Month 6. Birthday presents
It's my birthday, my first one in Georgia. After dinner, the table is covered with presents, and Nino wants to know who gave me what.
Today: give, take and receive.
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, ეს ქუდი ვინ მოგცა?sem, es kudi vin mogtsa?Sam, who gave you this hat?
Sam
ქუდი გიორგიმ მომცა, ეს წიგნი კი — ბებომ.kudi giorgim momtsa, es ts'igni k'i — bebom.Giorgi gave me the hat, and this book — Bebo.
Nino
ჩემს საჩუქარს ახლა მოგცემ. აიღე!chems sachukars akhla mogtsem. aighe!I'll give you my present now. Take it!
Sam
ვაი, ქართული ლექსიკონი! დიდი მადლობა!vai, kartuli leksik'oni! didi madloba!Wow, a Georgian dictionary! Thank you so much!
Manana
სემ, ტორტი გიორგის მიეცი, ის დაჭრის.sem, t'ort'i giorgis mietsi, is dach'ris.Sam, give the cake to Giorgi, he'll cut it.
Giorgi
მომეცი დანა! პირველი ნაჭერი — სემს!mometsi dana! p'irveli nach'eri — sems!Give me the knife! The first slice is for Sam!
Sam
დღეს დედაჩემის წერილიც მივიღე, კანადიდან.dghes dedachemis ts'erilits mivighe, k'anadidan.And today I received a letter from my mother, from Canada.
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| მომცა | momtsa | he/she gave me |
| მოგცემ | mogtsem | I'll give you |
| მაძლევს | madzlevs | he/she gives me |
| წაიღე! | ts'aighe! | take it with you! |
| მიეცი! | mietsi! | give (it) to him/her! |
| დაჭრის | dach'ris | he/she will cut (it) |
| ნაჭერი | nach'eri | piece, slice |
| მივიღე | mivighe | I received |
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
Give: one verb, three roots
"To give" changes its root from tense to tense: აძლევსadzlevs (gives), მისცემსmistsems (will give), მისცაmistsa (gave). Add the person prefixes of lesson 102 and the preverbs მოmo- (to me, to you) and მიmi- (to him, to her):
| to him/her | to me | to you | |
|---|---|---|---|
| present | ვაძლევvadzlev I give | მაძლევსmadzlevs he gives me | გაძლევgadzlev I give you |
| future | მივცემmivtsem I'll give | მომცემსmomtsems he'll give me | მოგცემmogtsem I'll give you |
| aorist | მივეციmivetsi I gave | მომცაmomtsa he gave me | მოგეციmogetsi I gave you |
| command | მიეციmietsi! give him! | მომეციmometsi! give me! |
The giver is in the ergative in the aorist: გიორგიმ მომცაgiorgim momtsa. The thing given is in the dative in the present and future (საჩუქარს მოგცემsachukars mogtsem) and in the nominative in the aorist and in commands (საჩუქარი მომცაsachukari momtsa, დანა მომეციdana mometsi!). The receiver is always in the dative: გიორგის მიეციgiorgis mietsi!
Take, take away, receive
| present | future | aorist | command |
|---|---|---|---|
| იღებსighebs takes | აიღებსaighebs will take | აიღოaigho took | აიღეaighe! take it! |
| წაიღებსts'aighebs will take away | წაიღოts'aigho took away | წაიღეts'aighe! take it with you! | |
| მიიღებსmiighebs will receive | მიიღოmiigho received |
წერილი მივიღე.ts'erili mivighe.letter I-receivedI received a letter.
ქოლგა წაიღე!kolga ts'aighe!umbrella take-with-youTake an umbrella with you!
5Good to know
When Georgians hand you something politely, they say ინებეთinebet ("please, here you are"). To a friend: ინებეinebe.
The forms of "give" look very different, but the person prefixes never change: მm- = me, გg- = you, გვgv- = us. Look at the front of the verb first.
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.
- "Giorgi gave me this" is…
- "I'll give you my present" is…
- "Give me the knife!" is…
- "Give it to Giorgi!" is…
- "I received a letter" is…
- "Take it!" is…
- მაძლევსmadzlevs means…
- "I gave him a book" is…
- "Who gave you this?" is…
- "Take an umbrella with you!" is…
- What does ნაჭერიnach'eri mean?
Well done! Lesson 104 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 "Give me the dictionary!"
Show the answer
ლექსიკონი მომეცი!leksik'oni mometsi! - Say "Nino gave me a book."
Show the answer
ნინომ წიგნი მომცა.ninom ts'igni momtsa. - Say "I'll give you a present."
Show the answer
საჩუქარს მოგცემ.sachukars mogtsem. - Say "Give it to Bebo!"
Show the answer
ბებოს მიეცი!bebos mietsi! - Say "I received your letter."
Show the answer
შენი წერილი მივიღე.sheni ts'erili mivighe.
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