Month 19. A Georgian dance class
Nino has signed us up for a Georgian dance class in the old town. Our teacher is strict, the music is fast, and I can't stop laughing.
Today: dance, sing, laugh: medial verbs.
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
Teacher
დღეს „ქართულს“ ვისწავლით. ყველამ, ადექით!dghes „kartuls“ vists'avlit. q'velam, adekit!Today we'll learn the "Kartuli". Everyone, stand up!
Sam
მე არასოდეს არ მიცეკვია ქართული ცეკვა...me arasodes ar mitsek'via kartuli tsek'va...I've never danced a Georgian dance...
Teacher
არაუშავს. გუშინ ნინომ პირველად იცეკვა და ძალიან კარგად გამოუვიდა!araushavs. gushin ninom p'irvelad itsek'va da dzalian k'argad gamouvida!No problem. Yesterday Nino danced for the first time, and it went very well!
Nino
მე ბევრი ვიცინე, როცა დავეცი!me bevri vitsine, rotsa davetsi!I laughed a lot when I fell over!
Teacher
ახლა იცეკვეთ! ხელები მაღლა! სემ, ნუ იცინი!akhla itsek'vet! khelebi maghla! sem, nu itsini!Now dance! Arms up! Sam, stop laughing!
Sam
ვერ ვჩერდები, ძალიან მეცინება!ver vcherdebi, dzalian metsineba!I can't stop, I really want to laugh!
Teacher
ფერხულში ქართველები ცეკვავენ და მღერიან კიდეც. იმღერეთ!perkhulshi kartvelebi tsek'vaven da mgherian k'idets. imgheret!In the round dance, Georgians dance and sing too. Sing!
Sam
ერთ საათში ვიცეკვე, ვიმღერე და ვიცინე... ძალიან დავიღალე!ert saatshi vitsek've, vimghere da vitsine... dzalian davighale!In one hour I danced, sang and laughed... I'm exhausted!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| გამოუვიდა | gamouvida | it went well for him/her, he/she managed |
| ვიცინე | vitsine | I laughed |
| დავეცი | davetsi | I fell (down) |
| იცეკვეთ! | itsek'vet! | dance! (to several people) |
| ნუ იცინი! | nu itsini! | stop laughing! don't laugh! |
| მეცინება | metsineba | I feel like laughing |
| ფერხული | perkhuli | round dance (danced in a circle, with singing) |
| ვიცეკვე | vitsek've | I danced |
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
Medial verbs
Verbs of activity like dancing, singing or working usually have no object. They take იi- in the future and the aorist (without a preverb), and they behave like transitive verbs: ergative in series II, dative in series III.
| present | future | aorist | command | perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ცეკვავსtsek'vavs | იცეკვებსitsek'vebs | იცეკვაitsek'va | იცეკვე!itsek've! | უცეკვიაutsek'via |
| მღერისmgheris | იმღერებსimgherebs | იმღერაimghera | იმღერე!imghere! | უმღერიაumgheria |
| თამაშობსtamashobs | ითამაშებსitamashebs | ითამაშაitamasha | ითამაშე!itamashe! | უთამაშიაutamashia |
| მუშაობსmushaobs | იმუშავებსimushavebs | იმუშავაimushava | იმუშავე!imushave! | უმუშავიაumushavia |
| ლაპარაკობსlap'arak'obs | ილაპარაკებსilap'arak'ebs | ილაპარაკაilap'arak'a | ილაპარაკე!ilap'arak'e! | ულაპარაკიაulap'arak'ia |
| ტირისt'iris | იტირებსit'irebs | იტირაit'ira | იტირე!it'ire! | უტირიაut'iria |
ნინომ პირველად იცეკვა.ninom p'irvelad itsek'va.Nino(ERG) for-the-first-time dancedNino danced for the first time.
Inversion forms: "I feel like…"
Many of these verbs have an inversion partner meaning "to feel like doing it": მეცინებაmetsineba (I feel like laughing), მეტირებაmet'ireba (I feel like crying), მეძინებაmedzineba (I'm sleepy).
The habitual: ხოლმეkholme
ხოლმეkholme with the imperfect or the present means "usually, would (habitually)". The official B2 example: > ზაფხულში ტყეში დავდიოდით ხოლმეzapkhulshi t'q'eshi davdiodit kholme. | In summer we used to go to the forest.
5Good to know
ფერხულიperkhuli is one of the oldest forms of Georgian dance: people hold hands or shoulders in a circle and sing as they dance.
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.
- "Nino danced for the first time" is…
- "Dance!" (to a group) is…
- "I've never danced" is…
- "He will sing" is…
- "I laughed" is…
- "I feel like laughing" is…
- "Don't laugh!" is…
- "In summer we used to go to the forest" (official example) is…
- "He has worked a lot" is…
- What is a ფერხულიperkhuli?
Well done! Lesson 153 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 "We danced all night."
Show the answer
მთელი ღამე ვიცეკვეთ.mteli ghame vitsek'vet. - Say "Sing a song!"
Show the answer
სიმღერა იმღერე!simghera imghere! - Say "Giorgi has played rugby a lot."
Show the answer
გიორგის ბევრი უთამაშია რაგბი.giorgis bevri utamashia ragbi. - Say "I feel like crying."
Show the answer
მეტირება.met'ireba. - Say "In summer we used to go to the sea."
Show the answer
ზაფხულში ზღვაზე დავდიოდით ხოლმე.zapkhulshi zghvaze davdiodit kholme.
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 16: The verb system in full B2
- 151The three series of tenses
- 152Who takes -მაma? Verb classes and cases
- 153Dance, play, cry: medial verbs
- 154Love, want, have: inversion verbs in all tenses
- 155Go and come: the complete verb
- 156To be: the complete verb
- 157Say and tell: the complete verbs
- 158Eat, drink, see: verbs that change root
- 159Plural subjects that change the verb
- 160Review: the verb system