Day 9. Breakfast with the family
Breakfast is the noisiest moment of the day in my host family. Bebo, the grandmother, is always up first; Giorgi always comes last, still half asleep.
Today: the questions everyone asks each other in the morning.
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
დილა მშვიდობისა!dila mshvidobisa!Good morning!
Bebo
დილა მშვიდობისა, შვილო! როგორ ხარ?dila mshvidobisa, shvilo! rogor khar?Good morning, dear! How are you?
Sam
კარგად, გმადლობთ. თქვენ როგორ ხართ?k'argad, gmadlobt. tkven rogor khart?Fine, thank you. How are you?
Bebo
მეც კარგად. გიორგი? როგორ ხარ?mets k'argad. giorgi? rogor khar?I'm fine too. Giorgi? How are you?
Giorgi
ასე რა... ძალიან მეძინება.ase ra... dzalian medzineba.So-so... I'm really sleepy.
Manana
რა ხდება, გიორგი? ყავა!ra khdeba, giorgi? q'ava!What's going on, Giorgi? Coffee!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| როგორ? | rogor? | how? |
| როგორ ხარ? | rogor khar? | how are you? (to a friend) |
| როგორ ხართ? | rogor khart? | how are you? (polite or plural) |
| ცუდად | tsudad | badly |
| ასე რა | ase ra | so-so |
| ნორმალურად | normalurad | fine, OK (colloquial) |
| დილა მშვიდობისა | dila mshvidobisa | good morning |
| საღამო მშვიდობისა | saghamo mshvidobisa | good evening |
| ღამე მშვიდობისა | ghame mshvidobisa | good night |
| რა ხდება? | ra khdeba? | what's going on? what's up? |
| შვილო! | shvilo! | dear! (literally "child!") |
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
How are you?
| to a friend | polite / several people |
|---|---|
| როგორ ხარ?rogor khar? | როგორ ხართ?rogor khart? |
The answer is an adverb, not an adjective: კარგადk'argad (well), ცუდადtsudad (badly), ძალიან კარგადdzalian k'argad (very well). Do not answer კარგიk'argi, which means "good" for a thing.
როგორ ხარ?rogor khar?how are-youHow are you?
კარგად, გმადლობთ.k'argad, gmadlobt.well, thank youFine, thank you.
ასე რა.ase ra.so (well)So-so.
Sending the question back
Answer, thank, and ask back with შენshen? or თქვენtkven?: კარგადk'argad, გმადლობთgmadlobt. შენshen? If the other person feels the same, they say მეცmets + the adverb: მეც კარგადmets k'argad, "I'm fine too".
-ცts means "too, also"
Stick -ცts to the word it concerns: მეme → მეცmets (me too), შენshen → შენცshents (you too), ნინოnino → ნინოცninots (Nino too). It can go on any word: დღესაცdghesats (today too).
Greetings for the time of day
დილა მშვიდობისაdila mshvidobisa (good morning), საღამო მშვიდობისაsaghamo mshvidobisa (good evening) and ღამე მშვიდობისაghame mshvidobisa (good night) are polite and warm. The answer is the same greeting. გამარჯობაgamarjoba works at any time.
5Good to know
Older Georgians often call younger people შვილოshvilo!, "child!", as a sign of affection, even if they are not related. It is not condescending; it is a warm word.
როგორ ბრძანდებითrogor brdzandebit? is a very respectful "how are you?", used for older or important people. You will meet these honorific verbs in lesson 193.
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.
- How do you ask a friend "How are you?"
- How do you ask an older person "How are you?"
- The usual answer to "how are you?" is…
- ასე რაase ra means…
- How do you say "Good morning"?
- მეც კარგადmets k'argad means…
- How do you say "Nino too"?
- რა ხდებაra khdeba? means…
- Bebo calls Sam შვილოshvilo! It means…
- How do you answer საღამო მშვიდობისაsaghamo mshvidobisa!?
Well done! Lesson 18 is ticked on your course map.
Say it, then write it
Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
- Greet your host in the morning.
Show the answer
დილა მშვიდობისა!dila mshvidobisa! - Ask your friend how he is.
Show the answer
როგორ ხარ?rogor khar? - Answer "Very well, thank you. And you?"
Show the answer
ძალიან კარგად, გმადლობთ. შენ?dzalian k'argad, gmadlobt. shen? - Answer "I'm fine too."
Show the answer
მეც კარგად.mets k'argad. - Ask your teacher how she is, politely.
Show the answer
როგორ ხართ?rogor khart?
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