Common Armenian Phrases for Travel

Traveling to Armenia? Beyond greetings, here are the phrases that actually come up in day-to-day situations — restaurants, directions, and shopping.

At a restaurant or café

• Մենյուն, խնդրում եմ (men-yun, khən-drum em) — The menu, please
• Ես կուզենայի... (yes ku-ze-na-yi...) — I would like...
• Հաշիվը, խնդրում եմ (ha-shi-və, khən-drum em) — The check, please
• Շատ համեղ էր (shat ha-megh er) — It was very tasty

Asking for directions

• Ներողություն, որտե՞ղ է... (ne-ro-ghu-tyun, vor-tegh e...) — Excuse me, where is...
• Ինչպե՞ս հասնել այնտեղ (inch-pes has-nel ayn-tegh) — How do I get there?
• Հեռու՞ է (he-ru e) — Is it far?
• Ձախ / աջ / ուղիղ (dzakh / aj / u-ghigh) — Left / right / straight ahead

Shopping and prices

• Ինչքա՞ն արժե (inch-kan ar-zhe) — How much does it cost?
• Սա շատ թանկ է (sa shat t'ank e) — This is very expensive
• Կարո՞ղ եմ նայել (ka-rogh em na-yel) — Can I take a look?
• Վերցնում եմ սա (verts-num em sa) — I'll take this

Basic needs

• Ինձ օգնություն է պետք (indz og-nu-tyun e petk') — I need help
• Ես հասկանում եմ (yes has-ka-num em) — I understand
• Ես չեմ հասկանում (yes chem has-ka-num) — I don't understand
• Կարո՞ղ եք դանդաղ խոսել (ka-rogh ek dan-dagh kho-sel) — Can you speak slowly?

The one phrase that unlocks the rest

Ինչպե՞ս է դա հայերենով (inch-pes e da ha-ye-ren-ov) — "How do you say that in Armenian?" — is arguably the single most useful phrase you can carry, since it turns any unfamiliar object or situation into a mini vocabulary lesson on the spot.

Get the pronunciation right before you go

Reading these phonetically is a starting point, but Armenian has a few sounds — like the difference between plain and "puffed" consonants — that are easy to mispronounce without hearing them first. Our pronunciation guide covers exactly these trouble spots, and pairing that with essential greetings will get you further than a phrasebook alone.