Allowed or not in Georgian
Two people in a museum find out what's permitted in Georgian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «აქ ფოტოს გადაღება ნებადართულია?» — Is it allowed to take photos here?; «უფლება გაქვთ, ოღონდ შუქის გარეშე. აკრძალულია ვიდეო.» — You may, just without flash. Video is forbidden. 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: two people in a museum find out what's permitted. 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.
- აქ ფოტოს გადაღება ნებადართულია?ak potos gadagheba nebadartulia?Is it allowed to take photos here?
- უფლება გაქვთ, ოღონდ შუქის გარეშე. აკრძალულია ვიდეო.upleba gakvt, oghond shukis gareshe. akrdzalulia video.You may, just without flash. Video is forbidden.
- ჩანთით შესვლა შესაძლებელია თუ შეუძლებელია?chantit shesvla shesadzlebelia tu sheudzlebelia?Is entering with a bag possible or not?
- პატარა ჩანთა შეიძლება, დიდი გარდერობში უნდა დატოვოთ.patara chanta sheidzleba, didi garderobshi unda datovot.A small bag is fine, a big one must be left in the cloakroom.
- გიდის გარეშე სიარულის შესაძლებლობა გვაქვს?gidis gareshe siarulis shesadzlebloba gvakvs?Can we walk around without a guide?
- გაქვთ, მაგრამ ჯგუფს ბოლო დარბაზში აუცილებლად შეხვდებით.gakvt, magram jgups bolo darbazshi autsileblad shekhvdebit.You can, but in the last hall you'll certainly run into the group.
- ბილეთის თანხის დაბრუნება შესაძლებელია, თუ ვერ მოვასწრებთ?biletis tankhis dabruneba shesadzlebelia, tu ver movastsrebt?Is a ticket refund possible if we don't make it in time?
- დაბრუნება არ ხდება, სამაგიეროდ ბილეთი ხვალაც მოქმედებს.dabruneba ar khdeba, samagierod bileti khvalats mokmedebs.No refunds are given, but the ticket is valid tomorrow too.
Lines one by one
| Georgian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| აქ ფოტოს გადაღება ნებადართულია? | ak potos gadagheba nebadartulia? | Is it allowed to take photos here? |
| უფლება გაქვთ, ოღონდ შუქის გარეშე. აკრძალულია ვიდეო. | upleba gakvt, oghond shukis gareshe. akrdzalulia video. | You may, just without flash. Video is forbidden. |
| ჩანთით შესვლა შესაძლებელია თუ შეუძლებელია? | chantit shesvla shesadzlebelia tu sheudzlebelia? | Is entering with a bag possible or not? |
| პატარა ჩანთა შეიძლება, დიდი გარდერობში უნდა დატოვოთ. | patara chanta sheidzleba, didi garderobshi unda datovot. | A small bag is fine, a big one must be left in the cloakroom. |
| გიდის გარეშე სიარულის შესაძლებლობა გვაქვს? | gidis gareshe siarulis shesadzlebloba gvakvs? | Can we walk around without a guide? |
| გაქვთ, მაგრამ ჯგუფს ბოლო დარბაზში აუცილებლად შეხვდებით. | gakvt, magram jgups bolo darbazshi autsileblad shekhvdebit. | You can, but in the last hall you'll certainly run into the group. |
| ბილეთის თანხის დაბრუნება შესაძლებელია, თუ ვერ მოვასწრებთ? | biletis tankhis dabruneba shesadzlebelia, tu ver movastsrebt? | Is a ticket refund possible if we don't make it in time? |
| დაბრუნება არ ხდება, სამაგიეროდ ბილეთი ხვალაც მოქმედებს. | dabruneba ar khdeba, samagierod bileti khvalats mokmedebs. | No refunds are given, but the ticket is valid tomorrow too. |
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?
“აქ ფოტოს გადაღება ნებადართულია?” (ak potos gadagheba nebadartulia?) — Is it allowed to take photos here?. 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.