Week 18. At the National Museum
The National Museum on Rustaveli Avenue keeps some of the finest gold of ancient Georgia. The guard at the entrance has a long list of rules, and he recites it to every visitor.
Today: how to say "don't".
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
Guard
გთხოვთ, ექსპონატებს ნუ შეეხებით!gtkhovt, eksp'onat'ebs nu sheekhebit!Please don't touch the exhibits!
Sam
კარგი. ფოტოს გადაღება შეიძლება?k'argi. pot'os gadagheba sheidzleba?OK. Is taking photos allowed?
Guard
შეიძლება, მაგრამ ფლეშით ნუ გადაიღებთ.sheidzleba, magram pleshit nu gadaighebt.It is, but don't take them with the flash.
Sam
გასაგებია. ბოდიში, ძალიან ხმამაღლა ვლაპარაკობ?gasagebia. bodishi, dzalian khmamaghla vlap'arak'ob?Understood. Sorry, am I speaking too loudly?
Guard
არა, ნუ ღელავთ! კარგად დაათვალიერეთ!ara, nu ghelavt! k'argad daatvalieret!No, don't worry! Enjoy your visit!
Nino
სემ, ნუ გეშინია, ის კეთილი კაცია!sem, nu geshinia, is k'etili k'atsia!Sam, don't be afraid, he's a kind man!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ნუ | nu | don't (in commands) |
| ნუ შეეხებით! | nu sheekhebit! | don't touch! (polite) |
| ნუ ღელავ! | nu ghelav! | don't worry! |
| ნუ გეშინია! | nu geshinia! | don't be afraid! |
| ექსპონატი | eksp'onat'i | exhibit |
| ფოტოს გადაღება | pot'os gadagheba | taking photos |
| გასაგებია | gasagebia | understood, I see |
| მუზეუმი | muzeumi | museum |
| კეთილი | k'etili | kind, good |
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
Don't: ნუnu + present
ნუnu before a present-tense verb is a friendly but clear "don't":
| verb (present, you) | don't! |
|---|---|
| წერts'er you write | ნუ წერnu ts'er! don't write! |
| ლაპარაკობlap'arak'ob you speak | ნუ ლაპარაკობnu lap'arak'ob! don't talk! |
| აკეთებak'eteb you do | ნუ აკეთებnu ak'eteb! don't do (it)! |
| მიდიხარmidikhar you go | ნუ მიდიხარnu midikhar! don't go! |
ნუnu + future
ნუnu can also go with the future, which sounds like a polite request for the future: ფლეშით ნუ გადაიღებთpleshit nu gadaighebt, "please don't use the flash". ნუ შეეხებითnu sheekhebit! "don't touch!" is the standard museum sign.
Feelings: ნუ გეშინიაnu geshinia, ნუ ღელავnu ghelav
Two phrases you will hear all the time:
ნუ გეშინია!nu geshinia!don't to-you-is-fearDon't be afraid!
ნუ ღელავ!nu ghelav!don't you-worryDon't worry!
With თქვენtkven: ნუ გეშინიათnu geshiniat!, ნუ ღელავთnu ghelavt!
ნუnu or არar?
ნუnu is for commands and requests. არar is for statements: არ ვწერar vts'er "I'm not writing" / ნუ წერnu ts'er! "don't write!". You will meet a stronger "don't" with არar and the optative in lesson 95.
5Good to know
The Georgian National Museum displays the gold of ancient Colchis, the land of the Golden Fleece in Greek legend, in its treasury. The jewellery found at Vani, in western Georgia, is among its most famous pieces.
გასაგებიაgasagebia ("it is understood") is the perfect way to say "I see, got it" when someone explains a rule.
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.
- "Don't write!" (to a friend) is…
- "Don't worry!" (to a friend) is…
- "Don't be afraid!" is…
- A museum sign says ნუ შეეხებითnu sheekhebit! It means…
- "I'm not writing" (a statement) is…
- "Don't talk!" (polite, plural) is…
- What does გასაგებიაgasagebia mean?
- "Don't go!" (to a friend) is…
- What does კეთილიk'etili mean?
- Which ancient land of gold is shown at the National Museum?
Well done! Lesson 87 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 "Don't worry!"
Show the answer
ნუ ღელავ!nu ghelav! - Tell a child "Don't be afraid!"
Show the answer
ნუ გეშინია!nu geshinia! - Tell your friend "Don't eat so much!" (so much = ამდენსamdens)
Show the answer
ამდენს ნუ ჭამ!amdens nu ch'am! - Tell visitors politely "Please don't touch!"
Show the answer
გთხოვთ, ნუ შეეხებით!gtkhovt, nu sheekhebit! - Say "I don't speak loudly."
Show the answer
ხმამაღლა არ ვლაპარაკობ.khmamaghla ar vlap'arak'ob.
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