Week 15. Telling my story
In class, Tamar asks us to tell the story of a funny day. Mine is easy: the day I took the wrong marshrutka and ended up in a village I had never heard of.
Today: putting events in order, the way every story needs.
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
ჯერ გაჩერებაზე ვიყავი, წვიმდა.jer gacherebaze viq'avi, ts'vimda.First I was at the bus stop; it was raining.
Sam
მერე მარშრუტკა მოვიდა და ავედი.mere marshrut'k'a movida da avedi.Then a marshrutka came and I got on.
Sam
შემდეგ ერთი საათი ვიჯექი... ფანჯრიდან მინდვრები და მთები ჩანდა!shemdeg erti saati vijeki... panjridan mindvrebi da mtebi chanda!Then I sat for an hour... from the window you could see fields and mountains!
Tamar
და ბოლოს?da bolos?And in the end?
Sam
ბოლოს სოფელში ჩამოვედი. იქ ერთმა ბებიამ ჩაი და ხაჭაპური მომცა!bolos sopelshi chamovedi. ik ertma bebiam chai da khach'ap'uri momtsa!In the end I got off in a village. There a grandmother gave me tea and khachapuri!
Tamar
ეს ნამდვილი ქართული ამბავია!es namdvili kartuli ambavia!That's a real Georgian story!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ამბავი | ambavi | story; news |
| მინდორი | mindori | field |
| ჩანდა | chanda | could be seen, was visible |
| ვიჯექი | vijeki | I was sitting |
| ავედი | avedi | I got on (a bus); I went up |
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
Words for the order of events
| Georgian | meaning |
|---|---|
| ჯერjer | first, at first |
| მერე / შემდეგmere / shemdeg | then, after that |
| მერე კიmere k'i | and then |
| ბოლოსbolos | finally, in the end |
ჯერ ვისაუზმე, მერე სკოლაში წავედი.jer visauzme, mere sk'olashi ts'avedi.first I-breakfasted, then school-to I-wentFirst I had breakfast, then I went to school.
Background and events
A good story mixes the two pasts you know: - the imperfect for the background, what was going on: წვიმდაts'vimda (it was raining), ვიჯექიvijeki (I was sitting), ჩანდაchanda (could be seen) - the past (aorist) for the events, what happened: მოვიდაmovida (came), ავედიavedi (I got on), ჩამოვედიchamovedi (I got off, I arrived)
| background (imperfect) | event (aorist) |
|---|---|
| გაჩერებაზე ვიყავი, წვიმდაgacherebaze viq'avi, ts'vimda | მარშრუტკა მოვიდაmarshrut'k'a movida |
| ფანჯარასთან ვიჯექიpanjarastan vijeki | სოფელში ჩამოვედიsopelshi chamovedi |
Getting on and off
For vehicles, Georgians use the direction preverbs: ავედიavedi (I got on: up), ჩამოვედიchamovedi (I got off: down, here). ავტობუსში ავედიavt'obusshi avedi, "I got on the bus".
5Good to know
ამბავიambavi means both "story" and "news": რა ამბავიაra ambavia? "what's the news? what's going on?" is a very common question among friends.
In the dialogue, ერთმა ბებიამertma bebiam ... მომცაmomtsa ("a grandmother gave me") uses the -მაma ending and a new past of give. This is exactly what unit 9 is about: who did what.
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.
- Which word starts a list of events?
- "Finally" is…
- "First I had breakfast, then I went out" is…
- Which tense is for the background of a story?
- წვიმდაts'vimda in a story is…
- "I got on the bus" is…
- "I got off in a village" (arrived) is…
- What does ამბავიambavi mean?
- ფანჯრიდან მთები ჩანდაpanjridan mtebi chanda means…
- "Then" can be…
Well done! Lesson 78 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 "First I went to the market."
Show the answer
ჯერ ბაზარში წავედი.jer bazarshi ts'avedi. - Say "Then I came home."
Show the answer
მერე სახლში მოვედი.mere sakhlshi movedi. - Say "Finally I was very tired."
Show the answer
ბოლოს ძალიან დაღლილი ვიყავი.bolos dzalian daghlili viq'avi. - Say "It was snowing when we arrived."
Show the answer
თოვდა, როცა ჩამოვედით.tovda, rotsa chamovedit. - Ask a friend "What's the news?"
Show the answer
რა ამბავია?ra ambavia?
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