Week 8. Tbilisi or Batumi?
Giorgi is from Tbilisi, his friend Luka from Batumi, and they have been arguing for twenty minutes about which city is better. I'm asked to be the judge.
Today: comparing things: bigger, better, the most beautiful.
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
Giorgi
თბილისი ბათუმზე დიდია!tbilisi batumze didia!Tbilisi is bigger than Batumi!
Luka
ჰო, მაგრამ ბათუმი უფრო ლამაზია, ვიდრე თბილისი.ho, magram batumi upro lamazia, vidre tbilisi.Yeah, but Batumi is more beautiful than Tbilisi.
Giorgi
თბილისში ყველაზე კარგი ხინკალია!tbilisshi q'velaze k'argi khink'alia!Tbilisi has the best khinkali!
Luka
ბათუმში ყველაზე გემრიელი ხაჭაპურია!batumshi q'velaze gemrieli khach'ap'uria!Batumi has the tastiest khachapuri!
Sam
ორივე ძალიან კარგია. მაგრამ ზღვა ბათუმშია...orive dzalian k'argia. magram zghva batumshia...Both are very good. But the sea is in Batumi...
Luka
ხომ! სემი ჩემზე ჭკვიანია!khom! semi chemze ch'k'viania!See! Sam is smarter than me!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| უფრო | upro | more |
| ვიდრე | vidre | than |
| ყველაზე | q'velaze | the most |
| უკეთესი | uk'etesi | better |
| უარესი | uaresi | worse |
| უდიდესი | udidesi | greatest, biggest |
| უფროსი | uprosi | older, elder; boss |
| უმცროსი | umtsrosi | younger |
| ორივე | orive | both |
| ჭკვიანი | ch'k'viani | clever, smart |
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
More ... than: უფროupro ... ვიდრეvidre
Put უფროupro (more) before the adjective, and ვიდრეvidre (than) before the thing you compare with:
ბათუმი უფრო ლამაზია, ვიდრე თბილისი.batumi upro lamazia, vidre tbilisi.Batumi more beautiful-is than TbilisiBatumi is more beautiful than Tbilisi.
The short way: -ზეze
Very often, Georgian simply adds -ზეze to the thing compared with, and უფროupro can be left out:
თბილისი ბათუმზე დიდია.tbilisi batumze didia.Tbilisi Batumi-than big-isTbilisi is bigger than Batumi.
ჩემზე მაღალია.chemze maghalia.me-than tall-isHe's taller than me.
With pronouns, -ზეze goes on the short forms: ჩემზეchemze (than me), შენზეshenze (than you), მასზეmasze (than him / her).
The most: ყველაზეq'velaze
ყველაზეq'velaze ("than all") before an adjective gives the superlative: ყველაზე ლამაზიq'velaze lamazi (the most beautiful), ყველაზე დიდიq'velaze didi (the biggest).
Forms with უu- ... -ესიesi
A few very common adjectives have their own forms:
| adjective | comparative / superlative |
|---|---|
| კარგიk'argi good | უკეთესიuk'etesi better |
| ცუდიtsudi bad | უარესიuaresi worse |
| დიდიdidi big | უდიდესიudidesi greatest |
| უფროსიuprosi older, elder | |
| უმცროსიumtsrosi younger |
ჩემი ძმა ჩემზე სამი წლით უფროსია.chemi dzma chemze sami ts'lit uprosia.my brother me-than three year-by older-isMy brother is three years older than me.
5Good to know
უფროსიuprosi is also used as a noun: ჩემი უფროსიchemi uprosi is "my boss". And ორივეorive means "both": ორივე კარგიაorive k'argia, "both are good".
ხომkhom! on its own, said with energy, means "you see! told you!".
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.
- "Tbilisi is bigger than Batumi" is…
- "More beautiful" is…
- "The most beautiful" is…
- "Better" is…
- "Taller than me" is…
- What does უმცროსიumtsrosi mean?
- ორივეorive means…
- "Worse" is…
- "My brother is two years older than me" is…
- What does ჭკვიანიch'k'viani mean?
Well done! Lesson 58 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 "Georgian is more difficult than English."
Show the answer
ქართული ინგლისურზე ძნელია.kartuli inglisurze dznelia. - Say "This is the best khinkali!"
Show the answer
ეს ყველაზე კარგი ხინკალია!es q'velaze k'argi khink'alia! - Say "My sister is younger than me."
Show the answer
ჩემი და ჩემზე უმცროსია.chemi da chemze umtsrosia. - Say "This flat is better."
Show the answer
ეს ბინა უკეთესია.es bina uk'etesia. - Say "Both are beautiful."
Show the answer
ორივე ლამაზია.orive lamazia.
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