Month 9. The late bus
I'm late for my Georgian class, again. Tamar, my teacher, is not angry: she says my excuse is the perfect start for today's lesson.
Today: "because", "so" and "but".
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
Tamar
სემ, ისევ დააგვიანე!sem, isev daagviane!Sam, you're late again!
Sam
ბოდიში, მასწავლებელო. ავტობუსი არ მოვიდა, ამიტომ დავაგვიანე.bodishi, masts'avlebelo. avt'obusi ar movida, amit'om davagviane.Sorry, teacher. The bus didn't come, so I was late.
Tamar
მეტროთი რატომ არ წამოხვედი?met'roti rat'om ar ts'amokhvedi?Why didn't you come by metro?
Sam
რადგან ჩვენს უბანში მეტრო არ არის. თუმცა ხვალ ადრე გამოვალ.radgan chvens ubanshi met'ro ar aris. tumtsa khval adre gamoval.Because there's no metro in our neighbourhood. But tomorrow I'll leave earlier.
Tamar
არაუშავს. დღეს წვიმის გამო ბევრმა დააგვიანა.araushavs. dghes ts'vimis gamo bevrma daagviana.Never mind. Today lots of people were late because of the rain.
Tamar
დღეს ახალი თემა გვაქვს: „ამიტომ“ და „რადგან“.dghes akhali tema gvakvs: „amit'om“ da „radgan“.Today we have a new topic: "so" and "because".
Sam
ძალიან კარგი, რადგან სწორედ ეს მჭირდება!dzalian k'argi, radgan sts'ored es mch'irdeba!Great, because that's exactly what I need!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| დააგვიანე | daagviane | you were late |
| ამიტომ | amit'om | so, that's why |
| დავაგვიანე | davagviane | I was late |
| რადგან | radgan | because, since |
| თუმცა | tumtsa | but, however; although |
| -ის გამო | -is gamo | because of |
| სწორედ | sts'ored | exactly, precisely |
| მაინც | maints | still, anyway |
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
Because: იმიტომimit'om, რომrom and რადგანradgan
დავაგვიანე, იმიტომ, რომ ავტობუსი არ მოვიდა.davagviane, imit'om, rom avt'obusi ar movida.I was late because the bus didn't come.
დავაგვიანე, რადგან ავტობუსი არ მოვიდა.davagviane, radgan avt'obusi ar movida.(the same, a little more formal)
With a noun, use -ის გამოis gamo (because of): წვიმის გამოts'vimis gamo (because of the rain), შენ გამოshen gamo (because of you).
So: ამიტომamit'om
ამიტომamit'om starts the result: > ავტობუსი არ მოვიდაavt'obusi ar movida, ამიტომ დავაგვიანეamit'om davagviane. | The bus didn't come, so I was late.
But, however, although
| word | example | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| მაგრამmagram | მინდა, მაგრამ არ შემიძლია.minda, magram ar shemidzlia. | I want to, but I can't. |
| თუმცაtumtsa | თუმცა ცივა, მაინც წავალთ.tumtsa tsiva, maints ts'avalt. | Although it's cold, we'll go anyway. |
| კიk'i | მე ჩაის ვსვამ, ნინო კი ყავას.me chais vsvam, nino k'i q'avas. | I drink tea, and Nino coffee. |
კიk'i comes after the word it contrasts. The official B1 grammar example: მე სახლს დავალაგებme sakhls davalageb, შენ კი სადილი მოამზადეshen k'i sadili moamzade (I'll tidy the house, and you make lunch).
Not only… but also: არა მარტოara mart'o… არამედaramed
The official B1 example: ბინძურდება არა მარტო ნიადაგიbindzurdeba ara mart'o niadagi, არამედ ზღვებიცaramed zghvebits (not only the soil but also the seas are getting polluted). > სემი არა მარტო ქართულს სწავლობსsemi ara mart'o kartuls sts'avlobs, არამედ რუსულსაცaramed rusulsats. | Sam studies not only Georgian but also Russian.
5Good to know
"To be late" behaves like a transitive verb in the past: მე დავაგვიანეme davagviane, შენ დააგვიანეshen daagviane, მან დააგვიანაman daagviana, so the subject takes the ergative: ბევრმა დააგვიანაbevrma daagviana, მატარებელმა დააგვიანაmat'arebelma daagviana (the train was late).
კიk'i at the start of an answer means "yes"; after a word it means "and, as for": შენ კიshen k'i? = "And you?"
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 bus didn't come, so I was late" is…
- "because of the rain" is…
- "I want to, but I can't" is…
- "I drink tea, and Nino coffee" is…
- "I was late" is…
- "Although it's cold, we'll go anyway" is…
- "not only Georgian but also Russian" is…
- "because of you" is…
- What does უბანიubani mean?
- "That's exactly what I need" is…
Well done! Lesson 115 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 was late because the bus didn't come."
Show the answer
დავაგვიანე, რადგან ავტობუსი არ მოვიდა.davagviane, radgan avt'obusi ar movida. - Say "It's raining, so I'm staying at home."
Show the answer
წვიმს, ამიტომ სახლში ვრჩები.ts'vims, amit'om sakhlshi vrchebi. - Say "I'm tired, but I'm happy."
Show the answer
დაღლილი ვარ, მაგრამ ბედნიერი ვარ.daghlili var, magram bednieri var. - Say "because of the weather"
Show the answer
ამინდის გამოamindis gamo - Say "I like tea, and Giorgi likes coffee."
Show the answer
მე ჩაი მიყვარს, გიორგის კი ყავა.me chai miq'vars, giorgis k'i q'ava.
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