Week 8. Which floor?
The new flat is on the fifth floor, and the lift is older than Bebo. Inside it, the buttons are numbered, and a sign explains which office is on which floor.
Today: first, second, third... the ordinal numbers.
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
რომელ სართულზეა ბინა?romel sartulzea bina?Which floor is the flat on?
Manana
მეხუთე სართულზე.mekhute sartulze.On the fifth floor.
Sam
და ექიმი? აბრაზე წერია: „ექიმი, მე-3 სართული“.da ekimi? abraze ts'eria: „ekimi, me-3 sartuli“.And the doctor? The sign says: "Doctor, 3rd floor".
Manana
ჰო, მესამე სართულზე. ის ჩვენი მეზობელია.ho, mesame sartulze. is chveni mezobelia.Yeah, on the third floor. She's our neighbour.
Bebo
ეს ჩემი პირველი ლიფტია!es chemi p'irveli lipt'ia!This is my first lift!
Giorgi
ბებო, ეს შენი მეასე ლიფტია!bebo, es sheni mease lipt'ia!Grandma, it's your hundredth lift!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| პირველი | p'irveli | first |
| მეორე | meore | second |
| მესამე | mesame | third |
| მეოთხე | meotkhe | fourth |
| მეხუთე | mekhute | fifth |
| მეათე | meate | tenth |
| მეოცე | meotse | twentieth |
| მეასე | mease | hundredth |
| სართული | sartuli | floor, storey |
| ლიფტი | lipt'i | lift, elevator |
| აბრა | abra | sign, signboard |
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
მეme- ... -ეe
Apart from პირველიp'irveli (first), the ordinal numbers are made with მეme- at the start and -ეe at the end, around the number without its -იi:
| number | ordinal |
|---|---|
| ორი 2ori 2 | მეორეmeore second |
| სამი 3sami 3 | მესამეmesame third |
| ოთხი 4otkhi 4 | მეოთხეmeotkhe fourth |
| ხუთი 5khuti 5 | მეხუთეmekhute fifth |
| ათი 10ati 10 | მეათეmeate tenth |
| თერთმეტი 11tertmet'i 11 | მეთერთმეტეmetertmet'e eleventh |
| ოცი 20otsi 20 | მეოცეmeotse twentieth |
| ასი 100asi 100 | მეასეmease hundredth |
A few need care: რვაrva → მერვეmerve (eighth), ცხრაtskhra → მეცხრეmetskhre (ninth).
Bigger ordinals: only the last part changes
For numbers made with -დაda-, only the last part becomes ordinal: ოცდაერთიotsdaerti (21) → ოცდამეერთეotsdameerte (21st), ორმოცდახუთიormotsdakhuti (45) → ორმოცდამეხუთეormotsdamekhute (45th).
In figures
| figures | read |
|---|---|
| 1-ლი1-li | პირველიp'irveli |
| მე-2me-2 | მეორეmeore |
| მე-3me-3 | მესამეmesame |
| მე-11me-11 | მეთერთმეტეmetertmet'e |
| 22-ე22-e | ოცდამეორეotsdameore |
On which floor? რომელ სართულზეromel sartulze?
სართულიsartuli takes -ზეze: მეხუთე სართულზეmekhute sartulze (on the fifth floor). Ordinals in -ეe never change before a noun: მესამე სართულზეmesame sartulze, მეორე ოთახშიmeore otakhshi.
5Good to know
Georgians count floors from the ground: პირველი სართულიp'irveli sartuli is the ground floor, the floor at street level. So the "fifth floor" in Tbilisi is the fourth floor in British English.
Ordinals are also used for centuries: მეთორმეტე საუკუნეmetormet'e sauk'une, the twelfth century, the age of Queen Tamar and of the poet Shota Rustaveli.
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.
- "Second" is…
- "Third" is…
- "Eighth" is…
- "Twenty-first" is…
- "On the fifth floor" is…
- What is 1-ლიli?
- What is მეme-3?
- In Georgia, the პირველი სართულიp'irveli sartuli is…
- What does მეასეmease mean?
- What does აბრაabra mean?
Well done! Lesson 57 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 "the first day"
Show the answer
პირველი დღეp'irveli dghe - Say "the second lesson"
Show the answer
მეორე გაკვეთილიmeore gak'vetili - Say "I live on the third floor."
Show the answer
მესამე სართულზე ვცხოვრობ.mesame sartulze vtskhovrob. - Read aloud: მეme-10
Show the answer
მეათეmeate - Say "This is my first lesson."
Show the answer
ეს ჩემი პირველი გაკვეთილია.es chemi p'irveli gak'vetilia.
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