Week 16. Back from the bazaar
Back from the bazaar with three heavy bags. Manana inspects everything as if I were a new employee: what did I buy, how much did I pay, did I see the cheese man she likes?
Today: more everyday verbs in the past.
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
Manana
რა იყიდე?ra iq'ide?What did you buy?
Sam
პომიდორი, კიტრი და ყველი ვიყიდე.p'omidori, k'it'ri da q'veli viq'ide.I bought tomatoes, cucumbers and cheese.
Manana
ყველის კაცი ნახე?q'velis k'atsi nakhe?Did you see the cheese man?
Sam
კი, ვნახე. მან სალამი გამოგიგზავნა.k'i, vnakhe. man salami gamogigzavna.Yes, I saw him. He sent you his greetings.
Manana
ძალიან კარგი! ფანჯარა გააღე, სემ, ცხელა.dzalian k'argi! panjara gaaghe, sem, tskhela.Very good! Open the window, Sam, it's hot.
Sam
უკვე გავაღე! და კარი დავხურე, ბუბუ რომ არ გავიდეს.uk've gavaghe! da k'ari davkhure, bubu rom ar gavides.I've already opened it! And I closed the door, so that Bubu doesn't go out.
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ვიყიდე | viq'ide | I bought |
| ვნახე | vnakhe | I saw; I visited |
| გავაღე | gavaghe | I opened |
| დავხურე | davkhure | I closed |
| გავრეცხე | gavretskhe | I washed (something) |
| სალამი | salami | greetings, a hello |
| გამოგიგზავნა | gamogigzavna | he, she sent you |
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
Buy, see, open, close, wash
| present | past (I) | past (he, she) |
|---|---|---|
| ვყიდულობvq'idulob | ვიყიდეviq'ide | იყიდაiq'ida |
| ვხედავ / ვნახულობvkhedav / vnakhulob | ვნახეvnakhe | ნახაnakha |
| ვაღებvagheb | გავაღეgavaghe | გააღოgaagho |
| ვხურავvkhurav | დავხურეdavkhure | დახურაdakhura |
| ვრეცხავvretskhav | გავრეცხეgavretskhe | გარეცხაgaretskha |
Notice გააღოgaagho with -ოo: some verbs end in -ოo instead of -აa for he, she (lesson 85).
Remember the switch
მანანამ ყველი იყიდა.mananam q'veli iq'ida.Manana-ERG cheese boughtManana bought cheese.
მე ფანჯარა გავაღე.me panjara gavaghe.I window openedI opened the window.
დედამ თეფშები გარეცხა.dedam tepshebi garetskha.Mum-ERG plates washedMum washed the plates.
What did you do?
რა გააკეთეra gaak'ete? "what did you do?". The answer uses the past of the verb, with the object in its basic form: ხილი ვიყიდეkhili viq'ide, ფილმი ვნახეpilmi vnakhe, დავალება დავწერეdavaleba davts'ere.
So that: რომrom
In the dialogue, ბუბუ რომ არ გავიდესbubu rom ar gavides means "so that Bubu doesn't go out". This რომrom + a special form of the verb (the optative) expresses a purpose. You will learn it in lesson 96.
5Good to know
სალამიsalami means "greetings, a hello" (from Arabic salam, like სალამsalam!). სალამი გადაეციsalami gadaetsi means "say hello (from me)", and სალამი გამოგიგზავნაsalami gamogigzavna "he sent you his greetings".
The cheese stalls of a Georgian bazaar sell many kinds of cheese: იმერული ყველიimeruli q'veli (Imeretian, soft), სულგუნიsulguni (salty, stretchy, from Samegrelo), and dry mountain cheeses.
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 bought" is…
- "What did you buy?" (to a friend) is…
- "Manana bought cheese" is…
- "I opened the window" is…
- "He opened" is…
- "Did you see the film?" (to a friend) is…
- "Mum washed the plates" is…
- "I closed the door" is…
- What does სალამიsalami mean here?
- "We saw Nino" is…
Well done! Lesson 83 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 bought fruit."
Show the answer
გუშინ ხილი ვიყიდე.gushin khili viq'ide. - Ask a friend "What did you do yesterday?"
Show the answer
გუშინ რა გააკეთე?gushin ra gaak'ete? - Say "Giorgi saw a film."
Show the answer
გიორგიმ ფილმი ნახა.giorgim pilmi nakha. - Say "I closed the window."
Show the answer
ფანჯარა დავხურე.panjara davkhure. - Say "Nino washed the cups."
Show the answer
ნინომ ჭიქები გარეცხა.ninom ch'ikebi garetskha.
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 9: The past II: who did it? A2
- 81Who did it? The ergative -მაma
- 82I wrote, I did: the past of transitive verbs
- 83What did you do yesterday?
- 84Ate, drank, said: irregular pasts
- 85She did, they did: third person in the past
- 86Do it! The imperative
- 87Don't! ნუnu
- 88Twelve verbs in three tenses
- 89Holidays and greetings
- 90Review: a weekend in Kakheti