Week 12. Back from Mtskheta
Back from Mtskheta, tired and happy. Bebo wants to hear everything: when we left, how we went, when we came back. For the first time, I tell a story in the past.
Today: the past of the motion verbs.
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
Bebo
როდის წახვედით?rodis ts'akhvedit?When did you leave?
Sam
დილით, ცხრა საათზე წავედით.dilit, tskhra saatze ts'avedit.In the morning, at nine o'clock we left.
Bebo
მარშრუტკით წახვედით?marshrut'k'it ts'akhvedit?Did you go by marshrutka?
Sam
კი. ოც წუთში მივედით მცხეთაში.k'i. ots ts'utshi mivedit mtskhetashi.Yes. We got to Mtskheta in twenty minutes.
Bebo
ანაც წამოვიდა?anats ts'amovida?Did Ana come along too?
Sam
კი, ანაც წამოვიდა. საღამოს შვიდზე მოვედით სახლში.k'i, anats ts'amovida. saghamos shvidze movedit sakhlshi.Yes, Ana came too. At seven in the evening we came home.
Bebo
ყოჩაღ! სადილი გელოდებათ.q'ochagh! sadili gelodebat.Well done! Dinner is waiting for you.
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| წავედი | ts'avedi | I went (away), I left |
| მივედი | mivedi | I went to, I got there |
| მოვედი | movedi | I came |
| ჩამოვედი | chamovedi | I arrived (here) |
| წამოვედი | ts'amovedi | I came along |
| გელოდებათ | gelodebat | is waiting for you (plural) |
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
The past of "go" and "come"
| person | went, left | came |
|---|---|---|
| მეme | წავედიts'avedi | მოვედიmovedi |
| შენshen | წახვედიts'akhvedi | მოხვედიmokhvedi |
| ისis | წავიდაts'avida | მოვიდაmovida |
| ჩვენchven | წავედითts'avedit | მოვედითmovedit |
| თქვენtkven | წახვედითts'akhvedit | მოხვედითmokhvedit |
| ისინიisini | წავიდნენts'avidnen | მოვიდნენmovidnen |
Like the future (წავალts'aval, წახვალts'akhval), the past has a ხkh for "you". The past endings are new: -ედიedi for I and you, -იდაida for he, she, -იდნენidnen for they.
All the preverbs work the same way
| preverb | past (I) |
|---|---|
| მი- tomi- to | მივედიmivedi I got to |
| მოmo- here | მოვედიmovedi I came |
| წაts'a- away | წავედიts'avedi I left |
| ა- upa- up | ავედიavedi I went up |
| ჩაcha- down | ჩავედიchavedi I went down |
| შე- inshe- in | შევედიshevedi I went in |
| გაga- out | გავედიgavedi I went out |
| ჩამოchamo- down here | ჩამოვედიchamovedi I arrived |
The subject stays in its basic form
With these verbs, the person who goes is in the basic form in the past too: ანა წამოვიდაana ts'amovida, ისინი წავიდნენisini ts'avidnen. This will not be true of all verbs: in unit 9 you will meet the case of the doer, -მაma.
ნინო სახლში მოვიდა.nino sakhlshi movida.Nino home-to cameNino came home.
სტუმრები წავიდნენ.st'umrebi ts'avidnen.guests leftThe guests left.
5Good to know
ჩამოვედიchamovedi is the classic verb for arriving in a city or a country: როდის ჩამოხვედი საქართველოშიrodis chamokhvedi sakartveloshi? "When did you arrive in Georgia?". You will be asked this question often.
გელოდებათgelodebat ("is waiting for you all") comes from the verb "to wait", which you will learn in lesson 107.
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.
- "I went" (I left) is…
- "You came" (to a friend) is…
- "She came" is…
- "They left" is…
- "We got there at five" is…
- "When did you arrive in Georgia?" is…
- "I went into the shop" is…
- "Nino came home" is…
- "We came" is…
- "I went up" is…
Well done! Lesson 71 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 "Yesterday I went to Batumi."
Show the answer
გუშინ ბათუმში წავედი.gushin batumshi ts'avedi. - Ask a friend "When did you come?"
Show the answer
როდის მოხვედი?rodis mokhvedi? - Say "The guests came at eight."
Show the answer
სტუმრები რვა საათზე მოვიდნენ.st'umrebi rva saatze movidnen. - Say "I arrived in Tbilisi in September."
Show the answer
სექტემბერში ჩამოვედი თბილისში.sekt'embershi chamovedi tbilisshi. - Say "We went out at ten."
Show the answer
ათ საათზე გავედით.at saatze gavedit.
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 8: The past I: going, being, having A2
- 71I went, I came: წავედიts'avedi, მოვედიmovedi
- 72I was, I had: ვიყავიviq'avi, მქონდაmkonda, მყავდაmq'avda
- 73I wanted, I knew: მინდოდაmindoda, ვიცოდიvitsodi
- 74I used to: the imperfect ვწერდიvts'erdi
- 75Ago, last year, when
- 76I was born, I grew up
- 77I got up, I sat down
- 78First, then, finally
- 79Questions about the past
- 80Review: my first months in Georgia