Month 12. Surprising news
Nino runs into the café with her phone in her hand. She has big news about her friend Lika, news nobody expected.
Today: "apparently", "it turns out".
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
Nino
სემ, გაიგე? ლიკა გათხოვილა!sem, gaige? lik'a gatkhovila!Sam, have you heard? Lika has got married!
Sam
რას ამბობ? როდის?ras ambob? rodis?What are you saying? When?
Nino
თურმე გასულ კვირას. ფეისბუქზე ფოტოები ვნახე.turme gasul k'viras. peisbukze pot'oebi vnakhe.Last week, apparently. I saw the photos on Facebook.
Sam
ქორწილი ჰქონდა და არავის არ უთხრა?korts'ili hkonda da aravis ar utkhra?She had a wedding and didn't tell anyone?
Nino
თურმე პატარა ქორწილი ყოფილა, მხოლოდ ოჯახისთვის. ქმარი კი იტალიელი ყოფილა!turme p'at'ara korts'ili q'opila, mkholod ojakhistvis. kmari k'i it'alieli q'opila!It turns out it was a small wedding, just for the family. And her husband is Italian!
Sam
იტალიელი? სად გაიცნო?it'alieli? sad gaitsno?Italian? Where did she meet him?
Nino
თურმე ბათუმში შეხვედრიან, ზღვაზე. რა რომანტიკული ყოფილა!turme batumshi shekhvedrian, zghvaze. ra romant'ik'uli q'opila!Apparently they met in Batumi, by the sea. How romantic!
Sam
მაშინ შენც არაფერი იცოდი!mashin shents araperi itsodi!So you didn't know anything either!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| გათხოვილა | gatkhovila | she has (apparently) got married |
| თურმე | turme | apparently, it turns out |
| ქორწილი | korts'ili | wedding |
| იტალიელი | it'alieli | Italian (person) |
| გაიცნო | gaitsno | he/she met, got to know |
| შეხვედრიან | shekhvedrian | they have (apparently) met |
| რომანტიკული | romant'ik'uli | romantic |
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
თურმეturme: apparently, it turns out
თურმეturme with the perfect tells something you did not witness: you heard it, read it, or found it out afterwards.
| I saw it happen | I didn't see it (heard, found out) |
|---|---|
| ლიკა გათხოვდა.lik'a gatkhovda. | ლიკა გათხოვილა.lik'a gatkhovila. |
| ბათუმში შეხვდნენ.batumshi shekhvdnen. | ბათუმში შეხვედრიან.batumshi shekhvedrian. |
| ნინომ წერილი დაწერა.ninom ts'erili dats'era. | ნინოს წერილი დაუწერია.ninos ts'erili dauts'eria. |
თურმე ბათუმში შეხვედრიან.turme batumshi shekhvedrian.apparently in-Batumi they-have-metApparently they met in Batumi.
თურმეturme can be left out: the perfect alone already carries this meaning, but თურმეturme makes it explicit.
ყოფილაq'opila: surprise
With the perfect of "be", Georgian expresses a discovery, often with surprise: > კარგი ყოფილაk'argi q'opila! | good it-has-been | Oh, it's (actually) good! > რა რომანტიკული ყოფილაra romant'ik'uli q'opila! | how romantic it-turned-out | How romantic! > შენ ყოფილხარshen q'opilkhar! | you you-have-been | Oh, it's you!
Marrying in Georgian
Georgian has three verbs: გათხოვდებაgatkhovdeba (a woman marries), ცოლს შეირთავსtsols sheirtavs (a man marries, literally "takes a wife") and დაქორწინდებაdakorts'indeba (to marry, for both).
5Good to know
Imagine opening the door to a friend you didn't expect: ოჰoh, შენ ყოფილხარshen q'opilkhar! That one word tells your friend you didn't know it was them. The perfect is the tense of surprise as much as of hearsay.
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.
- "Apparently Lika has got married" (you heard it) is…
- "Apparently they met in Batumi" is…
- "Oh, it's (actually) good!" is…
- "Oh, it's you!" is…
- You saw Nino write the letter. You say…
- "A man marries" (takes a wife) is…
- "Her husband is (it turns out) Italian" is…
- "Where did she meet him?" is…
- What is a ქორწილიkorts'ili?
- Without თურმეturme, ლიკა გათხოვილაlik'a gatkhovila means…
Well done! Lesson 125 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 "Apparently Giorgi has gone to Batumi."
Show the answer
თურმე გიორგი ბათუმში წასულა.turme giorgi batumshi ts'asula. - Say "Oh, it's you!"
Show the answer
შენ ყოფილხარ!shen q'opilkhar! - Say "This film is actually good!"
Show the answer
ეს ფილმი კარგი ყოფილა!es pilmi k'argi q'opila! - Say "Apparently Nino has written a book."
Show the answer
თურმე ნინოს წიგნი დაუწერია.turme ninos ts'igni dauts'eria. - Say "Apparently they met in Tbilisi."
Show the answer
თურმე თბილისში შეხვედრიან.turme tbilisshi shekhvedrian.
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
- 121Have you ever been...? ვყოფილვარvq'opilvar
- 122I have read, I have seen: the perfect
- 123Never, not yet: არar + the perfect
- 124It seems he has gone
- 125Apparently: თურმეturme
- 126Was writing, wrote, has written
- 127A Georgian folk tale
- 128Travel stories: Svaneti
- 129Polyphonic songs and dances
- 130Review: a travel blog