Language/Armenian/Vocabulary/Survival-vocabulary
Studies estimate that about 95% of Armenians understand a minimum of Russian. You will see during your trip to Armenia that many signs are still written in this language, but sometimes in English, in addition to Armenian.
The Armenian language
Armenian is the only official language of the country, and uses an alphabet of its own. The difficulty of learning Armenian lies in the fact that, on the one hand, the East and West of the country use different forms of language, just like the emigrants of the Armenian diaspora, who speak a different language. Armenian quite different from the one spoken in the country. It is therefore also complex for us to offer you a complete and above all exact lexicon. For want of anything better, know that in order to pronounce Armenian, you have to place the tonic accent almost always on the last syllable.
The use of Russian
Since the fall of the Soviet bloc and the independence of Armenia in 1991, the de-Russification process in the country has been one of the most effective in the former bloc of East. Nevertheless, the teaching of Russian was so important that a vast majority of the population still speaks this language. Knowing very little Armenian, the author of the present lexicon has chosen to offer you a complete list in Russian, but it is up to you to learn more Armenian before your trip.
The place of other languages
Since 1991, more and more Armenians have learned the English language, and its popularity is increasing. It is estimated that about 40% of the population has the basics of English. Many minority languages remain in the country, such as Kurdish or Azeri. European languages are also enjoying a certain popularity, including French thanks to the presence of the French University in Armenia. The country is also a member of the International Organization of La Francophonie.
Basic Expressions / Common Words
| Armenian | English |
| Barev / bari irikoun | Hello good night |
| Yes haskanum yem/Yes ch’yem haskanum | I understand / I do not understand |
| Néroghoutioun | sorry |
| Tsetessoutioun | Goodbye |
| Bari galoust / Pari yegak | welcome |
| Chenorhakal ém | Thank you (very much) |
| Neroġout'ioun / Khntrem | Excuse me / SVP |
| Fransiatsi ém | I am French |
| My name is… | |
| No thanks | |
| Ayo / vosh | Yes No |
| Khntrem | You're welcome |
transport network
| Armenian | English |
| Inqnat‘ir | Plane |
| Gnats‘q | Train |
| Avtobus | Bus |
| Meqena | Car |
| Hetsaniv | Bike |
directions
| Armenian | English |
| Bank | Bank |
| Hyuranots | Hotel |
| Hivandanots | Hospital |
| zax / aj | Left right |
| Hyusis/harav/arevelq/arevmutq | North South East West |
numbers
| Armenian | English |
| mek, erkow, ereq, chors, hing, vec, yot, owt, iny, tas | one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine and ten |
| kessan, yéréssoun, karassoun, hissoun, vatsoun | twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty |
| yotanassoun, outssoun, inessoun | seventy, eighty, ninety |
| hariur | hundred |
Schedules / Dates and days
| Armenian | English |
| What time is it ? | |
| Yerb ? | When? |
| Yerek | Yesterday |
| Aysor (ar‘avot/kessor/yereko) | Today (morning / noon / evening) |
| Vaghë | Tomorrow |
| yerkushabti, yérékchabti, tchorékchabti, hingchabti, ourbat, chabat, kiraki | Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday |
Health / Emergency / Security
| Armenian | French |
| Vostikanut‘yun | Police |
| Vtang | Danger |