Day 13. The clothes shop
Autumn is coming, and my summer jacket is not enough for Tbilisi evenings. Nino takes me to a clothes shop, and the shop assistant asks me which colour I want.
Today: colours, and a few words for clothes.
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
Assistant
რა ფერი გინდათ?ra peri gindat?Which colour do you want?
Sam
შავი ან ლურჯი.shavi an lurji.Black or dark blue.
Assistant
ეს ლურჯი ქურთუკი ძალიან ლამაზია.es lurji kurtuk'i dzalian lamazia.This blue jacket is very beautiful.
Nino
სემ, ეს წითელი კაბა რა ლამაზია!sem, es ts'iteli k'aba ra lamazia!Sam, how beautiful this red dress is!
Sam
ნინო, მე კაბა არ მინდა!nino, me k'aba ar minda!Nino, I don't want a dress!
Nino
არა, ეს ჩემთვისაა!ara, es chemtvisaa!No, it's for me!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ფერი | peri | colour |
| თეთრი | tetri | white |
| წითელი | ts'iteli | red |
| ყვითელი | q'viteli | yellow |
| ლურჯი | lurji | blue (dark blue) |
| ცისფერი | tsisperi | light blue (sky-coloured) |
| ნაცრისფერი | natsrisperi | grey |
| ყავისფერი | q'avisperi | brown |
| ვარდისფერი | vardisperi | pink |
| კაბა | k'aba | dress |
| პერანგი | p'erangi | shirt |
| შარვალი | sharvali | trousers |
| ქურთუკი | kurtuk'i | jacket |
| ან | an | or |
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
What colour is it?
ფერიperi is "colour". To ask the colour of something: რა ფერიაra peria?, "what colour is it?". The colour comes before the noun, like every adjective, and does not change in the plural: შავი ქურთუკებიshavi kurtuk'ebi.
Colours made with -ფერიperi
Several colour words are built with -ფერიperi, "-coloured", added to the name of a thing:
| colour | literally |
|---|---|
| ცისფერიtsisperi | sky-coloured: light blue |
| ყავისფერიq'avisperi | coffee-coloured: brown |
| ვარდისფერიvardisperi | rose-coloured: pink |
| ნაცრისფერიnatsrisperi | ash-coloured: grey |
| ნარინჯისფერიnarinjisperi | bitter-orange-coloured: orange |
Two blues
Georgian has two everyday words for blue: ლურჯიlurji for dark or deep blue, and ცისფერიtsisperi for light blue, the colour of the sky (ცაtsa). The sea can be ლურჯიlurji, a summer sky is ცისფერიtsisperi.
Or: ანan and თუtu
ანan means "or" in a statement: შავი ან ლურჯიshavi an lurji, "black or blue". In a question, Georgians often use თუtu: შავი თუ ლურჯიshavi tu lurji? "black or blue?" (lesson 4).
5Good to know
რა ლამაზიაra lamazia! with a falling voice is not a question but an exclamation: "how beautiful it is!". It works with any adjective: რა გემრიელიაra gemrielia! "how tasty!", რა დიდიაra didia! "how big!".
The Georgian flag is white with five red crosses: one large cross and four small ones. Its colours are therefore თეთრიtetri and წითელიts'iteli.
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 ask "What colour is it?"
- What does წითელიts'iteli mean?
- What does ცისფერიtsisperi mean?
- Which word means "brown"?
- What is the plural of შავი ქურთუკიshavi kurtuk'i?
- შავი ან თეთრიshavi an tetri means…
- What does შარვალიsharvali mean?
- რა ლამაზიაra lamazia! (with a falling voice) means…
- What are the colours of the Georgian flag?
- Which word means "yellow"?
Well done! Lesson 26 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 white shirt".
Show the answer
თეთრი პერანგიtetri p'erangi - Say "a red dress".
Show the answer
წითელი კაბაts'iteli k'aba - Ask "What colour is the jacket?"
Show the answer
რა ფერია ქურთუკი?ra peria kurtuk'i? - Say "black or blue".
Show the answer
შავი ან ლურჯიshavi an lurji - Exclaim "How beautiful!"
Show the answer
რა ლამაზია!ra lamazia!
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