Month 9. A noise in the night
Two o'clock in the morning. I hear the courtyard door creak, then steps. I wake Giorgi up, and we go to see who is there.
Today: "someone", "something", "anyone" and "anything".
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
გიორგი, გაიღვიძე! ვიღაც არის ეზოში.giorgi, gaighvidze! vighats aris ezoshi.Giorgi, wake up! Someone is in the courtyard.
Giorgi
რა? ვინ? რამე დაინახე?ra? vin? rame dainakhe?What? Who? Did you see anything?
Sam
არა, მაგრამ რაღაც ხმა გავიგე. ვიღაცამ კარი გააღო.ara, magram raghats khma gavige. vighatsam k'ari gaagho.No, but I heard a noise. Someone opened the door.
Giorgi
ფანარი სადმე გაქვს?panari sadme gakvs?Have you got a torch anywhere?
Sam
აი, ტელეფონზე მაქვს. წავიდეთ, ვნახოთ.ai, t'eleponze makvs. ts'avidet, vnakhot.Here, I've got one on my phone. Let's go and see.
Giorgi
ბუბუ! ეს ბუბუა! ვიღაცას კარი ღია დარჩა.bubu! es bubua! vighatsas k'ari ghia darcha.Bubu! It's Bubu! Someone left the door open.
Sam
ბუბუმ რაღაც იპოვა... ჩემი ფეხსაცმელი!bubum raghats ip'ova... chemi pekhsatsmeli!Bubu has found something... my shoe!
Giorgi
კარგი, ახლა დავიძინოთ. ხვალ ვინმემ უნდა შეაკეთოს ეს კარი.k'argi, akhla davidzinot. khval vinmem unda sheak'etos es k'ari.OK, let's go to sleep. Tomorrow someone has to fix this door.
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ვიღაც | vighats | someone (I don't know who) |
| გაიღვიძე! | gaighvidze! | wake up! |
| რაღაც | raghats | something; some |
| ვიღაცამ | vighatsam | someone (ergative) |
| ფანარი | panari | torch, lantern |
| სადმე | sadme | anywhere, somewhere |
| ვინმე | vinme | anyone, someone |
| სადღაც | sadghats | somewhere |
| როდისმე | rodisme | ever, some day |
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
-ღაცghats: some… (I don't know which)
Add -ღაცghats to a question word when you mean a real but unknown person, thing or place. The official B1 grammar lists exactly this series:
| word | meaning |
|---|---|
| ვიღაცvighats | someone |
| რაღაცraghats | something |
| სადღაცsadghats | somewhere |
| რომელიღაცromelighats | some (one or other) |
| რამდენიღაცramdenighats | a certain number of |
ვიღაც მოვიდა.vighats movida.someone cameSomeone came.
რაღაც ხმა გავიგე.raghats khma gavige.some noise I-heardI heard a noise.
-მეme: any… (questions, conditions, wishes)
Add -მეme when you ask, suppose or wish, and it does not matter who or what:
| word | meaning |
|---|---|
| ვინმეvinme | anyone, someone |
| რამეrame | anything, something |
| სადმეsadme | anywhere, somewhere |
| როდისმეrodisme | ever, some day |
ვინმე მოვიდა?vinme movida?Did anyone come?
რამე გინდა?rame ginda?Do you want anything?
სადმე წავიდეთ!sadme ts'avidet!Let's go somewhere!
თუ როდისმე ბათუმში ჩახვალ, დამირეკე.tu rodisme batumshi chakhval, damirek'e.If you ever go to Batumi, call me.
Cases
The case ending goes on the end: ვიღაცამvighatsam (ergative), ვიღაცასvighatsas (dative), ვინმემvinmem, ვინმესvinmes, რაღაცასraghatsas, რამესrames. > ვიღაცამ კარი გააღოvighatsam k'ari gaagho. | Someone opened the door. > ვინმემ დარეკაvinmem darek'a? | Did anyone call?
5Good to know
In everyday speech, რაღაცraghats also means "kind of, sort of": რაღაც ცუდად ვარraghats tsudad var = "I feel kind of unwell".
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.
- "Someone came" (you don't know who) is…
- "Did anyone come?" is…
- "Do you want anything?" is…
- "Someone opened the door" is…
- "Let's go somewhere!" is…
- "I heard a noise" is…
- Which ending means "some… (I don't know which)"?
- "If you ever go to Batumi…" is…
- What is a ფანარიpanari?
- რაღაც ცუდად ვარraghats tsudad var means…
Well done! Lesson 116 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 "Someone is at the door."
Show the answer
ვიღაც არის კართან.vighats aris k'artan. - Ask "Did anyone call?"
Show the answer
ვინმემ დარეკა?vinmem darek'a? - Ask "Do you want anything?"
Show the answer
რამე გინდა?rame ginda? - Say "Let's go somewhere this evening."
Show the answer
საღამოს სადმე წავიდეთ.saghamos sadme ts'avidet. - Say "I bought you something."
Show the answer
რაღაც გიყიდე.raghats giq'ide.
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