Day 23. A café on Rustaveli Avenue
A café on Rustaveli Avenue, with a terrace under the plane trees. Today I don't point at the menu: I order everything in Georgian, from "hello" to "the bill, please".
Today: café and restaurant phrases.
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
Waiter
გამარჯობა! რა გნებავთ?gamarjoba! ra gnebavt?Hello! What would you like?
Sam
მენიუ, თუ შეიძლება.meniu, tu sheidzleba.The menu, please.
Waiter
ინებეთ.inebet.Here you are.
Sam
ერთი ყავა და ერთი აჭარული ხაჭაპური, თუ შეიძლება.erti q'ava da erti ach'aruli khach'ap'uri, tu sheidzleba.One coffee and one Adjarian khachapuri, please.
Waiter
ყავა რძით თუ უშაქროდ?q'ava rdzit tu ushakrod?Coffee with milk or without sugar?
Sam
რძით, შაქრის გარეშე.rdzit, shakris gareshe.With milk, without sugar.
Waiter
გემრიელად მიირთვით!gemrielad miirtvit!Enjoy your meal!
Sam
ანგარიში, თუ შეიძლება. ბარათით შეიძლება?angarishi, tu sheidzleba. baratit sheidzleba?The bill, please. Can I pay by card?
Waiter
კი, რა თქმა უნდა.k'i, ra tkma unda.Yes, of course.
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| მენიუ | meniu | menu |
| მიმტანი | mimt'ani | waiter, waitress |
| ანგარიში | angarishi | bill; account |
| ბარათით | baratit | by card |
| ნაღდი ფული | naghdi puli | cash |
| შაქარი | shakari | sugar |
| რძით | rdzit | with milk |
| უშაქრო | ushakro | without sugar, sugar-free |
| გარეშე | gareshe | without (after the -ისis form) |
| გემრიელად მიირთვით! | gemrielad miirtvit! | enjoy your meal! |
| რა თქმა უნდა | ra tkma unda | of course |
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
Ordering
The simplest formula: number + thing + თუ შეიძლებაtu sheidzleba. Or use მინდაminda (lesson 36).
ერთი ყავა, თუ შეიძლება.erti q'ava, tu sheidzleba.one coffee, if possibleOne coffee, please.
ორი ჩაი და ერთი წყალი.ori chai da erti ts'q'ali.two tea and one waterTwo teas and a water.
With: -ითit
-ითit means "with" an ingredient or "by" a means: რძითrdzit (with milk), შაქრითshakrit (with sugar), ბარათითbaratit (by card). Words in -იi replace it with -ითit: ბარათიbarati → ბარათითbaratit. You will see -ითit again with transport in lesson 49.
Without: გარეშეgareshe or უu-...-ოo
Two ways to say "without": - the -ისis form + გარეშეgareshe: შაქრის გარეშეshakris gareshe, "without sugar" - an adjective with უu- at the start and -ოo at the end: უშაქროushakro (sugar-free), უფასოupaso (free of charge)
May I...? შეიძლებაsheidzleba?
შეიძლებაsheidzleba? on its own means "is it possible? may I?". Put the means or the thing before it: ბარათით შეიძლებაbaratit sheidzleba? "Is it possible by card?".
5Good to know
In restaurants, a service charge (often around ten per cent) is frequently added to the bill; look for it before you tip.
გემრიელად მიირთვითgemrielad miirtvit!, "eat deliciously!", is what you say to someone who is about to eat. მიირთვითmiirtvit is a polite verb for eating and drinking, which you will meet again in lesson 158.
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 for the menu?
- "Coffee with milk" is…
- "Without sugar" is…
- What does უშაქროushakro mean?
- How do you ask "Can I pay by card?"
- How do you ask for the bill?
- The waiter brings your food and says…
- What does რა თქმა უნდაra tkma unda mean?
- What does ნაღდი ფულიnaghdi puli mean?
- What does უფასოupaso mean?
Well done! Lesson 45 is ticked on your course map.
Say it, then write it
Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
- Order two coffees, please.
Show the answer
ორი ყავა, თუ შეიძლება.ori q'ava, tu sheidzleba. - Ask for tea without sugar.
Show the answer
ჩაი შაქრის გარეშე, თუ შეიძლება.chai shakris gareshe, tu sheidzleba. - Ask "Can I pay by card?"
Show the answer
ბარათით შეიძლება?baratit sheidzleba? - Ask for the bill.
Show the answer
ანგარიში, თუ შეიძლება.angarishi, tu sheidzleba. - Wish your friend "Enjoy your meal!"
Show the answer
გემრიელად მიირთვი!gemrielad miirtvi!
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