Month 16. The lottery ticket
Giorgi has bought a lottery ticket and is already spending the money in his head. We have one evening of dreams before the results come out.
Today: "if I had…, 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.
Download the Georgian audio courseOrder form · your download link arrives by email▶ Listen to lesson 1 for free
1Sam’s diary
2Dialogue
Giorgi
სემ, ნახე: ლატარიის ბილეთი ვიყიდე!sem, nakhe: lat'ariis bileti viq'ide!Sam, look: I've bought a lottery ticket!
Sam
და თუ მოიგებ, რას იზამ?da tu moigeb, ras izam?And if you win, what will you do?
Giorgi
ჯერ არ ვიცი... მილიონი რომ მქონდეს, დიდ სახლს ვიყიდდი დედისთვის.jer ar vitsi... milioni rom mkondes, did sakhls viq'iddi dedistvis.I don't know yet... If I had a million, I'd buy a big house for Mum.
Sam
მე რომ მდიდარი ვიყო, მსოფლიოს გარშემო ვიმოგზაურებდი.me rom mdidari viq'o, msoplios garshemo vimogzaurebdi.If I were rich, I'd travel around the world.
Giorgi
შენ რომ მდიდარი იყო, ქართულის სწავლას მიატოვებდი?shen rom mdidari iq'o, kartulis sts'avlas miat'ovebdi?If you were rich, would you give up learning Georgian?
Sam
არასოდეს! დრო რომ მქონდეს, ყოველდღე ვისწავლიდი.arasodes! dro rom mkondes, q'oveldghe vists'avlidi.Never! If I had the time, I'd study every day.
Giorgi
... ბილეთი ვნახე. არაფერი არ მოვიგე!... bileti vnakhe. araperi ar movige!(the next day) ... I've checked the ticket. I didn't win anything!
Sam
არაუშავს. ბედნიერებას ფული არ სჭირდება!araushavs. bednierebas puli ar sch'irdeba!Never mind. Happiness doesn't need money!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ლატარია | lat'aria | lottery |
| მოიგებ | moigeb | you'll win |
| იზამ | izam | you'll do |
| მქონდეს | mkondes | (that) I have |
| ვიყიდდი | viq'iddi | I would buy |
| მდიდარი | mdidari | rich |
| ვიყო | viq'o | (that) I am, (if) I were |
| მსოფლიოს გარშემო | msoplios garshemo | around the world |
| მიატოვებდი | miat'ovebdi | you would give up |
| მოვიგე | movige | I won |
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
Real or unreal?
| real (it can happen) | unreal (imagined) |
|---|---|
| თუtu + future, then future | რომrom + subjunctive, then conditional |
| თუ მოიგებ, რას იზამ?tu moigeb, ras izam? | მილიონი რომ მქონდეს, სახლს ვიყიდდი.milioni rom mkondes, sakhls viq'iddi. |
| If you win, what will you do? | If I had a million, I would buy a house. |
The official B1 grammar gives three examples: ფული რომ მქონდესpuli rom mkondes, დიდ სახლს ვიყიდდიdid sakhls viq'iddi; შესაძლებლობა რომ მქონდესshesadzlebloba rom mkondes, ამას გავაკეთებდიamas gavak'etebdi; მე რომ მანქანა მყავდესme rom mankana mq'avdes, ბევრს ვიმოგზაურებდიbevrs vimogzaurebdi.
The present subjunctive after რომrom
| present | subjunctive | example |
|---|---|---|
| მაქვსmakvs (I have) | მქონდესmkondes | ფული რომ მქონდესpuli rom mkondes… (if I had money…) |
| მყავსmq'avs (I have: people, cars) | მყავდესmq'avdes | მანქანა რომ მყავდესmankana rom mq'avdes… (if I had a car…) |
| ვარ (I am)var (I am) | ვიყოviq'o | მდიდარი რომ ვიყოmdidari rom viq'o… (if I were rich…) |
| ვიციvitsi (I know) | ვიცოდეvitsode | რომ ვიცოდეrom vitsode… (if I knew…) |
| შემიძლიაshemidzlia (I can) | შემეძლოსshemedzlos | რომ შემეძლოსrom shemedzlos… (if I could…) |
"Be" in the subjunctive: ვიყოviq'o, იყოiq'o, იყოსiq'os, ვიყოთviq'ot, იყოთiq'ot, იყვნენiq'vnen.
Word order
რომrom comes after the first word or words of the "if" clause: ფული რომ მქონდესpuli rom mkondes, მე რომ მდიდარი ვიყოme rom mdidari viq'o. The main clause has the conditional of lesson 141: ვიყიდდიviq'iddi, ვიმოგზაურებდიvimogzaurebdi.
5Good to know
Note მანქანა მყავსmankana mq'avs: many Georgians speak about their car with ჰყავსhq'avs, the "have" of people and animals, and the official grammar does the same in its example.
რომ ვიცოდეrom vitsode, გეტყოდიget'q'odi = "If I knew, I'd tell you": a perfect answer when you don't 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.
- "If I had money, I'd buy a house" is…
- "If you win, what will you do?" (it can happen) is…
- "If I were rich…" is…
- "If I knew, I'd tell you" is…
- "If I had a car…" (official example) is…
- "If I could…" is…
- In the main clause of an unreal condition, Georgian uses…
- "I'd travel around the world" is…
- "I didn't win anything" is…
- What is a ლატარიაlat'aria?
Well done! Lesson 142 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 "If I had time, I'd come."
Show the answer
დრო რომ მქონდეს, მოვიდოდი.dro rom mkondes, movidodi. - Say "If I were rich, I'd buy a car."
Show the answer
მდიდარი რომ ვიყო, მანქანას ვიყიდდი.mdidari rom viq'o, mankanas viq'iddi. - Say "If I knew, I'd tell you."
Show the answer
რომ ვიცოდე, გეტყოდი.rom vitsode, get'q'odi. - Say "If it rains, we'll stay at home." (real)
Show the answer
თუ იწვიმებს, სახლში დავრჩებით.tu its'vimebs, sakhlshi davrchebit. - Say "If I could, I'd live in Georgia."
Show the answer
რომ შემეძლოს, საქართველოში ვიცხოვრებდი.rom shemedzlos, sakartveloshi vitskhovrebdi.
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