Goal: you will count with numbers + singular nouns, and say many, a few, all.
Course progress: lesson 24 / 200
LIMBA audio course · Georgian
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 emailDay 12. Setting the table
Guests are coming tonight, and Manana puts me in charge of the table. Plates, glasses, forks: how many? She tells me in Georgian, and I count aloud.
Today: a rule that surprises every learner. After a number, the noun stays singular.
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| რამდენი? | ramdeni? | how many? how much? |
| ბევრი | bevri | many, a lot of |
| თეფში | tepshi | plate |
| დანა | dana | knife |
| ჩანგალი | changali | fork |
| კოვზი | k'ovzi | spoon |
| ხელსახოცი | khelsakhotsi | napkin |
| ყველაფერი | q'velaperi | everything |
| არაფერი | araperi | nothing |
| არავინ | aravin | nobody |
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.
In English you say "three glasses". In Georgian, after a number the noun stays singular: სამი ჭიქაsami ch'ika, literally "three glass". The number already tells you there are several.
| number + noun | meaning |
|---|---|
| ორი მეგობარიori megobari | two friends |
| სამი ჭიქაsami ch'ika | three glasses |
| ცხრა სტუდენტიtskhra st'udent'i | nine students |
| ათი თეფშიati tepshi | ten plates |
The same rule works with რამდენიramdeni? (how many?), ბევრიbevri (many) and ცოტაtsot'a (a few, a little): they are followed by the singular.
ყველაq'vela means "everybody" or "all", and it also takes the singular: ყველა სტუდენტიq'vela st'udent'i, "all the students". ყველაფერიq'velaperi is "everything", არაფერიaraperi "nothing", არავინaravin "nobody". With არაფერიaraperi and არავინaravin, Georgian also keeps არar before the verb:
The plural -ებიebi is still useful without a number: სტუმრები მოდიანst'umrebi modian, "the guests are coming". Only after a number or a quantity word (ბევრიbevri, ცოტაtsot'a, რამდენიramdeni) does the noun go back to the singular.
Georgians never say "too few" with a separate word for "too": ძალიან ცოტააdzalian tsot'aa, "it's very few", does the job.
Choose an answer for each question, then press Check my answers. Score 70% or more and the lesson is ticked on your course map.
Well done! Lesson 24 is ticked on your course map.
Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
Lesson finished? Now train your ear
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