Month 10. Passing on a message
Nino calls home while Manana is in the garden. I take the message, and then I have to pass it on, the Georgian way.
Today: three little words that do the work of English "he said 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
Manana
სემ, ვინ დარეკა?sem, vin darek'a?Sam, who called?
Sam
ნინომ. გვიან მოვალო, თქვა.ninom. gvian movalo, tkva.Nino. She said she'd come home late.
Manana
რატომ? არ გითხრა?rat'om? ar gitkhra?Why? Didn't she tell you?
Sam
სამსახურში კრება მაქვსო. ვახშამზე ნუ დამელოდებითო.samsakhurshi k'reba makvso. vakhshamze nu damelodebito.She says she has a meeting at work. And that we shouldn't wait for her for dinner.
Manana
კარგი. შენ რა უთხარი?k'argi. shen ra utkhari?OK. And what did you tell her?
Sam
კარგი-მეთქი. ბებოს ტორტს შეგინახავთ-მეთქი.k'argi-metki. bebos t'ort's sheginakhavt-metki.I said OK. I said we'd keep some of Bebo's cake for her.
Manana
ძალიან კარგი. თუ ისევ დარეკავს, უთხარი, ქუდი არ დაგავიწყდეს-თქო. ცივა.dzalian k'argi. tu isev darek'avs, utkhari, kudi ar dagavits'q'des-tko. tsiva.Very good. If she calls again, tell her not to forget her hat. It's cold.
Sam
კარგი, ვეტყვი.k'argi, vet'q'vi.OK, I'll tell her.
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| -ო | -o | marks someone else's words ("he says, she said") |
| კრება | k'reba | meeting |
| ნუ დამელოდებით | nu damelodebit | don't wait for me (to several people) |
| -მეთქი | -metki | marks my own words ("I said") |
| შეგინახავთ | sheginakhavt | we'll keep (it) for you |
| -თქო | -tko | marks a message to pass on ("tell him/her…") |
| ვეტყვი | vet'q'vi | I'll tell him/her |
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
-ოo: someone else's words
Instead of "she said that she would come", Georgian repeats the person's own words and adds -ოo at the end of them (often on the verb): > გვიან მოვალოgvian movalo, თქვაtkva. | late I'll-come-(she says), she-said | She said she'd come late. > სამსახურში კრება მაქვსოsamsakhurshi k'reba makvso. | at-work meeting I-have-(she says) | She says she has a meeting at work.
The quote keeps the speaker's "I" (მოვალmoval, მაქვსmakvs). Even without თქვაtkva, the -ოo alone shows that you are repeating someone. -ოo is written together with the word.
-მეთქიmetki: my own words
კარგი-მეთქი.k'argi-metki.OK-(I said)I said OK.
ვუთხარი, ხვალ მოვალ-მეთქი.vutkhari, khval moval-metki.I-told-him, tomorrow I'll-come-(I said)I told him I'd come tomorrow.
-თქოtko: a message to pass on
-თქოtko marks the words you want someone to repeat to a third person: > უთხარიutkhari, ქუდი არ დაგავიწყდეს-თქოkudi ar dagavits'q'des-tko. | tell-her, hat not you-forget-(pass on) | Tell her not to forget her hat. > უთხარიutkhari, მალე დაგირეკავ-თქოmale dagirek'av-tko. | tell-him, soon I'll-call-you-(pass on) | Tell him I'll call him soon.
-მეთქიmetki and -თქოtko are written with a hyphen.
Summary
| particle | whose words | example |
|---|---|---|
| -ო-o | his, her, their words | მოვალო, თქვაmovalo, tkva |
| -მეთქი-metki | my words | მოვალ-მეთქი, ვუთხარიmoval-metki, vutkhari |
| -თქო-tko | words to pass on | უთხარი, მოვალ-თქოutkhari, moval-tko |
5Good to know
-ოo also means "they say, apparently": ხვალ იწვიმებსოkhval its'vimebso = "they say it will rain tomorrow". Georgian gossip, news and fairy tales are full of it.
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.
- "She said she'd come late" is…
- "I said OK" is…
- "Tell her I'll call her soon" is…
- "They say it will rain tomorrow" is…
- In კრება მაქვსოk'reba makvso, who has a meeting?
- "I told him I'd come tomorrow" is…
- Which particle is written together with the word, without a hyphen?
- "Tell him not to forget!" is…
- What is a კრებაk'reba?
- "Don't wait for me" (to several people) is…
Well done! Lesson 118 is ticked on your course map.
Say it, then write it
Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
- Report what Nino said: "მოვალmoval."
Show the answer
მოვალო, თქვა.movalo, tkva. - Report your own words: "I said I was tired."
Show the answer
დაღლილი ვარ-მეთქი.daghlili var-metki. - Ask a friend to pass on: "Tell Giorgi I'll come tomorrow."
Show the answer
გიორგის უთხარი, ხვალ მოვალ-თქო.giorgis utkhari, khval moval-tko. - Say "They say the winter will be cold."
Show the answer
ზამთარი ცივი იქნებაო.zamtari tsivi iknebao. - Report: Bebo said "I'm hungry."
Show the answer
მშიაო, თქვა ბებომ.mshiao, tkva bebom.
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