Week 15. Luka calls from Batumi
Luka, Giorgi's friend from Batumi, calls me. He wants to know everything about my trip to Kutaisi: when, with whom, how long, and above all, how it was.
Today: the questions you need to make someone tell a story.
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
Luka
სემ, რა ხდება? ქუთაისში იყავი?sem, ra khdeba? kutaisshi iq'avi?Sam, what's up? Were you in Kutaisi?
Sam
კი, შაბათს წავედი.k'i, shabats ts'avedi.Yes, I went on Saturday.
Luka
ვისთან ერთად?vistan ertad?With whom?
Sam
ნინოსთან და ანასთან ერთად.ninostan da anastan ertad.With Nino and Ana.
Luka
რამდენ ხანს იყავით იქ?ramden khans iq'avit ik?How long were you there?
Sam
ორი დღე. კვირას საღამოს დავბრუნდით.ori dghe. k'viras saghamos davbrundit.Two days. We came back on Sunday evening.
Luka
როგორ იყო? რა მოხდა?rogor iq'o? ra mokhda?How was it? What happened?
Sam
ძალიან კარგი იყო! არაფერი განსაკუთრებული არ მოხდა, მაგრამ მღვიმეში ვიყავით!dzalian k'argi iq'o! araperi gansak'utrebuli ar mokhda, magram mghvimeshi viq'avit!It was very good! Nothing special happened, but we were in a cave!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| რა მოხდა? | ra mokhda? | what happened? |
| მოხდა | mokhda | happened |
| ვისთან ერთად? | vistan ertad? | with whom? |
| რამდენ ხანს? | ramden khans? | for how long? |
| როგორ იყო? | rogor iq'o? | how was it? |
| განსაკუთრებული | gansak'utrebuli | special |
| მღვიმე | mghvime | cave |
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
Questions about the past
| question | meaning |
|---|---|
| რა მოხდა?ra mokhda? | what happened? |
| სად იყავი?sad iq'avi? | where were you? |
| როდის წახვედი?rodis ts'akhvedi? | when did you go? |
| როდის ჩამოხვედი?rodis chamokhvedi? | when did you arrive? |
| ვისთან ერთად?vistan ertad? | with whom? |
| რამდენ ხანს?ramden khans? | for how long? |
| როგორ იყო?rogor iq'o? | how was it? |
| რატომ?rat'om? | why? |
With whom: ვისთან ერთადvistan ertad?
ვინvin (who) becomes ვისvis before endings: ვისთანvistan (with whom, at whose place), ვისთვისvistvis (for whom), ვისიvisi (whose). Add ერთადertad for "together with".
How long: რამდენ ხანსramden khans?
რამდენ ხანსramden khans? "for how much time?". The answer is a length of time in the basic form: ორი დღეori dghe (two days), ერთი კვირაerti k'vira (one week), ერთი საათიerti saati (an hour):
ორი დღე იქ ვიყავით.ori dghe ik viq'avit.two day there we-wereWe were there for two days.
Nothing happened: double negation
არაფერიaraperi (nothing) needs არar before the verb, as you know: არაფერი არ მოხდაaraperi ar mokhda, "nothing happened". The same with არავინaravin and არასდროსarasdros.
5Good to know
Near Kutaisi you can visit the Prometheus Cave, with its underground rivers and huge halls, and the Sataplia cave, where dinosaur footprints were found. Both are popular day trips from the city.
როგორ იყოrogor iq'o? "how was it?" is the perfect question to make a Georgian friend talk for ten minutes.
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.
- "What happened?" is…
- "With whom?" is…
- "For how long?" is…
- "How was it?" is…
- "We were there for two days" is…
- "Nothing happened" is…
- "When did you arrive?" (to a friend) is…
- "For whom?" is…
- What does განსაკუთრებულიgansak'utrebuli mean?
- What does მღვიმეmghvime mean?
Well done! Lesson 79 is ticked on your course map.
Say it, then write it
Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
- Ask a friend "Where were you yesterday?"
Show the answer
გუშინ სად იყავი?gushin sad iq'avi? - Ask "With whom did you go?"
Show the answer
ვისთან ერთად წახვედი?vistan ertad ts'akhvedi? - Ask "How long were you in Batumi?"
Show the answer
რამდენ ხანს იყავი ბათუმში?ramden khans iq'avi batumshi? - Answer "One week."
Show the answer
ერთი კვირა.erti k'vira. - Ask "How was it?" and answer "It was wonderful!" (wonderful = მშვენიერიmshvenieri)
Show the answer
როგორ იყო? მშვენიერი იყო!rogor iq'o? mshvenieri 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