Week 13. Bebo's old photos
Bebo opens the photo album again, at the very first pages: black and white photos of a village in Kakheti, a house with a big balcony, a horse, a little girl. "That was me," she says.
Today: "was" and "had".
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
აქ პატარა ვიყავი, ხუთი წლის.ak p'at'ara viq'avi, khuti ts'lis.Here I was little, five years old.
Sam
სად იყავით?sad iq'avit?Where were you?
Bebo
სოფელში, კახეთში. დიდი სახლი გვქონდა.sopelshi, k'akhetshi. didi sakhli gvkonda.In a village, in Kakheti. We had a big house.
Sam
და ეს ცხენი?da es tskheni?And this horse?
Bebo
ეს ჩვენი ცხენი იყო. ორი ცხენი და ბევრი ქათამი გვყავდა.es chveni tskheni iq'o. ori tskheni da bevri katami gvq'avda.That was our horse. We had two horses and a lot of chickens.
Sam
ძმა გყავდათ?dzma gq'avdat?Did you have a brother?
Bebo
კი, სამი ძმა მყავდა. მე ერთადერთი გოგო ვიყავი.k'i, sami dzma mq'avda. me ertaderti gogo viq'avi.Yes, I had three brothers. I was the only girl.
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| იყო | iq'o | he, she, it was |
| მქონდა | mkonda | I had (a thing) |
| ჰქონდა | hkonda | he, she had (a thing) |
| მყავდა | mq'avda | I had (a person, an animal) |
| ჰყავდა | hq'avda | he, she had (a person, an animal) |
| ცხენი | tskheni | horse |
| კახეთი | k'akheti | Kakheti (wine region in the east) |
| ერთადერთი | ertaderti | the only, the one and only |
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
Was: a reminder
ვიყავიviq'avi, იყავიiq'avi, იყოiq'o, ვიყავითviq'avit, იყავითiq'avit, იყვნენiq'vnen (lesson 41). იყოiq'o is the form you will hear most: "it was, he was, she was, there was".
ეს ჩვენი ცხენი იყო.es chveni tskheni iq'o.this our horse wasThat was our horse.
Had: two verbs, as in the present
| person | (thing) | (person, animal) |
|---|---|---|
| I | მქონდაmkonda | მყავდაmq'avda |
| you (friend) | გქონდაgkonda | გყავდაgq'avda |
| he, she | ჰქონდაhkonda | ჰყავდაhq'avda |
| we | გვქონდაgvkonda | გვყავდაgvq'avda |
| you (polite, plural) | გქონდათgkondat | გყავდათgq'avdat |
| they | ჰქონდათhkondat | ჰყავდათhq'avdat |
As in the present, the owner is shown at the start of the verb, and the thing or the person you had is in its basic form:
დიდი სახლი გვქონდა.didi sakhli gvkonda.big house we-hadWe had a big house.
სამი ძმა მყავდა.sami dzma mq'avda.three brother I-hadI had three brothers.
Present, past, future
| present | past | future | |
|---|---|---|---|
| be | ვარvar | ვიყავიviq'avi | ვიქნებიviknebi |
| have (thing) | მაქვსmakvs | მქონდაmkonda | მექნებაmekneba |
| have (living) | მყავსmq'avs | მყავდაmq'avda | მეყოლებაmeq'oleba |
5Good to know
Kakheti, in the east of Georgia, is the country's great wine region, with the Alazani valley at the foot of the Caucasus. Many Tbilisi families have roots in a Kakhetian village and go back there for the grape harvest.
ერთადერთიertaderti ("the one and only") is made from ერთიerti twice: "one and one".
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.
- "It was our house" is…
- "I had a dog" is…
- "We had a car" is…
- "Did you have a brother?" (polite) is…
- "She had a big house" is…
- The future of მაქვსmakvs is…
- "I was the only girl" is…
- "They had two horses" is…
- What does ცხენიtskheni mean?
- Where is Kakheti?
Well done! Lesson 72 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 "I was in Kakheti."
Show the answer
კახეთში ვიყავი.k'akhetshi viq'avi. - Say "I had a cat."
Show the answer
კატა მყავდა.k'at'a mq'avda. - Say "We had a small flat."
Show the answer
პატარა ბინა გვქონდა.p'at'ara bina gvkonda. - Ask a friend "Did you have time?"
Show the answer
დრო გქონდა?dro gkonda? - Say "It was a beautiful day."
Show the answer
ლამაზი დღე იყო.lamazi dghe iq'o.
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