Is it realistic to hit A2 proficiency for a trip to Yerevan in two months?

u/Hagop_Yerevanci_LocalTeacher / Jun 2, 2026 / 42 upvotes

A2 in two months is ambitious but doable for survival. Forget the complex case endings for now; nobody will care if your genitive is off when you're ordering a lahmajun. Focus entirely on the present tense and the 'verb-particle' structure. Practice the 'input-output' drill: record yourself saying 'Yes uzum em...' (I want...) followed by various nouns from a Yerevan menu. The biggest trap is trying to learn the full Armenian alphabet (Mesrop Mashtots' script) while also learning to speak. If you only have two months, focus heavily on transliteration for your daily travel needs and use the script only for reading signs. Locals will be thrilled you’re trying, even if your grammar is 'broken'.

u/Sarah_Lingua_PronunciationCoach / Jun 2, 2026 / 35 upvotes

If you're worried about grammar, shift your energy to phonology instead. If your grammar is slightly off, locals will understand you as long as your vowels are clear. If your consonants are 'mushy' (specifically the difference between aspirated and unaspirated stops), they might not understand you even with perfect grammar. Spend 15 minutes a day doing 'minimal pair' drills with audio—distinguishing between sounds like 't' and 't'' (the aspirated version). For your trip, just drill the 'Survival Triptych': 1. Greeting, 2. 'I want X', 3. 'How much is it?'. Keep it simple. You don't need the full case system to survive, you need the confidence to open your mouth without worrying about ending your words correctly.

u/PolyglotPat_AdvancedLearner / Jun 2, 2026 / 28 upvotes

I wouldn't stress about case endings (gortsiakan, haytsakan, etc.) for a short trip. You’ll just freeze up mid-sentence. My advice: memorize 'chunked' phrases. Don't learn 'where' (vortegh) plus the verb 'is' (e), just memorize 'Vortegh e...?' as a single unit. Also, be careful with the dialect trap. Most language apps teach Eastern Armenian (what you'll hear in Yerevan), but if you accidentally pick a Western Armenian resource, the pronunciation of consonants (like b/p/p') will confuse locals. Stick to Eastern resources like the AypAben app or specific Yerevan-dialect YouTube channels. Use the remaining time to drill basic numbers, as that’s the one area where ‘meaning’ isn’t enough if you get the price wrong!