Day 11. Whose bag is this?
A blue bag has been lying in the hall since the party. Everybody walks past it, nobody claims it. Manana finally holds it up and asks the whole family the same question.
Today: my, your, his, our, their, and "whose?".
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
Manana
ეს ვისი ჩანთაა?es visi chantaa?Whose bag is this?
Giorgi
ჩემი არ არის.chemi ar aris.It's not mine.
Nino
არც ჩემია. სემ, შენია?arts chemia. sem, shenia?It's not mine either. Sam, is it yours?
Sam
არა, ჩემი ჩანთა შავია.ara, chemi chanta shavia.No, my bag is black.
Bebo
ეს ჩვენი მეზობლის ჩანთაა! მისი სახელია ნიკა.es chveni mezoblis chantaa! misi sakhelia nik'a.It's our neighbour's bag! His name is Nika.
Manana
კარგი. ეს მისია.k'argi. es misia.OK. It's his.
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ვისი? | visi? | whose? |
| შენი | sheni | your (one friend) |
| ჩვენი | chveni | our |
| თქვენი | tkveni | your (several people, or polite) |
| მათი | mati | their |
| არც | arts | not ... either, neither |
| შავი | shavi | black |
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
The six possessive words
| person | possessive | example |
|---|---|---|
| I | ჩემიchemi | ჩემი სახლიchemi sakhli (my house) |
| you (friend) | შენიsheni | შენი ჩანთაsheni chanta (your bag) |
| he, she | მისიmisi | მისი სახელიmisi sakheli (his / her name) |
| we | ჩვენიchveni | ჩვენი ქალაქიchveni kalaki (our city) |
| you (polite, plural) | თქვენიtkveni | თქვენი ოთახიtkveni otakhi (your room) |
| they | მათიmati | მათი ძაღლიmati dzaghli (their dog) |
They go before the noun and do not change for "his" or "her": მისიmisi is both.
Mine, yours: add -აa
With the little -აa ("is"), the same words mean "mine, yours, his...": ჩემიაchemia (it's mine), შენიაshenia? (is it yours?), მისიაmisia (it's his / hers).
Whose? ვისიvisi?
ვისიvisi? is "whose?". ეს ვისი ჩანთააes visi chantaa? "Whose bag is this?". Shorter: ვისიაvisia? "Whose is it?"
ეს ვისი წიგნია?es visi ts'ignia?this whose book-isWhose book is this?
ჩემია.chemia.mine-isIt's mine.
Not ... either: არცarts
არცarts is the negative "also": არც ჩემიაarts chemia, "it's not mine either". Compare მეცmets (me too) and არც მეarts me (not me either).
5Good to know
Remember lesson 21: with the older generation, "my" comes after the word. ჩემი დედაchemi deda is understood, but Georgians say დედაჩემიdedachemi. With every other noun, ჩემიchemi comes first: ჩემი ჩანთაchemi chanta, ჩემი მეგობარიchemi megobari.
In lesson 51 you will learn to say "the neighbour's bag", "Nino's book": ნინოს წიგნიninos ts'igni.
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 "our house"?
- მისიmisi means…
- How do you ask "Whose bag is this?"
- ჩემიაchemia means…
- How do you ask a friend "Is it yours?"
- What does მათიmati mean?
- არც ჩემიაarts chemia means…
- To your teacher: "Is this your book?"
- Which is correct for "my friend"?
- What does შავიshavi mean?
Well done! Lesson 22 is ticked on your course map.
Say it, then write it
Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
- Ask "Whose phone is this?"
Show the answer
ეს ვისი ტელეფონია?es visi t'eleponia? - Answer "It's mine."
Show the answer
ჩემია.chemia. - Say "This is our city."
Show the answer
ეს ჩვენი ქალაქია.es chveni kalakia. - Say "It's not mine."
Show the answer
ჩემი არ არის.chemi ar aris. - Ask your neighbour politely "Is this your dog?"
Show the answer
ეს თქვენი ძაღლია?es tkveni dzaghlia?
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