Weight and quantity at the market in Georgian
At the market, bargaining over quantity, weight and bulk price in Georgian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «ვაშლი ცალობით გინდათ თუ კილოობით?» — Do you want the apples individually or by the kilogram?; «ერთნახევარი კილო ამწონეთ, თუ შეიძლება.» — Weigh one and a half kilos, please. Every line can be played right on the page. The conversation is predictable: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: at the market, bargaining over quantity, weight and bulk price. The conversation is short and predictable — which is exactly what makes it good for a first try: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
- ვაშლი ცალობით გინდათ თუ კილოობით?vashli tsalobit gindat tu kiloobit?Do you want the apples individually or by the kilogram?
- ერთნახევარი კილო ამწონეთ, თუ შეიძლება.ertnakhevari kilo amtsonet, tu sheidzleba.Weigh one and a half kilos, please.
- აი. თუ ათეულობით აიღებთ, ფასი მესამედით დაიკლებს.ai. tu ateulobit aighebt, pasi mesamedit daiklebs.Here. If you take them by tens, the price drops by a third.
- საბითუმოდ არ მჭირდება, ოჯახი პატარაა.sabitumod ar mchirdeba, ojakhi pataraa.I don't need it wholesale, my family is small.
- გასაგებია. კვერცხიც ხომ არ გნებავთ? ათეული ძლივს დამრჩა.gasagebia. kvertskhits khom ar gnebavt? ateuli dzlivs damrcha.I see. Wouldn't you like eggs? Barely a dozen is left.
- ავიღებ. ჯამში რამდენია? დამამრგვალეთ ლარამდე.avigheb. jamshi ramdenia? damamrgvalet laramde.I'll take them. How much in total? Round it to the lari.
- თორმეტი ლარი. ფასები წელს კვლავ მოიმატა, ბოდიში.tormeti lari. pasebi tsels kvlav moimata, bodishi.Twelve lari. Prices rose again this year, sorry.
- ბაზარში ხილი უამრავადაა, მაგრამ იაფი აღარაა.bazarshi khili uamravadaa, magram iapi agharaa.The market is full of fruit, but there are no cheap ones anymore.
Lines one by one
| Georgian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| ვაშლი ცალობით გინდათ თუ კილოობით? | vashli tsalobit gindat tu kiloobit? | Do you want the apples individually or by the kilogram? |
| ერთნახევარი კილო ამწონეთ, თუ შეიძლება. | ertnakhevari kilo amtsonet, tu sheidzleba. | Weigh one and a half kilos, please. |
| აი. თუ ათეულობით აიღებთ, ფასი მესამედით დაიკლებს. | ai. tu ateulobit aighebt, pasi mesamedit daiklebs. | Here. If you take them by tens, the price drops by a third. |
| საბითუმოდ არ მჭირდება, ოჯახი პატარაა. | sabitumod ar mchirdeba, ojakhi pataraa. | I don't need it wholesale, my family is small. |
| გასაგებია. კვერცხიც ხომ არ გნებავთ? ათეული ძლივს დამრჩა. | gasagebia. kvertskhits khom ar gnebavt? ateuli dzlivs damrcha. | I see. Wouldn't you like eggs? Barely a dozen is left. |
| ავიღებ. ჯამში რამდენია? დამამრგვალეთ ლარამდე. | avigheb. jamshi ramdenia? damamrgvalet laramde. | I'll take them. How much in total? Round it to the lari. |
| თორმეტი ლარი. ფასები წელს კვლავ მოიმატა, ბოდიში. | tormeti lari. pasebi tsels kvlav moimata, bodishi. | Twelve lari. Prices rose again this year, sorry. |
| ბაზარში ხილი უამრავადაა, მაგრამ იაფი აღარაა. | bazarshi khili uamravadaa, magram iapi agharaa. | The market is full of fruit, but there are no cheap ones anymore. |
How to prepare for a conversation like this
Memorizing the lines is not enough: the other person will say their own thing, not what is written. What helps more is catching the key words by ear and keeping three rescue phrases ready: “I don't understand”, “repeat, please”, “slower”.
And one more thing phrasebooks do not mention: awkwardness gets in the way more than not knowing the words.
- Fear of making mistakes gets in the way of learning a language, and it gets in the way badly. It is one of the most reliably measured findings in the entire field.checked many timesTeimouri, Goetze & Plonsky, 2019, Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41(2) · 19,933 participants from 23 countries; correlation with results r = −0.36.
- That fear can be dealt with — the methods have been tested and they work.checked many timesXiong et al., 2024, Journal of Language and Social Psychology · 37 studies, anxiety reduced by −0.61. Of the seven conditions examined, only age turned out to matter.
Frequently asked
How do you start a conversation in Georgian in this situation?
“ვაშლი ცალობით გინდათ თუ კილოობით?” (vashli tsalobit gindat tu kiloobit?) — Do you want the apples individually or by the kilogram?. The first line in such a conversation is almost always the same, and that is the one worth learning: the other person will carry it from there.
What if you did not understand the reply?
Say “I don't understand” and “repeat, please” — both are in the rescue set. Admitting your language is still shaky almost always makes the other person more patient.
Should you memorize the dialogue?
No. It is more useful to catch the key words by ear: the other person will say their own thing, and a memorized line will not always fit their reply.