Household chores in Georgian
A parent and a teenager split the Saturday chores in Georgian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «დღეს სახლს ვალაგებთ. დამეხმარები?» — We're cleaning the house today. Will you help me?; «დაგეხმარები. რა გავაკეთო?» — I'll help. What should I do? 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: a parent and a teenager split the saturday chores. 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.
- დღეს სახლს ვალაგებთ. დამეხმარები?dghes sakhls valagebt. damekhmarebi?We're cleaning the house today. Will you help me?
- დაგეხმარები. რა გავაკეთო?dagekhmarebi. ra gavaketo?I'll help. What should I do?
- ჯერ ჭურჭელი გარეცხე, მერე ეზო დაგავე.jer churcheli garetskhe, mere ezo dagave.First wash the dishes, then sweep the yard.
- კარგი. ტანსაცმელს კი ვინ რეცხავს?kargi. tansatsmels ki vin retskhavs?Okay. And who will do the laundry?
- მე გავრეცხავ. შენ ნაგვის გატანა არ დაგავიწყდეს.me gavretskhav. shen nagvis gatana ar dagavitsqdes.I'll do the laundry. Don't forget to take out the trash.
- პერანგის დაუთოება საჭიროა?perangis dautoeba sachiroa?Does the shirt need ironing?
- საჭიროა. უთო საძინებელშია.sachiroa. uto sadzinebelshia.It does. The iron is in the bedroom.
- როცა დავამთავრებ, სეირნობა შეიძლება?rotsa davamtavreb, seirnoba sheidzleba?When I'm done, can I go for a walk?
Lines one by one
| Georgian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| დღეს სახლს ვალაგებთ. დამეხმარები? | dghes sakhls valagebt. damekhmarebi? | We're cleaning the house today. Will you help me? |
| დაგეხმარები. რა გავაკეთო? | dagekhmarebi. ra gavaketo? | I'll help. What should I do? |
| ჯერ ჭურჭელი გარეცხე, მერე ეზო დაგავე. | jer churcheli garetskhe, mere ezo dagave. | First wash the dishes, then sweep the yard. |
| კარგი. ტანსაცმელს კი ვინ რეცხავს? | kargi. tansatsmels ki vin retskhavs? | Okay. And who will do the laundry? |
| მე გავრეცხავ. შენ ნაგვის გატანა არ დაგავიწყდეს. | me gavretskhav. shen nagvis gatana ar dagavitsqdes. | I'll do the laundry. Don't forget to take out the trash. |
| პერანგის დაუთოება საჭიროა? | perangis dautoeba sachiroa? | Does the shirt need ironing? |
| საჭიროა. უთო საძინებელშია. | sachiroa. uto sadzinebelshia. | It does. The iron is in the bedroom. |
| როცა დავამთავრებ, სეირნობა შეიძლება? | rotsa davamtavreb, seirnoba sheidzleba? | When I'm done, can I go for a walk? |
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?
“დღეს სახლს ვალაგებთ. დამეხმარები?” (dghes sakhls valagebt. damekhmarebi?) — We're cleaning the house today. Will you help me?. 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.