Month 21. The party I missed
Giorgi comes back from the best party of the year, and I wasn't there. Nobody told me, my phone was dead, and now all I can do is imagine.
Today: "if I had known…".
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
Giorgi
სემ, გუშინ საოცარი წვეულება იყო! რატომ არ მოხვედი?sem, gushin saotsari ts'veuleba iq'o! rat'om ar mokhvedi?Sam, there was an amazing party yesterday! Why didn't you come?
Sam
რომ მცოდნოდა, აუცილებლად მოვიდოდი! არავინ არ მითხრა.rom mtsodnoda, autsileblad movidodi! aravin ar mitkhra.If I had known, I would definitely have come! Nobody told me.
Giorgi
ტელეფონი რომ გენახა, ჩემს შეტყობინებას წაიკითხავდი.t'eleponi rom genakha, chems shet'q'obinebas ts'aik'itkhavdi.If you had looked at your phone, you'd have read my message.
Sam
მართალი ხარ. ბოდიში, ტელეფონი დამიჯდა.martali khar. bodishi, t'eleponi damijda.You're right. Sorry, my phone died.
Giorgi
ნინომაც იმღერა! ბებოც კი გაიცინებდა, რომ ენახა!ninomats imghera! bebots k'i gaitsinebda, rom enakha!Nino even sang! Even Bebo would have laughed if she had seen it!
Sam
ნეტავ იქ ვყოფილიყავი!net'av ik vq'opiliq'avi!I wish I had been there!
Giorgi
შემდეგ წვეულებაზე პირველს შენ დაგირეკავ. პირობას გაძლევ.shemdeg ts'veulebaze p'irvels shen dagirek'av. p'irobas gadzlev.For the next party, you're the first one I'll call. I promise.
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| საოცარი | saotsari | amazing |
| მცოდნოდა | mtsodnoda | (if) I had known |
| მოვიდოდი | movidodi | I would come; I would have come |
| გენახა | genakha | (if) you had seen |
| ენახა | enakha | (if) he/she had seen |
| ვყოფილიყავი | vq'opiliq'avi | (if) I had been |
| პირობას გაძლევ | p'irobas gadzlev | I promise you (literally "I give you my word") |
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
Unreal past: რომrom + pluperfect, then the conditional
| "if" clause (pluperfect) | main clause (conditional) |
|---|---|
| რომ მცოდნოდა,rom mtsodnoda, | მოვიდოდი.movidodi. |
| If I had known, | I would have come. |
| ტელეფონი რომ გენახა,t'eleponi rom genakha, | შეტყობინებას წაიკითხავდი.shet'q'obinebas ts'aik'itkhavdi. |
| If you had looked at your phone, | you'd have read the message. |
| რომ ენახა,rom enakha, | გაიცინებდა.gaitsinebda. |
| If she had seen it, | she would have laughed. |
The conditional (მოვიდოდიmovidodi) means both "I would come" and "I would have come": the "if" clause tells you which.
Pluperfects of "know", "have", "be"
| present | pluperfect after რომrom |
|---|---|
| ვიციvitsi | მცოდნოდაmtsodnoda (if I had known) |
| მაქვსmakvs | მქონოდაmkonoda (if I had had) |
| მყავსmq'avs | მყოლოდაmq'oloda (if I had had: people, cars) |
| ვარvar | ვყოფილიყავიvq'opiliq'avi (if I had been) |
The official B2 grammar uses the pluperfect for a dream that cannot come true: რა კარგი იქნებოდაra k'argi ikneboda, დიდი სახლი რომ მქონოდაdidi sakhli rom mkonoda (how nice it would be to have a big house).
Wishes about the past: ნეტავnet'av + pluperfect
ნეტავ იქ ვყოფილიყავი!net'av ik vq'opiliq'avi!I wish I had been there!
ნეტავ ადრე მცოდნოდა!net'av adre mtsodnoda!I wish I had known earlier!
5Good to know
Compare three "if"s: თუ მოხვალtu mokhval (if you come: real), რომ მოხვიდეrom mokhvide (if you came: unreal now) and რომ მოსულიყავიrom mosuliq'avi (if you had come: unreal past). The further from reality, the deeper into the verb system.
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.
- "If I had known, I would have come" is…
- "If she had seen it, she would have laughed" is…
- "I wish I had been there!" is…
- "If I had had money…" is…
- "If you come, call me" (real) is…
- მოვიდოდიmovidodi can mean…
- "How nice it would be to have a big house" (official example) is…
- "Nobody told me" is…
- "I promise" is…
- What does საოცარიsaotsari mean?
Well done! Lesson 163 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 "If I had known, I would have told you."
Show the answer
რომ მცოდნოდა, გეტყოდი.rom mtsodnoda, get'q'odi. - Say "If you had come, you would have seen Nino."
Show the answer
რომ მოსულიყავი, ნინოს ნახავდი.rom mosuliq'avi, ninos nakhavdi. - Say "I wish I had known earlier!"
Show the answer
ნეტავ ადრე მცოდნოდა!net'av adre mtsodnoda! - Say "If I had had time, I would have come."
Show the answer
დრო რომ მქონოდა, მოვიდოდი.dro rom mkonoda, movidodi. - Say "I promise."
Show the answer
პირობას გაძლევ.p'irobas gadzlev.
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
- 161The pluperfect: I had done
- 162I should have: უნდაunda + pluperfect
- 163If I had known...
- 164As if, almost, nearly
- 165Never ever: ვერავინ ვერveravin ver, ნურაფერს ნუnurapers nu
- 166Despite, instead of, except
- 167So that: რათაrata, იმისათვისimisatvis, რომrom
- 168His own: თავისიtavisi, and the word თავიtavi
- 169Each other: ერთმანეთიertmaneti
- 170Review: a missed chance