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B2 · Upper intermediateUnit 16: The verb system in fullLesson 158 of 200

Lesson 158Eat, drink, see: verbs that change root

Goal: you will master suppletive verbs and the polite მიირთმევსmiirtmevs.

Course progress: lesson 158 / 200

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1Sam’s diary

მიირთვით!
მიირთვით!miirtvit!

Month 20. Dinner guests

Levan's colleagues come to dinner. Manana uses her most polite Georgian, Levan pours the wine, and I try to keep up with every form of "eat", "drink" and "see".

Today: verbs with several roots, and the polite "eat".

2Dialogue

Manana
მობრძანდით, დაბრძანდით! მიირთვით, გეთაყვა!mobrdzandit, dabrdzandit! miirtvit, getaq'va!Come in, have a seat! Please help yourselves!
Guest
გმადლობთ, ქალბატონო მანანა. რა გემრიელი სუფრაა!gmadlobt, kalbat'ono manana. ra gemrieli supraa!Thank you, Mrs Manana. What a delicious table!
Levan
ღვინოს რომელს მიირთმევთ, წითელს თუ თეთრს?ghvinos romels miirtmevt, ts'itels tu tetrs?Which wine will you have, red or white?
Guest
წითელს დავლევ. სემ, შენ რას სვამ?ts'itels davlev. sem, shen ras svam?I'll have red. Sam, what are you drinking?
Sam
მე უკვე დავლიე ერთი ჭიქა. საკმარისია!me uk've davlie erti ch'ika. sak'marisia!I've already drunk one glass. That's enough!
Guest
ჩვენი ქალაქის მუზეუმი ნახე?chveni kalakis muzeumi nakhe?Have you seen our city's museum?
Sam
ჯერ არ მინახავს, მაგრამ აუცილებლად ვნახავ.jer ar minakhavs, magram autsileblad vnakhav.I haven't seen it yet, but I'll definitely see it.
Manana
სემ, ხინკალი შეჭამე? კიდევ მიირთვი!sem, khink'ali shech'ame? k'idev miirtvi!Sam, have you finished your khinkali? Have some more!
Sam
ბევრი ვჭამე! ... ბოლოს კიდევ ერთს შევჭამ.bevri vch'ame! ... bolos k'idev erts shevch'am.I've eaten a lot! ... One last one, then.

3New words

GeorgianPronunciationEnglish
მიირთვით!miirtvit!please help yourself! please eat/drink! (polite)
გეთაყვაgetaq'vaplease (very polite, old-fashioned)
მიირთმევთmiirtmevtyou'll have, you eat/drink (polite)
დაულევიაdauleviahe/she has drunk
მიირთვაmiirtvahe/she ate, drank (polite)
დაინახაdainakhahe/she caught sight of
შევჭამshevch'amI'll eat (up)
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

Verbs with several roots

Some very common verbs use a different root in different series:

meaningpresentfutureaoristperfect
drinkსვამსsvamsდალევსdalevsდალიაdaliaდაულევიაdaulevia
seeხედავსkhedavsნახავსnakhavsნახაnakhaუნახავსunakhavs
sayამბობსambobsიტყვისit'q'visთქვაtkvaუთქვამსutkvams
giveაძლევსadzlevsმისცემსmistsemsმისცაmistsaმიუციაmiutsia
comeმოდისmodisმოვაmovaმოვიდაmovidaმოსულაmosula
bringმოაქვსmoakvsმოიტანსmoit'ansმოიტანაmoit'anaმოუტანიაmout'ania
eat (one root)ჭამსch'amsშეჭამსshech'amsშეჭამაshech'amaშეუჭამიაsheuch'amia

დაინახავსdainakhavs / დაინახაdainakha is "will catch sight of / caught sight of", ნახავსnakhavs / ნახაnakha "will see, will visit / saw, visited".

The polite "eat and drink": მიირთმევსmiirtmevs

formmeaning
მიირთმევსmiirtmevshe/she eats or drinks (said of a respected person)
მიირთვით!miirtvit!please eat! please help yourselves!
რას მიირთმევთ?ras miirtmevt?what will you have?
მიირთვაmiirtvahe/she ate, drank (polite)

The official B1 verb list includes მიირთმევსmiirtmevs (verbal noun მირთმევაmirtmeva). Honorific verbs are only for other people: about yourself, you say ვჭამvch'am, ვსვამvsvam, never "მივირთმევmivirtmev".

5Good to know

In a restaurant, a waiter asks რას მიირთმევთras miirtmevt? ("What will you have?"). At home, a host says მიირთვითmiirtvit! again and again: it is polite to refuse once and then accept.

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.

  1. "I'll drink red (wine)" is…
  2. "I drank one glass" is…
  3. "I haven't seen it yet" is…
  4. "I'll see it" is…
  5. "Please help yourselves!" is…
  6. "What will you have?" (a waiter) is…
  7. Can you say მივირთმევmivirtmev about yourself?
  8. "He gave" is…
  9. "He has brought" is…
  10. What does საკმარისიაsak'marisia mean?

Well done! Lesson 158 is ticked on your course map.

Say it, then write it

Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.

  1. Say politely to guests "Please help yourselves!"
    Show the answerმიირთვით!miirtvit!
  2. Ask a guest politely "What will you have?"
    Show the answerრას მიირთმევთ?ras miirtmevt?
  3. Say "I'll drink a coffee."
    Show the answerყავას დავლევ.q'avas davlev.
  4. Say "Have you seen this film?"
    Show the answerეს ფილმი გინახავს?es pilmi ginakhavs?
  5. Say "I ate a lot."
    Show the answerბევრი ვჭამე.bevri vch'ame.

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

  1. 151The three series of tenses
  2. 152Who takes -მაma? Verb classes and cases
  3. 153Dance, play, cry: medial verbs
  4. 154Love, want, have: inversion verbs in all tenses
  5. 155Go and come: the complete verb
  6. 156To be: the complete verb
  7. 157Say and tell: the complete verbs
  8. 158Eat, drink, see: verbs that change root
  9. 159Plural subjects that change the verb
  10. 160Review: the verb system

See the 20 units and all 200 lessons →

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