Month 30. A storyteller by the fire
A winter evening by the fire. Levan tells the story of a night he spent in the mountains when he was young. Giorgi has heard it a hundred times, but he still listens.
Today: telling a long story.
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
ერთხელ, როცა ახალგაზრდა ვიყავი, მთაში ვმოგზაურობდი.ertkhel, rotsa akhalgazrda viq'avi, mtashi vmogzaurobdi.Once, when I was young, I was travelling in the mountains.
Levan
საღამოს უცებ ქარიშხალი ამოვარდა. ახლოს არც ერთი სოფელი არ იყო.saghamos utseb karishkhali amovarda. akhlos arts erti sopeli ar iq'o.In the evening a storm suddenly broke out. There wasn't a single village nearby.
Sam
და რა გააკეთე?da ra gaak'ete?And what did you do?
Levan
მწყემსის ქოხი ვიპოვე. ცეცხლი უკვე ენთო, მწყემსს ჩაიც მოემზადებინა.mts'q'emsis kokhi vip'ove. tsetskhli uk've ento, mts'q'emss chaits moemzadebina.I found a shepherd's hut. A fire was already burning, and the shepherd had even made tea.
Levan
მთელი ღამე ვსაუბრობდით. ამ მთებში დათვი ცხოვრობსო, მითხრა.mteli ghame vsaubrobdit. am mtebshi datvi tskhovrobso, mitkhra.We talked all night. "A bear lives in these mountains," he told me.
Giorgi
და დათვი ნახე?da datvi nakhe?And did you see the bear?
Levan
დილით კარი რომ გავაღე, თოვლზე დიდი კვალი იყო. თურმე ღამით დათვი მოსულა!dilit k'ari rom gavaghe, tovlze didi k'vali iq'o. turme ghamit datvi mosula!In the morning, when I opened the door, there were huge tracks in the snow. A bear had come in the night!
Sam
კარგია, რომ ღამით არ გაიღვიძე!k'argia, rom ghamit ar gaighvidze!Good thing you didn't wake up in the night!
Levan
ჰო... ისე, ეს ამბავი ბებოს ასჯერ აქვს მოსმენილი!ho... ise, es ambavi bebos asjer akvs mosmenili!Yes... By the way, Bebo has heard this story a hundred times!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| უცებ | utseb | suddenly |
| ქარიშხალი | karishkhali | storm |
| ამოვარდა | amovarda | broke out (of a wind, a storm) |
| მწყემსი | mts'q'emsi | shepherd |
| ქოხი | kokhi | hut |
| ენთო | ento | was burning (of a fire, a light) |
| ვსაუბრობდით | vsaubrobdit | we were talking |
| დათვი | datvi | bear |
| ისე | ise | by the way; so, in this way |
| მოსმენილი აქვს | mosmenili akvs | he/she has heard (it) |
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
Which past for which part of the story?
| part of the story | tense | example |
|---|---|---|
| background, scenery | imperfect | მთაში ვმოგზაურობდი. ცეცხლი ენთო.mtashi vmogzaurobdi. tsetskhli ento. |
| events, one after another | aorist | ქარიშხალი ამოვარდა. ქოხი ვიპოვე.karishkhali amovarda. kokhi vip'ove. |
| something that happened before | pluperfect | მწყემსს ჩაი მოემზადებინა.mts'q'emss chai moemzadebina. |
| a discovery, something not seen | perfect | თურმე დათვი მოსულა!turme datvi mosula! |
| someone's words | -ო-o | დათვი ცხოვრობსო, მითხრა.datvi tskhovrobso, mitkhra. |
Story connectors
| word | meaning |
|---|---|
| ერთხელertkhel | once |
| ერთ დღესert dghes | one day |
| უცებutseb | suddenly |
| მერეmere | then |
| ბოლოსbolos | in the end |
რომrom meaning "when"
In speech, რომrom after the first words can mean "when": > დილით კარი რომ გავაღეdilit k'ari rom gavaghe, … | in the morning, when I opened the door, …
The everyday perfect: აქვსakvs + participle
Spoken Georgian often builds a perfect with აქვსakvs and a past participle: > ბებოს ეს ამბავი ასჯერ აქვს მოსმენილიbebos es ambavi asjer akvs mosmenili. | Bebo has heard this story a hundred times. > მე ეს ფილმი ნანახი მაქვსme es pilmi nanakhi makvs. | I've seen this film.
5Good to know
Georgian storytellers love უცებutseb ("suddenly") and თურმეturme ("it turned out"): they are the two turning points of every good story. Listen for them in films, books and around the supra 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 was travelling in the mountains" (background) is…
- "Suddenly a storm broke out" is…
- "The shepherd had made tea" is…
- "A bear had (apparently) come in the night!" is…
- "'A bear lives here,' he told me" is…
- "when I opened the door" (spoken) is…
- "Bebo has heard this story a hundred times" is…
- "A fire was burning" is…
- "suddenly" is…
- What is a მწყემსიmts'q'emsi?
Well done! Lesson 196 is ticked on your course map.
Say it, then write it
Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
- Start a story: "Once, when I was a child, …"
Show the answer
ერთხელ, როცა ბავშვი ვიყავი, …ertkhel, rotsa bavshvi viq'avi, … - Say "Suddenly it began to rain."
Show the answer
უცებ წვიმა დაიწყო.utseb ts'vima daits'q'o. - Say "It turned out the shop was closed."
Show the answer
თურმე მაღაზია დაკეტილი ყოფილა.turme maghazia dak'et'ili q'opila. - Say "I've seen this film" (spoken style).
Show the answer
ეს ფილმი ნანახი მაქვს.es pilmi nanakhi makvs. - End a story: "In the end, everything was fine."
Show the answer
ბოლოს ყველაფერი კარგად დამთავრდა.bolos q'velaperi k'argad damtavrda.
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