Month 20. The wedding photo
Nino finds her parents' wedding photo: a long table, dozens of relatives, children asleep on the floor, and a mystery about flowers.
Today: verbs that change when there are many.
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
Nino
სემ, ნახე, დედის და მამის საქორწილო ფოტო!sem, nakhe, dedis da mamis sakorts'ilo pot'o!Sam, look, Mum and Dad's wedding photo!
Sam
ვინ არიან ეს ხალხი, რომლებიც სუფრასთან სხედან?vin arian es khalkhi, romlebits suprastan skhedan?Who are these people sitting at the table?
Nino
ესენი ბიძები და მამიდები არიან. აქ ბებო ზის, ბაბუასთან ერთად.eseni bidzebi da mamidebi arian. ak bebo zis, babuastan ertad.They're my uncles and aunts. Here Bebo is sitting, with Grandpa.
Sam
და ეს ბავშვები, რომლებიც იატაკზე წვანან?da es bavshvebi, romlebits iat'ak'ze ts'vanan?And these children lying on the floor?
Nino
ჩემი ბიძაშვილებია! ცეკვის შემდეგ დაიღალნენ და დაწვნენ.chemi bidzashvilebia! tsek'vis shemdeg daighalnen da dats'vnen.Those are my cousins! After the dancing they got tired and lay down.
Nino
როცა მამამ იცეკვა, მაგიდიდან ყველა ყვავილი ჩამოცვივდა!rotsa mamam itsek'va, magididan q'vela q'vavili chamotsvivda!When Dad danced, all the flowers fell off the table!
Sam
ერთი ყვავილი ჩამოვარდა თუ ყველა?erti q'vavili chamovarda tu q'vela?Did one flower fall, or all of them?
Nino
ყველა! ნახე, ფოტოზე ყველანი სხედან და იცინიან!q'vela! nakhe, pot'oze q'velani skhedan da itsinian!All of them! Look, in the photo everyone is sitting and laughing!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| საქორწილო | sakorts'ilo | wedding (adjective) |
| სხედან | skhedan | they are sitting |
| დეიდა | deida | aunt (mother's sister) |
| მამიდა | mamida | aunt (father's sister) |
| წვანან | ts'vanan | they are lying |
| დაწვნენ | dats'vnen | they lay down |
| ჩამოცვივდა | chamotsvivda | (many things) fell down |
| ჩამოვარდა | chamovarda | (one thing) fell down |
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
One or many: a different verb
With some verbs, Georgian uses a different root when there are several subjects (or objects):
| one | many | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ზისzis | სხედანskhedan | is sitting / are sitting |
| დაჯდაdajda | დასხდნენdaskhdnen | sat down |
| წევსts'evs | წვანანts'vanan | is lying / are lying |
| დაწვაdats'va | დაწვნენdats'vnen | lay down |
| ჩამოვარდაchamovarda | ჩამოცვივდაchamotsvivda | fell down |
| გააგდოgaagdo | გაყარაgaq'ara | threw out |
The official B2 grammar gives three pairs: ეს კაცი ერთი საათია აქ ზისes k'atsi erti saatia ak zis – ეს კაცები ერთი საათია აქ სხედანes k'atsebi erti saatia ak skhedan (this man / these men have been sitting here for an hour); ვაშლი ჩამოვარდაvashli chamovarda – ვაშლები ჩამოცვივდაvashlebi chamotsvivda (the apple / the apples fell); მეზობელი გააგდოmezobeli gaagdo – მეზობლები გაყარაmezoblebi gaq'ara (he threw out the neighbour / the neighbours).
Plural things, singular verb
Plural things usually take a singular verb: ვაშლები ჩამოცვივდაvashlebi chamotsvivda, წიგნები თაროზე აწყვიაts'ignebi taroze ats'q'via. The root of ჩამოცვივდაchamotsvivda already says "many". People take a plural verb: ბავშვები დაწვნენbavshvebi dats'vnen.
Uncles, aunts and cousins
| word | meaning |
|---|---|
| ბიძაbidza | uncle |
| მამიდაmamida | aunt (father's sister) |
| დეიდაdeida | aunt (mother's sister) |
| ბიძაშვილი, მამიდაშვილი, დეიდაშვილიbidzashvili, mamidashvili, deidashvili | cousin (child of an uncle, of a father's sister, of a mother's sister) |
5Good to know
Georgian is more precise than English about aunts: მამიდაmamida is your father's sister, დეიდაdeida your mother's sister. And a cousin is literally "uncle-child" or "aunt-child": ბიძაbidza + შვილიshvili = ბიძაშვილიbidzashvili.
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.
- "These men are sitting here" (official example) is…
- "The apples fell" (official example) is…
- "One flower fell" is…
- "The children lay down" is…
- "The children are lying on the floor" is…
- "He threw the neighbours out" (official example) is…
- "The guests sat down" is…
- Your mother's sister is your…
- "Grandma is sitting with Grandpa" is…
- What is a ბიძაშვილიbidzashvili?
Well done! Lesson 159 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 "The students are sitting in the classroom."
Show the answer
სტუდენტები კლასში სხედან.st'udent'ebi k'lasshi skhedan. - Say "The guests sat down at the table."
Show the answer
სტუმრები სუფრასთან დასხდნენ.st'umrebi suprastan daskhdnen. - Say "The leaves fell."
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ფოთლები ჩამოცვივდა.potlebi chamotsvivda. - Say "My aunt (mother's sister) lives in Kutaisi."
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დეიდაჩემი ქუთაისში ცხოვრობს.deidachemi kutaisshi tskhovrobs. - Say "The dogs are lying in the courtyard."
Show the answer
ძაღლები ეზოში წვანან.dzaghlebi ezoshi ts'vanan.
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