Goal: you will use "to be" in the plural and the polite თქვენtkven.
Course progress: lesson 13 / 200
LIMBA audio course · Georgian
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 emailDay 7. First day at the language school
First day of class at the language school. Our teacher, Tamar, is a calm woman with a big smile and a very loud voice. There are six of us: two Germans, an Italian couple, a Japanese student and me.
Today: "to be" for several people, and the polite form you use with your teacher.
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ვართ | vart | we are |
| ხართ | khart | you are (several people, or polite) |
| არიან | arian | they are |
| ისინი | isini | they |
| სტუდენტები | st'udent'ebi | students |
| ქართველი | kartveli | a Georgian (person) |
| ქალბატონი | kalbat'oni | Mrs, Ms; lady |
| ბატონი | bat'oni | Mr; sir |
| კლასი | k'lasi | class, classroom |
| ძალიან კარგი | dzalian k'argi | very good |
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.
| person | pronoun | to be |
|---|---|---|
| I | მეme | ვარvar |
| you (one friend) | შენshen | ხარkhar |
| he, she, it | ისis | არისaris |
| we | ჩვენchven | ვართvart |
| you (several, or polite) | თქვენtkven | ხართkhart |
| they | ისინიisini | არიანarian |
Notice the pattern: ვv- marks "I" and "we" (ვარvar, ვართvart), and -თt marks the plural of "we" and "you" (ვართvart, ხართkhart).
With your teacher, a shopkeeper, an older person or anyone you do not know well, use თქვენtkven with the plural verb ხართkhart, even if you speak to one person:
The noun stays singular (ქართველიkartveli) when you speak politely to one person; it becomes plural only for several people: თქვენ ქართველები ხართtkven kartvelebi khart?
სტუდენტიst'udent'i becomes სტუდენტებიst'udent'ebi, ტურისტიt'urist'i becomes ტურისტებიt'urist'ebi: the plural ending is -ებიebi. You will learn how it works in lesson 23.
ბატონიbat'oni (Mr, sir) and ქალბატონიkalbat'oni (Mrs, Ms, madam) go before the first name, not the surname. When you speak to the person, they end in -ოo: ქალბატონო თამარkalbat'ono tamar! "Mrs Tamar!". Sam's little mistake in the dialogue, ბატონოbat'ono, is a classic: ბატონიbat'oni is only for men.
Georgians address teachers, doctors and older people as ქალბატონოkalbat'ono or ბატონოbat'ono + first name: ქალბატონო მანანაkalbat'ono manana, ბატონო ლევანbat'ono levan. Using the first name this way is respectful, not familiar.
ბატონოbat'ono? on its own, said with a rising voice, also means "Yes? Pardon?" when someone calls you or when you did not hear well.
Choose an answer for each question, then press Check my answers. Score 70% or more and the lesson is ticked on your course map.
Well done! Lesson 13 is ticked on your course map.
Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
Lesson finished? Now train your ear
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