LIMBALIMBAGeorgian course200 lessons
🎧 Audio course
B2 · Upper intermediateUnit 17: Had, should have, as ifLesson 162 of 200

Lesson 162I should have: უნდაunda + pluperfect

Goal: you will express regret and missed obligations.

Course progress: lesson 162 / 200

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

უნდა დამერეკა
უნდა დამერეკაunda damerek'a

Month 21. A missed call

Yesterday was my mother's birthday in Montreal, and I forgot to call her. Nino finds me sitting in the kitchen with a long face.

Today: "I should have", "you shouldn't have".

2Dialogue

Nino
სემ, რატომ ხარ ასეთი მოწყენილი?sem, rat'om khar aseti mots'q'enili?Sam, why are you so sad?
Sam
გუშინ დედაჩემის დაბადების დღე იყო. უნდა დამერეკა, მაგრამ დამავიწყდა!gushin dedachemis dabadebis dghe iq'o. unda damerek'a, magram damavits'q'da!Yesterday was my mother's birthday. I should have called, but I forgot!
Nino
ვაიმე. მაშინ წერილი მაინც უნდა მოგეწერა.vaime. mashin ts'erili maints unda mogets'era.Oh dear. Then you should at least have written to her.
Sam
ვიცი. და საჩუქარი ერთი კვირით ადრე უნდა გამეგზავნა.vitsi. da sachukari erti k'virit adre unda gamegzavna.I know. And I should have sent a present a week earlier.
Nino
ახლავე დაურეკე! სჯობს გვიან, ვიდრე არასდროს.akhlave daurek'e! sjobs gvian, vidre arasdros.Call her right now! Better late than never.
Sam
დედას დავურეკე. ძალიან გაუხარდა!dedas davurek'e. dzalian gaukharda!(an hour later) I called Mum. She was so happy!
Sam
თქვა, ბოდიშის მოხდა საჭირო არ იყოო. მე კი ვიცი: გუშინ უნდა დამერეკა.tkva, bodishis mokhda sach'iro ar iq'oo. me k'i vitsi: gushin unda damerek'a.She said there was no need to apologise. But I know: I should have called yesterday.

3New words

GeorgianPronunciationEnglish
მოწყენილიmots'q'enilisad, gloomy
უნდა დამერეკაunda damerek'aI should have called
უნდა მოგეწერაunda mogets'erayou should have written
ერთი კვირით ადრეerti k'virit adrea week earlier
უნდა გამეგზავნაunda gamegzavnaI should have sent
სჯობს გვიან, ვიდრე არასდროსsjobs gvian, vidre arasdrosbetter late than never
გაუხარდაgaukhardahe/she was glad
ბოდიშის მოხდაbodishis mokhdaapologising
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

"Should have": უნდაunda + pluperfect

should (optative)should have (pluperfect)
უნდა დავრეკოunda davrek'o (I should call)უნდა დამერეკაunda damerek'a (I should have called)
უნდა მისწეროunda mists'ero (you should write to her)უნდა მოგეწერაunda mogets'era (you should have written)
უნდა წავიდეunda ts'avide (I should go)უნდა წავსულიყავიunda ts'avsuliq'avi (I should have gone)
არ უნდა გააკეთოar unda gaak'eto (you shouldn't do it)არ უნდა გაგეკეთებინაar unda gagek'etebina (you shouldn't have done it)

The official B2 grammar gives the present side: ეს დავალება უნდა დაწეროes davaleba unda dats'ero. ეს არ უნდა გააკეთოes ar unda gaak'eto. For the past, put the verb in the pluperfect.

The doer

With a transitive verb, the person is the dative-style doer of the pluperfect: > ნინოს უნდა დაერეკაninos unda daerek'a. | Nino should have called. > მე უნდა მეთქვაme unda metkva. | I should have said (it).

With an intransitive verb, it stays in the nominative: > ნინო უნდა წასულიყოnino unda ts'asuliq'o. | Nino should have gone.

"… earlier": -ით ადრეit adre

The official B2 grammar uses the instrumental with ადრეadre: რამდენიმე დღით ადრეramdenime dghit adre (a few days earlier), ერთი კვირით ადრეerti k'virit adre (a week earlier).

5Good to know

სჯობს გვიანsjobs gvian, ვიდრე არასდროსvidre arasdros ("better late than never") uses სჯობსsjobs, "it is better", the more literary partner of ჯობიაjobia (lesson 145).

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 should have called" is…
  2. "You should have written to her" is…
  3. "I should have gone" is…
  4. "You shouldn't have done it" is…
  5. "You shouldn't do it" (official example) is…
  6. "Nino should have called" is…
  7. "a week earlier" is…
  8. "Better late than never" is…
  9. "She was glad" is…
  10. What does მოწყენილიmots'q'enili mean?

Well done! Lesson 162 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 "I should have come earlier."
    Show the answerუფრო ადრე უნდა მოვსულიყავი.upro adre unda movsuliq'avi.
  2. Say "You should have told me!"
    Show the answerუნდა გეთქვა!unda getkva!
  3. Say "I shouldn't have eaten so much."
    Show the answerამდენი არ უნდა მეჭამა.amdeni ar unda mech'ama.
  4. Say "Giorgi should have studied."
    Show the answerგიორგის უნდა ემეცადინა.giorgis unda emetsadina.
  5. Say "Better late than never!"
    Show the answerსჯობს გვიან, ვიდრე არასდროს!sjobs gvian, vidre arasdros!

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 17: Had, should have, as if B2

  1. 161The pluperfect: I had done
  2. 162I should have: უნდაunda + pluperfect
  3. 163If I had known...
  4. 164As if, almost, nearly
  5. 165Never ever: ვერავინ ვერveravin ver, ნურაფერს ნუnurapers nu
  6. 166Despite, instead of, except
  7. 167So that: რათაrata, იმისათვისimisatvis, რომrom
  8. 168His own: თავისიtavisi, and the word თავიtavi
  9. 169Each other: ერთმანეთიertmaneti
  10. 170Review: a missed chance

See the 20 units and all 200 lessons →

🎧 Download the Georgian audio course