Lingoflyუკაცრავად and ბოდიში: the two Georgian sorries
English makes one word, 'sorry' or 'excuse me', do two jobs: asking forgiveness and hailing a stranger in the street. Georgian split the jobs between two words, and mixing them up means sounding off target. For example: “უკაცრავად (ukatsravad), სად არის (sad aris) აფთიაქი (aptiaki)?” — Excuse me, where is the pharmacy? A rule from the Georgian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
English makes one word, 'sorry' or 'excuse me', do two jobs: asking forgiveness and hailing a stranger in the street. Georgian split the jobs between two words, and mixing them up means sounding off target.
ბოდიში (bodishi) is the short apology for a fault: you bumped into someone, stepped on a foot, came late. ბოდიში (bodishi), ვერ გავიგე (ver gavige) (ver gavige) — sorry, I did not understand. What you are sorry for takes the ending -ისთვის, 'for': ბოდიში დაგვიანებისთვის (bodishi dagvianebistvis).
უკაცრავად (ukatsravad) is the same apology, politer — and above all the word for addressing a stranger when you need to ask something. Where ბოდიში (bodishi) would sound too curt, this one goes. Beside it stands თუ შეიძლება (tu sheidzleba), literally 'if it is possible'. There is no single Georgian word for 'please'. Across a counter you use that phrase; in official speech, the verb გთხოვთ (gtkhovt).
Table
| the word | closest to | when | example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ბოდიში (bodishi) | 'sorry' | for a fault: bumped, came late | ბოდიში (bodishi), ვერ გავიგე (ver gavige) |
| უკაცრავად (ukatsravad) | 'excuse me' | to hail a stranger; politer | უკაცრავად (ukatsravad), სად არის (sad aris)…? |
| ბოდიში (bodishi) …-ისთვის | 'sorry for…' | when you name the cause | ბოდიში დაგვიანებისთვის (bodishi dagvianebistvis) |
| თუ შეიძლება (tu sheidzleba) | 'if it is possible' | the Georgian 'please' in a request | ნელა (nela), თუ შეიძლება (tu sheidzleba) |
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
How to say sorry in Georgian?
უკაცრავად (ukatsravad) is the same apology, politer — and above all the word for addressing a stranger when you need to ask something. Where ბოდიში (bodishi) would sound too curt, this one goes. Beside it stands თუ შეიძლება (tu sheidzleba), literally 'if it is possible'. There is no single Georgian word for 'please'. Across a counter…
Უკაცრავად (ukatsravad) vs ბოდიში (bodishi)?
უკაცრავად (ukatsravad) is the same apology, politer — and above all the word for addressing a stranger when you need to ask something. Where ბოდიში (bodishi) would sound too curt, this one goes. Beside it stands თუ შეიძლება (tu sheidzleba), literally 'if it is possible'. There is no single Georgian word for 'please'. Across a counter…
How to get a stranger attention in Georgian?
უკაცრავად (ukatsravad) is the same apology, politer — and above all the word for addressing a stranger when you need to ask something. Where ბოდიში (bodishi) would sound too curt, this one goes. Beside it stands თუ შეიძლება (tu sheidzleba), literally 'if it is possible'. There is no single Georgian word for 'please'. Across a counter…
How to say sorry for being late in Georgian?
უკაცრავად (ukatsravad) is the same apology, politer — and above all the word for addressing a stranger when you need to ask something. Where ბოდიში (bodishi) would sound too curt, this one goes. Beside it stands თუ შეიძლება (tu sheidzleba), literally 'if it is possible'. There is no single Georgian word for 'please'. Across a counter…
What does it look like in a Georgian example sentence?
“უკაცრავად (ukatsravad), სად არის (sad aris) აფთიაქი (aptiaki)?” (ukatsravad, sad aris aptiaki?) — Excuse me, where is the pharmacy? A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.