Goal: you will name the months and seasons and say dates.
Course progress: lesson 43 / 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 22. Planning the year
Nino and I plan the coming year: when to see the snow in the mountains, when the grapes are harvested, when the sea is warm enough in Batumi.
Today: months, dates and the four seasons, with a little rule that even Georgians find funny.
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| იანვარი | ianvari | January |
| თებერვალი | tebervali | February |
| მარტი | mart'i | March |
| აპრილი | ap'rili | April |
| მაისი | maisi | May |
| ივნისი | ivnisi | June |
| ივლისი | ivlisi | July |
| აგვისტო | agvist'o | August |
| სექტემბერი | sekt'emberi | September |
| ოქტომბერი | okt'omberi | October |
| ნოემბერი | noemberi | November |
| დეკემბერი | dek'emberi | December |
| გაზაფხული | gazapkhuli | spring |
| ზაფხული | zapkhuli | summer |
| შემოდგომა | shemodgoma | autumn |
| ზამთარი | zamtari | winter |
| რთველი | rtveli | grape harvest |
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 March" is მარტშიmart'shi, "in August" აგვისტოშიagvist'oshi: the same -შიshi as for places.
Two seasons take -შიshi and two take -ზეze. The official Georgian grammar for learners puts it simply: the "main" seasons take -შიshi, the "transition" seasons take -ზეze.
| season | in that season |
|---|---|
| ზაფხულიzapkhuli summer | ზაფხულშიzapkhulshi |
| ზამთარიzamtari winter | ზამთარშიzamtarshi |
| გაზაფხულიgazapkhuli spring | გაზაფხულზეgazapkhulze |
| შემოდგომაshemodgoma autumn | შემოდგომაზეshemodgomaze |
A date is the number (shortened, without its -იi) + the month with -სs:
The first day of a month uses "first": პირველი მაისიp'irveli maisi is 1 May.
როდისrodis + -აa: დაბადების დღე როდისააdabadebis dghe rodisaa? "When is the birthday?"
რთველიrtveli, the grape harvest, is one of the great moments of the Georgian year, above all in the wine region of Kakheti, in the east. Families and friends pick the grapes together, and the day ends at a big table.
The names of the months came into Georgian from Latin, through Greek, so მარტიmart'i, მაისიmaisi, ივლისიivlisi or ოქტომბერიokt'omberi are easy to recognise. The days of the week, as you saw in lesson 41, are much more Georgian.
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 43 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