Day 10. Saving numbers in my phone
Everybody I meet wants my new Georgian phone number, and I want theirs. Nino dictates her number to me, very fast, and I have to ask her to repeat it twice.
Today: the numbers from zero to ten.
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
რა არის შენი ნომერი?ra aris sheni nomeri?What's your number?
Nino
ხუთი, ხუთი, ხუთი...khuti, khuti, khuti...Five, five, five...
Sam
ნელა, თუ შეიძლება!nela, tu sheidzleba!Slowly, please!
Nino
ხუთი, ხუთი, ხუთი, ორი, სამი, ოთხი, ცხრა, ექვსი, შვიდი.khuti, khuti, khuti, ori, sami, otkhi, tskhra, ekvsi, shvidi.Five, five, five, two, three, four, nine, six, seven.
Sam
კიდევ ერთხელ, ბოლო: ექვსი, შვიდი?k'idev ertkhel, bolo: ekvsi, shvidi?Once more, the end: six, seven?
Nino
კი, ექვსი, შვიდი. ყოჩაღ!k'i, ekvsi, shvidi. q'ochagh!Yes, six, seven. Well done!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ნული | nuli | zero |
| ოთხი | otkhi | four |
| ექვსი | ekvsi | six |
| შვიდი | shvidi | seven |
| რვა | rva | eight |
| ათი | ati | ten |
| ნელა | nela | slowly |
| კიდევ ერთხელ | k'idev ertkhel | once more, again |
| ბოლო | bolo | end, last |
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
From zero to ten
| number | Georgian | Latin letters |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | ნულიnuli | nuli |
| 1 | ერთიerti | erti |
| 2 | ორიori | ori |
| 3 | სამიsami | sami |
| 4 | ოთხიotkhi | otkhi |
| 5 | ხუთიkhuti | khuti |
| 6 | ექვსიekvsi | ekvsi |
| 7 | შვიდიshvidi | shvidi |
| 8 | რვაrva | rva |
| 9 | ცხრაtskhra | tskhra |
| 10 | ათიati | ati |
Most numbers end in -იi, like most nouns. რვაrva and ცხრაtskhra end in -აa.
Phone numbers
Georgian mobile numbers have nine digits and start with 5. People often say them digit by digit, or in small groups. The country code of Georgia is +995.
რა არის შენი ნომერი?ra aris sheni nomeri?what is your numberWhat's your number?
ჩემი ნომერია...chemi nomeria...my number-isMy number is...
Asking to slow down
These two phrases will save you every day: ნელაnela, თუ შეიძლებაtu sheidzleba ("slowly, please") and კიდევ ერთხელk'idev ertkhel ("once more"). Add გთხოვთgtkhovt to be extra polite.
5Good to know
Watch the clusters in ექვსიekvsi (ekvsi, six): k-v-s in a row. And რვაrva (eight) starts with a rolled r followed directly by v. Say them slowly a few times: they come with practice.
You will learn the numbers from 11 to 100 in lesson 27. Georgian counts in twenties, like French "quatre-vingts", and the system is very regular once you see it.
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.
- What is სამიsami?
- How do you say 7?
- How do you say 4?
- What is ცხრაtskhra?
- What is ნულიnuli?
- Which number is ათიati?
- How do you ask "What's your number?"
- How do you say "Slowly, please!"
- კიდევ ერთხელk'idev ertkhel means…
- What does რვაrva mean?
Well done! Lesson 19 is ticked on your course map.
Say it, then write it
Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
- Count from one to five.
Show the answer
ერთი, ორი, სამი, ოთხი, ხუთიerti, ori, sami, otkhi, khuti - Count from six to ten.
Show the answer
ექვსი, შვიდი, რვა, ცხრა, ათიekvsi, shvidi, rva, tskhra, ati - Ask a friend for his phone number.
Show the answer
რა არის შენი ნომერი?ra aris sheni nomeri? - Ask someone to repeat.
Show the answer
კიდევ ერთხელ, თუ შეიძლება.k'idev ertkhel, tu sheidzleba. - Read this number aloud: 5 9 3
Show the answer
ხუთი, ცხრა, სამიkhuti, tskhra, sami
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