Month 13. A concert of polyphony
Nino takes me to a concert in an old church hall: a choir of eight men, no instruments, and voices that seem to fill the whole of old Tbilisi.
Today: Georgian songs and dances.
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, ქართული მრავალხმიანობა ოდესმე ცოცხლად მოგისმენია?sem, kartuli mravalkhmianoba odesme tsotskhlad mogismenia?Sam, have you ever heard Georgian polyphony live?
Sam
არა, მხოლოდ ინტერნეტში მომისმენია.ara, mkholod int'ernet'shi momismenia.No, I've only listened to it online.
Nino
დღეს გაიგებ! ესენი სამ ხმაში მღერიან, ინსტრუმენტების გარეშე.dghes gaigeb! eseni sam khmashi mgherian, inst'rument'ebis gareshe.Today you'll hear it! They sing in three voices, without instruments.
Sam
ეს რა სიმღერაა?es ra simgheraa?What song is this?
Nino
„მრავალჟამიერ“. სუფრაზე მღერიან, როცა ვინმეს გრძელ სიცოცხლეს უსურვებენ.„mravalzhamier“. supraze mgherian, rotsa vinmes grdzel sitsotskhles usurveben."Mravaljamier". It's sung at the table, when people wish someone a long life.
Sam
ძალიან ლამაზია! ის ბიჭი კი ფეხის თითებზე ცეკვავს!dzalian lamazia! is bich'i k'i pekhis titebze tsek'vavs!It's beautiful! And that boy is dancing on his toes!
Nino
ქართველი მოცეკვავე კაცები ხშირად ფეხის თითებზე ცეკვავენ. ქართული ცეკვა ოდესმე გისწავლია?kartveli motsek'vave k'atsebi khshirad pekhis titebze tsek'vaven. kartuli tsek'va odesme gists'avlia?Georgian male dancers often dance on their toes. Have you ever learned a Georgian dance?
Sam
არასოდეს არ მიცეკვია, მაგრამ ვისწავლი!arasodes ar mitsek'via, magram vists'avli!I've never danced, but I'll learn!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| მრავალხმიანობა | mravalkhmianoba | polyphony, singing in several voices |
| ცოცხლად | tsotskhlad | live (not recorded) |
| მომისმენია | momismenia | I have listened to (it) |
| სამ ხმაში | sam khmashi | in three voices |
| -ის გარეშე | -is gareshe | without |
| გრძელი სიცოცხლე | grdzeli sitsotskhle | a long life |
| ფეხის თითები | pekhis titebi | toes |
| მოცეკვავე | motsek'vave | dancer |
| მიცეკვია | mitsek'via | I have danced |
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 of verbs like "dance" and "sing"
Verbs like ცეკვავსtsek'vavs (dances), მღერისmgheris (sings) and თამაშობსtamashobs (plays) take the ergative in the aorist (მან იცეკვაman itsek'va), and in the perfect they behave like transitive verbs: the doer goes into the dative.
| dance | sing | play | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | მიცეკვიაmitsek'via | მიმღერიაmimgheria | მითამაშიაmitamashia |
| he/she | უცეკვიაutsek'via | უმღერიაumgheria | უთამაშიაutamashia |
არასოდეს არ მიცეკვია.arasodes ar mitsek'via.I've never danced.
ამ გუნდს ბევრ ქვეყანაში უმღერია.am gunds bevr kveq'anashi umgheria.This choir has sung in many countries.
Listen and hear
| aorist | perfect |
|---|---|
| მოვისმინეmovismine (I listened) | მომისმენიაmomismenia (I have listened) |
| გავიგეgavige (I heard) | გამიგიაgamigia (I have heard) |
Without: -ის გარეშეis gareshe
ინსტრუმენტების გარეშეinst'rument'ebis gareshewithout instruments
შაქრის გარეშეshakris gareshewithout sugar
შენ გარეშეshen gareshewithout you
5Good to know
In 2001, UNESCO proclaimed Georgian polyphonic singing a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity; it has been on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2008. მრავალჟამიერmravalzhamier ("many years") is a song of wishes for a long life, sung at feasts. Lesson 176 tells you about ჩაკრულოchak'rulo, the Georgian song that flew into space.
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.
- "Have you ever heard Georgian polyphony live?" is…
- "I've only listened to it online" is…
- "They sing in three voices" is…
- "without instruments" is…
- "I've never danced" is…
- "This choir has sung in many countries" is…
- What does მრავალჟამიერmravalzhamier wish?
- What does ცოცხლადtsotskhlad mean here?
- When did UNESCO first proclaim Georgian polyphony a masterpiece?
- "without sugar" is…
Well done! Lesson 129 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 heard Georgian polyphony?"
Show the answer
ქართული მრავალხმიანობა ოდესმე მოგისმენია?kartuli mravalkhmianoba odesme mogismenia? - Say "I've never danced a Georgian dance."
Show the answer
ქართული ცეკვა არასოდეს არ მიცეკვია.kartuli tsek'va arasodes ar mitsek'via. - Say "coffee without sugar"
Show the answer
ყავა შაქრის გარეშეq'ava shakris gareshe - Say "They sing without instruments."
Show the answer
ინსტრუმენტების გარეშე მღერიან.inst'rument'ebis gareshe mgherian. - Say "I have heard this song."
Show the answer
ეს სიმღერა გამიგია.es simghera 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