At the admissions office in Georgian
An applicant asks about faculties and the dormitory in Georgian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «გამარჯობა. უნივერსიტეტში ჩაბარება მინდა.» — Hello. I want to enroll in the university.; «გამარჯობა. რომელი ფაკულტეტი გაინტერესებთ?» — Hello. Which faculty interests you? 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: an applicant asks about faculties and the dormitory. 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. უნივერსიტეტში ჩაბარება მინდა.gamarjoba. universitetshi chabareba minda.Hello. I want to enroll in the university.
- გამარჯობა. რომელი ფაკულტეტი გაინტერესებთ?gamarjoba. romeli pakulteti gainteresebt?Hello. Which faculty interests you?
- ბიოლოგია მაინტერესებს. რა სპეციალობებია?biologia mainteresebs. ra spetsialobebia?I'm interested in biology. What majors are there?
- სამი. ყველა სპეციალობაზე ტესტი და გამოცდაა.sami. qvela spetsialobaze testi da gamotsdaa.Three. Every major has a test and an exam.
- რამდენი ქულა სჭირდება სტიპენდიას?ramdeni kula schirdeba stipendias?How many points are needed for a scholarship?
- დაახლოებით ოთხმოცი. სტიპენდია ყოველ თვეს ირიცხება.daakhloebit otkhmotsi. stipendia qovel tves iritskheba.About eighty. The scholarship is transferred monthly.
- საერთო საცხოვრებელი გაქვთ?saerto satskhovrebeli gakvt?Do you have a dormitory?
- გვაქვს, უნივერსიტეტთან. თუ ჩააბარებთ, ადგილს მოგცემენ.gvakvs, universitettan. tu chaabarebt, adgils mogtsemen.We do, near the university. If you pass, they'll give you a spot.
Lines one by one
| Georgian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| გამარჯობა. უნივერსიტეტში ჩაბარება მინდა. | gamarjoba. universitetshi chabareba minda. | Hello. I want to enroll in the university. |
| გამარჯობა. რომელი ფაკულტეტი გაინტერესებთ? | gamarjoba. romeli pakulteti gainteresebt? | Hello. Which faculty interests you? |
| ბიოლოგია მაინტერესებს. რა სპეციალობებია? | biologia mainteresebs. ra spetsialobebia? | I'm interested in biology. What majors are there? |
| სამი. ყველა სპეციალობაზე ტესტი და გამოცდაა. | sami. qvela spetsialobaze testi da gamotsdaa. | Three. Every major has a test and an exam. |
| რამდენი ქულა სჭირდება სტიპენდიას? | ramdeni kula schirdeba stipendias? | How many points are needed for a scholarship? |
| დაახლოებით ოთხმოცი. სტიპენდია ყოველ თვეს ირიცხება. | daakhloebit otkhmotsi. stipendia qovel tves iritskheba. | About eighty. The scholarship is transferred monthly. |
| საერთო საცხოვრებელი გაქვთ? | saerto satskhovrebeli gakvt? | Do you have a dormitory? |
| გვაქვს, უნივერსიტეტთან. თუ ჩააბარებთ, ადგილს მოგცემენ. | gvakvs, universitettan. tu chaabarebt, adgils mogtsemen. | We do, near the university. If you pass, they'll give you a spot. |
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. უნივერსიტეტში ჩაბარება მინდა.” (gamarjoba. universitetshi chabareba minda.) — Hello. I want to enroll in the university.. 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.