Goal: you will say whose something is and what it is made of.
Course progress: lesson 51 / 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 emailWeek 6. The lost umbrella
A black umbrella has been standing by the door for a week. Nobody remembers whose it is, and Manana has decided to solve the mystery. Bebo, of course, already knows.
Today: the genitive, the Georgian way to say "of" and "'s".
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ქოლგა | kolga | umbrella |
| -ის | -is | of, 's (the genitive ending) |
| ხე | khe | tree; wood |
| ხის | khis | wooden, of wood |
| ქათმის სალათი | katmis salati | chicken salad |
| რატომ? | rat'om? | why? |
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.
The genitive ending is -ისis. The owner comes first, the thing owned second, as in English "Nino's book":
| type of word | basic form | genitive |
|---|---|---|
| ends in -იi | სახლიsakhli | სახლისsakhlis |
| ends in -აa (common noun) | დედაdeda | დედისdedis |
| ends in -აa (proper name) | ანაana | ანასanas |
| ends in -ოo, -უu, -ეe | ნინო, მეტროnino, met'ro | ნინოს, მეტროსninos, met'ros |
| loses a vowel | მეგობარი, წყალიmegobari, ts'q'ali | მეგობრის, წყლისmegobris, ts'q'lis |
Names that end in a vowel just add -სs: ნინოსninos, ანასanas, მანანასmananas. Common nouns in -აa replace it: მამაmama → მამისmamis, ქალაქიkalaki → ქალაქისkalakis. A few words in -ოo also replace their vowel: ღვინოghvino → ღვინისghvinis.
The genitive also says what a thing is made of: ხის კარიkhis k'ari (a wooden door), ქათმის სალათიkatmis salati (chicken salad), ღვინის ჭიქაghvinis ch'ika (a wine glass).
To say "it is Nino's", add -იi and -აa to the genitive: ეს ნინოსიაes ninosia (it's Nino's), ეს მეზობლისააes mezoblisaa (it's the neighbour's). Compare ეს ჩემიაes chemia (it's mine, lesson 22).
You already used the genitive without knowing it: ნინოს დედაninos deda (lesson 3), წლისts'lis in ოცი წლის ვარotsi ts'lis var (lesson 28), ბანკის მარჯვნივbank'is marjvniv (lesson 48). Now you know why it looks like that.
რატომrat'om? means "why?". The answer often starts with იმიტომimit'om, რომrom..., "because...", which you will learn in lesson 96.
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 51 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