Day 22. Rain over Tbilisi
This morning the sky over Tbilisi was blue; by noon a storm came down from the mountains, and now the streets are rivers. Everybody I meet talks about one thing.
Today: the weather, a perfect topic for small talk.
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
რა ამინდია დღეს!ra amindia dghes!What weather today!
Neighbour
ჰო, წვიმს და ქარია. გუშინ ცხელოდა!ho, ts'vims da karia. gushin tskheloda!Yeah, it's raining and windy. Yesterday it was hot!
Sam
ხვალ რა ამინდი იქნება?khval ra amindi ikneba?What will the weather be like tomorrow?
Neighbour
ხვალ მზიანი დღე იქნება, თბილა.khval mziani dghe ikneba, tbila.Tomorrow will be a sunny day, it'll be warm.
Sam
კარგია! ზამთარში თოვს თბილისში?k'argia! zamtarshi tovs tbilisshi?Good! Does it snow in Tbilisi in winter?
Neighbour
ხანდახან. მთებში ბევრი თოვლია.khandakhan. mtebshi bevri tovlia.Sometimes. In the mountains there's a lot of snow.
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ამინდი | amindi | weather |
| ცივა | tsiva | it's cold |
| ცხელა | tskhela | it's hot |
| თბილა | tbila | it's warm |
| გრილა | grila | it's cool |
| წვიმს | ts'vims | it's raining |
| თოვს | tovs | it's snowing |
| ქარია | karia | it's windy |
| წვიმა | ts'vima | rain |
| თოვლი | tovli | snow |
| მზე | mze | sun |
| მზიანი | mziani | sunny |
| ღრუბლიანი | ghrubliani | cloudy |
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
Weather words that are whole sentences
Georgian describes the weather with short verbs that need no subject, like English "it's raining":
| Georgian | meaning |
|---|---|
| ცივაtsiva | it's cold |
| ცხელაtskhela | it's hot |
| თბილაtbila | it's warm |
| გრილაgrila | it's cool |
| წვიმსts'vims | it's raining |
| თოვსtovs | it's snowing |
დღეს ძალიან ცივა.dghes dzalian tsiva.today very it-is-coldIt's very cold today.
ზამთარში თოვს.zamtarshi tovs.winter-in it-snowsIn winter it snows.
Adjectives with -იანიiani
-იანიiani makes an adjective meaning "with ...": მზეmze (sun) → მზიანიmziani (sunny), ღრუბელიghrubeli (cloud) → ღრუბლიანიghrubliani (cloudy), ქარიkari (wind) → ქარიანიkariani (windy).
მზიანი დღეა.mziani dghea.sunny day-isIt's a sunny day.
What's the weather like?
რა ამინდიაra amindia? means "what's the weather?". Said with a falling voice, რა ამინდიაra amindia! becomes "what weather!", the classic complaint. In the future: რა ამინდი იქნებაra amindi ikneba?, "what will the weather be?" (from ვიქნებიviknebi, lesson 41).
A little past
For "it was cold", the weather verbs take a -დაda ending: ციოდაtsioda (it was cold), ცხელოდაtskheloda (it was hot), წვიმდაts'vimda (it was raining). You will learn this past form in lesson 74.
5Good to know
Tbilisi has hot summers and fairly mild winters, while the mountains of the Greater Caucasus get heavy snow. On the Black Sea coast, around Batumi, it rains a lot all year round, which is why the region is so green.
ამინდიamindi is a favourite topic of conversation in Georgia too: რა ცხელაra tskhela! "how hot it is!" works as an opening line in any summer queue.
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.
- "It's cold" is…
- "It's raining" is…
- თოვსtovs means…
- What does მზიანიmziani mean?
- How do you ask "What's the weather like?"
- "It's very hot today" is…
- What does ღრუბლიანიghrubliani mean?
- ხვალ თბილა იქნებაkhval tbila ikneba? asks…
- What does თოვლიtovli mean?
- ცხელოდაtskheloda means…
Well done! Lesson 44 is ticked on your course map.
Say it, then write it
Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
- Ask "What's the weather like today?"
Show the answer
დღეს რა ამინდია?dghes ra amindia? - Say "It's cold and windy."
Show the answer
ცივა და ქარია.tsiva da karia. - Say "Tomorrow will be a sunny day."
Show the answer
ხვალ მზიანი დღე იქნება.khval mziani dghe ikneba. - Say "In summer it's very hot in Tbilisi."
Show the answer
ზაფხულში თბილისში ძალიან ცხელა.zapkhulshi tbilisshi dzalian tskhela. - Complain: "What weather!"
Show the answer
რა ამინდია!ra amindia!
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