Month 6. At the train station
Six months in Georgia! Today Nino and I wait for Giorgi at Tbilisi station. He comes back from a rugby camp, and the platform is full of people.
Today: how the verb itself says "me", "you" and "us".
LIMBA audio course · Georgian
Hear it, then say it: learn to speak Georgian
- 37 audio lessons
- about 13 minutes each
- explained in simple English
This written course gives you the grammar, the words and the script. The LIMBA audio course trains your ear and your mouth: you listen, you repeat, you answer — the perfect complement to these lessons.
Download the Georgian audio courseOrder form · your download link arrives by email▶ Listen to lesson 1 for free
1Sam’s diary
2Dialogue
Nino
სემ, გიორგის ხედავ?sem, giorgis khedav?Sam, can you see Giorgi?
Sam
არა, ვერ ვხედავ. ძალიან ბევრი ხალხია.ara, ver vkhedav. dzalian bevri khalkhia.No, I can't see him. There are so many people.
Giorgi
ნინო, სად ხართ? ვერ გხედავთ!nino, sad khart? ver gkhedavt!(on the phone) Nino, where are you? I can't see you!
Nino
ჩვენ შენ გხედავთ! საათთან ვართ.chven shen gkhedavt! saattan vart.We can see you! We're by the clock.
Giorgi
ჰო, ახლა მეც გხედავთ! მოვდივარ.ho, akhla mets gkhedavt! movdivar.Oh yes, now I see you too! I'm coming.
Giorgi
სემ, მიცნობ? წვერი მაქვს!sem, mitsnob? ts'veri makvs!Sam, do you recognise me? I've got a beard!
Sam
გიცნობ, გიცნობ! ძალიან გიხდება.gitsnob, gitsnob! dzalian gikhdeba.Of course I know you! It really suits you.
Giorgi
მომენატრე! წავიდეთ სახლში.momenat're! ts'avidet sakhlshi.I missed you! Let's go home.
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ხალხი | khalkhi | people, a crowd |
| გხედავთ | gkhedavt | I see you (all); we see you |
| მიცნობ? | mitsnob? | do you know me? do you recognise me? |
| გიცნობ | gitsnob | I know you |
| წვერი | ts'veri | beard |
| გიხდება | gikhdeba | it suits you |
| მომენატრე! | momenat're! | I missed you! |
| მეძებს | medzebs | he/she is looking for me |
How to read the pronunciation
The pronunciation is written in English letters, following Georgia’s official romanization. Say every letter: a as in father, e as in pet, i as in machine, o as in port, u as in rule; r is rolled; g is always hard; kh as in Scottish loch; gh a soft gargled g, like a French r; sh as in shop; zh like the s in pleasure; ch as in church; ts as in cats; dz as in adze; j as in jam. An apostrophe marks a “popped” consonant, said with a little click in the throat and no puff of air: k’, p’, t’, ts’, ch’, q’ (q’ is made deep in the throat). Without an apostrophe, k, p, t, ts, ch have a small puff of air. Use the Pronunciation button at the top to hide or show it.
4Grammar and explanations
"Me" and "you" are inside the verb
In English, "me" and "you" are separate words. In Georgian, they are a small prefix at the front of the verb:
| prefix | meaning | example | |
|---|---|---|---|
| მ-m- | me | მხედავსmkhedavs | he sees me |
| გ-g- | you | გხედავსgkhedavs | he sees you |
| გვ-gv- | us | გვხედავსgvkhedavs | he sees us |
| გ- … -თg- … -t | you (plural or polite) | გხედავთgkhedavt | he sees you |
| (nothing) | him, her, them | ხედავსkhedavs | he sees him |
The words მეme, შენshen, ჩვენchven can be added for emphasis, but the verb alone is enough: მხედავსmkhedavs is a whole sentence.
I see you: ვv- disappears
"I see him" is ვხედავvkhedav, but "I see you" is გხედავgkhedav: when the verb already has გg- (you), the ვv- of "I" disappears. So გხედავgkhedav can only mean "I see you".
| who sees whom | |
|---|---|
| გხედავgkhedav | I see you |
| მხედავmkhedav | you see me |
| გვხედავgvkhedav | you see us |
| მხედავსmkhedavs | he/she sees me |
| მხედავენmkhedaven | they see me |
| გვხედავენgvkhedaven | they see us |
The ending -თt shows a plural, but it does not tell you whose: გხედავთgkhedavt can mean "we see you" or "I see you all". The context decides.
Other verbs, same pattern
მიცნობ?mitsnob?me-you-know?Do you know me?
გიცნობ.gitsnob.you-I-knowI know you.
ვინ მეძებს?vin medzebs?who me-looks-for?Who is looking for me?
გეძებ!gedzeb!you-I-look-forI'm looking for you!
ნუ მტოვებ!nu mt'oveb!don't me-you-leaveDon't leave me!
5Good to know
The official Georgian grammar for learners lists exactly these forms at level B1: მხატავსmkhat'avs, გხატავსgkhat'avs, ხატავსkhat'avs (he draws me, you, him) and მტოვებსmt'ovebs, გვტოვებსgvt'ovebs, გტოვებსgt'ovebs (he leaves me, us, you).
მომენატრეmomenat're! ("I missed you!") is what Georgian friends say when they meet again. It works like მიყვარსmiq'vars: მm- is the one who misses (me), and the ending -ეe is the person missed (you).
6Exercises
Choose an answer for each question, then press Check my answers. Score 70% or more and the lesson is ticked on your course map.
- "He sees me" is…
- "I see you" is…
- "They see us" is…
- What does მიცნობmitsnob? mean?
- "I'm looking for you!" is…
- გხედავთgkhedavt can mean…
- "Don't leave me!" is…
- "Who is looking for me?" is…
- "I missed you!" is…
- What does წვერიts'veri mean?
Well done! Lesson 101 is ticked on your course map.
Say it, then write it
Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
- Say "I see you!"
Show the answer
გხედავ!gkhedav! - Ask a friend "Do you see me?"
Show the answer
მხედავ?mkhedav? - Ask "Who is looking for me?"
Show the answer
ვინ მეძებს?vin medzebs? - Say "I know you!"
Show the answer
გიცნობ!gitsnob! - Say "They see us."
Show the answer
გვხედავენ.gvkhedaven.
Lesson finished? Now train your ear
Speak Georgian with the 37 LIMBA audio lessons
- 37 audio lessons
- about 13 minutes each
- explained in simple English
This written course gives you the grammar, the words and the script. The LIMBA audio course trains your ear and your mouth: you listen, you repeat, you answer — the perfect complement to these lessons.
Download the Georgian audio courseOrder form · your download link arrives by email▶ Listen to lesson 1 for free