Week 20. At the hotel reception
Our hotel in Kutaisi is a small family guesthouse. At the reception, I need to ask everything: can we come in now, can I see the room, can we leave our bags until the evening?
Today: polite permission, and "maybe".
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
Sam
გამარჯობა! შეიძლება შემოვიდეთ?gamarjoba! sheidzleba shemovidet?Hello! May we come in?
Owner
რა თქმა უნდა, შემობრძანდით!ra tkma unda, shemobrdzandit!Of course, come in, please!
Sam
შეიძლება ოთახი ვნახო?sheidzleba otakhi vnakho?May I see the room?
Owner
დიახ, ინებეთ, მეორე სართულზეა.diakh, inebet, meore sartulzea.Yes, here you are, it's on the second floor.
Sam
ჩანთები აქ დავტოვოთ? საღამოს შეიძლება დავბრუნდეთ.chantebi ak davt'ovot? saghamos sheidzleba davbrundet.Shall we leave the bags here? We may come back in the evening.
Owner
შეიძლება. აქ დატოვეთ, არაფერი მოუვა!sheidzleba. ak dat'ovet, araperi mouva!You can. Leave them here, nothing will happen to them!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| შეიძლება? | sheidzleba? | may I? is it possible? |
| შეიძლება | sheidzleba | maybe, it is possible (same word as "may I?") |
| შემოვიდე | shemovide | that I come in (optative) |
| დავტოვო | davt'ovo | that I leave (something) |
| დატოვეთ! | dat'ovet! | leave it! (polite) |
| სასტუმრო სახლი | sast'umro sakhli | guesthouse |
| მფლობელი | mplobeli | owner |
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
May I? შეიძლებაsheidzleba + optative
To ask permission politely, put შეიძლებაsheidzleba before the optative:
შეიძლება შემოვიდე?sheidzleba shemovide?is-it-possible I-come-inMay I come in?
შეიძლება ვნახო?sheidzleba vnakho?is-it-possible I-seeMay I see?
შეიძლება დავჯდე?sheidzleba davjde?is-it-possible I-sit-downMay I sit down?
The answers: შეიძლებაsheidzleba (you may), რა თქმა უნდაra tkma unda (of course), or არ შეიძლებაar sheidzleba (it's not allowed).
Maybe: შეიძლებაsheidzleba + optative
In a statement, the same construction means "maybe, perhaps, it may happen":
შეიძლება ხვალ წავიდე.sheidzleba khval ts'avide.possible tomorrow I-goI may go tomorrow.
შეიძლება წვიმდეს.sheidzleba ts'vimdes.possible it-rainIt may rain.
Shall we...? optative alone
Without შეიძლებაsheidzleba, the optative with a rising voice asks "shall I / shall we...?": ჩანთები აქ დავტოვოთchantebi ak davt'ovot? "Shall we leave the bags here?"
Forbidden: არ შეიძლებაar sheidzleba
On signs and in rules: აქ მოწევა არ შეიძლებაak mots'eva ar sheidzleba, "smoking is not allowed here". არ შეიძლებაar sheidzleba + a verbal noun is the standard way to forbid something.
5Good to know
არაფერი მოუვაaraperi mouva ("nothing will happen to it") is a reassuring phrase you will hear from Georgian hosts about your luggage, your car or your health.
Family guesthouses, სასტუმრო სახლებიsast'umro sakhlebi, are a great way to travel in Georgia: breakfast is often homemade, and the host may well invite you to dinner.
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.
- "May I come in?" is…
- "May I see the room?" is…
- "I may go tomorrow" is…
- "Smoking is not allowed here" is…
- "Shall we leave the bags here?" is…
- An answer meaning "of course" is…
- "May we sit down?" is…
- "Leave it here!" (polite) is…
- What does მფლობელიmplobeli mean?
- შეიძლებაsheidzleba at the start of a statement means…
Well done! Lesson 94 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 "May I come in?"
Show the answer
შეიძლება შემოვიდე?sheidzleba shemovide? - Ask "May I ask a question?" (a question = შეკითხვაshek'itkhva)
Show the answer
შეიძლება შეკითხვა დავსვა?sheidzleba shek'itkhva davsva? - Say "Maybe I'll come tomorrow."
Show the answer
შეიძლება ხვალ მოვიდე.sheidzleba khval movide. - Ask "Shall we have lunch here?"
Show the answer
აქ ვისადილოთ?ak visadilot? - Say "It's not allowed."
Show the answer
არ შეიძლება.ar sheidzleba.
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