Travel phrases

Essential Armenian travel phrases

Pack the words that matter. These are the 34 Armenian phrases that actually come up on a trip, from your first Բարև ձեզ to calling for help, grouped by situation and written with a simple pronunciation guide, and read aloud at the tap of a button. Chosen the way a Armenian speaker would choose them, which is why the list ends with the phrases you only hear once you are there.

Quick answer

The most useful Armenian travel phrases cover greetings, politeness, directions, food, and emergencies. Learn a handful first: Բարև ձեզ (hello), Խնդրում եմ (please), Շնորհակալություն (thank you), and Զուգարանը որտե՞ղ է (where's the toilet?). This free tool groups 34 Armenian phrases by situation, each with a plain-English pronunciation and a play button that reads it aloud. They are the phrases Armenian speakers really use, not an English list translated into Armenian, so the last block is the one a phrasebook never has: what locals say to each other.

Start here

The first 10 Armenian phrases to learn

The ones you need on day one. Tap play, say the phrase back until it sounds close, then say it along with the voice: that is shadowing, the drill interpreters train with.

  1. 1 Բարև ձեզ Hello bah-REV dzez To anyone you do not know; it is the plural you, so it fits a group too; among friends just "barev", often "barev jan"
  2. 2 Հաջող Bye, good luck hah-JOGH The everyday goodbye, short for hajoghutyun, good luck: to friends, to a shopkeeper, to the taxi driver as you get out
  3. 3 Բարի լույս Good morning bah-REE LOOYS The morning greeting until about noon, to anyone; answer with the same words
  4. 4 Ինչպե՞ս եք How are you (formal)? inch-PES yek Answered "lav em, shnorhakalutyun"; between friends it is "vonts es" or just "inch ka"
  5. 5 Ցտեսություն Goodbye tsuh-teh-soo-TYOON The full form; friends clip it to "tstes" or say "hajogh"
  6. 6 Շնորհակալություն Thank you shnor-hah-kah-loo-TYOON The full, formal thanks; in daily life people say "mersi" instead
  7. 7 Խնդրում եմ Please khun-DROOM yem Tacked onto any request; the short "khndrem" is what you hear back for thanks, and it also means here you are or go ahead
  8. 8 Այո / Ոչ Yes / No ah-YOH / VOCH In everyday speech you will hear "ha" and "che" far more often
  9. 9 Ներողություն Sorry, excuse me neh-roh-ghoo-TYOON Both an apology and the way to stop a stranger; "kneres" is the informal one
  10. 10 Չեմ հասկանում I don't understand chem hahs-kah-NOOM
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All 34 phrases, grouped by situation.

Greetings

Բարև ձեզ Hello bah-REV dzez To anyone you do not know; it is the plural you, so it fits a group too; among friends just "barev", often "barev jan"
Հաջող Bye, good luck hah-JOGH The everyday goodbye, short for hajoghutyun, good luck: to friends, to a shopkeeper, to the taxi driver as you get out
Բարի լույս Good morning bah-REE LOOYS The morning greeting until about noon, to anyone; answer with the same words
Ինչպե՞ս եք How are you (formal)? inch-PES yek Answered "lav em, shnorhakalutyun"; between friends it is "vonts es" or just "inch ka"
Ցտեսություն Goodbye tsuh-teh-soo-TYOON The full form; friends clip it to "tstes" or say "hajogh"

Basics

Շնորհակալություն Thank you shnor-hah-kah-loo-TYOON The full, formal thanks; in daily life people say "mersi" instead
Խնդրում եմ Please khun-DROOM yem Tacked onto any request; the short "khndrem" is what you hear back for thanks, and it also means here you are or go ahead
Այո / Ոչ Yes / No ah-YOH / VOCH In everyday speech you will hear "ha" and "che" far more often
Ներողություն Sorry, excuse me neh-roh-ghoo-TYOON Both an apology and the way to stop a stranger; "kneres" is the informal one
Չեմ հասկանում I don't understand chem hahs-kah-NOOM
Անգլերեն խոսո՞ւմ եք Do you speak English? ahng-leh-REN khoh-SOOM yek Younger people in Yerevan usually do; with older people Russian works better

Getting around

Զուգարանը որտե՞ղ է Where's the toilet? zoo-gah-RAH-nuh vor-TEGH eh
Ինչպե՞ս հասնեմ կենտրոն How do I get to the centre? inch-PES hahs-NEM ken-TROHN Yerevan calls its middle kentron, and everything is walkable from there
Իջնում եմ I'm getting off eej-NOOM yem Say it in a marshrutka minibus and the driver pulls over at the next corner
Կանգնեք այստեղ, խնդրում եմ Stop here, please kahng-NEK ays-TEGH khun-DROOM yem To a taxi driver as you come up to the spot
Հեռո՞ւ է Is it far? heh-ROO eh The follow-up to directions; Yerevan answers in minutes on foot

Eating out

Շատ համով էր That was delicious shaht hah-MOV er Say it to whoever cooked or served; "hamov" is the spoken word, "hamegh" the written one
Ի՞նչ եք առաջարկում What do you recommend? eench yek ah-rah-jahr-KOOM
Մեկ սուրճ, խնդրում եմ One coffee, please mek soorch khun-DROOM yem Ordering "surch" gets Armenian coffee in a tiny cup, grounds and all
Հաշիվը, խնդրում եմ The bill, please hah-SHEE-vuh khun-DROOM yem
Բարի ախորժակ Enjoy your meal bah-REE ah-khor-ZHAHK Said by the waiter and by anyone walking past your table

Shopping

Ինչքա՞ն արժե How much is it? eench-KAHN ar-ZHEH
Շատ թանկ է That's too expensive shaht TAHNK eh Haggling is real at the Vernissage market and with taxis, nowhere else
Քարտով կարելի՞ է Can I pay by card? kar-TOV kah-reh-LEE eh Cards work across Yerevan; outside the city carry cash drams
Ես ուղղակի նայում եմ I'm just looking yes oo-ghah-KEE nah-YOOM yem

Emergencies

Օգնեցե՜ք Help! og-neh-TSEK The shout for real trouble; the emergency number in Armenia is 911
Շտապ օգնություն կանչեք Call an ambulance! shtahp og-noo-TYOON kahn-CHEK
Ոստիկանություն կանչեք Call the police vos-tee-kah-noo-TYOON kahn-CHEK
Ես մոլորվել եմ I'm lost yes moh-lor-VEL yem

Locals say

Ջան Dear, added to any name JAHN Tacked onto a name or a word to soften it; the most Armenian thing you can say
Մերսի Thanks mer-SEE Everyday thanks, borrowed from French; the long word is for formal moments
Կենաց Cheers! keh-NAHTS The toast; at a table one person gives a long toast and everyone drinks
Ապրես Well done, bless you ahp-RES Praise and thanks in one; "aprek" to a group or to anyone you address formally
Համեցեք Come in, help yourself hah-meh-TSEK Waves you through a door or to the table; the core of Armenian hospitality

How to get the most from these phrases

Learn by situation, not alphabetically. Your memory files Բարև ձեզ next to the moment you would use it, so run through the greetings before you fly, the restaurant block on the way to dinner, and the emergency block once so it is there if you ever need it.

The pronunciation guide is written the way an English speaker would read it aloud, with the stressed syllable in capitals. It is a crutch, not the real sound. Press play, listen once, then say the phrase back: the audio fixes the vowels that plain English spelling cannot capture. Once a phrase feels easy, say it together with the voice, a beat behind, the way interpreters drill: our guide to shadowing explains the sequence.

Phrases get you to the country. What gets you fluent is meeting the same words again and again in context, which is exactly what reading does. Once Խնդրում եմ and Շնորհակալություն feel automatic, the next step is a real Armenian sentence, then a page, then a book. That is the whole idea behind reading in Lingo7.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most important Armenian phrases for travel?

Start with greetings and politeness, then the phrases that solve a real problem: asking directions, ordering, paying, and getting help. On this page that is Բարև ձեզ (hello), Խնդրում եմ (please), Շնորհակալություն (thank you), Զուգարանը որտե՞ղ է (where's the toilet?), and Օգնեցե՜ք (help!). Learn those few and you can be polite and safe almost anywhere.

What do Armenian locals say that a phrasebook leaves out?

A phrasebook translates English, so it gives you the Armenian for "hello" and stops. The phrases people there actually trade all day are the ones with no English slot: Ջան (dear, added to any name), Մերսի (thanks), Կենաց (cheers!). The "Locals say" block on this page collects 5 of them and says when each one is used, which is usually what turns a correct sentence into a normal one.

What do these Armenian phrases sound like?

Tap the play button next to a phrase and you hear it read aloud, so you can copy the sound instead of guessing it from the spelling. The written pronunciation is a crutch for English eyes, the audio is the real thing. Play Բարև ձեզ and Շնորհակալություն a few times, say them back, and they come out right when it counts.

How do you say hello and thank you in Armenian?

In Armenian, hello is Բարև ձեզ (pronounced bah-REV dzez) and thank you is Շնորհակալություն (shnor-hah-kah-loo-TYOON). Add Խնդրում եմ (please) and Ցտեսություն (goodbye), and you have the words that carry most short exchanges with a shopkeeper, waiter, or stranger.

How do you ask where the toilet is in Armenian?

Ask Զուգարանը որտե՞ղ է (pronounced zoo-gah-RAH-nuh vor-TEGH eh), which means "where's the toilet?" in Armenian. If you only catch part of the reply, Չեմ հասկանում (I don't understand) and a smile usually gets it repeated or pointed out. It is one of the few phrases worth memorizing word for word before you go.

Do I need to learn Armenian before traveling?

No, but a dozen Armenian phrases go a long way. Locals warm up fast when you open with Բարև ձեզ and Շնորհակալություն instead of English. You do not need grammar or fluency for a trip, just the survival set above. For anything past that, the fastest route to real Armenian is reading, which is exactly what Lingo7 is built for.