Month 8. Bebo's news
Every morning Bebo reads the newspaper at the kitchen table and tells me the news, one item after the other, with her own comments.
Today: reporting facts and thoughts with რომrom ("that").
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
Bebo
სემ, გაზეთში წერია, რომ ზამთარი ცივი იქნება.sem, gazetshi ts'eria, rom zamtari tsivi ikneba.Sam, it says in the newspaper that the winter will be cold.
Sam
ვიცი, რომ თბილისში ზამთარი რბილია.vitsi, rom tbilisshi zamtari rbilia.I know that winters in Tbilisi are mild.
Bebo
მე მგონია, რომ ამ წელს თოვლი მოვა.me mgonia, rom am ts'els tovli mova.I think it will snow this year.
Sam
იმედი მაქვს, რომ მოვა! თოვლი მიყვარს.imedi makvs, rom mova! tovli miq'vars.I hope it will! I love snow.
Bebo
კიდევ წერია, რომ ჩვენს ქუჩაზე ახალი პარკი გაიხსნება.k'idev ts'eria, rom chvens kuchaze akhali p'ark'i gaikhsneba.It also says that a new park will open on our street.
Sam
მიხარია, რომ ახლოს იქნება.mikharia, rom akhlos ikneba.I'm glad it will be close.
Bebo
დარწმუნებული ვარ, რომ ბუბუს ძალიან მოეწონება!darts'munebuli var, rom bubus dzalian moets'oneba!I'm sure Bubu will love it!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| წერია | ts'eria | it is written, it says (in a text) |
| რბილი | rbili | soft; mild |
| მგონია | mgonia | I think, I have a feeling |
| იმედი მაქვს | imedi makvs | I hope |
| გაიხსნება | gaikhsneba | it will open |
| დარწმუნებული ვარ | darts'munebuli var | I'm sure |
| მოეწონება | moets'oneba | he/she will like (it) |
| მგონი | mgoni | I think, probably |
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
რომrom = that
After verbs of knowing, thinking, saying and feeling, "that" is რომrom, always with a comma before it:
| Georgian | English |
|---|---|
| ვიცი, რომ…vitsi, rom… | I know that… |
| ვფიქრობ, რომ…vpikrob, rom… | I think that… |
| მგონია, რომ…mgonia, rom… | I think, I have a feeling that… |
| მახსოვს, რომ…makhsovs, rom… | I remember that… |
| მიხარია, რომ…mikharia, rom… | I'm glad that… |
| იმედი მაქვს, რომ…imedi makvs, rom… | I hope that… |
| დარწმუნებული ვარ, რომ…darts'munebuli var, rom… | I'm sure that… |
| წერია, რომ…ts'eria, rom… | it says (it is written) that… |
In English you can drop "that" ("I know he's coming"). In Georgian, რომrom stays: ვიციvitsi, რომ მოდისrom modis.
The tense after რომrom
Use the tense of the thought itself: "I think it will snow" is მგონიაmgonia, რომ თოვლი მოვაrom tovli mova (future), "I'm glad you came" is მიხარიაmikharia, რომ მოხვედიrom mokhvedi (aorist).
Spoken word order: რომrom in second place
In everyday speech, რომrom often moves after the first word of its clause. Both sentences mean "I know you're coming tomorrow": > ვიციvitsi, რომ ხვალ მოდიხარrom khval modikhar. | I-know that tomorrow you-come | (neutral) > ვიციvitsi, ხვალ რომ მოდიხარkhval rom modikhar. | I-know tomorrow that you-come | (very common in speech)
5Good to know
მგონიmgoni is the short, frozen form of მგონიაmgonia, used like "probably" or "I think": მგონიmgoni, წვიმსts'vims = "I think it's raining". You will hear it in almost every Georgian conversation.
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.
- "I know that he's coming" is…
- "I hope that…" is…
- "I'm glad that you're here" is…
- "It says in the newspaper that…" is…
- "I think it will snow" is…
- "I'm sure that…" is…
- "I remember that…" is…
- მგონიmgoni, წვიმსts'vims means…
- Can რომrom be left out, like "that" in "I know he's here"?
- What is a რბილი ზამთარიrbili zamtari?
Well done! Lesson 111 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 know that you're tired."
Show the answer
ვიცი, რომ დაღლილი ხარ.vitsi, rom daghlili khar. - Say "I think Nino is at home."
Show the answer
მგონია, რომ ნინო სახლშია.mgonia, rom nino sakhlshia. - Say "I hope you'll come."
Show the answer
იმედი მაქვს, რომ მოხვალ.imedi makvs, rom mokhval. - Say "I'm glad that you're here."
Show the answer
მიხარია, რომ აქ ხარ.mikharia, rom ak khar. - Say "I'm sure it will be fine."
Show the answer
დარწმუნებული ვარ, რომ კარგად იქნება.darts'munebuli var, rom k'argad ikneba.
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