Goal: you will say where you are from with -დანdan / -იდანidan.
Course progress: lesson 14 / 200
LIMBA audio course · Georgian
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 emailDay 7. A chat with a taxi driver
In Georgia, a taxi ride is never silent. Before we have even left the street, the driver turns round and asks me the question I will hear a hundred times this year.
Today: countries, and the little ending that means "from".
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| საიდან? | saidan? | from where? |
| საქართველო | sakartvelo | Georgia (the country) |
| კანადა | k'anada | Canada |
| ამერიკა | amerik'a | America |
| ინგლისი | inglisi | England |
| ირლანდია | irlandia | Ireland |
| ავსტრალია | avst'ralia | Australia |
| ზღვა | zghva | sea |
| ლამაზი | lamazi | beautiful |
| ბათუმი | batumi | Batumi (city on the Black Sea) |
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.
To say "from" a place, Georgian adds an ending to the name of the place. There are two shapes:
| place | from |
|---|---|
| თბილისიtbilisi | თბილისიდანtbilisidan |
| ბათუმიbatumi | ბათუმიდანbatumidan |
| კანადაk'anada | კანადიდანk'anadidan |
| ამერიკაamerik'a | ამერიკიდანamerik'idan |
| საქართველოsakartvelo | საქართველოდანsakartvelodan |
| ტორონტოt'oront'o | ტორონტოდანt'oront'odan |
The rule is simple to see: - if the word ends in -იi, add -დანdan after it: თბილისიtbilisi → თბილისიდანtbilisidan - if the word ends in -აa, the -აa is replaced: კანადაk'anada → კანადიდანk'anadidan - if the word ends in -ოo, -ეe or -უu, just add -დანdan: საქართველოsakartvelo → საქართველოდანsakartvelodan
| polite / several people | to a friend |
|---|---|
| საიდან ხართ?saidan khart? | საიდან ხარ?saidan khar? |
The answer: country + -დანdan + ვარvar: ინგლისიდან ვარinglisidan var, "I'm from England". For several people: ავსტრალიიდან ვართavst'raliidan vart, "we're from Australia".
The Georgians call their country საქართველოsakartvelo, "the land of the Kartvelians" (the Georgians call themselves ქართველებიkartvelebi). The English name "Georgia" most likely goes back to the Persian name for the Georgians, gorğān; the link with Saint George is a popular legend.
Another common way to ask is სადაური ხარsadauri khar?, literally "of which place are you?". You can answer it the same way: კანადიდან ვარk'anadidan var.
Batumi is the main city of Adjara, on the Black Sea coast in the south-west of Georgia, famous for its seaside boulevard and its modern towers.
Choose an answer for each question, then press Check my answers. Score 70% or more and the lesson is ticked on your course map.
Well done! Lesson 14 is ticked on your course map.
Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
Lesson finished? Now train your ear
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