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B1 · IntermediateUnit 13: The perfect: experience and hearsayLesson 121 of 200

Lesson 121Have you ever been...? ვყოფილვარvq'opilvar

Goal: you will say where you have and haven't been.

Course progress: lesson 121 / 200

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1Sam’s diary

ყოფილხარ ბათუმში?
ყოფილხარ ბათუმში?q'opilkhar batumshi?

Month 11. Souvenirs on the shelf

Giorgi looks at the shelf in my room: a magnet from Batumi, a stone from Kazbegi, a bottle from Kakheti. He wants to know where I have been, and I want to know where he hasn't.

Today: "have you ever been…?"

2Dialogue

Giorgi
სემ, ბათუმში ყოფილხარ?sem, batumshi q'opilkhar?Sam, have you been to Batumi?
Sam
კი, ორჯერ ვყოფილვარ. ძალიან მომეწონა.k'i, orjer vq'opilvar. dzalian momets'ona.Yes, I've been there twice. I liked it a lot.
Giorgi
სვანეთში?svanetshi?And Svaneti?
Sam
არა, ჯერ არ ვყოფილვარ. შენ კანადაში ყოფილხარ?ara, jer ar vq'opilvar. shen k'anadashi q'opilkhar?No, I haven't been there yet. Have you been to Canada?
Giorgi
არასოდეს არ ვყოფილვარ, მაგრამ ძალიან მინდა.arasodes ar vq'opilvar, magram dzalian minda.I've never been, but I'd really like to.
Sam
დედაშენი ყოფილა ევროპაში?dedasheni q'opila evrop'ashi?Has your mum been to Europe?
Giorgi
კი, ბევრჯერ ყოფილა. მამა კი მხოლოდ ერთხელ.k'i, bevrjer q'opila. mama k'i mkholod ertkhel.Yes, many times. Dad only once.

3New words

GeorgianPronunciationEnglish
ყოფილხარ?q'opilkhar?have you been?
ორჯერorjertwice
ვყოფილვარvq'opilvarI have been
ჯერ არ ვყოფილვარjer ar vq'opilvarI haven't been (there) yet
არასოდეს არ ვყოფილვარarasodes ar vq'opilvarI've never been
ყოფილაq'opilahe/she has been; it turns out (he/she) was
ბევრჯერbevrjermany times
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 perfect: "have been"

Georgian has a past tense for experience, the perfect. For "to be", it is built from ყოფილიq'opili ("former, been") and the endings of "I am, you are":

personperfectmeaning
მეmeვყოფილვარvq'opilvarI have been
შენshenყოფილხარq'opilkharyou have been
ისisყოფილაq'opilahe/she has been
ჩვენchvenვყოფილვართvq'opilvartwe have been
თქვენtkvenყოფილხართq'opilkhartyou have been
ისინიisiniყოფილანq'opilanthey have been
ბათუმში ყოფილხარ?batumshi q'opilkhar?Batumi-in you-have-been?Have you been to Batumi?
ორჯერ ვყოფილვარ.orjer vq'opilvar.twice I-have-beenI've been there twice.

How many times: -ჯერjer

ერთხელertkhel (once), ორჯერorjer (twice), სამჯერsamjer (three times), ბევრჯერbevrjer (many times), რამდენჯერramdenjer? (how many times?)

Not yet, never

ჯერ არ ვყოფილვარ.jer ar vq'opilvar.I haven't been (there) yet.
არასოდეს არ ვყოფილვარ.arasodes ar vq'opilvar.I've never been (there).

"I wasn't": the negative past of "be"

To say "I wasn't (somewhere)", Georgian usually uses the perfect: გუშინ სამსახურში არ ვყოფილვარgushin samsakhurshi ar vq'opilvar (I wasn't at work yesterday). The official B2 grammar has: სტუდენტობისას ასეთი თამამი არ ვყოფილვარst'udent'obisas aseti tamami ar vq'opilvar (as a student, I wasn't so bold).

5Good to know

მომეწონაmomets'ona is the past of მომწონსmomts'ons (I like): ძალიან მომეწონაdzalian momets'ona = "I liked it a lot", what you say after a trip, a film or a meal.

ყოფილაq'opila has a second meaning, "it turns out (he/she) was": you will learn it in lesson 125.

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.

  1. "Have you been to Batumi?" is…
  2. "I've been there twice" is…
  3. "I haven't been there yet" is…
  4. "I've never been" is…
  5. "They have been to Europe" is…
  6. "twice" is…
  7. "How many times?" is…
  8. "I wasn't at work yesterday" is…
  9. "I liked it a lot" is…
  10. "We have been to Kutaisi" is…

Well done! Lesson 121 is ticked on your course map.

Say it, then write it

Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.

  1. Ask a friend "Have you been to Tbilisi?"
    Show the answerთბილისში ყოფილხარ?tbilisshi q'opilkhar?
  2. Say "I've been to Kutaisi once."
    Show the answerქუთაისში ერთხელ ვყოფილვარ.kutaisshi ertkhel vq'opilvar.
  3. Say "I've never been to Svaneti."
    Show the answerსვანეთში არასოდეს არ ვყოფილვარ.svanetshi arasodes ar vq'opilvar.
  4. Say "I haven't been to Batumi yet."
    Show the answerბათუმში ჯერ არ ვყოფილვარ.batumshi jer ar vq'opilvar.
  5. Ask "How many times have you been to Georgia?"
    Show the answerრამდენჯერ ყოფილხარ საქართველოში?ramdenjer q'opilkhar sakartveloshi?

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

Unit 13: The perfect: experience and hearsay B1

  1. 121Have you ever been...? ვყოფილვარvq'opilvar
  2. 122I have read, I have seen: the perfect
  3. 123Never, not yet: არar + the perfect
  4. 124It seems he has gone
  5. 125Apparently: თურმეturme
  6. 126Was writing, wrote, has written
  7. 127A Georgian folk tale
  8. 128Travel stories: Svaneti
  9. 129Polyphonic songs and dances
  10. 130Review: a travel blog

See the 20 units and all 200 lessons →

🎧 Download the Georgian audio course