What to watch tonight in Georgian
Two people at home argue over a show and the remote in Georgian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «პულტი სად არის? არხის გადართვა მინდა.» — Where is the remote? I want to switch the channel.; «დივანზეა. რა გინდა, სერიალი თუ ახალი ამბები?» — It's on the sofa. What do you want, a series or the news? 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 at home argue over a show and the remote. 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.
- პულტი სად არის? არხის გადართვა მინდა.pulti sad aris? arkhis gadartva minda.Where is the remote? I want to switch the channel.
- დივანზეა. რა გინდა, სერიალი თუ ახალი ამბები?divanzea. ra ginda, seriali tu akhali ambebi?It's on the sofa. What do you want, a series or the news?
- ჯერ ახალი ამბები, მერე სერიალი.jer akhali ambebi, mere seriali.The news first, then the series.
- მეორე არხზე ინტერვიუა პირდაპირ ეთერში.meore arkhze interviua pirdapir etershi.On channel two there's a live interview.
- ვინ არის წამყვანი? მისი გადაცემა მომწონს.vin aris tsamqvani? misi gadatsema momtsons.Who is the host? I like his show.
- ახალი წამყვანია. ჩემი აზრით, კითხვებს ზედაპირულად სვამს.akhali tsamqvania. chemi azrit, kitkhvebs zedapirulad svams.The host is new. In my opinion, he asks superficial questions.
- ნაწილობრივ გეთანხმები, თუმცა წყაროებს ასახელებს.natsilobriv getankhmebi, tumtsa tsqaroebs asakhelebs.I partly agree, though he does name his sources.
- კარგი. სუბტიტრები ჩავრთოთ, ხმა დაბალია.kargi. subtitrebi chavrtot, khma dabalia.Okay. Let's turn on the subtitles, the sound is quiet.
Lines one by one
| Georgian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| პულტი სად არის? არხის გადართვა მინდა. | pulti sad aris? arkhis gadartva minda. | Where is the remote? I want to switch the channel. |
| დივანზეა. რა გინდა, სერიალი თუ ახალი ამბები? | divanzea. ra ginda, seriali tu akhali ambebi? | It's on the sofa. What do you want, a series or the news? |
| ჯერ ახალი ამბები, მერე სერიალი. | jer akhali ambebi, mere seriali. | The news first, then the series. |
| მეორე არხზე ინტერვიუა პირდაპირ ეთერში. | meore arkhze interviua pirdapir etershi. | On channel two there's a live interview. |
| ვინ არის წამყვანი? მისი გადაცემა მომწონს. | vin aris tsamqvani? misi gadatsema momtsons. | Who is the host? I like his show. |
| ახალი წამყვანია. ჩემი აზრით, კითხვებს ზედაპირულად სვამს. | akhali tsamqvania. chemi azrit, kitkhvebs zedapirulad svams. | The host is new. In my opinion, he asks superficial questions. |
| ნაწილობრივ გეთანხმები, თუმცა წყაროებს ასახელებს. | natsilobriv getankhmebi, tumtsa tsqaroebs asakhelebs. | I partly agree, though he does name his sources. |
| კარგი. სუბტიტრები ჩავრთოთ, ხმა დაბალია. | kargi. subtitrebi chavrtot, khma dabalia. | Okay. Let's turn on the subtitles, the sound is quiet. |
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?
“პულტი სად არის? არხის გადართვა მინდა.” (pulti sad aris? arkhis gadartva minda.) — Where is the remote? I want to switch the channel.. 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.