Day 24. Bargaining at the bazaar
Back at the bazaar, alone this time. The tomatoes look perfect, but the price the seller gives me sounds high. Nino told me: at the bazaar, you can always ask.
Today: prices, quantities and money.
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
გამარჯობა! პომიდორი რა ღირს?gamarjoba! p'omidori ra ghirs?Hello! How much are the tomatoes?
Seller
კილო ოთხი ლარი.k'ilo otkhi lari.Four lari a kilo.
Sam
ოთხი? ძვირია! სამი ლარი?otkhi? dzviria! sami lari?Four? That's expensive! Three lari?
Seller
კარგი, სამი ლარი და ორმოცდაათი თეთრი.k'argi, sami lari da ormotsdaati tetri.OK, three lari fifty.
Sam
კარგი. ორი კილო, თუ შეიძლება.k'argi. ori k'ilo, tu sheidzleba.OK. Two kilos, please.
Seller
შვიდი ლარი. ხურდა გაქვს?shvidi lari. khurda gakvs?Seven lari. Do you have change?
Sam
ათი ლარი მაქვს.ati lari makvs.I have ten lari.
Seller
ინებე, სამი ლარი ხურდა.inebe, sami lari khurda.Here you are, three lari change.
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ღირს | ghirs | costs |
| ფასი | pasi | price |
| თეთრი | tetri | tetri, 1/100 of a lari (same word as "white", lesson 26) |
| კილო | k'ilo | kilo |
| ნახევარი კილო | nakhevari k'ilo | half a kilo |
| ხურდა | khurda | change (coins, small money) |
| საფულე | sapule | wallet |
| ინებე | inebe | here you are (to a friend) |
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
How much is it? რა ღირსra ghirs?
ღირსghirs means "costs". The question is რა ღირსra ghirs? ("what does it cost?"), with the thing before it: პომიდორი რა ღირსp'omidori ra ghirs? The answer: price + ღირსghirs, or just the price.
ეს რა ღირს?es ra ghirs?this what costsHow much is this?
ხუთი ლარი ღირს.khuti lari ghirs.five lari costsIt costs five lari.
Lari and tetri
After a number, ლარიlari and თეთრიtetri stay singular (lesson 24): ორი ლარიori lari, ორმოცდაათი თეთრიormotsdaati tetri. A price like 3.50 is სამი ლარი და ორმოცდაათი თეთრიsami lari da ormotsdaati tetri, or simply სამი ორმოცდაათიsami ormotsdaati.
Quantities: no word for "of"
As with ერთი ჭიქა წყალიerti ch'ika ts'q'ali, Georgian puts the quantity directly before the thing: ერთი კილო ვაშლიerti k'ilo vashli (a kilo of apples), ნახევარი კილო ყველიnakhevari k'ilo q'veli (half a kilo of cheese).
Expensive, cheap
ძვირიაdzviria! "it's expensive!" and იაფიაiapia "it's cheap" (lesson 25). At a market, a friendly ცოტა ძვირიაtsot'a dzviria... "it's a bit expensive..." is often the start of a little negotiation.
5Good to know
თეთრიtetri means both "white" and the coin worth 1/100 of a lari. Tetri is an old Georgian monetary term, already used in ancient Colchis, in western Georgia, from the 6th century BC. And ლარიlari is an old word for a hoard, a property (lesson 2).
Bargaining is normal at markets and with taxi drivers who have no meter, but not in supermarkets or shops with price tags.
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 "How much is this?"
- "It costs five lari" is…
- "A kilo of apples" is…
- What is a თეთრიtetri?
- What does ხურდაkhurda mean?
- ძვირიაdzviria! means…
- How do you say "half a kilo of cheese"?
- What does ფასიpasi mean?
- Where is bargaining normal?
- "Here you are" to a friend is…
Well done! Lesson 47 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 "How much are the apples?"
Show the answer
ვაშლი რა ღირს?vashli ra ghirs? - Say "It's a bit expensive."
Show the answer
ცოტა ძვირია.tsot'a dzviria. - Ask for two kilos of tomatoes.
Show the answer
ორი კილო პომიდორი, თუ შეიძლება.ori k'ilo p'omidori, tu sheidzleba. - Say "It costs three lari fifty."
Show the answer
სამი ლარი და ორმოცდაათი თეთრი ღირს.sami lari da ormotsdaati tetri ghirs. - Ask the seller "Do you have change?"
Show the answer
ხურდა გაქვთ?khurda gakvt?
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