Week 17. Cooking lobio with Manana
Manana teaches me to cook lobio, the Georgian bean stew. She does not explain, she gives orders, fast, one after the other, and I run around the kitchen.
Today: the commands. Good news: you already know them.
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
სემ, ლობიო აიღე და ქვაბში ჩაყარე.sem, lobio aighe da kvabshi chaq'are.Sam, take the beans and put them in the pot.
Sam
კარგი. შემდეგ?k'argi. shemdeg?OK. Next?
Manana
ხახვი დაჭერი. მოიტანე მარილი!khakhvi dach'eri. moit'ane marili!Chop the onion. Bring the salt!
Sam
ინებეთ, მარილი.inebet, marili.Here's the salt.
Manana
ახლა ნიგოზი დაუმატე, და ქინძიც.akhla nigozi daumat'e, da kindzits.Now add the walnuts, and the coriander too.
Sam
ქინძი რა არის? მაჩვენე!kindzi ra aris? machvene!What's kindzi? Show me!
Manana
აი, ეს მწვანე! ერთ საათში მითხარი, როდის მოიხარშება.ai, es mts'vane! ert saatshi mitkhari, rodis moikharsheba.Here, this green one! Tell me in an hour when it's cooked.
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| აიღე! | aighe! | take! (to a friend) |
| მოიტანე! | moit'ane! | bring! (a thing) |
| მომეცი! | mometsi! | give me! |
| მითხარი! | mitkhari! | tell me! |
| მაჩვენე! | machvene! | show me! |
| დაჭერი! | dach'eri! | chop! (into small pieces) |
| დაუმატე! | daumat'e! | add (to it)! |
| ქვაბი | kvabi | pot, saucepan |
| ხახვი | khakhvi | onion |
| მარილი | marili | salt |
| ქინძი | kindzi | coriander, cilantro |
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 command is the past form for "you"
To give an order to one person, use the past (aorist) form for შენshen. Add -თt for several people or to be polite:
| past for "you" | command (friend) | command (polite, plural) |
|---|---|---|
| დაწერეdats'ere you wrote | დაწერეdats'ere! write! | დაწერეთ!dats'eret! |
| წაიკითხეts'aik'itkhe you read | წაიკითხეts'aik'itkhe! read! | წაიკითხეთ!ts'aik'itkhet! |
| გააკეთეgaak'ete you did | გააკეთე! do it!gaak'ete! do it! | გააკეთეთ!gaak'etet! |
| აიღეaighe you took | აიღეaighe! take! | აიღეთ!aighet! |
| მოიტანეmoit'ane you brought | მოიტანეmoit'ane! bring! | მოიტანეთ!moit'anet! |
The voice makes the difference: დაწერეdats'ere? "did you write?" / დაწერეdats'ere! "write!".
The object in its basic form
Like the past, the command takes the object in its basic form: მოიტანე მარილიmoit'ane marili! (not მარილსmarils). წაიკითხე ეს წიგნიts'aik'itkhe es ts'igni! "Read this book!".
Give me, tell me, show me
With მm- inside the verb, the command is addressed "to me":
| Georgian | meaning |
|---|---|
| მომეცი!mometsi! | give me! |
| მითხარი!mitkhari! | tell me! |
| მაჩვენე!machvene! | show me! |
| დამეხმარე!damekhmare! | help me! |
მომეცი წყალი, თუ შეიძლება.mometsi ts'q'ali, tu sheidzleba.give-me water, pleaseGive me some water, please.
Verbs of motion
For come and go, the commands are special (lesson 66): მოდიmodi!, წადიts'adi!, შემოდიshemodi!
5Good to know
Georgian lobio is made with red beans, onions, coriander and spices, and it is often served in a clay pot with cornbread, მჭადიmch'adi, and pickles.
Commands with მm- (to me) are a very natural way to ask for something at home or with friends: მომეციmometsi!, მითხარიmitkhari!. With strangers, add თუ შეიძლებაtu sheidzleba or use the polite -თt: მომეცითmometsit, თუ შეიძლებაtu sheidzleba.
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.
- "Write!" (to a friend) is…
- "Read!" (polite) is…
- "Bring the salt!" is…
- "Give me some water, please" is…
- "Tell me!" is…
- "Show me!" is…
- "Take it!" (to several people) is…
- დაწერეdats'ere? with a rising voice means…
- What does ხახვიkhakhvi mean?
- What does ქინძიkindzi mean?
Well done! Lesson 86 is ticked on your course map.
Say it, then write it
Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
- Tell a friend "Read this book!"
Show the answer
წაიკითხე ეს წიგნი!ts'aik'itkhe es ts'igni! - Ask politely "Give me the menu, please."
Show the answer
მომეცით მენიუ, თუ შეიძლება.mometsit meniu, tu sheidzleba. - Tell your friend "Tell me the truth!" (truth = სიმართლეsimartle)
Show the answer
მითხარი სიმართლე!mitkhari simartle! - Tell your brother "Bring the bread!"
Show the answer
მოიტანე პური!moit'ane p'uri! - Tell the class (polite plural) "Write the text!"
Show the answer
დაწერეთ ტექსტი!dats'eret t'ekst'i!
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