Month 20. A family portrait
Manana and Levan have been married for thirty years. I'm the family photographer for the day, and while I try to get everyone in the picture, they talk about the past and the future.
Today: "to be", complete.
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
Sam
ყველა აქ ხართ? ერთი, ორი, სამი... ბებო, სად ხარ?q'vela ak khart? erti, ori, sami... bebo, sad khar?Is everyone here? One, two, three... Bebo, where are you?
Bebo
აქ ვარ, შვილო! ერთი წუთით სამზარეულოში ვიყავი.ak var, shvilo! erti ts'utit samzareuloshi viq'avi.I'm here, dear! I was in the kitchen for a minute.
Manana
ოცდაათი წლის წინ, ჩვენს ქორწილში, ლევანი ძალიან გამხდარი იყო!otsdaati ts'lis ts'in, chvens korts'ilshi, levani dzalian gamkhdari iq'o!Thirty years ago, at our wedding, Levan was very thin!
Levan
შენ კი ისეთივე ლამაზი ხარ, როგორიც მაშინ იყავი.shen k'i isetive lamazi khar, rogorits mashin iq'avi.And you're just as beautiful as you were then.
Giorgi
ათი წლის შემდეგ სად ვიქნებით? ნეტავ ყველანი აქ ვიყოთ!ati ts'lis shemdeg sad viknebit? net'av q'velani ak viq'ot!Where will we be in ten years? I hope we're all here!
Nino
სემი ალბათ კანადაში იქნება.semi albat k'anadashi ikneba.Sam will probably be in Canada.
Sam
სადაც არ უნდა ვიყო, ჩემი ქართული ოჯახი ჩემთან იქნება.sadats ar unda viq'o, chemi kartuli ojakhi chemtan ikneba.Wherever I may be, my Georgian family will be with me.
Bebo
იყავით ბედნიერები, შვილებო! ... ახლა გადაიღე!iq'avit bednierebi, shvilebo! ... akhla gadaighe!Be happy, children! ... Now take the picture!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| გამხდარი | gamkhdari | thin |
| ისეთივე … როგორიც | isetive … rogorits | just as … as |
| ვიქნებით | viknebit | we'll be |
| ყველანი | q'velani | all (of us, of them), everyone |
| სადაც არ უნდა ვიყო | sadats ar unda viq'o | wherever I may be |
| იყავით! | iq'avit! | be! (to several people) |
| გადაიღე! | gadaighe! | take (the picture)! |
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
"To be" in every screeve
| screeve | I | you | he/she | they |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| present | ვარvar | ხარkhar | არის (-ა)aris (-a) | არიანarian |
| imperfect and aorist | ვიყავიviq'avi | იყავიiq'avi | იყოiq'o | იყვნენiq'vnen |
| future | ვიქნებიviknebi | იქნებიiknebi | იქნებაikneba | იქნებიანiknebian |
| conditional | ვიქნებოდიviknebodi | იქნებოდიiknebodi | იქნებოდაikneboda | — |
| optative, subjunctive | ვიყოviq'o | იყოiq'o | იყოსiq'os | იყვნენiq'vnen |
| perfect | ვყოფილვარvq'opilvar | ყოფილხარq'opilkhar | ყოფილაq'opila | ყოფილანq'opilan |
| pluperfect | ვყოფილიყავიvq'opiliq'avi | ყოფილიყავიq'opiliq'avi | ყოფილიყოq'opiliq'o | — |
The imperfect and the aorist of "be" are the same forms: ვიყავიviq'avi means "I was". Command: იყავიiq'avi! (be!), იყავითiq'avit!
"Become": ხდებაkhdeba
| present | future | aorist | perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| ხდებაkhdeba (becomes; happens) | გახდებაgakhdeba | გახდაgakhda | გამხდარაgamkhdara |
ექიმი გავხდი.ekimi gavkhdi.I became a doctor.
Just as… as: ისეთივეisetive… როგორიცrogorits
The official B1 grammar teaches ისეთიiseti… როგორიცrogorits; with -ვეve it means "exactly the same": > ისეთივე ლამაზი ხარisetive lamazi khar, როგორიც მაშინ იყავიrogorits mashin iq'avi. | You're just as beautiful as you were then.
Whoever, wherever: … არ უნდაar unda + optative
| Georgian | English |
|---|---|
| სადაც არ უნდა ვიყოsadats ar unda viq'o | wherever I may be |
| ვინც არ უნდა იყოსvints ar unda iq'os | whoever it may be |
| რაც არ უნდა მოხდესrats ar unda mokhdes | whatever happens |
5Good to know
იყავი ბედნიერიiq'avi bednieri! ("Be happy!") is a common wish at weddings and birthdays. To a whole family, Bebo says იყავით ბედნიერებიiq'avit bednierebi!
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 was in the kitchen" is…
- "Where will we be?" is…
- "I hope we're all here!" is…
- "You're just as beautiful as you were then" is…
- "Wherever I may be" is…
- "Be happy!" (to several people) is…
- "I became a doctor" is…
- "They were" is…
- "Whatever happens" is…
- What does გამხდარიgamkhdari mean?
Well done! Lesson 156 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'll be at home tomorrow."
Show the answer
ხვალ სახლში ვიქნები.khval sakhlshi viknebi. - Say "We were in Batumi."
Show the answer
ბათუმში ვიყავით.batumshi viq'avit. - Say "Be careful!" (careful = ფრთხილიprtkhili)
Show the answer
ფრთხილად იყავი!prtkhilad iq'avi! - Say "Whoever it may be, don't open the door!"
Show the answer
ვინც არ უნდა იყოს, კარი არ გააღო!vints ar unda iq'os, k'ari ar gaagho! - Say "Giorgi became a student."
Show the answer
გიორგი სტუდენტი გახდა.giorgi st'udent'i gakhda.
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