Month 16. Daydreaming
A warm evening on the roof. Nino and I look at the stars and play a game: what would we do with one whole free year?
Today: "I would".
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
2Dialogue
Nino
სემ, ერთი თავისუფალი წლით რას გააკეთებდი?sem, erti tavisupali ts'lit ras gaak'etebdi?Sam, with one free year, what would you do?
Sam
ვიმოგზაურებდი! ჯერ იაპონიაში წავიდოდი, მერე არგენტინაში.vimogzaurebdi! jer iap'oniashi ts'avidodi, mere argent'inashi.I'd travel! First I'd go to Japan, then to Argentina.
Nino
მე სახლში დავრჩებოდი და ბევრ წიგნს წავიკითხავდი.me sakhlshi davrchebodi da bevr ts'igns ts'avik'itkhavdi.I'd stay at home and read lots of books.
Sam
მხოლოდ წიგნებს? მოსაწყენი არ იქნებოდა?mkholod ts'ignebs? mosats'q'eni ar ikneboda?Only books? Wouldn't it be boring?
Nino
არა! ცოტას დავხატავდი და ბევრ ფილმს ვნახავდი.ara! tsot'as davkhat'avdi da bevr pilms vnakhavdi.No! I'd draw a little and watch lots of films.
Sam
მე ალბათ მთებში ვიცხოვრებდი, სვანეთში.me albat mtebshi vitskhovrebdi, svanetshi.I'd probably live in the mountains, in Svaneti.
Nino
ზამთარში? იქ ძალიან ცივა!zamtarshi? ik dzalian tsiva!In winter? It's very cold there!
Sam
მაშინ ზამთარში თბილისში ჩამოვიდოდი, შენთან და ბებოსთან!mashin zamtarshi tbilisshi chamovidodi, shentan da bebostan!Then in winter I'd come down to Tbilisi, to you and Bebo!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| გააკეთებდი | gaak'etebdi | you would do |
| ვიმოგზაურებდი | vimogzaurebdi | I would travel |
| წავიდოდი | ts'avidodi | I would go |
| დავრჩებოდი | davrchebodi | I would stay |
| წავიკითხავდი | ts'avik'itkhavdi | I would read |
| იქნებოდა | ikneboda | it would be |
| ვიცხოვრებდი | vitskhovrebdi | I would live |
| ჩამოვიდოდი | chamovidodi | I would come (here) |
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
The conditional: "would"
Take the future and give it the endings of the imperfect (-დიdi, -დაda…):
| future | conditional |
|---|---|
| ვიმოგზაურებvimogzaureb (I'll travel) | ვიმოგზაურებდიvimogzaurebdi (I'd travel) |
| წავალ (I'll go)ts'aval (I'll go) | წავიდოდი (I'd go)ts'avidodi (I'd go) |
| დავრჩებიdavrchebi (I'll stay) | დავრჩებოდიdavrchebodi (I'd stay) |
| წავიკითხავts'avik'itkhav (I'll read) | წავიკითხავდიts'avik'itkhavdi (I'd read) |
| გავაკეთებ (I'll do)gavak'eteb (I'll do) | გავაკეთებდი (I'd do)gavak'etebdi (I'd do) |
| ვიქნები (I'll be)viknebi (I'll be) | ვიქნებოდი (I'd be)viknebodi (I'd be) |
All the persons
| person | "would go" |
|---|---|
| მეme | წავიდოდიts'avidodi |
| შენshen | წახვიდოდიts'akhvidodi |
| ისis | წავიდოდაts'avidoda |
| ჩვენchven | წავიდოდითts'avidodit |
| თქვენtkven | წახვიდოდითts'akhvidodit |
| ისინიisini | წავიდოდნენts'avidodnen |
As in the future, the doer of a transitive verb is in the nominative: ნინო ბევრ წიგნს წაიკითხავდაnino bevr ts'igns ts'aik'itkhavda (Nino would read lots of books).
Three uses
- Imagination: ვიმოგზაურებდიvimogzaurebdi (I'd travel).
- Polite wishes: ერთ ყავას დავლევდიert q'avas davlevdi (I'd like a coffee, literally "I would drink a coffee").
- With an unreal "if" (lesson 142): მე რომ მანქანა მყავდესme rom mankana mq'avdes, ბევრს ვიმოგზაურებდიbevrs vimogzaurebdi (if I had a car, I would travel a lot), an example from the official B1 grammar.
5Good to know
კარგი იქნებოდაk'argi ikneboda ("it would be nice") is one of the most useful phrases in Georgian: კარგი იქნებოდაk'argi ikneboda, ხვალ რომ შევხვდეთkhval rom shevkhvdet = "It would be nice to meet tomorrow".
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.
- "I'd travel" is…
- "I'd go to Japan" is…
- "I'd stay at home" is…
- "Wouldn't it be boring?" is…
- "They would go" is…
- "Nino would read lots of books" is…
- "I'd like a coffee" (politely) is…
- "It would be nice" is…
- "I'd probably live in the mountains" is…
- What does ალბათalbat mean?
Well done! Lesson 141 is ticked on your course map.
Say it, then write it
Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
- Say "I'd go to Batumi."
Show the answer
ბათუმში წავიდოდი.batumshi ts'avidodi. - Say "I'd read lots of books."
Show the answer
ბევრ წიგნს წავიკითხავდი.bevr ts'igns ts'avik'itkhavdi. - Say "I'd like a tea, please."
Show the answer
ერთ ჩაის დავლევდი, თუ შეიძლება.ert chais davlevdi, tu sheidzleba. - Ask "What would you do?"
Show the answer
რას გააკეთებდი?ras gaak'etebdi? - Say "It would be nice."
Show the answer
კარგი იქნებოდა.k'argi ikneboda.
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