Month 13. Signs in the street
Walking down Aghmashenebeli Avenue with Nino, I try to read every sign on every door. Many of them use the same kind of verb, and Nino explains why.
Today: passive verbs.
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.
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1Sam’s diary
2Dialogue
Sam
ნინო, ამ კარზე წერია „იყიდება“. რას ნიშნავს?nino, am k'arze ts'eria „iq'ideba“. ras nishnavs?Nino, this door says "იყიდებაiq'ideba". What does it mean?
Nino
ნიშნავს, რომ ეს ბინა იყიდება, ანუ მისი ყიდვა შეიძლება.nishnavs, rom es bina iq'ideba, anu misi q'idva sheidzleba.It means this flat is for sale: in other words, you can buy it.
Sam
და იქ: „ქირავდება“?da ik: „kiravdeba“?And over there: "ქირავდებაkiravdeba"?
Nino
ის ბინა ქირით შეგიძლია აიღო და ყოველ თვეს ქირა გადაიხადო.is bina kirit shegidzlia aigho da q'ovel tves kira gadaikhado.You can rent that flat and pay rent every month.
Sam
ეს მაღაზია როდის იღება?es maghazia rodis igheba?When does this shop open?
Nino
აქ წერია: ათზე იღება და რვაზე იკეტება.ak ts'eria: atze igheba da rvaze ik'et'eba.It says here: it opens at ten and closes at eight.
Sam
ეს სიტყვა როგორ იწერება? „ხელნაკეთი“?es sit'q'va rogor its'ereba? „khelnak'eti“?How is this word spelled? "ხელნაკეთიkhelnak'eti"?
Nino
სწორად წერ! ნიშნავს, რომ აქ ყველაფერი ხელით კეთდება.sts'orad ts'er! nishnavs, rom ak q'velaperi khelit k'etdeba.You've got it right! It means everything here is made by hand.
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| იყიდება | iq'ideba | is for sale, is sold |
| ქირავდება | kiravdeba | is for rent |
| ქირა | kira | rent |
| იღება | igheba | opens, is opened |
| იკეტება | ik'et'eba | closes, is closed |
| როგორ იწერება? | rogor its'ereba? | how is it spelled? |
| ხელნაკეთი | khelnak'eti | handmade |
| კეთდება | k'etdeba | is made, is done |
| ქართულად როგორ ითქმის? | kartulad rogor itkmis? | how do you say it in Georgian? |
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 passive: something is done
A passive verb says what happens to something, without naming the doer. The most common type adds იi- before the root and -ებაeba at the end:
| active | passive |
|---|---|
| ყიდისq'idis (sells) | იყიდებაiq'ideba (is sold, is for sale) |
| წერსts'ers (writes) | იწერებაits'ereba (is written, is spelled) |
| აღებსaghebs (opens) | იღებაigheba (opens, is opened) |
| კეტავსk'et'avs (locks) | იკეტებაik'et'eba (closes, is locked) |
| ამბობსambobs (says) | ითქმისitkmis (is said) |
The official B1 grammar gives: სურათი იხატებაsurati ikhat'eba (the picture is being painted), სახლი ინგრევაsakhli ingreva (the house is falling down), ჯგუფი იყოფაjgupi iq'opa (the group is divided).
Tenses
| present | future | aorist |
|---|---|---|
| იყიდებაiq'ideba (is sold) | გაიყიდებაgaiq'ideba (will be sold) | გაიყიდაgaiq'ida (was sold) |
| იწერებაits'ereba (is written) | დაიწერებაdaits'ereba (will be written) | დაიწერაdaits'era (was written) |
The subject of a passive verb is always in the nominative: ბინა გაიყიდაbina gaiq'ida (the flat was sold).
The second type: -დებაdeba
Some passives have -დd- instead of იi-: ქირავდებაkiravdeba (is rented out), კეთდებაk'etdeba (is made), აშენდაashenda (was built). You will see more of them in lesson 132.
"By": -ის მიერis mier
ეს წიგნი ცნობილი მწერლის მიერ დაიწერა.es ts'igni tsnobili mts'erlis mier daits'era.This book was written by a famous writer.
This is formal style. In conversation, Georgians prefer the active: ეს წიგნი ცნობილმა მწერალმა დაწერაes ts'igni tsnobilma mts'eralma dats'era.
5Good to know
Two questions to use every day: ეს სიტყვა როგორ იწერებაes sit'q'va rogor its'ereba? (How is this word spelled?) and ქართულად როგორ ითქმისkartulad rogor itkmis? (How do you say it in Georgian?)
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.
- "For sale" on a sign is…
- "The shop opens at ten" is…
- "The shop closes at eight" is…
- "How is this word spelled?" is…
- "How do you say it in Georgian?" is…
- "The flat was sold" is…
- "The letter will be written tomorrow" is…
- The subject of a passive verb is in…
- "This book was written by a famous writer" is…
- What does ხელნაკეთიkhelnak'eti mean?
Well done! Lesson 131 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 "The car is for sale."
Show the answer
მანქანა იყიდება.mankana iq'ideba. - Say "The shop closes at nine."
Show the answer
მაღაზია ცხრაზე იკეტება.maghazia tskhraze ik'et'eba. - Ask "How is your name spelled?"
Show the answer
შენი სახელი როგორ იწერება?sheni sakheli rogor its'ereba? - Ask "How do you say 'window' in Georgian?"
Show the answer
„window“ ქართულად როგორ ითქმისkartulad rogor itkmis? - Say "The house was sold."
Show the answer
სახლი გაიყიდა.sakhli gaiq'ida.
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 14: Passive, states and positions B1
- 131For sale: passive verbs
- 132It's getting warm: change verbs in -დებაdeba
- 133It stands, it lies, it hangs
- 134Sit down! Stand up!
- 135Make someone do it: causatives
- 136Done and to be done: participles
- 137The writer, the reader
- 138Swimming, reading, learning: verbal nouns
- 139Building words
- 140Review: renting a flat