I Can Be With You, but Not in Armenian

When the Apostle Paul was in Corinth, says the Bible, one night the Lord appeared to him in a vision and said: “Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; for I am with you (...)” (Acts 18:9-10). Because God implied that he was spiritually together with his apostle, the Western Armenian translation of “I am with you” has been rendered as follows: «Ես քեզի հետ եմ (...)» (Yes kezi hed em).

We all know that if you are physically together with your friend, you would probably say, “I’m with you,” e.g. “I go with you.” In this case, you can obviously say “Yes kezi hed em.”

We also know that if you are in agreement with your friend about something, you would probably say, “I’m with you,” e.g., “I agree with you.” To be with someone, at least in the Armenian language, always implies a relation of togetherness, either physical or spiritual. If you want to tell your friend in California that you agree with his views over the phone from New York, and you say “Yes kezi hed em,” your friend will probably look around to see where you are.

The puzzle is solved when you think in Armenian and say: «Ես համաձայն եմ քեզի հետ» (Yes hamatzayn em kezi hed), e.g. “I’m in agreement with you” or “I agree with you.”  By adding the crucial word hamatzayn (literally “agreeable”), you will have replaced Armenian “thought” in English by Armenian thought in Armenian. And your friend in California will not be looking around for you.