At the general practitioner in Georgian
A patient describes symptoms and gets a referral in Georgian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «გამარჯობა, ექიმო. სამი დღეა ყელი მტკივა.» — Hello, doctor. My throat has hurt for three days.; «გამარჯობა. სიცხე ან შემცივნება გქონდათ?» — Hello. Did you have a fever or chills? 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 patient describes symptoms and gets a referral. 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, ექიმო. სამი დღეა ყელი მტკივა.gamarjoba, ekimo. sami dghea qeli mtkiva.Hello, doctor. My throat has hurt for three days.
- გამარჯობა. სიცხე ან შემცივნება გქონდათ?gamarjoba. sitskhe an shemtsivneba gkondat?Hello. Did you have a fever or chills?
- გუშინ მაღალი ტემპერატურა მქონდა და სისუსტეც.gushin maghali temperatura mkonda da sisustets.Yesterday I had a high temperature and weakness.
- ეს ანგინაა. ეს დაავადება გადამდებია.es anginaa. es daavadeba gadamdebia.It's tonsillitis. This illness is contagious.
- მკურნალობა რამდენ ხანს გაგრძელდება?mkurnaloba ramden khans gagrdzeldeba?How long will the treatment last?
- დაახლოებით ერთი კვირა. ბიულეტენს დაგიწერთ.daakhloebit erti kvira. biuletens dagitsert.About a week. I'll write you a sick note.
- ექიმთან მიმართვა მჭირდება?ekimtan mimartva mchirdeba?Do I need a referral to a specialist?
- თუ არ გამოჯანმრთელდებით, მაშინ დაგწერთ.tu ar gamojanmrteldebit, mashin dagtsert.If you don't recover, then I'll write one.
Lines one by one
| Georgian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| გამარჯობა, ექიმო. სამი დღეა ყელი მტკივა. | gamarjoba, ekimo. sami dghea qeli mtkiva. | Hello, doctor. My throat has hurt for three days. |
| გამარჯობა. სიცხე ან შემცივნება გქონდათ? | gamarjoba. sitskhe an shemtsivneba gkondat? | Hello. Did you have a fever or chills? |
| გუშინ მაღალი ტემპერატურა მქონდა და სისუსტეც. | gushin maghali temperatura mkonda da sisustets. | Yesterday I had a high temperature and weakness. |
| ეს ანგინაა. ეს დაავადება გადამდებია. | es anginaa. es daavadeba gadamdebia. | It's tonsillitis. This illness is contagious. |
| მკურნალობა რამდენ ხანს გაგრძელდება? | mkurnaloba ramden khans gagrdzeldeba? | How long will the treatment last? |
| დაახლოებით ერთი კვირა. ბიულეტენს დაგიწერთ. | daakhloebit erti kvira. biuletens dagitsert. | About a week. I'll write you a sick note. |
| ექიმთან მიმართვა მჭირდება? | ekimtan mimartva mchirdeba? | Do I need a referral to a specialist? |
| თუ არ გამოჯანმრთელდებით, მაშინ დაგწერთ. | tu ar gamojanmrteldebit, mashin dagtsert. | If you don't recover, then I'll write one. |
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, ექიმო. სამი დღეა ყელი მტკივა.” (gamarjoba, ekimo. sami dghea qeli mtkiva.) — Hello, doctor. My throat has hurt for three days.. 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.