Lingoflyგამარჯობა and გაგიმარჯოს: the greeting and its answer
გამარჯობა (gamarjoba) is both 'hello' and 'hi'. Georgian does not split the polite from the friendly here: one word suits your boss and your friend alike. Its root is a surprise — გამარჯვება (gamarjveba), victory. A Georgian wishes you victory, not health. For example: “გამარჯობა (gamarjoba)! — გაგიმარჯოს (gagimarjos)!” — Hello! — Hello to you too! A rule from the Georgian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
გამარჯობა (gamarjoba) is both 'hello' and 'hi'. Georgian does not split the polite from the friendly here: one word suits your boss and your friend alike. Its root is a surprise — გამარჯვება (gamarjveba), victory. A Georgian wishes you victory, not health.
The greeting has a return line of its own: გაგიმარჯოს (gagimarjos), 'may victory be yours'. It is never said first; it exists only as an answer. Mirroring with a plain გამარჯობა (gamarjoba) is heard all the time and is no mistake. გაგიმარჯოს (gagimarjos) simply sounds warmer and more local.
Farewells are other words. The neutral ნახვამდის (nakhvamdis) comes from ნახვა, 'to see' — literally 'until the seeing'. The colloquial კარგად (kargad) is the same word as 'fine' in კარგად (kargad) ვარ (var) (kargad var). It is a squeeze of კარგად (kargad) იყავი, 'be well'; to several people, კარგად (kargad) იყავით (kargad iqavit).
Table
| the phrase | word for word | when it is said |
|---|---|---|
| გამარჯობა (gamarjoba) | from 'victory' | the greeting; it always goes first |
| გაგიმარჯოს (gagimarjos) | 'may victory be yours' — the addressed form | only as an answer, never first |
| ნახვამდის (nakhvamdis) | 'until the seeing' | the neutral farewell |
| კარგად (kargad) | from kargad iqavi — 'be well' | the colloquial 'bye' |
By example
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
What to answer to gamarjoba?
The greeting has a return line of its own: გაგიმარჯოს (gagimarjos), 'may victory be yours'. It is never said first; it exists only as an answer. Mirroring with a plain გამარჯობა (gamarjoba) is heard all the time and is no mistake. გაგიმარჯოს (gagimarjos) simply sounds warmer and more local.
Გამარჯობა (gamarjoba) vs გაგიმარჯოს (gagimarjos)?
The greeting has a return line of its own: გაგიმარჯოს (gagimarjos), 'may victory be yours'. It is never said first; it exists only as an answer. Mirroring with a plain გამარჯობა (gamarjoba) is heard all the time and is no mistake. გაგიმარჯოს (gagimarjos) simply sounds warmer and more local.
What gamarjoba literally means?
Farewells are other words. The neutral ნახვამდის (nakhvamdis) comes from ნახვა, 'to see' — literally 'until the seeing'. The colloquial კარგად (kargad) is the same word as 'fine' in კარგად (kargad) ვარ (var). It is a squeeze of კარგად (kargad) იყავი, 'be well'; to several people, კარგად (kargad) იყავით.
How to reply to a greeting in Georgian?
Farewells are other words. The neutral ნახვამდის (nakhvamdis) comes from ნახვა, 'to see' — literally 'until the seeing'. The colloquial კარგად (kargad) is the same word as 'fine' in კარგად (kargad) ვარ (var). It is a squeeze of კარგად (kargad) იყავი, 'be well'; to several people, კარგად (kargad) იყავით.
What does it look like in a Georgian example sentence?
“გამარჯობა (gamarjoba)! — გაგიმარჯოს (gagimarjos)!” (gamarjoba! — gagimarjos!) — Hello! — Hello to you too! A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.