Day 13. Nino's balcony
Nino's flat has the best balcony of the building: it looks over the roofs of the old town, and in the evening you can see the fortress lit up on the hill.
Today: adjectives, the words that describe.
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
ეს აივანი ძალიან ლამაზია!es aivani dzalian lamazia!This balcony is very beautiful!
Nino
ჰო, მაგრამ სახლი ძველია.ho, magram sakhli dzvelia.Yeah, but the house is old.
Sam
ძველი სახლები ლამაზია.dzveli sakhlebi lamazia.Old houses are beautiful.
Nino
ჩვენი ბინა პატარაა, მაგრამ კარგია.chveni bina p'at'araa, magram k'argia.Our flat is small, but it's good.
Sam
ის დიდი შენობა რა არის?is didi shenoba ra aris?What is that big building?
Nino
ეს ახალი სასტუმროა. ძალიან მაღალია!es akhali sast'umroa. dzalian maghalia!That's a new hotel. It's very tall!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ცუდი | tsudi | bad |
| ახალი | akhali | new |
| ძველი | dzveli | old (things) |
| დაბალი | dabali | low, short |
| სუფთა | supta | clean |
| ცხელი | tskheli | hot |
| ცივი | tsivi | cold |
| იაფი | iapi | cheap |
| ძვირი | dzviri | expensive |
| შენობა | shenoba | building |
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 adjective comes first
As in English, the adjective goes before the noun: დიდი სახლიdidi sakhli (a big house), ახალი შენობაakhali shenoba (a new building).
No agreement in the plural
The adjective does not change for the plural: only the noun takes -ებიebi.
დიდი სახლიdidi sakhlibig housea big house
დიდი სახლებიdidi sakhlebibig housesbig houses
Adjective + is
To say "the house is big", put the adjective before არისaris, or use the short -აa:
სახლი დიდია.sakhli didia.house big-isThe house is big.
ბინა პატარაა.bina p'at'araa.flat small-isThe flat is small.
Making it stronger
ძალიანdzalian (very) goes before the adjective: ძალიან ლამაზიdzalian lamazi, ძალიან ძვირიdzalian dzviri. In everyday speech you will also hear ძაანdzaan, a quick way of saying ძალიანdzalian.
Pairs to learn together
| opposite | |
|---|---|
| კარგიk'argi good | ცუდიtsudi bad |
| დიდიdidi big | პატარაp'at'ara small |
| ახალიakhali new | ძველიdzveli old |
| მაღალიmaghali tall, high | დაბალიdabali short, low |
| ცხელიtskheli hot | ცივიtsivi cold |
| იაფიiapi cheap | ძვირიdzviri expensive |
5Good to know
ძველიdzveli is "old" for things and places: ძველი სახლიdzveli sakhli, ძველი თბილისიdzveli tbilisi (the old town). For people, Georgians prefer kinder words: მოხუციmokhutsi (elderly) or ხანში შესულიkhanshi shesuli ("advanced in years").
The fortress Nino shows Sam is Narikala, which has looked over Tbilisi since the 4th century.
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 "a new building"?
- What is the plural of დიდი სახლიdidi sakhli?
- ბინა პატარააbina p'at'araa means…
- What is the opposite of ძვირიdzviri?
- What does ძველიdzveli mean?
- Which word means "tall, high"?
- ძალიან ცხელიაdzalian tskhelia means…
- What does სუფთაsupta mean?
- ძაანdzaan is…
- What does შენობაshenoba mean?
Well done! Lesson 25 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 "a beautiful city".
Show the answer
ლამაზი ქალაქიlamazi kalaki - Say "The coffee is very hot."
Show the answer
ყავა ძალიან ცხელია.q'ava dzalian tskhelia. - Say "Our flat is small but good."
Show the answer
ჩვენი ბინა პატარაა, მაგრამ კარგია.chveni bina p'at'araa, magram k'argia. - Say "new houses".
Show the answer
ახალი სახლებიakhali sakhlebi - Say "The hotel is very expensive."
Show the answer
სასტუმრო ძალიან ძვირია.sast'umro dzalian dzviria.
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