Month 24. A real supra
A real supra in the courtyard: a table as long as the house, Levan as tamada, and toasts that last longer than the dishes. Tonight, I will have to give one too.
Today: the supra, the tamada and the toasts.
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
Levan
ძვირფასო სტუმრებო, დღეს თამადა მე ვარ. პირველი სადღეგრძელო მშვიდობას გაუმარჯოს!dzvirpaso st'umrebo, dghes tamada me var. p'irveli sadghegrdzelo mshvidobas gaumarjos!Dear guests, tonight I'm the tamada. The first toast: to peace!
All
გაუმარჯოს!gaumarjos!Cheers! (To peace!)
Sam
ნინო, ახლა შეიძლება დავლიო?nino, akhla sheidzleba davlio?Nino, can I drink now?
Nino
კი, მაგრამ მხოლოდ თამადის სადღეგრძელოს შემდეგ. სუფრაზე ღვინოს სადღეგრძელოს გარეშე არ სვამენ.k'i, magram mkholod tamadis sadghegrdzelos shemdeg. supraze ghvinos sadghegrdzelos gareshe ar svamen.Yes, but only after the tamada's toast. At a supra, nobody drinks wine without a toast.
Levan
ახლა ჩვენს სტუმარს, სემს: სემ, ეს შენი სადღეგრძელო იყოს!akhla chvens st'umars, sems: sem, es sheni sadghegrdzelo iq'os!Now to our guest, Sam: Sam, this toast is for you!
Giorgi
ალავერდი სემს!alaverdi sems!Alaverdi to Sam! (Sam, your turn to speak!)
Sam
გმადლობთ! ... გაუმარჯოს ამ ოჯახს, რომელმაც სახლივით მიმიღო!gmadlobt! ... gaumarjos am ojakhs, romelmats sakhlivit mimigho!Thank you! ... To this family, which welcomed me like a son of the house!
Bebo
ყოჩაღ, შვილო! ახლა ყანწით, ბოლომდე!q'ochagh, shvilo! akhla q'ants'it, bolomde!Well done, dear! Now from the horn, all the way!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| თამადა | tamada | tamada, toastmaster |
| მშვიდობა | mshvidoba | peace |
| ალავერდი | alaverdi | alaverdi: passing the toast to someone so that they continue it |
| მიმიღო | mimigho | he/she/it welcomed me, received me |
| სახლივით | sakhlivit | like a home |
| ბოლომდე | bolomde | to the end, bottoms up |
| მერიქიფე | merikipe | the person who pours the wine |
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
Giving a toast
| Georgian | English |
|---|---|
| გაუმარჯოს მშვიდობას!gaumarjos mshvidobas! | To peace! |
| მშვიდობის სადღეგრძელოmshvidobis sadghegrdzelo | the toast to peace |
| ეს შენი სადღეგრძელო იყოს!es sheni sadghegrdzelo iq'os! | This toast is to you! (literally "let it be your toast") |
| ვსვამ ჩვენი მეგობრობის სადღეგრძელოს.vsvam chveni megobrobis sadghegrdzelos. | I drink to our friendship. |
| ალავერდი სემს!alaverdi sems! | Over to Sam! |
| ბოლომდე!bolomde! | Bottoms up! |
სადღეგრძელოsadghegrdzelo comes from დღეგრძელიdghegrdzeli, "long-lived": every toast is a wish for a long life.
The people at the table
| word | role |
|---|---|
| თამადაtamada | leads the feast, proposes the toasts in order |
| მერიქიფეmerikipe | pours the wine |
| სტუმარიst'umari | guest, always treated with special honour |
The relative in a toast
გაუმარჯოს ამ ოჯახს, რომელმაც სახლივით მიმიღო!gaumarjos am ojakhs, romelmats sakhlivit mimigho!To this family, which welcomed me like a son of the house!
რომელმაცromelmats is ergative because მიმიღოmimigho is an aorist (lesson 112).
5Good to know
At a supra, the tamada decides the toasts; guests drink only after a toast, often adding their own words when the toast reaches them. ალავერდიalaverdi lets the tamada pass the floor to a guest, who develops the toast before drinking.
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.
- Who leads the toasts at a supra?
- "To peace!" is…
- "This toast is to you!" is…
- "I drink to our friendship" is…
- What does ალავერდიalaverdi do?
- What does სადღეგრძელოsadghegrdzelo literally wish?
- "to this family, which welcomed me" is…
- "Bottoms up!" is…
- Who pours the wine?
- At a supra, do people drink without a toast?
Well done! Lesson 175 is ticked on your course map.
Say it, then write it
Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
- Give a toast: "To our friendship!"
Show the answer
გაუმარჯოს ჩვენს მეგობრობას!gaumarjos chvens megobrobas! - Say "This toast is to Nino!"
Show the answer
ეს ნინოს სადღეგრძელო იყოს!es ninos sadghegrdzelo iq'os! - Pass the toast to Giorgi.
Show the answer
ალავერდი გიორგის!alaverdi giorgis! - Say "I drink to peace."
Show the answer
მშვიდობის სადღეგრძელოს ვსვამ.mshvidobis sadghegrdzelos vsvam. - Say "To the tamada!"
Show the answer
გაუმარჯოს თამადას!gaumarjos tamadas!
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