Goal: you will make adjectives and this/that agree with nouns.
Course progress: lesson 56 / 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 7. Our new flat
Nino's family has found a bigger flat for Bebo, two streets away, and I help them visit it. Manana walks from room to room and says where every piece of furniture will go.
Today: why დიდიdidi sometimes becomes დიდdid, and ესes becomes ამam.
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ამ | am | this (before a noun with an ending) |
| იმ | im | that (before a noun with an ending) |
| დივანი | divani | sofa |
| ტელევიზორი | t'elevizori | television |
| ბიბლიოთეკა | bibliotek'a | library; bookcase |
| ბედნიერი | bednieri | happy |
| სამზარეულო | samzareulo | kitchen |
| აბაზანა | abazana | bathroom |
| საძინებელი | sadzinebeli | bedroom |
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.
In the basic form, an adjective like დიდიdidi keeps its -იi. But when the noun takes -სs or a place ending (-შიshi, -ზეze, -თანtan), the adjective drops its -იi:
| basic | with -სs / -შიshi / -ზეze / -თანtan |
|---|---|
| დიდი სახლიdidi sakhli | დიდ სახლში, დიდ სახლსdid sakhlshi, did sakhls |
| ახალი ბინაakhali bina | ახალ ბინაშიakhal binashi |
| ძველი ქუჩაdzveli kucha | ძველ ქუჩაზეdzvel kuchaze |
Adjectives that end in -აa, -ეe, -ოo or -უu stay the same: პატარა ოთახშიp'at'ara otakhshi, მწვანე ქუჩაზეmts'vane kuchaze. Careful with colours: ლურჯიlurji ends in -იi, so it changes: ლურჯ მანქანაშიlurj mankanashi.
Before a noun with an ending, ესes becomes ამam and ისis becomes იმim:
| basic | with an ending |
|---|---|
| ეს ოთახიes otakhi | ამ ოთახშიam otakhshi |
| ის სახლიis sakhli | იმ სახლსim sakhls |
ჩემიchemi, შენიsheni, ჩვენიchveni, თქვენიtkveni become ჩემსchems, შენსshens, ჩვენსchvens, თქვენსtkvens before a noun in -სs or with -შიshi, -ზეze, -თანtan: ჩემს ოთახშიchems otakhshi (in my room), თქვენს შვილთანtkvens shviltan (with your child). მისიmisi and მათიmati do not change.
In the genitive and the instrumental, the adjective keeps its -იi: დიდი სახლისdidi sakhlis (of the big house), დიდი მანქანითdidi mankanit (by a big car).
This is the rule that makes Georgian adjectives feel alive. Say these pairs aloud until they sound natural: ახალი ბინაakhali bina / ახალ ბინაშიakhal binashi, ეს ქალაქიes kalaki / ამ ქალაქშიam kalakshi, ჩემი სახლიchemi sakhli / ჩემს სახლშიchems sakhlshi.
ბიბლიოთეკაbibliotek'a means both a library and a bookcase at home.
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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