Tickets for the play in Georgian
At the theater box office: choosing a play and seats in Georgian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «გამარჯობა, შაბათს რა სპექტაკლი გაქვთ?» — Hello, what play do you have on Saturday?; «შაბათს კომედიაა, კვირას კი ახალი დადგმის პრემიერა.» — On Saturday a comedy, and on Sunday the premiere of a new production. 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: at the theater box office: choosing a play and seats. 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, შაბათს რა სპექტაკლი გაქვთ?gamarjoba, shabats ra spektakli gakvt?Hello, what play do you have on Saturday?
- შაბათს კომედიაა, კვირას კი ახალი დადგმის პრემიერა.shabats komediaa, kviras ki akhali dadgmis premiera.On Saturday a comedy, and on Sunday the premiere of a new production.
- პრემიერა უფრო მაინტერესებს. ვინ არის რეჟისორი?premiera upro mainteresebs. vin aris rezhisori?The premiere interests me more. Who is the director?
- ახალგაზრდა რეჟისორი, მაგრამ სიუჟეტი ცნობილი რომანიდანაა.akhalgazrda rezhisori, magram siuzheti tsnobili romanidanaa.A young director, but the plot is from a well-known novel.
- წიგნი წამიკითხავს. მთავარ როლს ვინ თამაშობს?tsigni tsamikitkhavs. mtavar rols vin tamashobs?I've read the book. Who plays the main role?
- ის მსახიობი, რომელიც დოკუმენტურ ფილმშიც გამოჩნდა.is msakhiobi, romelits dokumentur pilmshits gamochnda.The actor who also appeared in the documentary.
- ორი ბილეთი მინდა, სცენასთან ახლოს. რა ღირს?ori bileti minda, stsenastan akhlos. ra ghirs?I want two tickets, closer to the stage. How much is it?
- ორმოცდაათი ლარი თითო. ბილეთებს ახლავე დაგიბეჭდავთ, აფიშა კი შესასვლელთან ჰკიდია.ormotsdaati lari tito. biletebs akhlave dagibechdavt, apisha ki shesasvleltan hkidia.Fifty lari each. I'll print the tickets right away, and the poster hangs by the entrance.
Lines one by one
| Georgian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| გამარჯობა, შაბათს რა სპექტაკლი გაქვთ? | gamarjoba, shabats ra spektakli gakvt? | Hello, what play do you have on Saturday? |
| შაბათს კომედიაა, კვირას კი ახალი დადგმის პრემიერა. | shabats komediaa, kviras ki akhali dadgmis premiera. | On Saturday a comedy, and on Sunday the premiere of a new production. |
| პრემიერა უფრო მაინტერესებს. ვინ არის რეჟისორი? | premiera upro mainteresebs. vin aris rezhisori? | The premiere interests me more. Who is the director? |
| ახალგაზრდა რეჟისორი, მაგრამ სიუჟეტი ცნობილი რომანიდანაა. | akhalgazrda rezhisori, magram siuzheti tsnobili romanidanaa. | A young director, but the plot is from a well-known novel. |
| წიგნი წამიკითხავს. მთავარ როლს ვინ თამაშობს? | tsigni tsamikitkhavs. mtavar rols vin tamashobs? | I've read the book. Who plays the main role? |
| ის მსახიობი, რომელიც დოკუმენტურ ფილმშიც გამოჩნდა. | is msakhiobi, romelits dokumentur pilmshits gamochnda. | The actor who also appeared in the documentary. |
| ორი ბილეთი მინდა, სცენასთან ახლოს. რა ღირს? | ori bileti minda, stsenastan akhlos. ra ghirs? | I want two tickets, closer to the stage. How much is it? |
| ორმოცდაათი ლარი თითო. ბილეთებს ახლავე დაგიბეჭდავთ, აფიშა კი შესასვლელთან ჰკიდია. | ormotsdaati lari tito. biletebs akhlave dagibechdavt, apisha ki shesasvleltan hkidia. | Fifty lari each. I'll print the tickets right away, and the poster hangs by the entrance. |
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, შაბათს რა სპექტაკლი გაქვთ?” (gamarjoba, shabats ra spektakli gakvt?) — Hello, what play do you have on Saturday?. 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.