Goal: you will tell the time and say at what time things happen.
Course progress: lesson 42 / 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 21. The clock tower in the old town
In the old town there is a crooked little clock tower next to a puppet theatre. Every hour a small angel comes out and rings a bell. Nino and I wait for it, and she teaches me to read the time in Georgian.
Today: telling the time, with one surprise for the half hour.
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| საათი | saati | hour; clock, watch |
| რომელი საათია? | romeli saatia? | what time is it? |
| რომელ საათზე? | romel saatze? | at what time? |
| ნახევარი | nakhevari | half |
| წუთი | ts'uti | minute |
| ყოველ საათზე | q'ovel saatze | every hour |
| ანუ | anu | that is, in other words |
| ადრე | adre | early |
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.
Ask რომელი საათიაromeli saatia?, literally "which hour is it?". Answer with the number + საათიაsaatia:
One o'clock is special: Georgians use the word for "first": პირველი საათიაp'irveli saatia, "it's one o'clock".
For half past, Georgian looks ahead to the next hour and says "half of it", in the -ისis form:
| time | Georgian | literally |
|---|---|---|
| 1:30 | ორის ნახევარიაoris nakhevaria | half of two |
| 2:30 | სამის ნახევარიაsamis nakhevaria | half of three |
| 5:30 | ექვსის ნახევარიაekvsis nakhevaria | half of six |
This is the classic trap for English speakers: სამის ნახევარიsamis nakhevari is 2:30, not 3:30.
To say "at" a time, add -ზეze to საათიsaati, and shorten the number: ექვს საათზეekvs saatze (at six), რვა საათზეrva saatze (at eight), სამის ნახევარზეsamis nakhevarze (at half past two). The question is რომელ საათზეromel saatze? "at what time?".
You will often hear the simple "digital" way too: ხუთი და ოცდაათი წუთიkhuti da otsdaati ts'uti (five and thirty minutes). It is always understood.
Minutes follow the same "next hour" logic as the half: 2:10 is სამის ათი წუთიsamis ati ts'uti ("ten minutes of three"). After the half hour, Georgians count the minutes that are missing: 2:45 is სამს აკლია თხუთმეტი წუთიsams ak'lia tkhutmet'i ts'uti, "three lacks fifteen minutes". If this is too much for now, use the digital way: everybody will understand you.
The clock tower of the Rezo Gabriadze marionette theatre, in the old town of Tbilisi, is one of the city's most photographed sights.
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 42 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