Month 7. A rumour
At the café, Nino leans across the table with a big smile. She has heard a rumour about her brother, and she wants to know if I know more.
Today: the two verbs for "say" and "tell".
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, გიორგიმ რა გითხრა გუშინ?sem, giorgim ra gitkhra gushin?Sam, what did Giorgi tell you yesterday?
Sam
არაფერი. რატომ?araperi. rat'om?Nothing. Why?
Nino
ლიკა ამბობს, რომ გიორგის შეყვარებული ჰყავს!lik'a ambobs, rom giorgis sheq'varebuli hq'avs!Lika says Giorgi has a girlfriend!
Sam
მართლა? მე არაფერი არ მითხრა.martla? me araperi ar mitkhra.Really? He didn't tell me anything.
Nino
საღამოს ჰკითხე. შენ ყველაფერს გეტყვის.saghamos hk'itkhe. shen q'velapers get'q'vis.Ask him this evening. He tells you everything.
Sam
გიორგი, ლიკა ამბობს, რომ შეყვარებული გყავს. მართალია?giorgi, lik'a ambobs, rom sheq'varebuli gq'avs. martalia?(in the evening) Giorgi, Lika says you have a girlfriend. Is it true?
Giorgi
ლიკამ ასე თქვა? ჭორია! ... მაგრამ დედას ნუ ეტყვი!lik'am ase tkva? ch'oria! ... magram dedas nu et'q'vi!Lika said that? It's a rumour! ... But don't tell Mum!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| გითხრა | gitkhra | he/she told you |
| შეყვარებული | sheq'varebuli | boyfriend, girlfriend |
| მითხრა | mitkhra | he/she told me |
| ჰკითხე! | hk'itkhe! | ask him/her! |
| გეტყვის | get'q'vis | he/she will tell you |
| ვუთხარი | vutkhari | I told him/her |
| ასე თქვა | ase tkva | he/she said so |
| ჭორი | ch'ori | rumour, gossip |
| ნუ ეტყვი! | nu et'q'vi! | don't tell him/her! |
| სიმართლე | simartle | the truth |
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
Say: ამბობსambobs, იტყვისit'q'vis, თქვაtkva
"To say" has three roots:
| present | future | aorist |
|---|---|---|
| ვამბობvambob I say | ვიტყვიvit'q'vi I'll say | ვთქვიvtkvi I said |
| ამბობambob you say | იტყვიit'q'vi you'll say | თქვიtkvi you said |
| ამბობსambobs he says | იტყვისit'q'vis he'll say | თქვაtkva he said |
In the aorist, the speaker is in the ergative: ლიკამ თქვაlik'am tkva.
Tell someone: ეუბნებაeubneba, ეტყვისet'q'vis, უთხრაutkhra
"To tell" has a person told, shown with the prefixes of lesson 102:
| present | future | aorist |
|---|---|---|
| ვეუბნებიveubnebi I tell him | ვეტყვიvet'q'vi I'll tell him | ვუთხარიvutkhari I told him |
| მეუბნებაmeubneba he tells me | მეტყვისmet'q'vis he'll tell me | მითხრაmitkhra he told me |
| გეუბნებიgeubnebi I'm telling you | გეტყვიget'q'vi I'll tell you | გითხარიgitkhari I told you |
Commands: მითხარიmitkhari! (tell me!), უთხარიutkhari! (tell him/her!). The person told is in the dative: დედას ვუთხარიdedas vutkhari (I told Mum).
Says that…: რომrom
ლიკა ამბობს, რომ გიორგის შეყვარებული ჰყავს.lik'a ambobs, rom giorgis sheq'varebuli hq'avs.Lika says that Giorgi(DAT) girlfriend hasLika says Giorgi has a girlfriend.
You will see more of რომrom ("that") in lesson 111, and the Georgian way to quote people in lesson 118.
5Good to know
ხომ გითხარიkhom gitkhari! means "I told you so!", a phrase you will hear in every Georgian family.
Don't mix up ამბობსambobs (says something) and ეუბნებაeubneba (tells someone): if there is a person who hears it, Georgian usually uses ეუბნებაeubneba / უთხრაutkhra.
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.
- "What did he tell you?" is…
- "Lika said so" is…
- "Tell me!" is…
- "I'll tell you everything" is…
- "He tells me nothing" is…
- "I told Mum" is…
- "Don't tell Mum!" is…
- "She says that…" (present) is…
- "I told you so!" is…
- What is a ჭორიch'ori?
Well done! Lesson 105 is ticked on your course map.
Say it, then write it
Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
- Ask "What did Nino tell you?"
Show the answer
რა გითხრა ნინომ?ra gitkhra ninom? - Say "Tell me the truth!"
Show the answer
სიმართლე მითხარი!simartle mitkhari! - Say "I'll tell you tomorrow."
Show the answer
ხვალ გეტყვი.khval get'q'vi. - Say "Giorgi said nothing."
Show the answer
გიორგიმ არაფერი არ თქვა.giorgim araperi ar tkva. - Say "I told you so!"
Show the answer
ხომ გითხარი!khom gitkhari!
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