Week 19. Saturday morning
Saturday, nine o'clock, sun on the balcony. Nino arrives with a plan for the day and a list of suggestions, each one starting with the same kind of verb.
Today: "let's...", and a new form of the verb, the optative.
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
Nino
დღეს ლამაზი ამინდია. წავიდეთ ბოტანიკურ ბაღში!dghes lamazi amindia. ts'avidet bot'anik'ur baghshi!It's beautiful weather today. Let's go to the Botanical Garden!
Sam
კარგი იდეაა! ჯერ ვისაუზმოთ.k'argi ideaa! jer visauzmot.Good idea! First let's have breakfast.
Nino
ჰო, ყავა დავლიოთ და წავიდეთ.ho, q'ava davliot da ts'avidet.Yeah, let's drink a coffee and go.
Sam
ბაღის შემდეგ რა ვქნათ?baghis shemdeg ra vknat?What shall we do after the garden?
Nino
ძველ ქალაქში ვისეირნოთ და საღამოს ხინკალი ვჭამოთ!dzvel kalakshi viseirnot da saghamos khink'ali vch'amot!Let's stroll in the old town and eat khinkali in the evening!
Sam
ჯერ ამინდის პროგნოზი შევამოწმოთ...jer amindis p'rognozi shevamots'mot...First let's check the weather forecast...
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| წავიდეთ! | ts'avidet! | let's go! |
| ვნახოთ | vnakhot | let's see |
| დავლიოთ | davliot | let's drink |
| ვჭამოთ | vch'amot | let's eat |
| ვისაუზმოთ | visauzmot | let's have breakfast |
| ვისეირნოთ | viseirnot | let's go for a walk |
| დავისვენოთ | davisvenot | let's rest |
| შევამოწმოთ | shevamots'mot | let's check |
| რა ვქნათ? | ra vknat? | what shall we do? |
| ბოტანიკური ბაღი | bot'anik'uri baghi | botanical garden |
| პროგნოზი | p'rognozi | forecast |
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
A new form: the optative
The optative is the form of the verb for wishes, suggestions and things that should or could happen. For "let's...", use the we form of the optative. It looks like the future, with -ოo- or -ეe- before the -თt:
| future (we) | let's... (optative) |
|---|---|
| წავალთ we'll gots'avalt we'll go | წავიდეთts'avidet let's go |
| ვნახავთvnakhavt we'll see | ვნახოთvnakhot let's see |
| დავლევთdavlevt we'll drink | დავლიოთdavliot let's drink |
| შევჭამთshevch'amt we'll eat | შევჭამოთshevch'amot let's eat (it up) |
| დავისვენებთdavisvenebt we'll rest | დავისვენოთdavisvenot let's rest |
| შევამოწმებთshevamots'mebt we'll check | შევამოწმოთshevamots'mot let's check |
| ვისაუზმებთvisauzmebt we'll breakfast | ვისაუზმოთvisauzmot let's have breakfast |
The object in its basic form
In the optative, the object is in its basic form, as in the past: ყავა დავლიოთq'ava davliot, ხინკალი ვჭამოთkhink'ali vch'amot, ამინდის პროგნოზი შევამოწმოთamindis p'rognozi shevamots'mot.
What shall we do? რა ვქნათra vknat?
ვქნათvknat is the optative of an old verb "to do": რა ვქნათra vknat? "what shall we do?" is a very common question. რა ვქნაra vkna? is "what shall I do?".
Shall we...? A question with the optative
With a rising voice, the same form asks a question: წავიდეთts'avidet? "Shall we go?", ვჭამოთvch'amot? "Shall we eat?".
5Good to know
The Tbilisi Botanical Garden lies in a gorge below the Narikala fortress, with a waterfall in the middle. It is a favourite escape from the summer heat.
წავიდეთts'avidet! is one of the most useful words in Georgian. Say it at the end of a meal, at the end of a visit, when a taxi arrives: "let's go!".
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.
- "Let's go!" is…
- "Let's drink a coffee" is…
- "Let's see" is…
- "What shall we do?" is…
- "Shall we eat?" is…
- "Let's rest" is…
- "Let's eat khinkali in the evening" is…
- "Let's check" is…
- What does პროგნოზიp'rognozi mean?
- The optative is used for…
Well done! Lesson 91 is ticked on your course map.
Say it, then write it
Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
- Suggest "Let's go to the cinema!"
Show the answer
კინოში წავიდეთ!k'inoshi ts'avidet! - Suggest "Let's have lunch."
Show the answer
ვისადილოთ.visadilot. - Suggest "Let's drink tea."
Show the answer
ჩაი დავლიოთ.chai davliot. - Ask "What shall we do tomorrow?"
Show the answer
ხვალ რა ვქნათ?khval ra vknat? - Suggest "Let's rest a little."
Show the answer
ცოტა დავისვენოთ.tsot'a davisvenot.
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 10: Wishes, needs, possibilities A2
- 91Let's go! წავიდეთts'avidet!
- 92I must: უნდაunda + the optative
- 93I want to...: მინდაminda + the optative
- 94May I? შეიძლებაsheidzleba
- 95Don't go! არar + the optative
- 96In order to, because: რომrom, იმიტომ რომimit'om rom
- 97At the doctor's
- 98Hungry, cold, afraid
- 99I need, I miss, I'm glad
- 100A2 review: a trip to Kazbegi