Learn Armenian, for Indians
Whether you have already landed in Yerevan, are about to, or simply want to know what the language is like — this is where to start. Everything here is in English, and the course itself is free.
Who ends up on this page
Students at Armenian universities, who arrive for an English-taught degree and discover the rest of life is not in English. Workers and families who have moved to Yerevan and need the language for landlords, banks and paperwork. People still at the planning stage, trying to work out how hard this is going to be. And a few people who simply find the alphabet beautiful, which is a perfectly good reason.
The first group is the biggest, and has its own page with the phrases and the first-month plan: Armenian for Indian students.
What you are actually taking on
Armenian has its own alphabet, invented in 405 AD and used for nothing else. That sounds intimidating and is the easiest part: 39 letters, one sound each, no conjunct forms, no inherent vowel. Coming from Devanagari or Tamil script, the mechanics will feel straightforward — it is a true alphabet rather than an abugida.
The grammar has noun cases, which is familiar territory if you speak Hindi, Marathi or Sanskrit, and unfamiliar if you have only worked in English. Word order is flexible for the same reason.
And Armenian is Indo-European, like Hindi, Bengali and Punjabi. Not close enough to guess your way through a sentence, but close enough that some of the oldest words — mother, father, two, new — are visibly related once someone points them out.
Ten words to start with
Eastern Armenian, the standard spoken in Armenia.
| Armenian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| Բարև | barev | Hi |
| Շնորհակալություն | shnorhakalutyun | Thank you |
| Այո | ayo | Yes |
| Ոչ | voch | No |
| Ջուր | jur | Water |
| Հաց | hats | Bread |
| Լավ | lav | Good / okay |
| Ինչքա՞ն | inchkan | How much? |
| Ես | yes | I |
| Դուք | duk | You (polite) |
"Yes" in Armenian means "I". It is the first false friend every English speaker trips over, so you may as well trip over it now.
Where to start, in order
- 1The alphabet firstEverything else is faster once the script is not a wall. A few days of short sessions is enough to read slowly.
- 2Then sounds, not spellingsA few Armenian consonants are distinctions English does not make. Hearing them early saves re-learning later.
- 3Then the phrases you will really sayShops, directions, prices, greetings. Use them out loud in real situations as early as you can stand to.
- 4Then the course, daily and shortHaylingua runs from complete beginner upward, in short lessons built around exactly this: being understood in ordinary situations.
Common questions
Is Haylingua free?
The course is free to use. There is a paid tier with extra features, and pricing differs depending on where you are — you will see the right price for your country on the pricing page.
Is the course in Hindi?
Not yet. The app's interface is available in English and several other languages, and these guides are written in English. Hindi is something we will add if there is demand for it.
Eastern or Western Armenian?
Haylingua teaches Eastern Armenian, the standard spoken in Armenia and what you will hear in Yerevan.
I am still in India. Is it worth starting before I move?
Yes, and the alphabet is the part to do first. Arriving already able to read signs and labels changes the first month enormously, and it is the easiest piece to learn without anyone to practise with.
How long does it take to hold a basic conversation?
That depends entirely on practice, and anyone quoting you a number is guessing. A realistic framing: the alphabet in days, survival phrases in weeks, simple conversation in months of short daily practice.
Start with the alphabet
Thirty-nine letters, one sound each. It is the fastest week you will spend on this language.