LIMBALIMBAGeorgian course200 lessons
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B1 · IntermediateUnit 14: Passive, states and positionsLesson 137 of 200

Lesson 137The writer, the reader

Goal: you will form nouns for people who do things.

Course progress: lesson 137 / 200

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

ჩემი საყვარელიმწერალი
ჩემი საყვარელი მწერალიchemi saq'vareli mts'erali

Month 15. In a bookshop

Nino takes me to a bookshop on Rustaveli Avenue. Between the shelves, we talk about writers, painters and translators, and I discover how Georgian makes words for people.

Today: the writer, the reader, the winemaker.

2Dialogue

Nino
სემ, ვინ არის შენი საყვარელი მწერალი?sem, vin aris sheni saq'vareli mts'erali?Sam, who's your favourite writer?
Sam
ნოდარ დუმბაძე. მისი წიგნი ინგლისურად წავიკითხე.nodar dumbadze. misi ts'igni inglisurad ts'avik'itkhe.Nodar Dumbadze. I read one of his books in English.
Nino
ის ყველა ქართველი მკითხველის საყვარელი მწერალია.is q'vela kartveli mk'itkhvelis saq'vareli mts'eralia.He's the favourite writer of every Georgian reader.
Sam
ეს მხატვარი ვინ არის? ყდაზე ლამაზი ნახატია.es mkhat'vari vin aris? q'daze lamazi nakhat'ia.And who's this painter? There's a beautiful painting on the cover.
Nino
ფიროსმანი. ის ძალიან ცნობილი ქართველი მხატვარი იყო.pirosmani. is dzalian tsnobili kartveli mkhat'vari iq'o.Pirosmani. He was a very famous Georgian painter.
Sam
ბოდიში, ქალბატონო, ამ წიგნის მთარგმნელი ვინ არის?bodishi, kalbat'ono, am ts'ignis mtargmneli vin aris?Excuse me, madam, who's the translator of this book?
Seller
ცნობილი ჟურნალისტი და მთარგმნელია.tsnobili zhurnalist'i da mtargmnelia.A well-known journalist and translator.
Sam
მე ჯერ მხოლოდ მკითხველი ვარ, მაგრამ ერთ დღეს მწერალიც ვიქნები!me jer mkholod mk'itkhveli var, magram ert dghes mts'eralits viknebi!For now I'm only a reader, but one day I'll be a writer too!

3New words

GeorgianPronunciationEnglish
მწერალიmts'eraliwriter
მკითხველიmk'itkhvelireader
მხატვარიmkhat'varipainter, artist
ყდაq'da(book) cover
ნახატიnakhat'ipicture, painting, drawing
მთარგმნელიmtargmnelitranslator
მეღვინეmeghvinewinemaker
მეთევზეmetevzefisherman
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

Words for people who do things

Georgian builds nouns for people from verbs and nouns with a few patterns:

patternexamplesfrom
მ-…-ელიm-…-eliმკითხველიmk'itkhveli (reader), მთარგმნელიmtargmneli (translator), მყიდველიmq'idveli (buyer), გამყიდველიgamq'idveli (seller), მასწავლებელიmasts'avlebeli (teacher)კითხულობს, თარგმნის, ყიდულობს, ყიდის, ასწავლისk'itkhulobs, targmnis, q'idulobs, q'idis, asts'avlis
მ-…-ალიm-…-aliმწერალიmts'erali (writer), მომღერალიmomgherali (singer)წერს, მღერისts'ers, mgheris
მო-…-ეmo-…-eმოსწავლეmosts'avle (pupil), მოცეკვავეmotsek'vave (dancer), მოთამაშეmotamashe (player)სწავლობს, ცეკვავს, თამაშობსsts'avlobs, tsek'vavs, tamashobs
მე-…-ეme-…-eმეღვინეmeghvine (winemaker), მეთევზეmetevze (fisherman), მებაღეmebaghe (gardener), მეფუტკრეmeput'k're (beekeeper)ღვინო, თევზი, ბაღი, ფუტკარიghvino, tevzi, baghi, put'k'ari
-ისტი-ist'iჟურნალისტი, ტურისტიzhurnalist'i, t'urist'iinternational words

მეme-…-ეe works with nouns: it makes "the person who deals with" wine, fish, a garden or bees.

Genitive with these nouns

ამ წიგნის მთარგმნელიam ts'ignis mtargmnelithe translator of this book
ქართველი მკითხველის საყვარელი მწერალიkartveli mk'itkhvelis saq'vareli mts'eralithe favourite writer of Georgian readers

5Good to know

Nodar Dumbadze (1928–1984) is one of the most loved Georgian writers; his novel მეme, ბებიაbebia, ილიკო და ილარიონიilik'o da ilarioni ("Me, Grandma, Iliko and Illarion") is read in every school. Niko Pirosmani (1862–1918), a self-taught painter, painted feasts, animals and the shopkeepers of old Tbilisi.

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. "writer" is…
  2. "reader" is…
  3. "translator" is…
  4. "seller, shop assistant" is…
  5. "winemaker" is…
  6. "fisherman" is…
  7. "dancer" is…
  8. "the translator of this book" is…
  9. Who was Niko Pirosmani?
  10. What is a ყდაq'da?

Well done! Lesson 137 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. Ask "Who is your favourite writer?"
    Show the answerვინ არის შენი საყვარელი მწერალი?vin aris sheni saq'vareli mts'erali?
  2. Say "My father is a winemaker."
    Show the answerმამაჩემი მეღვინეა.mamachemi meghvinea.
  3. Say "I'm a reader, not a writer."
    Show the answerმკითხველი ვარ და არა მწერალი.mk'itkhveli var da ara mts'erali.
  4. Say "the painter of this picture"
    Show the answerამ სურათის მხატვარიam suratis mkhat'vari
  5. Say "Nino is a good teacher."
    Show the answerნინო კარგი მასწავლებელია.nino k'argi masts'avlebelia.

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 →

🎧 Download the Georgian audio course