Month 10. Bebo's village story
By the fire, Bebo tells me a story from her village childhood: a brother who loved jokes, a wolf, a missing chicken, and a long night in the yard.
Today: review unit 12 with a story full of links.
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
როცა პატარა ვიყავი, ერთ სოფელში ვცხოვრობდით, სადაც ყველას ვენახი ჰქონდა.rotsa p'at'ara viq'avi, ert sopelshi vtskhovrobdit, sadats q'velas venakhi hkonda.When I was little, we lived in a village where everyone had a vineyard.
Bebo
ერთხელ, რთველის დროს, ჩემმა ძმამ თქვა, ტყეში მგელი ვნახეო.ertkhel, rtvelis dros, chemma dzmam tkva, t'q'eshi mgeli vnakheo.Once, at harvest time, my brother said he had seen a wolf in the forest.
Sam
მართლა? და დაიჯერეთ?martla? da daijeret?Really? And did you believe him?
Bebo
არავინ არ დაიჯერა, რადგან ის ყოველთვის ხუმრობდა. მაგრამ მეორე დღეს ვიღაცამ ჩვენი ქათამი მოიპარა!aravin ar daijera, radgan is q'oveltvis khumrobda. magram meore dghes vighatsam chveni katami moip'ara!Nobody believed him, because he was always joking. But the next day someone stole our hen!
Sam
ვაიმე! მგელმა?vaime! mgelma?Oh no! The wolf?
Bebo
ჩვენც ასე ვიფიქრეთ. მამაჩემმა თქვა, ამაღამ არავინ არ დაიძინოსო.chvents ase vipikret. mamachemma tkva, amagham aravin ar daidzinoso.That's what we thought too. My father said nobody was to sleep that night.
Bebo
როცა დაბნელდა, ეზოში ჩუმად ვიჯექით. და ვინ მოვიდა? მეზობლის ძაღლი, რომელსაც ქათმები ძალიან უყვარდა!rotsa dabnelda, ezoshi chumad vijekit. da vin movida? mezoblis dzaghli, romelsats katmebi dzalian uq'varda!When it got dark, we sat quietly in the yard. And who came? The neighbour's dog, who loved hens very much!
Sam
მაშინ მგელი საერთოდ არ იყო?mashin mgeli saertod ar iq'o?So there was no wolf at all?
Bebo
მგელი მხოლოდ ჩემი ძმის თავში იყო!mgeli mkholod chemi dzmis tavshi iq'o!The wolf was only in my brother's head!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| მგელი | mgeli | wolf |
| დაიჯერეთ | daijeret | you (all) believed |
| ხუმრობდა | khumrobda | he/she was joking |
| მოიპარა | moip'ara | he/she stole |
| ამაღამ | amagham | tonight |
| დაბნელდა | dabnelda | it got dark |
| საერთოდ | saertod | at 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
The linking words of unit 12
| words | meaning | lesson |
|---|---|---|
| რომrom | that | 111 |
| რომელიც, ვინც, რაც, სადაცromelits, vints, rats, sadats | who, which, what, where | 112 |
| როცა, სანამ, მას შემდეგ, რაცrotsa, sanam, mas shemdeg, rats | when, before or until, after | 113 |
| თუtu | if; or; whether | 114 |
| რადგან, იმიტომ, რომ / ამიტომradgan, imit'om, rom / amit'om | because / so | 115 |
| მაგრამ, თუმცა, კიmagram, tumtsa, k'i | but, however, and (contrast) | 115 |
| ვიღაც, რაღაც / ვინმე, რამეvighats, raghats / vinme, rame | someone, something / anyone, anything | 116 |
| არავინ არ, არაფერი არ, არსად არ, არასოდეს არaravin ar, araperi ar, arsad ar, arasodes ar | nobody, nothing, nowhere, never | 117 |
| -ო, -მეთქი, -თქო-o, -metki, -tko | quoting words | 118 |
| უკვე, ჯერ, კიდევ, მხოლოდ, თითქმისuk've, jer, k'idev, mkholod, titkmis | already, yet, more, only, almost | 119 |
The links in Bebo's story
…ერთ სოფელში ვცხოვრობდით, სადაც ყველას ვენახი ჰქონდა.…ert sopelshi vtskhovrobdit, sadats q'velas venakhi hkonda."where": სადაცsadats
ჩემმა ძმამ თქვა, ტყეში მგელი ვნახეო.chemma dzmam tkva, t'q'eshi mgeli vnakheo.his words: -ოo
არავინ არ დაიჯერა, რადგან ის ყოველთვის ხუმრობდა.aravin ar daijera, radgan is q'oveltvis khumrobda.double negation; "because"
მეზობლის ძაღლი, რომელსაც ქათმები უყვარდაmezoblis dzaghli, romelsats katmebi uq'vardarelative pronoun in the dative (with უყვარდაuq'varda)
5Good to know
არავინaravin has the same form in the nominative and the ergative, so it fits both არავინ არ მოვიდაaravin ar movida (nobody came) and არავინ არ დაიჯერაaravin ar daijera (nobody believed it).
ამაღამamagham means "tonight". In Bebo's story it stays inside her father's own words (with -ოo), so English turns it into "that night". "Last night" is წუხელts'ukhel.
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.
- "…a village where everyone had a vineyard" is…
- "My brother said he had seen a wolf" is…
- "Nobody believed it" is…
- "…because he was always joking" is…
- "Someone stole our hen" is…
- "the dog who loved hens" is…
- "When it got dark, …" is…
- "I know that you're tired" is…
- "If it rains, we'll stay at home" is…
- "Before you go, call me" is…
- "Tell him I'll come" is…
- "It's still early" is…
- "So there was no wolf at all?" is…
- What is a მგელიmgeli?
Well done! Lesson 120 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 "When I was little, I lived in a village."
Show the answer
როცა პატარა ვიყავი, სოფელში ვცხოვრობდი.rotsa p'at'ara viq'avi, sopelshi vtskhovrobdi. - Say "Nobody believed me."
Show the answer
არავინ არ დამიჯერა.aravin ar damijera. - Report: Giorgi said "I saw a wolf."
Show the answer
მგელი ვნახეო, თქვა გიორგიმ.mgeli vnakheo, tkva giorgim. - Say "the house where Bebo was born"
Show the answer
სახლი, სადაც ბებო დაიბადაsakhli, sadats bebo daibada - Say "I couldn't fall asleep, because I was afraid."
Show the answer
არ დამეძინა, რადგან მეშინოდა.ar damedzina, radgan meshinoda.
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