At the doctor about the back in Georgian
At the doctor: the back has hurt for three days, an X-ray is ordered in Georgian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «გამარჯობა, ექიმო. მესამე დღეა ზურგი მტკივა.» — Hello, doctor. My back has hurt for three days now.; «გამარჯობა. დაწექით, გასინჯვა მინდა. ტკივილი სად იწყება?» — Hello. Lie down, I want to examine you. Where does the pain start? 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 doctor: the back has hurt for three days, an x-ray is ordered. 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, ექიმო. მესამე დღეა ზურგი მტკივა.gamarjoba, ekimo. mesame dghea zurgi mtkiva.Hello, doctor. My back has hurt for three days now.
- გამარჯობა. დაწექით, გასინჯვა მინდა. ტკივილი სად იწყება?gamarjoba. datsekit, gasinjva minda. tkivili sad itsqeba?Hello. Lie down, I want to examine you. Where does the pain start?
- წელის ქვემოთ. საღამოს თავს უფრო ცუდად ვგრძნობ.tselis kvemot. saghamos tavs upro tsudad vgrdznob.Below the lower back. In the evening I feel worse.
- სახსარი მთელია, მაგრამ რენტგენი მაინც გადავაღებინოთ.sakhsari mtelia, magram rentgeni maints gadavaghebinot.The joint is intact, but let's still do an X-ray.
- რენტგენი დღესვე შეიძლება?rentgeni dghesve sheidzleba?Can the X-ray be done today?
- დიახ, მეორე სართულზე. მერე გამოკვლევის პასუხით მოდით.diakh, meore sartulze. mere gamokvlevis pasukhit modit.Yes, on the second floor. Then come back with the examination results.
- ტკივილგამაყუჩებელი შეიძლება დავლიო?tkivilgamaquchebeli sheidzleba davlio?Can I take a painkiller?
- შეიძლება, დღეში ორჯერ, მაგრამ ერთ კვირაზე მეტს ნუ დალევთ.sheidzleba, dgheshi orjer, magram ert kviraze mets nu dalevt.Yes, twice a day, but don't take it for more than a week.
Lines one by one
| Georgian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| გამარჯობა, ექიმო. მესამე დღეა ზურგი მტკივა. | gamarjoba, ekimo. mesame dghea zurgi mtkiva. | Hello, doctor. My back has hurt for three days now. |
| გამარჯობა. დაწექით, გასინჯვა მინდა. ტკივილი სად იწყება? | gamarjoba. datsekit, gasinjva minda. tkivili sad itsqeba? | Hello. Lie down, I want to examine you. Where does the pain start? |
| წელის ქვემოთ. საღამოს თავს უფრო ცუდად ვგრძნობ. | tselis kvemot. saghamos tavs upro tsudad vgrdznob. | Below the lower back. In the evening I feel worse. |
| სახსარი მთელია, მაგრამ რენტგენი მაინც გადავაღებინოთ. | sakhsari mtelia, magram rentgeni maints gadavaghebinot. | The joint is intact, but let's still do an X-ray. |
| რენტგენი დღესვე შეიძლება? | rentgeni dghesve sheidzleba? | Can the X-ray be done today? |
| დიახ, მეორე სართულზე. მერე გამოკვლევის პასუხით მოდით. | diakh, meore sartulze. mere gamokvlevis pasukhit modit. | Yes, on the second floor. Then come back with the examination results. |
| ტკივილგამაყუჩებელი შეიძლება დავლიო? | tkivilgamaquchebeli sheidzleba davlio? | Can I take a painkiller? |
| შეიძლება, დღეში ორჯერ, მაგრამ ერთ კვირაზე მეტს ნუ დალევთ. | sheidzleba, dgheshi orjer, magram ert kviraze mets nu dalevt. | Yes, twice a day, but don't take it for more than a week. |
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, ექიმო. მესამე დღეა ზურგი მტკივა.” (gamarjoba, ekimo. mesame dghea zurgi mtkiva.) — Hello, doctor. My back has hurt for three days now.. 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.