Month 8. Nino's birthday
Today is Nino's birthday. The whole family is at the table, and I have prepared my Georgian sentences and my present.
Today: congratulations, wishes and toasts.
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
Sam
ნინო, დაბადების დღეს გილოცავ!nino, dabadebis dghes gilotsav!Nino, happy birthday!
Nino
მადლობა, სემ!madloba, sem!Thank you, Sam!
Sam
ბედნიერებას და ჯანმრთელობას გისურვებ! ეს შენთვისაა.bednierebas da janmrtelobas gisurveb! es shentvisaa.I wish you happiness and health! This is for you.
Nino
ვაი, რა ლამაზია! რატომ შეწუხდი?vai, ra lamazia! rat'om shets'ukhdi?Oh, how beautiful! You shouldn't have!
Giorgi
ნინო, გილოცავ! რამდენი წლის გახდი?nino, gilotsav! ramdeni ts'lis gakhdi?Nino, congratulations! How old are you now?
Nino
ოცდახუთი წლის.otsdakhuti ts'lis.Twenty-five.
Manana
ჩემო გოგო, ყველაფერ კარგს გისურვებ!chemo gogo, q'velaper k'args gisurveb!My girl, I wish you all the best!
Levan
გაუმარჯოს ჩვენს ნინოს!gaumarjos chvens ninos!To our Nino!
Sam
გაუმარჯოს!gaumarjos!Cheers!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| დაბადების დღეს გილოცავ! | dabadebis dghes gilotsav! | happy birthday! (literally "I congratulate you on your birthday") |
| მივულოცე | mivulotse | I congratulated him/her |
| რატომ შეწუხდი? | rat'om shets'ukhdi? | you shouldn't have! (literally "why did you trouble yourself?") |
| რამდენი წლის გახდი? | ramdeni ts'lis gakhdi? | how old are you now? (literally "how many years old did you become?") |
| ყველაფერ კარგს გისურვებ! | q'velaper k'args gisurveb! | I wish you all the best! |
| ახალ წელს გილოცავ! | akhal ts'els gilotsav! | Happy New Year! |
| შობას გილოცავ! | shobas gilotsav! | Merry Christmas! |
| წარმატება | ts'armat'eba | success |
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
Congratulate: ულოცავსulotsavs
| form | meaning |
|---|---|
| გილოცავgilotsav | I congratulate you |
| გილოცავთgilotsavt | I congratulate you all; we congratulate you |
| ვულოცავvulotsav | I congratulate him/her |
| მილოცავსmilotsavs | he/she congratulates me |
| მოგილოცავmogilotsav | I'll congratulate you |
| მომილოცაmomilotsa | he/she congratulated me |
The occasion is in the dative in the present: დაბადების დღეს გილოცავdabadebis dghes gilotsav!, ახალ წელს გილოცავakhal ts'els gilotsav!, შობას გილოცავshobas gilotsav! In the aorist, it is in the nominative: > ნინოს დაბადების დღე მივულოცეninos dabadebis dghe mivulotse. | to-Nino birthday I-congratulated-her-on | I wished Nino a happy birthday.
Wish: უსურვებსusurvebs
The thing you wish is in the dative, the person in the verb: > ბედნიერებას გისურვებbednierebas gisurveb. | happiness I-wish-you | I wish you happiness. > წარმატებას გისურვებთts'armat'ebas gisurvebt! | success I-wish-you-all | I wish you all success!
Toasts: გაუმარჯოსgaumarjos!
გაუმარჯოსgaumarjos is an optative ("may he win, long live…"), from the same root as გამარჯობაgamarjoba. The person or thing you toast is in the dative: > გაუმარჯოს ნინოსgaumarjos ninos! | to Nino! > გაუმარჯოს ჩვენს ოჯახსgaumarjos chvens ojakhs! | to our family! > გაგიმარჯოსgagimarjos! | to you! (also the answer to გამარჯობაgamarjoba)
5Good to know
When you give a present, many Georgians answer რატომ შეწუხდიrat'om shets'ukhdi? ("why did you trouble yourself?"). It is not a complaint but a warm thank-you.
At a Georgian table, people drink after a toast, not whenever they like. You will meet the toastmaster, the tamada, in lesson 175.
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.
- "Happy birthday!" is…
- "I wish you happiness" is…
- "Happy New Year!" is…
- "To Nino!" (a toast) is…
- "I congratulated him" is…
- "He congratulated me" is…
- "We congratulate you" is…
- What does რატომ შეწუხდიrat'om shets'ukhdi? mean when you receive a present?
- "I wish you all the best!" is…
- "How old are you now?" (on a birthday) is…
Well done! Lesson 109 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 "Happy birthday, Giorgi!"
Show the answer
გიორგი, დაბადების დღეს გილოცავ!giorgi, dabadebis dghes gilotsav! - Say "I wish you success!"
Show the answer
წარმატებას გისურვებ!ts'armat'ebas gisurveb! - Say "Merry Christmas!"
Show the answer
შობას გილოცავ!shobas gilotsav! - Give a toast: "To our family!"
Show the answer
გაუმარჯოს ჩვენს ოჯახს!gaumarjos chvens ojakhs! - Say to several friends "Happy New Year!"
Show the answer
ახალ წელს გილოცავთ!akhal ts'els gilotsavt!
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