A return at the store in Georgian
A customer returns a defective item and argues about the size in Georgian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «გამარჯობა. გუშინ ვიყიდე, მაგრამ წუნდებულია.» — Hello. I bought it yesterday, but the item is defective.; «გამარჯობა. ჩეკის შენახვა მოასწარით?» — Hello. Did you keep the receipt? 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 customer returns a defective item and argues about the size. 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. გუშინ ვიყიდე, მაგრამ წუნდებულია.gamarjoba. gushin viqide, magram tsundebulia.Hello. I bought it yesterday, but the item is defective.
- გამარჯობა. ჩეკის შენახვა მოასწარით?gamarjoba. chekis shenakhva moastsarit?Hello. Did you keep the receipt?
- დიახ, ჩეკი თან მაქვს. ზომაც არ მომერგო.diakh, cheki tan makvs. zomats ar momergo.Yes, I have the receipt. And the size didn't fit.
- მაშინ საქონლის გაცვლა ჯობია დაბრუნებას.mashin sakonlis gatsvla jobia dabrunebas.Then exchanging the item is better than a refund.
- სხვა ფერზე გამოცვლა შესაძლებელია?skhva perze gamotsvla shesadzlebelia?Can I exchange it for a different color?
- ეს ზომა საქონელი მარაგშია, ლურჯი და შავი.es zoma sakoneli maragshia, lurji da shavi.This size is in stock, in blue and black.
- შავს ავიღებ. ხარისხიანი ქსოვილია?shavs avigheb. khariskhiani ksovilia?I'll take the black one. Is the fabric good quality?
- ნატურალური მატყლია და გამძლე. საჩუქრის შეფუთვა გნებავთ?naturaluri matqlia da gamdzle. sachukris sheputva gnebavt?It's natural wool and durable. Would you like gift wrapping?
Lines one by one
| Georgian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| გამარჯობა. გუშინ ვიყიდე, მაგრამ წუნდებულია. | gamarjoba. gushin viqide, magram tsundebulia. | Hello. I bought it yesterday, but the item is defective. |
| გამარჯობა. ჩეკის შენახვა მოასწარით? | gamarjoba. chekis shenakhva moastsarit? | Hello. Did you keep the receipt? |
| დიახ, ჩეკი თან მაქვს. ზომაც არ მომერგო. | diakh, cheki tan makvs. zomats ar momergo. | Yes, I have the receipt. And the size didn't fit. |
| მაშინ საქონლის გაცვლა ჯობია დაბრუნებას. | mashin sakonlis gatsvla jobia dabrunebas. | Then exchanging the item is better than a refund. |
| სხვა ფერზე გამოცვლა შესაძლებელია? | skhva perze gamotsvla shesadzlebelia? | Can I exchange it for a different color? |
| ეს ზომა საქონელი მარაგშია, ლურჯი და შავი. | es zoma sakoneli maragshia, lurji da shavi. | This size is in stock, in blue and black. |
| შავს ავიღებ. ხარისხიანი ქსოვილია? | shavs avigheb. khariskhiani ksovilia? | I'll take the black one. Is the fabric good quality? |
| ნატურალური მატყლია და გამძლე. საჩუქრის შეფუთვა გნებავთ? | naturaluri matqlia da gamdzle. sachukris sheputva gnebavt? | It's natural wool and durable. Would you like gift wrapping? |
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. გუშინ ვიყიდე, მაგრამ წუნდებულია.” (gamarjoba. gushin viqide, magram tsundebulia.) — Hello. I bought it yesterday, but the item is defective.. 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.