At the police station in Georgian
Reporting a bag stolen on the bus in Georgian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «გამარჯობა. ავტობუსში ჩანთა მომპარეს.» — Hello. My bag was stolen on the bus.; «გამარჯობა. სად და როდის მოხდა?» — Hello. Where and when did it happen? 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: reporting a bag stolen on the bus. 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.
- გამარჯობა. ავტობუსში ჩანთა მომპარეს.gamarjoba. avtobusshi chanta mompares.Hello. My bag was stolen on the bus.
- გამარჯობა. სად და როდის მოხდა?gamarjoba. sad da rodis mokhda?Hello. Where and when did it happen?
- დღეს დილით, ავტობუსის გაჩერებასთან.dghes dilit, avtobusis gacherebastan.This morning, at the bus stop.
- რა იყო ჩანთაში?ra iqo chantashi?What was in the bag?
- პასპორტი, ტელეფონი და საბანკო ბარათი.pasporti, teleponi da sabanko barati.My passport, phone and bank card.
- მოწმე თუ იყო?motsme tu iqo?Was there a witness?
- დიახ, ერთი კაცი დამეხმარა. მისი ნომერი მაქვს.diakh, erti katsi damekhmara. misi nomeri makvs.Yes, one man helped me. I have his number.
- კარგი. განცხადება დაწერეთ და ხვალ დაგირეკავთ.kargi. gantskhadeba datseret da khval dagirekavt.Okay. Write a statement, and you'll get a call tomorrow.
Lines one by one
| Georgian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| გამარჯობა. ავტობუსში ჩანთა მომპარეს. | gamarjoba. avtobusshi chanta mompares. | Hello. My bag was stolen on the bus. |
| გამარჯობა. სად და როდის მოხდა? | gamarjoba. sad da rodis mokhda? | Hello. Where and when did it happen? |
| დღეს დილით, ავტობუსის გაჩერებასთან. | dghes dilit, avtobusis gacherebastan. | This morning, at the bus stop. |
| რა იყო ჩანთაში? | ra iqo chantashi? | What was in the bag? |
| პასპორტი, ტელეფონი და საბანკო ბარათი. | pasporti, teleponi da sabanko barati. | My passport, phone and bank card. |
| მოწმე თუ იყო? | motsme tu iqo? | Was there a witness? |
| დიახ, ერთი კაცი დამეხმარა. მისი ნომერი მაქვს. | diakh, erti katsi damekhmara. misi nomeri makvs. | Yes, one man helped me. I have his number. |
| კარგი. განცხადება დაწერეთ და ხვალ დაგირეკავთ. | kargi. gantskhadeba datseret da khval dagirekavt. | Okay. Write a statement, and you'll get a call tomorrow. |
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?
“გამარჯობა. ავტობუსში ჩანთა მომპარეს.” (gamarjoba. avtobusshi chanta mompares.) — Hello. My bag was stolen on the bus.. 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.