You do not need to speak Armenian to travel in Armenia, but a few words change how a trip feels. A greeting in Armenian at a guesthouse door, a thank-you to the woman selling dried fruit at the market, a toast you can actually join: these small efforts are noticed, and they are almost always met with a smile and often with a correction offered kindly.
This guide uses Eastern Armenian, the form of the language spoken in the Republic of Armenia. Armenian has its own alphabet, created by Mesrop Mashtots in the early 5th century and counting 39 letters today, so every entry below gives the Armenian spelling, a Latin transliteration and a simple pronunciation guide with the stressed syllable in capitals. The transliteration is approximate, because several Armenian sounds have no exact English equivalent. Close is good enough.
What are the most useful Armenian words for travelers?
If you learn only a handful, make them barev dzez (hello), shnorhakalutyun (thank you), khndrem (please / you're welcome), ayo and voch (yes and no), and kenats (cheers). Those cover the door, the shop, the table and the toast, which is most of a traveler's day. The full list of 25 adds food and drink, directions, shopping and a few phrases for talking with people.
The basics of politeness
1. Բարև ձեզ — Barev dzez (ba-REV dzez) — Hello
The polite greeting, safe with anyone you do not know: hosts, drivers, shop staff, older people. Dzez is the respectful "you". With friends, children and people your own age you will hear the short form barev (Բարև), and it is fine to answer in kind once someone uses it with you.
2. Շնորհակալություն — Shnorhakalutyun (shnor-ha-ka-lu-TYUN) — Thank you
The standard word, and the longest one on this list. Take it in pieces and put the weight on the last syllable. Armenians know it is a mouthful, which is why you will constantly hear the borrowed merci (մերսի) in everyday speech. Use merci if you get stuck, but the full word is the one that earns the smile.
3. Խնդրեմ — Khndrem (khən-DREM) — Please / You're welcome
One word doing several jobs. It is what people say back when you thank them, and what a waiter says when handing you a plate, much like "here you are". To ask for something politely, the usual form is khndrum em (խնդրում եմ), literally "I ask", which appears again in entries 13 and 18.
4. Այո / Ոչ — Ayo / Voch (a-YO / voch) — Yes / No
The standard pair, understood everywhere. In relaxed conversation you will more often hear ha (հա) for yes and che (չէ) for no. With strangers, ayo and voch are the polite choice; a bare ha can sound a little offhand.
5. Ցտեսություն — Tstesutyun (tste-su-TYUN) — Goodbye
The standard farewell, built on the idea of "until we see each other". The cluster at the start is easier than it looks: say "ts" as in "cats" and go straight on. In shops and among friends you will also hear hajoghutyun (հաջողություն), literally "good luck", used as a casual goodbye.
6. Ներեցեք — Neretsek (ne-re-TSEK) — Sorry / Excuse me
The polite form for apologizing, for getting past someone in a crowded market aisle, and for getting a stranger's attention before a question. Start with neretsek, then ask: it softens any request, however little Armenian follows it.
Eating, drinking and Armenian hospitality
7. Կենաց — Kenats (ke-NATS) — Cheers
The word that ends every toast, meaning roughly "to life". Armenian meals with guests usually involve a series of toasts, often led by one person at the table, and each closes with glasses raised and kenats. You do not need to make a speech; joining in with the word is enough. To toast one person directly, people say kenatsd (կենացդ), "to yours".
8. Ջուր — Jur (jur) — Water
Short, and needed every day. Armenians are proud of their water, and in Yerevan you can drink from the small public fountains called pulpulak found on streets and in parks. In a restaurant, asking for jur usually prompts the question of still or sparkling.
9. Հաց — Hats (hats) — Bread
The general word for bread of any kind. Lavash is one specific bread, the thin flatbread baked against the wall of a clay oven, and it arrives at almost every table. The word also stands for a meal as a whole: an invitation to "eat bread" is an invitation to sit down and eat properly.
10. Գինի — Gini (gi-NI) — Wine
Worth knowing in a country where winemaking goes back around six thousand years, as the finds at the Areni-1 cave show. On menus and in the wine bars of Yerevan it is the word to look for; red is karmir gini and white is spitak gini.
11. Սուրճ — Surch (surch) — Coffee
Armenian coffee is finely ground, brewed in a small long-handled pot and served in a small cup with the grounds settled at the bottom. You will be offered it in homes, guesthouses and offices, usually with the question of how sweet you want it. Accepting a cup is an easy way to be a good guest.
12. Համեղ է — Hamegh e (ha-MEGH e) — It's delicious
The compliment a cook hopes to hear. Add shat (շատ, "very") in front for shat hamegh e, "it's very delicious". In a family guesthouse, where the food is often the host's own cooking, this is the single most appreciated thing you can say at the table.
13. Հաշիվը, խնդրում եմ — Hashivy, khndrum em (ha-SHI-və, khən-DRUM em) — The bill, please
Hashiv is the bill, the ending makes it "the bill", and khndrum em is the polite "please" from entry 3. In Armenian restaurants the bill is normally brought only when you ask for it, so this phrase saves a long wait at the end of a meal.
Getting around and shopping
14. Որտե՞ղ է… — Vortegh e…? (vor-TEGH e) — Where is…?
Put the place after it: Vortegh e zugarany? (where is the toilet?), or simply the phrase followed by a name on your map. People tend to answer with gestures as well as words, and frequently by walking part of the way with you.
15. Զուգարան — Zugaran (zu-ga-RAN) — Toilet
The word you will see on signs and the one to use when asking. Combined with entry 14 it makes the most practical question in any language. In cafés and restaurants you can also simply ask zugaran? with a questioning tone.
16. Ի՞նչ արժե — Inch arzhe? (inch ar-ZHE) — How much does it cost?
Useful at markets, souvenir stalls and small shops where prices are not displayed. Prices in shops and restaurants are fixed. At a market stall or the weekend Vernissage market in Yerevan a little friendly negotiation is normal, but it is not expected everywhere.
17. Թանկ է — Tank e (tank e) — It's expensive
The natural reply when a price surprises you, said with a smile rather than as a complaint. At a market it may open a short negotiation; in a shop it is simply an observation. Its opposite is ezhan e (էժան է), "it's cheap".
18. Կանգնեք, խնդրում եմ — Kangnek, khndrum em (kang-NEK, khən-DRUM em) — Stop, please
What you say to a taxi or minibus driver when you want to get out. Kangnek is the polite form of "stop". On a marshrutka, the shared minibus that links towns and suburbs, passengers call out kangarum kangnek (կանգառում կանգնեք), "stop at the stop", shortly before theirs.
19. Ձախ / Աջ / Ուղիղ — Dzakh / Aj / Ughigh (dzakh / aj / u-GHIGH) — Left / Right / Straight
Three small words that make directions understandable, whether you are following someone's answer to "where is…?" or guiding a taxi driver to your guesthouse. Aj also turns up in the phrase for "on the right", aj koghmum.
Talking with people
20. Անգլերեն խոսո՞ւմ եք — Angleren khosum ek? (an-gle-REN kho-SUM ek) — Do you speak English?
The polite way to check before switching languages, and a better start than simply beginning in English. In Yerevan, and among younger people and those working in tourism, the answer is often yes. In villages and with older people it is more often no, and Russian is the more common second language.
21. Չեմ հասկանում — Chem haskanum (chem has-ka-NUM) — I don't understand
The honest phrase that keeps a conversation from running ahead of you. Armenians tend to answer a foreigner's greeting with a friendly flood of Armenian; this lets you slow things down without embarrassment on either side.
22. Իմ անունը … է — Im anuny … e (im a-NU-nə … e) — My name is…
Put your name in the gap: Im anuny Anna e. Literally "my name Anna is", with the verb at the end, which is the normal Armenian order. To ask someone else, the polite question is Dzer anuny inch e? (Ձեր անունը ի՞նչ է), "what is your name?"
23. Շատ հաճելի է — Shat hacheli e (shat ha-che-LI e) — Nice to meet you
Literally "it is very pleasant". The natural thing to say after exchanging names with a guide, a driver or a host, and suitable in any setting, formal or relaxed.
24. Ինչպե՞ս եք — Inchpes ek? (inch-PES ek) — How are you?
The polite form, right for anyone you would greet with barev dzez. Among friends the everyday version is vonts es? (ո՞նց ես). Expect a real answer rather than a formula; the question is taken as genuine interest.
25. Լավ եմ — Lav em (lav em) — I'm fine
The simple reply, literally "I am good". Add thanks for lav em, shnorhakalutyun, and return the question with isk duk? (իսկ դո՞ւք), "and you?"
A final note on Armenian pronunciation
A few sounds are worth a moment. Kh, as in khndrem, is the rough sound at the end of Scottish "loch" or German "Bach". Gh, as in hamegh, is its voiced partner, close to a French "r". Ts and dz are single sounds, as in "cats" and "adze". J is the "j" of "jam", ch the "ch" of "church", sh as in "ship" and zh the "s" of "measure". U is always "oo" and i always "ee". The symbol ə in the pronunciation guides is the unstressed vowel of "about", which slips between consonants in words such as khndrem.
Stress almost always falls on the last syllable, which is why the capitals in the guides sit at the end of the word. Armenian also distinguishes pairs of consonants, such as two kinds of "t" and "k", that sound alike to most visitors; mixing them up will not stop anyone understanding you. Notice, too, that an Armenian question mark (՞) is written above the stressed vowel of the question word rather than at the end of the sentence. None of this needs to be perfect. An approximate word offered with goodwill does the job.
For everything else about planning the trip, see our Ultimate Guide to Traveling to Armenia, or browse our private Armenia tours. If your journey continues north, the companion list of 25 essential Georgian words and phrases covers the other side of the border.
