Day 17. My Georgian teacher, Tamar
Our teacher, Tamar, has a rule: in class, only Georgian. When someone asks a question in English, she smiles and answers in Georgian, very slowly.
Today: learning and speaking, and how to say "in Georgian".
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
Tamar
სემ, რას სწავლობ?sem, ras sts'avlob?Sam, what are you studying?
Sam
ქართულს ვსწავლობ.kartuls vsts'avlob.I'm learning Georgian.
Tamar
ინგლისურად ლაპარაკობ?inglisurad lap'arak'ob?Do you speak English?
Sam
დიახ, ინგლისურად და ფრანგულად ვლაპარაკობ.diakh, inglisurad da prangulad vlap'arak'ob.Yes, I speak English and French.
Tamar
ძალიან კარგი. აქ ქართულად ვლაპარაკობთ!dzalian k'argi. ak kartulad vlap'arak'obt!Very good. Here we speak Georgian!
Sam
ცოტა ქართულად ვლაპარაკობ.tsot'a kartulad vlap'arak'ob.I speak a little Georgian.
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ვსწავლობ | vsts'avlob | I study, I learn |
| ვლაპარაკობ | vlap'arak'ob | I speak |
| ქართულად | kartulad | in Georgian |
| ინგლისურად | inglisurad | in English |
| ფრანგულად | prangulad | in French |
| ენა | ena | language; tongue |
| გაკვეთილი | gak'vetili | lesson |
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
Two more -ობob verbs
| person | study, learn | speak |
|---|---|---|
| მეme | ვსწავლობvsts'avlob | ვლაპარაკობvlap'arak'ob |
| შენshen | სწავლობsts'avlob | ლაპარაკობlap'arak'ob |
| ისis | სწავლობსsts'avlobs | ლაპარაკობსlap'arak'obs |
| ჩვენchven | ვსწავლობთvsts'avlobt | ვლაპარაკობთvlap'arak'obt |
| თქვენtkven | სწავლობთsts'avlobt | ლაპარაკობთlap'arak'obt |
| ისინიisini | სწავლობენsts'avloben | ლაპარაკობენlap'arak'oben |
Studying a language: ქართულსkartuls
After ვსწავლობvsts'avlob, the thing you study takes the ending -სs: ქართულს ვსწავლობkartuls vsts'avlob, "I'm learning Georgian". This -სs is the dative ending; you will see it with all transitive verbs in lesson 34. To ask "what?", say რასras?: რას სწავლობras sts'avlob?
Speaking a language: ქართულადkartulad
To say "in Georgian", the language takes -ადad instead of -იi: ქართულიkartuli → ქართულადkartulad, ინგლისურიinglisuri → ინგლისურადinglisurad. This form goes with "speak":
ქართულად ვლაპარაკობ.kartulad vlap'arak'ob.Georgian-in I-speakI speak Georgian.
ინგლისურად ლაპარაკობ?inglisurad lap'arak'ob?English-in you-speakDo you speak English?
The same -ადad turns adjectives into adverbs: კარგიk'argi (good) → კარგადk'argad (well), ცუდიtsudi (bad) → ცუდადtsudad (badly).
| study (what?) | speak (how?) |
|---|---|
| ქართულს ვსწავლობkartuls vsts'avlob | ქართულად ვლაპარაკობkartulad vlap'arak'ob |
| რუსულს ვსწავლობrusuls vsts'avlob | რუსულად ვლაპარაკობrusulad vlap'arak'ob |
5Good to know
To ask what a word means, use რას ნიშნავსras nishnavs?: რას ნიშნავსras nishnavs „ენაena“? "What does 'ena' mean?". And to ask how to say something: როგორ არის ქართულადrogor aris kartulad...? "How do you say ... in Georgian?". These two questions are worth gold in class.
ენაena means both "language" and "tongue", as in many languages: ქართული ენაkartuli ena, the Georgian language.
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'm learning Georgian" is…
- "I speak Georgian" is…
- How do you ask a friend "Do you speak English?"
- "She studies French" is…
- რას სწავლობras sts'avlob? means…
- What is კარგადk'argad?
- "We speak Russian" is…
- What does ენაena mean?
- How do you ask "What does this word mean?"
- What does გაკვეთილიgak'vetili mean?
Well done! Lesson 33 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 "I'm learning Georgian."
Show the answer
ქართულს ვსწავლობ.kartuls vsts'avlob. - Say "I speak a little Georgian."
Show the answer
ცოტა ქართულად ვლაპარაკობ.tsot'a kartulad vlap'arak'ob. - Ask your teacher politely "Do you speak English?"
Show the answer
ინგლისურად ლაპარაკობთ?inglisurad lap'arak'obt? - Ask "What does this word mean?"
Show the answer
რას ნიშნავს ეს სიტყვა?ras nishnavs es sit'q'va? - Say "My friend speaks Georgian well."
Show the answer
ჩემი მეგობარი ქართულად კარგად ლაპარაკობს.chemi megobari kartulad k'argad lap'arak'obs.
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
Unit 4: Everyday actions in the present A1
- 31I live, I work: ვცხოვრობvtskhovrob, ვმუშაობvmushaob
- 32In, on, at: -შიshi, -ზეze, -თანtan
- 33I study, I speak: ქართულადkartulad
- 34I write a letter: the object in -სs
- 35Eating and drinking: ვჭამvch'am, ვსვამvsvam
- 36I want: მინდაminda
- 37I like, I love: მომწონსmomts'ons, მიყვარსmiq'vars
- 38Going and coming: მივდივარmivdivar, მოვდივარmovdivar
- 39I know, I understand: ვიციvitsi, მესმისmesmis
- 40Review: a day in Tbilisi