Month 14. In the classroom
In Tamar's class, the lesson has just started when the school's director, Mr Zurab, walks in. Suddenly everyone is standing up, sitting down and saying polite things.
Today: sit down, stand up, lie down.
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
Tamar
გამარჯობა, მეგობრებო! დასხედით, თუ შეიძლება.gamarjoba, megobrebo! daskhedit, tu sheidzleba.Hello, friends! Please sit down.
Sam
მასწავლებელო, სად დავჯდე?masts'avlebelo, sad davjde?Teacher, where shall I sit?
Tamar
აქ დაჯექი, ფანჯარასთან.ak dajeki, panjarastan.Sit here, by the window.
Tamar
ოჰ, ბატონო ზურაბ! მობრძანდით! დაბრძანდით, აქ არის სკამი.oh, bat'ono zurab! mobrdzandit! dabrdzandit, ak aris sk'ami.Oh, Mr Zurab! Please come in! Please have a seat, here's a chair.
Zurab
გმადლობთ. ნუ დგებით, ნუ დგებით!gmadlobt. nu dgebit, nu dgebit!Thank you. Don't get up, don't get up!
Tamar
სემ, ადექი და ბატონ ზურაბს შენი თავი გააცანი.sem, adeki da bat'on zurabs sheni tavi gaatsani.Sam, stand up and introduce yourself to Mr Zurab.
Sam
სასიამოვნოა. მე სემი ვარ, კანადიდან.sasiamovnoa. me semi var, k'anadidan.Pleased to meet you. I'm Sam, from Canada.
Zurab
ძალიან კარგად ლაპარაკობ! შეგიძლია დაჯდე.dzalian k'argad lap'arak'ob! shegidzlia dajde.You speak very well! You can sit down.
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| დასხედით! | daskhedit! | sit down! (to several people) |
| დავჯდე | davjde | (that) I sit down |
| დაჯექი! | dajeki! | sit down! (to one person) |
| ნუ დგებით! | nu dgebit! | don't get up! (polite or plural) |
| ადექი! | adeki! | stand up! get up! |
| შენი თავი გააცანი | sheni tavi gaatsani | introduce yourself |
| დაჯდე | dajde | (that) you sit down |
| დაწექი! | dats'eki! | lie down! |
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
Getting into a position
| meaning | future (he/she) | aorist (he/she) | command |
|---|---|---|---|
| sit down | დაჯდებაdajdeba | დაჯდაdajda | დაჯექიdajeki! (several: დასხედითdaskhedit!) |
| stand up, get up | ადგებაadgeba | ადგაadga | ადექი! / ადექით!adeki! / adekit! |
| lie down | დაწვებაdats'veba | დაწვაdats'va | დაწექი! / დაწექით!dats'eki! / dats'ekit! |
| stand (somewhere) | დადგებაdadgeba | დადგაdadga | დადექი! / დადექით!dadeki! / dadekit! |
These verbs never take the ergative: ნინო დაჯდაnino dajda (Nino sat down).
"Sit down!" to several people has another root, დასხედითdaskhedit!, as in ისინი სხედანisini skhedan (they are sitting).
Being in a position (lesson 133)
| action | state |
|---|---|
| დაჯდაdajda (he sat down) | ზისzis (he is sitting) |
| ადგაadga (he stood up) | დგასdgas (he is standing) |
| დაწვაdats'va (he lay down) | წევსts'evs (he is lying) |
Polite forms
To a guest or an older person, Georgian uses special respectful verbs: დაბრძანდითdabrdzandit! (please sit down), მობრძანდითmobrdzandit! (please come in, welcome). Lesson 193 is all about them.
Don't get up!
ნუ დგები!nu dgebi!Don't get up! (to one person)
ნუ დგებით!nu dgebit!Don't get up! (polite or plural)
5Good to know
Respect for older people matters a lot in Georgia: when a respected guest comes in, people often stand up, and the guest answers ნუ დგებითnu dgebit! შენი თავი გამაცანიsheni tavi gamatsani means "introduce yourself to me".
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.
- "Sit down!" (to one friend) is…
- "Sit down!" (to a class) is…
- "Please sit down" (to a respected guest) is…
- "Stand up!" is…
- "Lie down!" is…
- "Where shall I sit?" is…
- "Nino sat down" is…
- "Don't get up!" (polite) is…
- "Introduce yourself" is…
- Which describes a state, "he is sitting"?
Well done! Lesson 134 is ticked on your course map.
Say it, then write it
Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
- Tell a friend "Sit here!"
Show the answer
აქ დაჯექი!ak dajeki! - Tell a group "Stand up, please!"
Show the answer
ადექით, თუ შეიძლება!adekit, tu sheidzleba! - Say politely to a guest "Please come in, please sit down!"
Show the answer
მობრძანდით, დაბრძანდით!mobrdzandit, dabrdzandit! - Tell a guest "Don't get up!"
Show the answer
ნუ დგებით!nu dgebit! - Ask "Where shall I sit?"
Show the answer
სად დავჯდე?sad davjde?
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