Month 26. Facts and figures
Tamar hands out a sheet of facts and figures about Georgia, and I have to read every number aloud. Georgian counts in twenties, so it's a real workout.
Today: big numbers and statistics.
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
Tamar
სემ, წაიკითხე ეს რიცხვები ხმამაღლა.sem, ts'aik'itkhe es ritskhvebi khmamaghla.Sam, read these numbers aloud.
Sam
„საქართველოში დაახლოებით სამი მილიონ შვიდასი ათასი ადამიანი ცხოვრობს.“„sakartveloshi daakhloebit sami milion shvidasi atasi adamiani tskhovrobs.“"About three million seven hundred thousand people live in Georgia."
Tamar
სწორია. თბილისში?sts'oria. tbilisshi?Correct. And in Tbilisi?
Sam
„მილიონზე მეტი.“ ანუ ქვეყნის მოსახლეობის თითქმის მესამედი!„milionze met'i.“ anu kveq'nis mosakhleobis titkmis mesamedi!"More than a million." So almost a third of the country's population!
Tamar
ყოჩაღ! ფართობი?q'ochagh! partobi?Well done! The area?
Sam
„დაახლოებით სამოცდაათი ათასი კვადრატული კილომეტრი.“„daakhloebit samotsdaati atasi k'vadrat'uli k'ilomet'ri.“"About seventy thousand square kilometres."
Tamar
და წელი? 2026?da ts'eli? 2026?And the year? 2026?
Sam
ორი ათას ოცდაექვსი! ... ეს ძნელი იყო: ოთხმოცი „ოთხჯერ ოცია“!ori atas otsdaekvsi! ... es dzneli iq'o: otkhmotsi „otkhjer otsia“!Two thousand twenty-six! ... That was hard: eighty is "four times twenty"!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| რიცხვი | ritskhvi | number, figure |
| დაახლოებით | daakhloebit | about, approximately |
| მილიონი | milioni | million |
| -ზე მეტი | -ze met'i | more than |
| მოსახლეობა | mosakhleoba | population |
| მესამედი | mesamedi | a third |
| ფართობი | partobi | area, surface |
| კვადრატული კილომეტრი | k'vadrat'uli k'ilomet'ri | square kilometre |
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
Counting in twenties
From 20 to 99, Georgian counts in twenties: ოციotsi (20), ორმოციormotsi ("two-twenty", 40), სამოციsamotsi ("three-twenty", 60), ოთხმოციotkhmotsi ("four-twenty", 80). The numbers in between add დაda ("and"):
| number | Georgian | literally |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | ოცდაათიotsdaati | twenty and ten |
| 50 | ორმოცდაათიormotsdaati | forty and ten |
| 70 | სამოცდაათიsamotsdaati | sixty and ten |
| 99 | ოთხმოცდაცხრამეტიotkhmotsdatskhramet'i | eighty and nineteen |
Big numbers
| number | Georgian |
|---|---|
| 1,000 | ათასიatasi |
| 1,000,000 | მილიონიmilioni |
| 1,000,000,000 | მილიარდიmiliardi |
| 3,700,000 | სამი მილიონ შვიდასი ათასიsami milion shvidasi atasi |
| 2026 (the year) | ორი ათას ოცდაექვსიori atas otsdaekvsi |
Inside a big number, each part except the last loses its final -იi: მილიონmilion, ათასatas, შვიდასshvidas.
Percentages, fractions, decimals
| Georgian | English |
|---|---|
| ოცი პროცენტიotsi p'rotsent'i | 20 percent (the noun stays singular) |
| ნახევარიnakhevari | a half |
| მესამედიmesamedi | a third |
| მეოთხედიmeotkhedi | a quarter |
| სამი მთელი შვიდიsami mteli shvidi | 3.7 ("three whole seven") |
About, more than, less than
დაახლოებითdaakhloebit (about), -ზე მეტიze met'i (more than: მილიონზე მეტიmilionze met'i), -ზე ნაკლებიze nak'lebi (less than).
5Good to know
These figures are rounded: Georgia has about 3.7 million inhabitants and about 70,000 km² of land, and well over a million people live in Tbilisi. For exact statistics, Georgians check the national statistics office, საქსტატიsakst'at'i.
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 say 80?
- How do you say 70?
- How do you say 3,700,000?
- How do you say the year 2026?
- "more than a million" is…
- "twenty percent" is…
- "a third" is…
- How do you read 3.7?
- "about seventy thousand" is…
- What is მოსახლეობაmosakhleoba?
Well done! Lesson 183 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 45.
Show the answer
ორმოცდახუთიormotsdakhuti - Say 1,500.
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ათას ხუთასიatas khutasi - Say "in 2026"
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ორი ათას ოცდაექვს წელსori atas otsdaekvs ts'els - Say "fifty percent"
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ორმოცდაათი პროცენტიormotsdaati p'rotsent'i - Say "about a million people"
Show the answer
დაახლოებით მილიონი ადამიანიdaakhloebit milioni adamiani
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