Sorting the trash in Georgian
New bins were put in the yard, and residents figure out what goes where in Georgian. 7 phrases that the conversation is made of: «ეზოში სამი ურნა დადგეს. რომელში რა უნდა ჩავყარო?» — They put three bins in the yard. What goes into which? 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: new bins were put in the yard, and residents figure out what goes where. 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.
- ეზოში სამი ურნა დადგეს. რომელში რა უნდა ჩავყარო?ezoshi sami urna dadges. romelshi ra unda chavqaro?They put three bins in the yard. What goes into which?
- ლურჯში ქაღალდი, ყვითელში პლასტმასი, შავში დანარჩენი ნარჩენები.lurjshi kaghaldi, qvitelshi plastmasi, shavshi danarcheni narchenebi.Paper in the blue one, plastic in the yellow, other waste in the black.
- ერთჯერადი ჭიქა სად მიდის, ქაღალდში თუ პლასტმასში?ertjeradi chika sad midis, kaghaldshi tu plastmasshi?Where does a disposable cup go, paper or plastic?
- შიგნიდან პლასტმასია, ამიტომ ყვითელში. ქაღალდი ასე არ იშლება.shignidan plastmasia, amitom qvitelshi. kaghaldi ase ar ishleba.It's plastic inside, so the yellow one. Paper doesn't decompose like that.
- ბევრი ამბობს, რომ ეს ამაოა და მაინც ერთად წაიღებენ.bevri ambobs, rom es amaoa da maints ertad tsaigheben.Many say it's pointless and it will be hauled away together anyway.
- მეორადი ნედლეული ქარხანას მიაქვთ, თვითონ ვნახე.meoradi nedleuli karkhanas miakvt, tviton vnakhe.The recyclables are taken to the factory, I've seen it myself.
- კარგი, ვცდი. პირადი წვლილი მაინც ხომ არის.kargi, vtsdi. piradi tsvlili maints khom aris.Okay, I'll try. A personal contribution counts for something after all.
Lines one by one
| Georgian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| ეზოში სამი ურნა დადგეს. რომელში რა უნდა ჩავყარო? | ezoshi sami urna dadges. romelshi ra unda chavqaro? | They put three bins in the yard. What goes into which? |
| ლურჯში ქაღალდი, ყვითელში პლასტმასი, შავში დანარჩენი ნარჩენები. | lurjshi kaghaldi, qvitelshi plastmasi, shavshi danarcheni narchenebi. | Paper in the blue one, plastic in the yellow, other waste in the black. |
| ერთჯერადი ჭიქა სად მიდის, ქაღალდში თუ პლასტმასში? | ertjeradi chika sad midis, kaghaldshi tu plastmasshi? | Where does a disposable cup go, paper or plastic? |
| შიგნიდან პლასტმასია, ამიტომ ყვითელში. ქაღალდი ასე არ იშლება. | shignidan plastmasia, amitom qvitelshi. kaghaldi ase ar ishleba. | It's plastic inside, so the yellow one. Paper doesn't decompose like that. |
| ბევრი ამბობს, რომ ეს ამაოა და მაინც ერთად წაიღებენ. | bevri ambobs, rom es amaoa da maints ertad tsaigheben. | Many say it's pointless and it will be hauled away together anyway. |
| მეორადი ნედლეული ქარხანას მიაქვთ, თვითონ ვნახე. | meoradi nedleuli karkhanas miakvt, tviton vnakhe. | The recyclables are taken to the factory, I've seen it myself. |
| კარგი, ვცდი. პირადი წვლილი მაინც ხომ არის. | kargi, vtsdi. piradi tsvlili maints khom aris. | Okay, I'll try. A personal contribution counts for something after all. |
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?
“ეზოში სამი ურნა დადგეს. რომელში რა უნდა ჩავყარო?” (ezoshi sami urna dadges. romelshi ra unda chavqaro?) — They put three bins in the yard. What goes into which?. 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.