Month 23. The old diary
Under my pillow I find my very first Georgian diary, written in my first week in Tbilisi. Nino reads it with me, and we laugh, and I have a few regrets.
Today: review unit 17 with a missed chance and an old diary.
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
ნახე, ჩემი პირველი დღიური! „დღეს თბილისში ჩამოვედი. არაფერი არ მესმის.“nakhe, chemi p'irveli dghiuri! „dghes tbilisshi chamovedi. araperi ar mesmis.“Look, my first diary! "Today I arrived in Tbilisi. I don't understand anything."
Nino
რა სასაცილოა! ახლა კი თითქმის ყველაფერი გესმის.ra sasatsiloa! akhla k'i titkmis q'velaperi gesmis.How funny! And now you understand almost everything.
Sam
ნეტავ უფრო ადრე დამეწყო ქართულის სწავლა!net'av upro adre damets'q'o kartulis sts'avla!I wish I had started learning Georgian earlier!
Nino
რომ ადრე დაგეწყო, შეიძლება სხვა ქალაქში წასულიყავი და ერთმანეთს ვერ შევხვდებოდით!rom adre dagets'q'o, sheidzleba skhva kalakshi ts'asuliq'avi da ertmanets ver shevkhvdebodit!If you had started earlier, you might have gone to another city, and we would never have met!
Sam
მართალი ხარ. თუმცა ერთი რამ უნდა გამეკეთებინა: ბევრი ფოტო უნდა გადამეღო!martali khar. tumtsa erti ram unda gamek'etebina: bevri pot'o unda gadamegho!You're right. Still, there's one thing I should have done: I should have taken lots of photos!
Nino
არ ინერვიულო. ფოტოების ნაცვლად ეს დღიური გაქვს, შენი საკუთარი ამბავი.ar inerviulo. pot'oebis natsvlad es dghiuri gakvs, sheni sak'utari ambavi.Don't worry. Instead of photos, you have this diary, your own story.
Sam
და კინაღამ დავკარგე! ბალიშის ქვეშ იდო.da k'inagham davk'arge! balishis kvesh ido.And I nearly lost it! It was lying under the pillow.
Nino
ნურასოდეს ნუ დაკარგავ! ერთ დღეს შენს შვილებს წაუკითხავ.nurasodes nu dak'argav! ert dghes shens shvilebs ts'auk'itkhav.Never lose it! One day you'll read it to your children.
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| დამეწყო | damets'q'o | (if only) I had started |
| დაგეწყო | dagets'q'o | (if) you had started |
| შევხვდებოდით | shevkhvdebodit | we would have met |
| უნდა გამეკეთებინა | unda gamek'etebina | I should have done |
| უნდა გადამეღო | unda gadamegho | I should have taken (a photo) |
| იდო | ido | it was lying |
| წაუკითხავ | ts'auk'itkhav | you'll read (it) to them |
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
Unit 17 in one table
| topic | example | lesson |
|---|---|---|
| pluperfect | მატარებელი უკვე წასულიყო.mat'arebeli uk've ts'asuliq'o. | 161 |
| should have | უნდა დამერეკა.unda damerek'a. | 162 |
| if I had… | რომ მცოდნოდა, მოვიდოდი.rom mtsodnoda, movidodi. | 163 |
| nearly, almost, as if | კინაღამ დავეცი; თითქმის; თითქოსk'inagham davetsi; titkmis; titkos | 164 |
| strong negatives | ვერაფერი ვერ გავიგე; ნურავის ნუ ეტყვი!veraperi ver gavige; nuravis nu et'q'vi! | 165 |
| postpositions | წვიმის მიუხედავად; ფოტოების ნაცვლადts'vimis miukhedavad; pot'oebis natsvlad | 166 |
| formal purpose | რათა…; -ის მიზნითrata…; -is miznit | 167 |
| own, self | თავისი, მისი; საკუთარი თავიtavisi, misi; sak'utari tavi | 168 |
| each other | ერთმანეთს ვიცნობთertmanets vitsnobt | 169 |
Three ways the pluperfect looks back
| use | example | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| a wish about the past | ნეტავ ადრე დამეწყო!net'av adre damets'q'o! | I wish I had started earlier! |
| an unreal past condition | რომ ადრე დაგეწყო, …rom adre dagets'q'o, … | if you had started earlier, … |
| a missed obligation | ფოტო უნდა გადამეღო.pot'o unda gadamegho. | I should have taken photos. |
The conditional answers the "if"
რომ ადრე დაგეწყო, ერთმანეთს ვერ შევხვდებოდით.rom adre dagets'q'o, ertmanets ver shevkhvdebodit.If you had started earlier, we wouldn't have met.
5Good to know
იდოido is the past of დევსdevs ("lies", lesson 133): წიგნი მაგიდაზე დევსts'igni magidaze devs (the book is lying on the table) – წიგნი მაგიდაზე იდოts'igni magidaze ido (the book was lying on the table).
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 wish I had started earlier!" is…
- "If you had started earlier, we wouldn't have met" is…
- "I should have taken photos" is…
- "I nearly lost it" is…
- "Now you understand almost everything" is…
- "Never lose it!" is…
- "instead of photos" is…
- "your own story" is…
- "It was lying under the pillow" is…
- "The train had already left" is…
- "I didn't understand a thing" is…
- "We know each other" is…
- "so that everyone understands" (formal) is…
- What is a დღიურიdghiuri?
Well done! Lesson 170 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 wish I had come earlier!"
Show the answer
ნეტავ ადრე მოვსულიყავი!net'av adre movsuliq'avi! - Say "If I had known, I would have told you."
Show the answer
რომ მცოდნოდა, გეტყოდი.rom mtsodnoda, get'q'odi. - Say "You should have called me!"
Show the answer
უნდა დაგერეკა!unda dagerek'a! - Say "I nearly missed the train."
Show the answer
კინაღამ მატარებელზე დავაგვიანე.k'inagham mat'arebelze davagviane. - Say "Don't tell anyone!"
Show the answer
ნურავის ნუ ეტყვი!nuravis nu et'q'vi! - Say "We love each other."
Show the answer
ერთმანეთი გვიყვარს.ertmaneti gviq'vars.
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