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B1 · IntermediateUnit 14: Passive, states and positionsLesson 139 of 200

Lesson 139Building words

Goal: you will build words with საsa-, -ობაoba, უu-...-ოo, -იანიiani.

Course progress: lesson 139 / 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

ა ბ გ დ ეაბგდეუფასო
უფასოupaso

Month 15. A word puzzle

Tamar has invented a game: she gives us a word and a little piece, and we have to build a new word. I turn out to be very good at it.

Today: building words like a Georgian.

2Dialogue

Tamar
დღეს სიტყვებს ავაშენებთ! „ფასი“ და „უ-…-ო“ — რა გამოვა?dghes sit'q'vebs avashenebt! „pasi“ da „u-…-o“ — ra gamova?Today we'll build words! "ფასიpasi" (price) and "უu-…-ოo": what do we get?
Sam
უფასო! ანუ ფასის გარეშე.upaso! anu pasis gareshe.უფასოupaso! In other words, without a price: free.
Tamar
სწორია! „მარილი“ და „-იანი“?sts'oria! „marili“ da „-iani“?Correct! "მარილიmarili" (salt) and "-იანიiani"?
Sam
მარილიანი — ბევრი მარილით. და „უმარილო“ — მარილის გარეშე!mariliani — bevri marilit. da „umarilo“ — marilis gareshe!მარილიანიmariliani: with a lot of salt. And უმარილოumarilo: without salt!
Tamar
ყოჩაღ! „მეგობარი“ და „-ობა“?q'ochagh! „megobari“ da „-oba“?Well done! "მეგობარიmegobari" (friend) and "-ობაoba"?
Sam
მეგობრობა! და „ბავშვი“ — ბავშვობა!megobroba! da „bavshvi“ — bavshvoba!მეგობრობაmegobroba (friendship)! And "ბავშვიbavshvi" (child): ბავშვობაbavshvoba (childhood)!
Tamar
ახლა რთული: „სა-“ და „ცურვა“?akhla rtuli: „sa-“ da „tsurva“?Now a hard one: "საsa-" and "ცურვაtsurva" (swimming)?
Sam
საცურაო! ადგილი ცურვისთვის.satsurao! adgili tsurvistvis.საცურაოsatsurao: a place for swimming.
Tamar
ბრწყინვალეა! სემი ნამდვილი თბილისელი გახდა!brts'q'invalea! semi namdvili tbiliseli gakhda!Brilliant! Sam has become a real Tbilisian!

3New words

GeorgianPronunciationEnglish
უფასოupasofree (of charge)
მარილიანიmarilianisalty
უმარილოumarilowithout salt
უგემოugemotasteless
სიმაღლეsimaghleheight
საცურაოsatsuraofor swimming; a swimming pool
თბილისელიtbiliselia person from Tbilisi
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

Georgian word-building

affixmeaningexamples
უ-…-ოu-…-owithoutუფასოupaso (free), უმარილოumarilo (without salt), უშაქროushakro (sugar-free), უგემოugemo (tasteless)
-იანი-ianiwith, havingმარილიანიmariliani (salty), მზიანიmziani (sunny), ღრუბლიანიghrubliani (cloudy), ორ-ოთახიანი ბინაor-otakhiani bina (a two-room flat)
-ობა-obaabstract nounმეგობრობაmegobroba (friendship), ბავშვობაbavshvoba (childhood), სტუდენტობაst'udent'oba (student days)
სი-…-ეsi-…-equalityსიცივეsitsive (cold, coldness), სიმაღლეsimaghle (height), სიყვარულიsiq'varuli (love)
სა-…-ო / სა-…-ეsa-…-o / sa-…-eplace or purposeსაცურაოsatsurao (for swimming), სამზარეულოsamzareulo (kitchen), საავადმყოფოsaavadmq'opo (hospital), სასტუმროsast'umro (hotel)
-ელი-eliperson from a placeთბილისელი, ქუთაისელი, ამერიკელიtbiliseli, kutaiseli, amerik'eli
-ური / -ული-uri / -uliadjective ofსვანური, ქართული, ევროპულიsvanuri, kartuli, evrop'uli

-ურიuri or -ულიuli?

After a root that already has an რr, Georgian uses -ულიuli to avoid two r's: ქართ-ულიkart-uli, ფრანგ-ულიprang-uli, რუს-ულიrus-uli. Otherwise it is -ურიuri: სვან-ურიsvan-uri, კახ-ურიk'akh-uri.

Opposite pairs

withwithout
მარილიანიmariliani (salty)უმარილოumarilo (without salt)
შაქრიანიshakriani (sweet, with sugar)უშაქროushakro (without sugar)
გემრიელიgemrieli (tasty)უგემოugemo (tasteless)

5Good to know

You already know many of these words: სასტუმროsast'umro (hotel) is "a place for guests" (სტუმარიst'umari), and სამზარეულოsamzareulo (kitchen) is "a place for cooking". Look inside long words: there is often a short one you know.

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. "free (of charge)" is…
  2. "salty" is…
  3. "without sugar" is…
  4. "friendship" is…
  5. "childhood" is…
  6. "a person from Tbilisi" is…
  7. Why does ქართულიkartuli end in -ულიuli and not -ურიuri?
  8. "height" is…
  9. "a two-room flat" is…
  10. What is a სასტუმროsast'umro?

Well done! Lesson 139 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 "Entry is free."
    Show the answerშესვლა უფასოა.shesvla upasoa.
  2. Say "coffee without sugar" (one word)
    Show the answerუშაქრო ყავაushakro q'ava
  3. Say "a sunny day"
    Show the answerმზიანი დღეmziani dghe
  4. Say "my childhood"
    Show the answerჩემი ბავშვობაchemi bavshvoba
  5. Say "I'm a Montrealer."
    Show the answerმონრეალელი ვარ.monrealeli var.

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