabulary that you can copy and save as we transition over to ordering in restaurants?

Yes, please keep a running document of the phrases

I am on it! Keeping a personalized phrasebook is the single best way to lock in what you learn. Let's get that document started right here.

DOC

Document:My Yerevan Market & Café Phrasebook

Now that you have your market survival guide saved, let's head down the street into a busy Yerevan café to master restaurant-specific interactions. Once you are seated, you will want to catch the waiter's eye. A very natural and polite way to ask for the menu is: Մենյուն կբերե՞ք ()

Once you have enjoyed your coffee or meal, the next big hurdle is getting the bill so you can keep moving. In Armenian, to ask "Could you bring the bill, please?", you say: Հաշիվը կբերե՞ք ()

Let's see how this feels in action. Imagine you have just finished a delicious plate of gata at a local café.

How would you wave over the waiter and ask for the bill using our new phrase?

Հաշիվը կբերե՞ք

Armenian Language

LV 1

Skills

Spot on! Հաշիվը կբերե՞ք is exactly what you need to say to wrap up a great meal. When you ask for the bill, the waiter will likely smile and head off to fetch it. To make the interaction even warmer, you can respond with a polite (Yes) or (Okay) as they head over, showing that you are fully following the flow of the interaction.

Now that you have navigated shops, handled bargaining like a pro, and successfully ordered and paid at a café, you have officially conquered the essentials of shopping and dining!

Are you ready to continue to the third step of our learning path, Family and Personal Life Updates, where we will learn how to catch up with relatives and share simple details about your daily life?

Continue to family and personal life updates

Let's make the leap into family and personal life updates! In Armenian culture, checking in on family is a vital part of any warm, natural greeting.

The Armenian Family Circle

When you catch up with a friend or a relative, you will want to ask how their family is doing. Before we jump into those phrases, let's lock down the core vocabulary for the people in your life.

Family Member	Armenian	Phonetics
Family	Ընտանիք	entaniq
Parents	Ծնողներ	tsnoghner
Brother	Եղբայր	yeghbayr
Sister	Քույր	quyr
Friend	Ընկեր	ynker

Notice how friend, ընկեր (ynker), shares the table with close family. In Armenia, a close friend is often treated with the same warmth and loyalty as a sibling, making this word central to daily catch-ups.

Let's see how these words start coming together when you ask someone, "How is your family?" To ask this casually to a friend, you say: Ինչպե՞ս է ընտանիքդ ()

Let's start integrating this into your spoken flow. Imagine you run into a close friend on the street in Yerevan.

How would you say, "Hello! How are you? How is your family?" combining what you already know with our new phrase?