Advice before the exam in Georgian
A friend advises what to do the night before the exam in Georgian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «ხვალ გამოცდა მაქვს და თითქმის არაფერი წამიკითხავს.» — I have an exam tomorrow, and I've read almost nothing.; «შენს ადგილას ღამეს არ გავათევდი. ძილი უფრო დაგეხმარება.» — In your place I wouldn't stay up all night. Sleep will help you more. 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 friend advises what to do the night before the exam. 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.
- ხვალ გამოცდა მაქვს და თითქმის არაფერი წამიკითხავს.khval gamotsda makvs da titkmis araperi tsamikitkhavs.I have an exam tomorrow, and I've read almost nothing.
- შენს ადგილას ღამეს არ გავათევდი. ძილი უფრო დაგეხმარება.shens adgilas ghames ar gavatevdi. dzili upro dagekhmareba.In your place I wouldn't stay up all night. Sleep will help you more.
- ადრე უნდა მომემზადებინა, ვიცი.adre unda momemzadebina, vitsi.I should have prepared earlier, I know.
- ეს ახლა აღარ შველის. ძირითადად პირველი თავი გაიმეორე.es akhla aghar shvelis. dziritadad pirveli tavi gaimeore.That won't help now. Review mainly the first chapter.
- ერთ ღამეში ყველაფერს ვერ მოვასწრებ.ert ghameshi qvelapers ver movastsreb.I won't manage everything in one night.
- რაც შეიძლება სწრაფად წაიკითხე და მერე დაიძინე.rats sheidzleba stsrapad tsaikitkhe da mere daidzine.Read as fast as you can and then get some sleep.
- თუ ვერ ჩავაბარებ, მაშინ რა ვქნა?tu ver chavabareb, mashin ra vkna?If I fail, what then?
- ცდა ღირს. თუ ვერ ჩააბარებ, მეორედ ჩაბარებაც შეიძლება.tsda ghirs. tu ver chaabareb, meored chabarebats sheidzleba.It's worth trying. If you fail, you can take it a second time.
Lines one by one
| Georgian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| ხვალ გამოცდა მაქვს და თითქმის არაფერი წამიკითხავს. | khval gamotsda makvs da titkmis araperi tsamikitkhavs. | I have an exam tomorrow, and I've read almost nothing. |
| შენს ადგილას ღამეს არ გავათევდი. ძილი უფრო დაგეხმარება. | shens adgilas ghames ar gavatevdi. dzili upro dagekhmareba. | In your place I wouldn't stay up all night. Sleep will help you more. |
| ადრე უნდა მომემზადებინა, ვიცი. | adre unda momemzadebina, vitsi. | I should have prepared earlier, I know. |
| ეს ახლა აღარ შველის. ძირითადად პირველი თავი გაიმეორე. | es akhla aghar shvelis. dziritadad pirveli tavi gaimeore. | That won't help now. Review mainly the first chapter. |
| ერთ ღამეში ყველაფერს ვერ მოვასწრებ. | ert ghameshi qvelapers ver movastsreb. | I won't manage everything in one night. |
| რაც შეიძლება სწრაფად წაიკითხე და მერე დაიძინე. | rats sheidzleba stsrapad tsaikitkhe da mere daidzine. | Read as fast as you can and then get some sleep. |
| თუ ვერ ჩავაბარებ, მაშინ რა ვქნა? | tu ver chavabareb, mashin ra vkna? | If I fail, what then? |
| ცდა ღირს. თუ ვერ ჩააბარებ, მეორედ ჩაბარებაც შეიძლება. | tsda ghirs. tu ver chaabareb, meored chabarebats sheidzleba. | It's worth trying. If you fail, you can take it a second time. |
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?
“ხვალ გამოცდა მაქვს და თითქმის არაფერი წამიკითხავს.” (khval gamotsda makvs da titkmis araperi tsamikitkhavs.) — I have an exam tomorrow, and I've read almost nothing.. 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.