Week 6. Choosing a present
Manana's birthday is on Sunday, and I want to bring her a present. Nino helps me choose in a little shop of handmade things: enamel jewellery, felt slippers, wooden spoons.
Today: "for", "from" and "about".
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
ეს საჩუქარი დედაშენისთვისაა.es sachukari dedashenistvisaa.This present is for your mother.
Nino
ძალიან ლამაზია! რისგან არის?dzalian lamazia! risgan aris?It's very beautiful! What is it made of?
Seller
ეს მინანქარია, ვერცხლისგან.es minankaria, vertskhlisgan.It's enamel, made of silver.
Sam
და ეს წიგნი საქართველოს შესახებ, ჩემთვის.da es ts'igni sakartvelos shesakheb, chemtvis.And this book about Georgia, for me.
Nino
მე ეს ბარათი მეგობრისგან მაქვს. ძალიან მომწონს.me es barati megobrisgan makvs. dzalian momts'ons.I have this card from a friend. I really like it.
Seller
ინებეთ. ძალიან ლამაზი საჩუქარია!inebet. dzalian lamazi sachukaria!Here you are. It's a very beautiful present!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| -თვის | -tvis | for (after the genitive) |
| -გან | -gan | from (a person); made of |
| შესახებ | shesakheb | about (after the genitive) |
| საჩუქარი | sachukari | present, gift |
| ვერცხლი | vertskhli | silver |
| ოქრო | okro | gold |
| მინანქარი | minankari | enamel (cloisonné) |
| რისგან? | risgan? | made of what? |
| ჩემთვის | chemtvis | for me |
| შენთვის | shentvis | for you |
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
For: -თვისtvis
-თვისtvis comes after the genitive. With -ისis words, the genitive's -ისis stays: დედისdedis → დედისთვისdedistvis (for mother), ბავშვისbavshvis → ბავშვისთვისbavshvistvis (for the child), ნინოსninos → ნინოსთვისninostvis.
With the personal pronouns, -თვისtvis goes on a short form:
| for me | for you | for him, her | for us | for you (pol.) | for them |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ჩემთვისchemtvis | შენთვისshentvis | მისთვისmistvis | ჩვენთვისchventvis | თქვენთვისtkventvis | მათთვისmattvis |
From (a person) and made of: -განgan
-განgan also follows the genitive: მეგობრისგანmegobrisgan (from a friend), დედისგანdedisgan (from mother), ჩემგანchemgan (from me). It also says what something is made of: ვერცხლისგანvertskhlisgan (made of silver), ხისგანkhisgan (made of wood).
Remember: for places, "from" is -დანdan (თბილისიდანtbilisidan). For people, Georgian prefers -განgan.
| from a place | from a person |
|---|---|
| სახლიდანsakhlidan | მეგობრისგანmegobrisgan |
About: შესახებshesakheb
შესახებshesakheb is a separate word after the genitive: საქართველოს შესახებsakartvelos shesakheb (about Georgia), ჩემ შესახებchem shesakheb (about me). In speech, -ზეze is also very common: ფილმი საქართველოზეpilmi sakartveloze, "a film about Georgia".
5Good to know
Georgian cloisonné enamel, მინანქარიminankari, has a long history: medieval goldsmiths decorated icons and crosses with it. Today it is a favourite souvenir from Tbilisi, often worn as earrings or pendants.
რისგანrisgan? "made of what?" is რაra in the genitive (რისris) + -განgan. In the same way ვისთვისvistvis? means "for whom?": ვისთვისააvistvisaa? "Who is it for?"
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.
- "For mother" is…
- "For me" is…
- "From a friend" (a gift from a person) is…
- "Made of wood" is…
- "A book about Georgia" is…
- "From Tbilisi" (a place) is…
- How do you ask "Who is it for?"
- What does საჩუქარიsachukari mean?
- "For them" is…
- What does ვერცხლიvertskhli mean?
Well done! Lesson 52 is ticked on your course map.
Say it, then write it
Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
- Say "This gift is for you." (to a friend)
Show the answer
ეს საჩუქარი შენთვისაა.es sachukari shentvisaa. - Say "I have a letter from my mother."
Show the answer
დედაჩემისგან წერილი მაქვს.dedachemisgan ts'erili makvs. - Ask "What is it made of?"
Show the answer
რისგან არის?risgan aris? - Say "a film about Tbilisi"
Show the answer
ფილმი თბილისის შესახებpilmi tbilisis shesakheb - Say "This coffee is for Nino."
Show the answer
ეს ყავა ნინოსთვისაა.es q'ava ninostvisaa.
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
Unit 6: Cases and connections A2
- 51Nino's book: the genitive -ისis
- 52For, from, about: -თვისtvis, -განgan, შესახებshesakheb
- 53Before, after, during
- 54As a doctor, as a gift: the adverbial -ადad
- 55Calling people: ბატონოbat'ono, ქალბატონოkalbat'ono, მეგობაროmegobaro!
- 56Adjectives that change: დიდ ოთახშიdid otakhshi
- 57First, second, third
- 58Bigger, better, the best
- 59How often? Habits
- 60Review: a letter home