Month 12. The towers of Svaneti
I'm back from Svaneti, the high mountain region of the north-west, with a thousand photos. Giorgi wants to know everything I saw, ate and heard.
Today: telling travel stories.
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
Giorgi
სემ, სვანეთში ყოფილხარ?sem, svanetshi q'opilkhar?Sam, have you been to Svaneti?
Sam
კი, გასულ კვირას ვიყავი! მესტიაშიც ვიყავი და უშგულშიც.k'i, gasul k'viras viq'avi! mest'iashits viq'avi da ushgulshits.Yes, I was there last week! I went to Mestia and to Ushguli.
Giorgi
კოშკში ახვედი?k'oshk'shi akhvedi?Did you go up a tower?
Sam
კი, ერთ ძველ კოშკში ავედი. იქიდან შხარა დავინახე, საქართველოს ყველაზე მაღალი მთა. ასეთი მთები არასოდეს არ მინახავს!k'i, ert dzvel k'oshk'shi avedi. ikidan shkhara davinakhe, sakartvelos q'velaze maghali mta. aseti mtebi arasodes ar minakhavs!Yes, I climbed an old tower. From there I saw Shkhara, Georgia's highest mountain. I've never seen mountains like that!
Giorgi
კუბდარი გიჭამია?k'ubdari gich'amia?Have you ever eaten kubdari?
Sam
კი, ორჯერ მიჭამია! სვანური მარილიც ვიყიდე დედაჩემისთვის.k'i, orjer mich'amia! svanuri marilits viq'ide dedachemistvis.Yes, twice! I also bought Svan salt for my mum.
Giorgi
სვანური ენა გაგიგია?svanuri ena gagigia?Have you ever heard the Svan language?
Sam
გამიგია, მაგრამ არაფერი არ მესმოდა. ქართულს ცოტა ჰგავს, მაგრამ სხვა ენაა.gamigia, magram araperi ar mesmoda. kartuls tsot'a hgavs, magram skhva enaa.I have, but I didn't understand a thing. It's a little like Georgian, but it's a different language.
Giorgi
ჰო, სვანებს საკუთარი ენა აქვთ. შენ კი ყველგან ყოფილხარ!ho, svanebs sak'utari ena akvt. shen k'i q'velgan q'opilkhar!Yes, the Svans have their own language. And you've been everywhere!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ახვედი? | akhvedi? | did you go up? |
| კუბდარი | k'ubdari | kubdari (Svan meat pie) |
| სვანური | svanuri | Svan |
| გაგიგია? | gagigia? | have you heard? |
| გამიგია | gamigia | I have heard |
| ჰგავს | hgavs | it resembles, it's like |
| საკუთარი | sak'utari | own |
| ოდესმე | odesme | ever |
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
Aorist or perfect?
| a known moment: aorist | experience, "ever": perfect |
|---|---|
| გასულ კვირას სვანეთში ვიყავი.gasul k'viras svanetshi viq'avi. | სვანეთში ვყოფილვარ.svanetshi vq'opilvar. |
| გუშინ კუბდარი ვჭამე.gushin k'ubdari vch'ame. | კუბდარი ორჯერ მიჭამია.k'ubdari orjer mich'amia. |
| იქიდან შხარა დავინახე.ikidan shkhara davinakhe. | ასეთი მთები არასოდეს არ მინახავს.aseti mtebi arasodes ar minakhavs. |
A word like გასულ კვირასgasul k'viras (last week), გუშინgushin (yesterday) or 2025 წელსts'els fixes the moment, so you use the aorist. Words like ოდესმეodesme (ever), ორჯერorjer (twice) or არასოდესarasodes (never) call for the perfect.
"Ever": ოდესმეodesme
ოდესმე ყოფილხარ სვანეთში?odesme q'opilkhar svanetshi?Have you ever been to Svaneti?
ოდესმე გიჭამია კუბდარი?odesme gich'amia k'ubdari?Have you ever eaten kubdari?
როდისმეrodisme (lesson 116) means the same.
Going up and down
| up | down |
|---|---|
| ავედიavedi (I went up) | ჩავედიchavedi (I went down) |
| ახვედიakhvedi? (did you go up?) | ჩახვედიchakhvedi? (did you go down?) |
| ავალ (I'll go up)aval (I'll go up) | ჩავალchaval (I'll go down) |
5Good to know
Upper Svaneti has been on UNESCO's World Heritage List since 1996 for its medieval villages and stone tower-houses, built to protect families. Ushguli, at about 2,100 metres, is one of the highest inhabited villages in Europe, below Shkhara, Georgia's highest peak. The Svans speak Svan, a Kartvelian language related to Georgian, and Georgian as well.
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.
- "I was in Svaneti last week" is…
- "Have you ever been to Svaneti?" is…
- "I've never seen mountains like that!" is…
- "I've eaten it twice" is…
- "Did you go up a tower?" is…
- "I have heard (it)" is…
- "It's a little like Georgian" is…
- What is კუბდარიk'ubdari?
- "The Svans have their own language" is…
- Since when is Upper Svaneti on the UNESCO list?
Well done! Lesson 128 is ticked on your course map.
Say it, then write it
Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
- Ask "Have you ever been to Svaneti?"
Show the answer
ოდესმე ყოფილხარ სვანეთში?odesme q'opilkhar svanetshi? - Say "I was in Mestia last year."
Show the answer
შარშან მესტიაში ვიყავი.sharshan mest'iashi viq'avi. - Say "I've never eaten kubdari."
Show the answer
კუბდარი არასოდეს არ მიჭამია.k'ubdari arasodes ar mich'amia. - Say "I climbed an old tower."
Show the answer
ძველ კოშკში ავედი.dzvel k'oshk'shi avedi. - Say "I've heard the Svan language."
Show the answer
სვანური ენა გამიგია.svanuri ena gamigia.
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