Week 13. A confession
Giorgi tells me a secret: last year he was in love with Nino's best friend, Ana. He wanted to tell her, but he couldn't. Ana knew nothing. Or did she?
Today: the past of the verbs of wanting, liking, loving and knowing.
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
შარშან ანა ძალიან მომწონდა.sharshan ana dzalian momts'onda.Last year I liked Ana a lot.
Sam
მართლა? უთხარი?martla? utkhari?Really? Did you tell her?
Giorgi
მინდოდა, მაგრამ ვერ შევძელი. ძალიან მრცხვენოდა.mindoda, magram ver shevdzeli. dzalian mrtskhvenoda.I wanted to, but I couldn't. I was very shy.
Sam
ანამ არ იცოდა?anam ar itsoda?Didn't Ana know?
Giorgi
არ ვიცი... ნინომ იცოდა.ar vitsi... ninom itsoda.I don't know... Nino knew.
Sam
და ახლა?da akhla?And now?
Giorgi
ახლა? ახლა ანას შეყვარებული ჰყავს!akhla? akhla anas sheq'varebuli hq'avs!Now? Now Ana has a boyfriend!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| მინდოდა | mindoda | I wanted |
| მიყვარდა | miq'varda | I loved |
| მომწონდა | momts'onda | I liked |
| ვიცოდი | vitsodi | I knew |
| მესმოდა | mesmoda | I understood; I heard |
| შემეძლო | shemedzlo | I could, I was able |
| შარშან | sharshan | last year |
| მართლა? | martla? | really? |
| მეგონა | megona | I thought (wrongly), I believed |
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 "to me" verbs in the past
The verbs that show the person at the start (lesson 40) form their past with -დაda or -ოდაoda:
| present | past |
|---|---|
| მინდაminda I want | მინდოდაmindoda I wanted |
| მიყვარსmiq'vars I love | მიყვარდაmiq'varda I loved |
| მომწონსmomts'ons I like | მომწონდაmomts'onda I liked |
| მესმისmesmis I understand | მესმოდაmesmoda I understood |
| შემიძლიაshemidzlia I can | შემეძლოshemedzlo I could |
They keep their მm- / გg- / - prefixes: გინდოდაgindoda? "did you want?", უყვარდაuq'varda "he, she loved", მოსწონდაmosts'onda "he, she liked", გესმოდაgesmoda? "did you understand?".
I knew: ვიცოდიvitsodi
ვიციvitsi has its own past: ვიცოდიvitsodi, იცოდიitsodi, იცოდაitsoda, ვიცოდითvitsodit, იცოდითitsodit, იცოდნენitsodnen.
არ ვიცოდი.ar vitsodi.not I-knewI didn't know.
ნინომ იცოდა.ninom itsoda.Nino knewNino knew.
Notice ნინომninom: as in the present (ნინომ იცისninom itsis, lesson 39), the one who knows takes -მm. You will understand this -მაma / -მm in lesson 81.
I thought: მეგონაmegona
მეგონაmegona is a very useful word: "I thought, I believed (but it was wrong)": მეგონაmegona, შენ კანადელი ხარshen k'anadeli khar, "I thought you were Canadian". With რომrom (that): მეგონაmegona, რომrom....
5Good to know
ვერ შევძელიver shevdzeli means "I couldn't manage it": the past of შევძლებshevdzleb (I'll manage). And მრცხვენოდაmrtskhvenoda is "I was shy, I was ashamed", the past of მრცხვენიაmrtskhvenia (lesson 98).
შარშანsharshan means "last year" in one word. გაისადgaisad means "next year", but you can always say მომავალ წელსmomaval ts'els.
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 wanted" is…
- "I liked the film" is…
- "Did you understand?" (to a friend) is…
- "I didn't know" is…
- "She loved Tbilisi" is…
- "I could" is…
- What does მეგონაmegona mean?
- What does შარშანsharshan mean?
- "They knew" is…
- "We wanted coffee" is…
Well done! Lesson 73 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 wanted tea."
Show the answer
ჩაი მინდოდა.chai mindoda. - Say "I didn't know that."
Show the answer
ეს არ ვიცოდი.es ar vitsodi. - Say "I loved this song."
Show the answer
ეს სიმღერა მიყვარდა.es simghera miq'varda. - Ask a friend "Did you want coffee?"
Show the answer
ყავა გინდოდა?q'ava gindoda? - Say "I thought you were Georgian."
Show the answer
მეგონა, ქართველი ხარ.megona, kartveli khar.
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