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B1 · IntermediateUnit 14: Passive, states and positionsLesson 132 of 200

Lesson 132It's getting warm: change verbs in -დებაdeba

Goal: you will say how things change.

Course progress: lesson 132 / 200

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1Sam’s diary

ბნელდება
ბნელდებაbneldeba

Month 13. Autumn in Tbilisi

October in Tbilisi. From the balcony, Bebo and I watch the city change: the trees turn red, the evenings come earlier, and the market fills with grapes.

Today: saying how things change.

2Dialogue

Bebo
სემ, ნახე, რა ადრე ბნელდება!sem, nakhe, ra adre bneldeba!Sam, look how early it's getting dark!
Sam
ჰო, დღეები მოკლდება. შემოდგომაა.ho, dgheebi mok'ldeba. shemodgomaa.Yes, the days are getting shorter. It's autumn.
Bebo
ცივდება კიდეც. ხვალ თბილი ქურთუკი ჩაიცვი, თორემ გაცივდები.tsivdeba k'idets. khval tbili kurtuk'i chaitsvi, torem gatsivdebi.And it's getting cold too. Put on a warm jacket tomorrow, or you'll catch a cold.
Sam
ხეებზე ფოთლები უკვე წითლდება.kheebze potlebi uk've ts'itldeba.The leaves on the trees are already turning red.
Bebo
ბაზარზე ხილი ძვირდება, ყურძენი კი იაფდება.bazarze khili dzvirdeba, q'urdzeni k'i iapdeba.At the market, fruit is getting more expensive, but grapes are getting cheaper.
Sam
შენი ჩაი გაცივდა, ბებო. ცხელს მოგიტან.sheni chai gatsivda, bebo. tskhels mogit'an.Your tea has gone cold, Bebo. I'll bring you a hot one.
Bebo
მადლობა, შვილო. შენი ქართული ძალიან გაუმჯობესდა!madloba, shvilo. sheni kartuli dzalian gaumjobesda!Thank you, dear. Your Georgian has improved a lot!

3New words

GeorgianPronunciationEnglish
ბნელდებაbneldebait's getting dark
მოკლდებაmok'ldebait's getting shorter
ცივდებაtsivdebait's getting cold
თორემtoremor, otherwise
გაცივდებიgatsivdebiyou'll catch a cold
წითლდებაts'itldebait's turning red
ძვირდებაdzvirdebait's getting more expensive
იაფდებაiapdebait's getting cheaper
გაცივდაgatsivdait got cold
გაუმჯობესდაgaumjobesdait has improved
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

Becoming: -დებაdeba

Many adjectives give a verb meaning "to become…": add -დებაdeba to the stem:

adjective"is becoming"aorist
ბნელიbneli (dark)ბნელდებაbneldebaდაბნელდაdabnelda (it got dark)
ცივიtsivi (cold)ცივდებაtsivdebaგაცივდაgatsivda (it got cold)
თბილიtbili (warm)თბებაtbebaგათბაgatba (it got warm)
ძვირიdzviri (expensive)ძვირდებაdzvirdebaგაძვირდაgadzvirda (it got more expensive)
იაფიiapi (cheap)იაფდებაiapdebaგაიაფდაgaiapda (it got cheaper)
მოკლეmok'le (short)მოკლდებაmok'ldebaდამოკლდაdamok'lda (it got shorter)
წითელიts'iteli (red)წითლდებაts'itldebaგაწითლდაgats'itlda (it turned red; he blushed)

The official B1 verb list includes ძვირდებაdzvirdeba, თბებაtbeba, გრძელდებაgrdzeldeba (it continues, literally "it gets longer").

No ergative

These verbs describe what happens to the subject, so the subject is always in the nominative: > ჩაი გაცივდაchai gatsivda. | tea got-cold | The tea has gone cold. > ხილი გაძვირდაkhili gadzvirda. | fruit got-expensive | Fruit has become more expensive.

People change too

გავცივდი.gavtsivdi.I've caught a cold. (literally "I got cold")
თბილად ჩაიცვი, თორემ გაცივდები!tbilad chaitsvi, torem gatsivdebi!Dress warmly, or you'll catch a cold!
ნინო გაწითლდა.nino gats'itlda.Nino blushed.

5Good to know

თენდებაtendeba means "day is breaking" and ბნელდებაbneldeba "night is falling": two verbs you will meet in every Georgian story and song. ღამე მშვიდობისაghame mshvidobisa (good night) and დილა მშვიდობისაdila mshvidobisa (good morning) frame the day.

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.

  1. "It's getting dark" is…
  2. "The days are getting shorter" is…
  3. "The tea has gone cold" is…
  4. "Fruit is getting more expensive" is…
  5. "I've caught a cold" is…
  6. "Dress warmly, or you'll catch a cold!" is…
  7. "It got warm" is…
  8. "The leaves are turning red" is…
  9. "Your Georgian has improved" is…
  10. What does თორემtorem mean?

Well done! Lesson 132 is ticked on your course map.

Say it, then write it

Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.

  1. Say "It's getting cold."
    Show the answerცივდება.tsivdeba.
  2. Say "It got dark."
    Show the answerდაბნელდა.dabnelda.
  3. Say "Bread has become more expensive."
    Show the answerპური გაძვირდა.p'uri gadzvirda.
  4. Say "I've caught a cold."
    Show the answerგავცივდი.gavtsivdi.
  5. Say "Eat, or it will get cold!"
    Show the answerჭამე, თორემ გაცივდება!ch'ame, torem gatsivdeba!

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

  1. 131For sale: passive verbs
  2. 132It's getting warm: change verbs in -დებაdeba
  3. 133It stands, it lies, it hangs
  4. 134Sit down! Stand up!
  5. 135Make someone do it: causatives
  6. 136Done and to be done: participles
  7. 137The writer, the reader
  8. 138Swimming, reading, learning: verbal nouns
  9. 139Building words
  10. 140Review: renting a flat

See the 20 units and all 200 lessons →

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