Month 8. The neighbours
From Manana's balcony, I can see the whole courtyard of our old Tbilisi house. Everybody seems to know everybody, and I want to know who is who.
Today: "who", "which" and "what" to describe people and things.
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
ვინ არის ქალი, რომელიც აივანზე დგას?vin aris kali, romelits aivanze dgas?Who is the woman standing on the balcony?
Manana
ის ქეთევანია, ჩვენი მეზობელი. ექიმია.is ketevania, chveni mezobeli. ekimia.That's Ketevan, our neighbour. She's a doctor.
Sam
და კაცი, რომელიც ეზოში მანქანას რეცხავს?da k'atsi, romelits ezoshi mankanas retskhavs?And the man who's washing his car in the courtyard?
Manana
ეს მისი ქმარია, გელა. გელა ის კაცია, რომელმაც შენი ველოსიპედი შეაკეთა.es misi kmaria, gela. gela is k'atsia, romelmats sheni velosip'edi sheak'eta.That's her husband, Gela. Gela is the man who repaired your bicycle.
Sam
მართლა? და ბავშვები, რომლებსაც ბურთი აქვთ?martla? da bavshvebi, romlebsats burti akvt?Really? And the children who have a ball?
Manana
მათი შვილიშვილები არიან. ვინც ამ ეზოში ცხოვრობს, ყველა ერთი დიდი ოჯახია.mati shvilishvilebi arian. vints am ezoshi tskhovrobs, q'vela erti didi ojakhia.They're their grandchildren. Everyone who lives in this courtyard is one big family.
Sam
ეს ზუსტად ის არის, რაც თბილისში ყველაზე მეტად მომწონს.es zust'ad is aris, rats tbilisshi q'velaze met'ad momts'ons.That's exactly what I like most about Tbilisi.
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| რომელიც | romelits | who, which, that (in relative clauses) |
| რეცხავს | retskhavs | he/she washes |
| რომელმაც | romelmats | who, which (ergative) |
| შეაკეთა | sheak'eta | he/she repaired |
| რომლებსაც | romlebsats | who, which (plural, dative) |
| შვილიშვილი | shvilishvili | grandchild |
| ვინც | vints | whoever, the one who |
| რაც | rats | what, that which |
| ყველაზე მეტად | q'velaze met'ad | most of all |
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
რომელიცromelits: who, which, that
რომელიცromelits refers to a noun just before it, for people and things. It takes the case that its own clause needs, and -ცts always comes last:
| case | form | example |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | რომელიცromelits | ქალიkali, რომელიც აივანზე დგასromelits aivanze dgas (the woman who is standing on the balcony) |
| ergative | რომელმაცromelmats | კაციk'atsi, რომელმაც ველოსიპედი შეაკეთაromelmats velosip'edi sheak'eta (the man who repaired the bicycle) |
| dative | რომელსაცromelsats | ბიჭიbich'i, რომელსაც ძაღლი ჰყავსromelsats dzaghli hq'avs (the boy who has a dog) |
| plural | რომლებიცromlebits | ბავშვებიbavshvebi, რომლებიც თამაშობენromlebits tamashoben (the children who are playing) |
| plural dative | რომლებსაცromlebsats | ბავშვებიbavshvebi, რომლებსაც ბურთი აქვთromlebsats burti akvt (the children who have a ball) |
Choose the case as if რომელიცromelits were the subject or object of its own verb: შეაკეთაsheak'eta is an aorist, so its subject takes the ergative: რომელმაცromelmats. Georgian always puts commas around the relative clause, and you can never leave რომელიცromelits out: "the man I saw" = კაციk'atsi, რომელიც ვნახეromelits vnakhe.
ვინცvints and რაცrats: the one who, what
ვინც ადრე მოვა, კარგ ადგილს დაიკავებს.vints adre mova, k'arg adgils daik'avebs.who-ever early will-come, good seat will-takeWhoever comes early will get a good seat.
ყველაფერი მახსოვს, რაც მითხარი.q'velaperi makhsovs, rats mitkhari.everything I-remember, what you-told-meI remember everything you told me.
ვისაც უნდა, მოვიდეს.visats unda, movides.to-whoever it-is-wanted, let-him-comeWhoever wants to can come.
The official B1 grammar gives: ლაპარაკობს ისlap'arak'obs is, ვინც უფროსიაvints uprosia (the one who is older speaks) and გავაკეთე ისgavak'ete is, რაც მირჩიესrats mirchies (I did what they advised me).
სადაცsadats: where
სახლი, სადაც ვცხოვრობsakhli, sadats vtskhovrobthe house where I live
5Good to know
Learn the dative ვისაცvisats with the verbs of lesson 99: ვისაც სცივაvisats stsiva (whoever is cold), ვისაც შიაvisats shia (whoever is hungry). The case is chosen by the verb, exactly as with მეme / მასmas.
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.
- "the woman who lives here" is…
- "the man who repaired the car" is…
- "the boy who has a dog" is…
- "the children who are playing" is…
- "Whoever comes early…" is…
- "everything you told me" is…
- "the house where I live" is…
- "Whoever wants to can come" is…
- "the man I saw" is…
- What does ეზოezo mean?
Well done! Lesson 112 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 "The woman who lives next door is a doctor."
Show the answer
ქალი, რომელიც გვერდით ცხოვრობს, ექიმია.kali, romelits gverdit tskhovrobs, ekimia. - Say "This is the man who repaired my bicycle."
Show the answer
ეს ის კაცია, რომელმაც ჩემი ველოსიპედი შეაკეთა.es is k'atsia, romelmats chemi velosip'edi sheak'eta. - Say "Whoever wants to can come."
Show the answer
ვისაც უნდა, მოვიდეს.visats unda, movides. - Say "I remember everything you told me."
Show the answer
ყველაფერი მახსოვს, რაც მითხარი.q'velaperi makhsovs, rats mitkhari. - Say "the city where I live"
Show the answer
ქალაქი, სადაც ვცხოვრობkalaki, sadats vtskhovrob
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