How to Introduce Yourself in Armenian (With Sample Dialogue)

Being able to introduce yourself in Armenian is one of the most satisfying early wins. You will use it with neighbours, classmates, taxi drivers, your partner's relatives and pretty much everyone you meet in Armenia. And because people ask the same few questions every time, a small set of phrases covers most first conversations.

This guide walks through your name, where you are from, what you do, your age and the languages you speak, then puts it all together in a short dialogue. In the transliteration, ə stands for the short neutral vowel ը.

First, formal or informal?

Armenian has two words for "you": դու (du) for one person you know well, and դուք (duk) for several people or for being polite. When you meet someone new, especially someone older, use the polite form. The verb changes too: informal questions end in ես (es) and polite ones in եք (ek).

Start with a greeting:

• Բարև ձեզ (barev dzez) – hello (polite)
• Բարև (barev) – hi (informal)

How to introduce yourself in Armenian: your name

• Իմ անունը Մարկ է (im anunə Mark e) – my name is Mark
• Անունս Մարկ է (anuns Mark e) – my name's Mark (a bit more casual)
• Իմ ազգանունը Սմիթ է (im azganunə Smit e) – my surname is Smith

To ask someone's name:

• Ձեր անունն ի՞նչ է (dzer anunn inch e) – what is your name? (polite)
• Անունդ ի՞նչ է (anund inch e) – what's your name? (informal)

After names are exchanged, people say:

• Շատ հաճելի է (shat hacheli e) – nice to meet you (literally "very pleasant")
• Ինձ նույնպես (indz nuynpes) – likewise

Where you are from

• Որտեղի՞ց եք (vorteghits ek) – where are you from? (polite)
• Որտեղի՞ց ես (vorteghits es) – where are you from? (informal)

To answer, add -ից (-its), meaning "from", to the name of your country. Countries ending in -ա take -յից (-yits):

• Ես Հնդկաստանից եմ (yes hndkastanits em) – I'm from India
• Ես Ֆրանսիայից եմ (yes fransiayits em) – I'm from France
• Ես ապրում եմ Երևանում (yes aprum em yerevanum) – I live in Yerevan

If you are from the diaspora, these are handy too:

• Ես հայ եմ (yes hay em) – I'm Armenian
• Ծնվել եմ Փարիզում (tsnvel em parizum) – I was born in Paris
• Մայրս հայ է (mayrs hay e) – my mother is Armenian

What you do

• Ինչո՞վ եք զբաղվում (inchov ek zbaghvum) – what do you do?
• Ես ուսանող եմ (yes usanogh em) – I'm a student
• Ես սովորում եմ բժշկական համալսարանում (yes sovorum em bzhshkakan hamalsaranum) – I study at the medical university
• Ես բժիշկ եմ (yes bzhishk em) – I'm a doctor

Armenian has no word for "a" or "an" in sentences like these, so "I'm a doctor" is simply "I doctor am". The verb եմ (em), meaning "am", usually comes at the end.

Your age

• Քանի՞ տարեկան եք (kani tarekan ek) – how old are you? (polite)
• Ես քսաներկու տարեկան եմ (yes ksanerku tarekan em) – I'm twenty-two

Languages

Sooner or later someone will ask about your Armenian, so these are worth having ready:

• Ես սովորում եմ հայերեն (yes sovorum em hayeren) – I'm learning Armenian
• Ես մի քիչ հայերեն եմ խոսում (yes mi kich hayeren em khosum) – I speak a little Armenian
• Խոսո՞ւմ եք անգլերեն (khosum ek angleren) – do you speak English?
• Դանդաղ խոսեք, խնդրում եմ (dandagh khosek, khndrum em) – please speak slowly
• Չհասկացա (chhaskatsa) – I didn't understand

A sample dialogue

Rahul is a medical student who has just moved into a flat in Yerevan. He meets his neighbour Mariam on the stairs.

• Mariam: Բարև ձեզ։ Դուք նոր հարևա՞ն եք։ (barev dzez. duk nor harevan ek?) – Hello. Are you the new neighbour?
• Rahul: Այո։ Իմ անունը Ռահուլ է։ (ayo. im anunə Rahul e.) – Yes. My name is Rahul.
• Mariam: Շատ հաճելի է։ Իմ անունը Մարիամ է։ Որտեղի՞ց եք։ (shat hacheli e. im anunə Mariam e. vorteghits ek?) – Nice to meet you. My name is Mariam. Where are you from?
• Rahul: Ես Հնդկաստանից եմ։ Սովորում եմ բժշկական համալսարանում։ (yes hndkastanits em. sovorum em bzhshkakan hamalsaranum.) – I'm from India. I study at the medical university.
• Mariam: Ինչ լավ է։ Հայերեն խոսո՞ւմ եք։ (inch lav e. hayeren khosum ek?) – How nice. Do you speak Armenian?
• Rahul: Մի քիչ։ Սովորում եմ։ (mi kich. sovorum em.) – A little. I'm learning.
• Mariam: Շատ լավ եք խոսում։ (shat lav ek khosum.) – You speak very well.
• Rahul: Շնորհակալություն։ (shnorhakalutyun.) – Thank you.

Notice that Rahul drops ես (yes), "I", in some sentences. The verb ending already shows who is speaking, so Armenians often leave the pronoun out.

Tips for your first introductions

• Write a short script about yourself, five or six sentences, and practise it out loud until it feels natural.
• Learn the questions as well as the answers. Recognising vorteghits ek when someone says it quickly matters as much as saying your own lines.
• Expect follow-up questions about family, why you are in Armenia and how you like it. A smile and Շատ եմ սիրում Հայաստանը (shat em sirum hayastanə) – I really love Armenia, usually goes down well.

If you want to build on this with audio, speaking practice and a clear path from beginner level upwards, Haylingua has Eastern Armenian courses made for people living in Armenia and for the diaspora.