Basic words in Georgian
303 words Georgian words on the topic “basic words”: დიახ — yes, ჰო — yeah, არა — no, კარგად — well. 303 words can be played from recordings.
303 words on the topic
- დიახdiakhyesThe polite yes: for elders and strangers. Between friends the short ho does the job instead
- ჰოhoyeahThe everyday yes of friends and family. To a stranger answer diakh — that is the respectful one
- არაaranoAlso the negation particle: ar vitsi means 'I don't know' — one word doing both jobs
- კარგადkargadwellAlso a farewell: kargad! alone means 'all the best!' when you part
- ცუდადtsudadbadlyThe partner of kargad: both adverbs end in -ad. The adjective is tsudi, bad
- ძალიან კარგადdzalian kargadvery wellDzalian means 'very', from dzala, strength. Said with a smile it closes most small talk
- დაdaandThe very same word means 'sister'; only the place in the sentence tells: deda da mama, mother and father, but chemi da, my sister
- მაგრამmagrambutIts bookish partner is tumca, 'however'. In speech magram is what sounds most often
- ნახევარიnakhevarihalfAfter a number it is the market's most used word: nakhevari kilo, half a kilo
- კიდევ ერთიkidev ertione moreKidev is 'more'. In a cafe it is half of every order: kidev erti qava
- საკმარისიაsakmarisiathat's enoughLiterally 'it is sufficient': again -a playing 'is'. When they pour you a drink, this is what you say
- სულsulin totalSul otsi lari — twenty lari in total. The second meaning is 'constantly'; the sentence tells them apart
- მეტიmetimoreAbout quantity: meti tsqali, more water. For comparing qualities there is upro
- ნაკლებიnaklebilessThe same root as in pasdakleba, discount — that is where a price gets reduced
- მძიმეmdzimeheavythe mdz at the start is not 'm-d-z' said apart: m and dz are pronounced together, in one motion
- მსუბუქიmsubukilightweightAbout weight and about food: msubuki sadili, a light lunch
- ახალიakhalinewHence akhali tseli, New Year. About bread and fruit the same word means 'fresh'
- ძველიdzvelioldOnly about things. About a person 'old' is mokhutsi, and mixing them up is offensive
- გატეხილიgatekhilibrokenFrom tekha, to break. About machinery they more often say gapuchebuli — spoiled
- ყველაფერი რიგზეაqvelaperi rigzeaeverything is finerigi is order, -ze is on, -a is is: literally 'everything is on order'
- ყველაფერი კარგადააqvelaperi kargadaaeverything is OKqvelapery is everything, kargad is already familiar, and the -aa at the end is 'is'
- ადამიანიadamianipersonFrom the name Adam. About people in general one more often says khalxi — folk, people; adamiani is one individual
- თერთმეტიtertmetielevenHides the familiar erti (one) and meti (more): 'ten and one more'. The whole teens are assembled this way
- თორმეტიtormetitwelveThe same recipe: ori (two) plus meti. A dozen eggs at the market comes out as tormeti kvertskhi
- ცამეტიtsametithirteenthe opening ts is aspirated, with a soft puff of air, lighter than the ejective ts: tsa-me-ti
- თოთხმეტიtotkhmetifourteenThe familiar otkhi (four) squeezed to otkh, with the t-...-meti frame left in place
- თხუთმეტიtkhutmetififteenFrom khuti (five). There is no word for a quarter hour: Georgians say fifteen minutes
- თექვსმეტიtekvsmetisixteenFrom ekvsi (six). Three consonants in a row in the middle — kvs — is normal for Georgian
- ჩვიდმეტიchvidmetiseventeenFrom shvidi (seven), but the opening switched from sh to ch — the only such spot in the series
- თვრამეტიtvrametieighteenFrom rva (eight), with the letters reshuffled — the root is hard to recognize. Adulthood in Georgia starts at eighteen
- ცხრამეტიtskhrametinineteenThe familiar tskhra (nine) survives intact. The last number in the -meti series
- ოციotsitwentyThe teens break off here: otsi is a new counting unit, not 'ten and ten'. Georgian then counts by twenties — forty is literally two twenties
- ოცდაათიotsdaatithirtyRead it in pieces: otsi (twenty) plus da (and) plus ati (ten). A long word, but assembled from three you know
- ორმოციormotsifortyOri (two) plus otsi (twenty): two twenties. The French quatre-vingts lives by the same logic
- ორმოცდაათიormotsdaatififtyForty and ten: ormotsi plus da plus ati. Do not add the parts aloud — the word already means fifty
- სამოციsamotsisixtySami (three) plus otsi: three twenties. The women's pension age in Georgia is exactly this number
- სამოცდაათიsamotsdaatiseventySixty and ten. The same formula as fifty, and it is the one people trip over most often
- ოთხმოციotkhmotsieightyOtkhi (four) plus otsi: four twenties. The last clean twenty-based number in the system
- ოთხმოცდაათიotkhmotsdaatininetyEighty and ten — the longest number below a hundred. After this the system gives up and counts normally
- ასიasihundredA short word after all those long ones: the twenties end here. Two hundred and three hundred follow the familiar pattern
- ათასიatasithousandInside are ati (ten) and asi (hundred): literally 'ten hundreds'. Keep it distinct from asi by ear — one syllable apart
- მილიონიmilionimillionA borrowing with the obligatory -i. Tbilisi holds ert milionze meti people — more than a million
- ნულიnulizeroAbout temperature and about the score. On the phone digits are read one by one, and zero is named outright
- პირველიpirvelifirst (ordinal)the opening p is ejective: the lips snap open sharply, with no puff of air
- მეორეmeoresecondThe me-...-e frame around ori (two) — the way every ordinal from the second on is built
- მესამეmesamethirdThe same frame around sami (three). It also builds professions — mebaghe, gardener — so its job is wider than counting
- ბოლოbololastAlso 'the end': kuchis bolo, the end of the street. The familiar bolos, 'finally', is this same word in a case
- რამდენიramdenihow manyYou have asked ramdeni ghirs (how much is it) and ramdeni tslishi khar (how old are you): one word for countable and uncountable alike
- წყვილიtsqvilia pairtwo hard sounds in a row, as in tsqali: a sharp ejective ts and then the deep throaty q — tsqvi-li
- ცალიtsaliitemThe counting word when buying: khuti tsali, five of them. Also 'one of a pair': tsali kheli, one of your two hands
- პროცენტიprotsentipercentThe same word as bank interest: a share of a hundred and the price of credit are one thing here. Ati protcenti is a share of ten
- ყოველიqovelieverythe opening q is the deep guttural, from the very bottom of the throat: qo-ve-li
- ვინvinwhoVin asks about a person, ra about a thing, and they are not interchangeable: vin aris? — who is it; ra aris? — what is it
- რატომratomwhythe t is a sharp t with a glottal catch, no puff of air: ra-tom
- რისთვისristviswhat forthe cluster stv runs together with no inserted vowel: ris-tvis
- რომელიromeliwhichIt picks from the known — which one of them. About a quality one asks a different word: rogori, what kind
- ვისიvisiwhoseIt is vin in the genitive: who becomes whose. In the same way risi, 'of what', comes from ra
- არავინaravinnobodyAr, not, plus vin, who. The verb is negated too — aravin ar aris: the double negative is standard here
- რაღაცraghatssomethingthe gh is a throaty gargled g from deep down, as in ghvino; the final ts is aspirated
- ორივეorivebothOri, two, plus -ve — the same particle as in qvela, all. The noun after it stays singular
- არ ვიციar vitsiI don't knowthe ts is aspirated, softer than the sharp ejective ts: ar vi-tsi
- ხედვაkhedvato seethe kh is a full-on kh as in 'loch', not the light exhale h: khed-va
- გაგონებაgagonebato hearGeorgian splits hearing and listening: gagoneba is to make out, mosmena is to listen on purpose. In speech there is also mismis, I hear and understand at once
- ძილიdzilito sleepthe dz is one fused dz sound, not d plus z: dzi-li
- ზიდვაzidvato carryGeorgian more often points the direction: motana, bring here; tsagheba, take there. Zidva is to carry a load, with no direction
- დადგმაdadgmato set uprightthree consonants in the middle — dgm — are said with no inserted vowel: dad-gma
- გატეხვაgatekhvato break (something)the t is a sharp t with no puff, and kh follows as a full-on kh: ga-tekh-va
- აშენებაashenebato buildHence mshenebloba, construction, and mshenebeli, builder. The personal form: vasheneb, I build
- ბევრიbevrimanyWorks as adverb and modifier alike: bevri khalxi, many people; bevrs vmushaob, I work a lot
- ცოტაtsotalittletwo different t-sounds in one word: the ts with a puff, the t sharp and with no puff
- რბილიrbilisoftthe word starts with two consonants, rb, with no vowel between them: rbi-li
- მაგარიmagarihardIn speech the same word means 'cool, great': magaria! The subject tells them apart: cheese is hard, a film is cool
- სველიsveliwetHence sveli tsertili, 'wet point' — the listings' name for an apartment's bathroom
- მშრალიmshralidrymshr — three consonants in a row at the start of the word, with no vowel: mshra-li
- თხელიtkhelithinthe t and kh are two different sounds in a row, an aspirated t and a kh: tkhe-li
- ღრმაghrmadeepexactly one vowel in the word, and it is the last one: ghr-ma
- მრგვალიmrgvaliroundfour consonants before the first vowel — mrgv — read in one motion: mrgva-li
- საითsaitwhere tothe final th is aspirated, with a light puff: sa-it
- ყველგანqvelganeverywherethe opening q is a guttural click from the very depth, the same one as in qava and qveli
- არსადarsadnowhereAr, not, plus sad, where — exactly the way aravin is built from ar and vin. The verb next to it is negated too
- რთულიrtulicomplicatedBoth difficult and intricately built. The opposite is advili, easy. Heavy in weight is a different word, mdzime — rtuli chanta would sound strange
- რისკიriskiriskTo take a risk is riskis gacveva, literally 'to carry a risk'. The adjective sarisko means risky: sarisko gadacyvetileba — a risky decision. To insure a risk: riskis dazgveva
- სათადარიგო გეგმაsatadarigo gegmabackup planAn abstraction held up by usage: satadarigo gegma mavqs — I have a backup plan; satadarigo gegmis gareshe — without one. gegma is any plan, dagegmva is planning
- უსიამოვნებაusiamovnebatroubleAssembled as the negative of the pleasant: siamovneba is pleasure, and u- takes it away. Used with the verb moxda: usiamovneba moxda — trouble happened; usiamovnebashi chavvardi — I got into trouble
- მიზეზიmizezicauseIt holds on usage: ra mizezit? — for what reason; mizezis gareshe — without reason; amis mizezi isaa, rom… — the reason for this is that… Don't confuse with mizani, a goal: the cause stands behind the event, the goal ahead
- შედეგიshedegiresultUsage: shedegad — as a result; kargi shedegi — a good result; shedegi moitana — it brought results. In the plural shedegebi is also the results of tests or elections
- ამიტომamitomthereforeIt stands at the start of the second sentence, the one with the consequence: cvima movida, amitom saxlshi davrchit. The order 'cause — amitom — consequence' is rigid; they don't swap places. The word itself is assembled from am, this, and -itom, just like imitom
- იმიტომ რომimitom rombecause (full clause)The mirror of amitom: here the cause comes second. saxlshi davrchi, imitom rom cvimda. The word rom is obligatory — without it the link doesn't work; the bookish shorter variant is radgan, and it opens the clause
- ამის გამოamis gamobecause of thisgamo is the postposition 'because of', and it follows the word in the genitive: cvimis gamo — because of the rain; amis gamo — because of this. English puts the preposition in front, Georgian the postposition behind, and the order is not rearranged
- დამოკიდებულიაdamokidebuliato depend onA ready third-person form: 'it depends'. On what — the postposition -ze: es shenzea damokidebuli — this depends on you; amindzea damokidebuli — it depends on the weather. Note that the copula -a often jumps onto the previous word
- მიზეზის ახსნაmizezis akhsnato explain the causeaxsna you know from the study unit as 'an explanation' — here the same word in a phrase. Live forms: mizezi amixseni — explain the reason to me; ver avxseni — I couldn't explain
- მიზანიmizaniaimUsage: miznad davisaxe — I set it as my aim; ra miznit? — for what purpose; mizans mivaghcie — I reached the aim. Note that the a drops out of the middle in declension: mizani, but miznis, miznad
- აზრიazrisenseOne word for three: thought, opinion and sense. Usage decides: azri ar avqs — there is no sense; chemi azrit — in my opinion; kargi azria — a good thought. In the media unit it already stood in public opinion
- დასკვნაdaskvnaconclusionfour consonants in a row, no vowel between: da-skvna
- შესაძლებლობაshesadzleblobaopportunitythe dz is one voiced dz sound: she-sadz-leb-lo-ba
- შესაძლებელიაshesadzlebeliait is possibleNot an adverb but a whole predicate: 'is possible'. So it stands where English says 'it is possible', and it demands rom with the subjunctive after it: shesadzlebelia, rom dagviandes. For 'maybe' Georgian takes another word — shesadzloa — and it is already in the course
- შეუძლებელიაsheudzlebeliait is impossibleThe partner of shesadzlebelia, assembled with the u- prefix: 'without possibility'. Usage: sheudzlebelia amis gaketea — doing this is impossible; sheudzlebeli araperia — nothing is impossible
- საჭიროებაsachiroebanecessitythe ch is ejective — sharp, no puff of air: sa-chi-ro-e-ba
- აუცილებლადautsilebladdefinitelyAn adverb in -ad from aucionilebeli, obligatory. Double usage: a promise — aucionileblad moval — I'll definitely come — and a requirement — aucionileblad unda gaaketo — you must do it. The official 'mandatory' on paper is written differently: savaldebuloa
- მომიწევსmomitsevsI'll have tothe ts is sharp, no puff of air: mo-mi-tsevs
- ნებადართულიაnebadartuliaallowedA word of signs: photos gadagheba nebadartulia. Inside are neba, permission, and dartuli — granted — the same neba as in nebartva from the documents unit. In conversation they say it simpler: sheidzleba
- აკრძალულიაakrdzaluliaforbiddenthe rdz is r and the fused dz in a row: ak-rdza-lu-lia
- არჩევანიarchevanichoiceUsage: arcevani gavakete — I made a choice; arcevani ar mavqs — I have no choice; didi arcevania — a wide choice in the store. The same root in the elections from the state unit
- ვარიანტიvariantioptionA borrowing, but with Georgian usage: ori variantia — there are two options; sauketeso varianti — the best option; sxva varianti ar darcha — no other option was left
- ეჭვიechvidoubtthe ch is ejective — sharp, no puff of air, shorter and harder than the plain ch: ech-vi
- ეჭვი მეპარებაechvi meparebato doubtThere is no separate verb: a Georgian says 'doubt creeps up on me'. The middle changes: mepareba — to me; gepareba — to you; epareba — to him. What you doubt takes -shi: amashi echvi mepareba
- დარწმუნებულიdartsmunebulisurethe rc is r and a sharp ts in a row: dar-tsmu-ne-bu-li
- არ მგონიაar mgoniahardlyLiterally 'it doesn't seem so to me' — the liveliest way to say it. It opens the reply and then takes rom with the subjunctive: ar mgonia, rom movides. The bookish variant is naklebadi savaraudoa, but you will almost never hear it in speech
- ალბათalbatprobablythe th is an aspirated t at the end: al-bat
- ზუსტადzustadexactlyAn adverb in -ad from zusti, precise. Three usages: precision — zustad xut saatze, at exactly five o'clock; agreement — zustad aseaa — exactly so; and certainty — zustad vici — I know for sure
- მგონიაmgoniait seems to meThe 'to me' is already inside: mgonia — to me; ggonia — to you; hgonia — to him. No separate pronoun needed. It stands before the thought or after it: mgonia, rom cdebi, or cdebi, mgoni. The short mgoni is the most common form in speech
- სინამდვილეშიsinamdvileshiin factOne word in the locative case: sinamdvile, reality, plus -shi, in. Parenthetical, opens the sentence and refutes what came before: amboben, rom zviria; sinamdvileshi iapia — they say it's expensive; in fact it's cheap
- ვვარაუდობvvaraudobto assumetwo v in a row, the first one is 'I': vva-ra-u-dob
- დარწმუნებული არ ვარdartsmunebuli ar varI'm not sureNote the order: the negation ar stands not before the adjective but before the linking verb, breaking apart what English keeps together. Not ar dacmunebuli var, but dacmunebuli ar var
- გამოცდილებაgamotsdilebaexperienceFrom gamocda, a trial: experience is what has been tried. Usage: gamocdileba mavqs — I have experience; gamocdilebit vici — I know from experience; cudi gamocdileba — a bad experience. In the work unit the same word stood in work experience
- შემთხვევაshemtkhvevacaseA workhorse: am shemtxvevasbi — in this case; qovel shemtxvevasbi — in any case; shemtxvevit — by chance; saciroebis shemtxvevasbi — if necessary. In the insurance unit it stood in the insured event, and in the news its place is taken by incidenti
- მაგალითიmagalitiexampleUsage: magaliti moiqvane — give an example; kargi magalitia — a good example; magalits igebs — he takes example. At school the same word means an arithmetic problem
- მაგალითადmagalitadfor exampleThis is magaliti in the adverbial case in -ad — 'as an example'. It opens the clarification and takes a comma: bevri ram mecvonia, magalitad, mtebi
- განსხვავებაganskhvavebadifferencefour consonants in a row: gan-sxva-ve-ba
- შედარებაshedarebacomparisonIn the advertising unit this word already stood in comparing prices. On its own it is also an adverb in the form shedarebit — comparatively: shedarebit iapia. What you compare with takes the postposition -tan
- განსხვავდებაganskhvavdebato differA ready third-person form: the noun gansxvaveba is already taken by 'difference', so the verb has to be taken alive. What it differs from takes -isgan: es varianti pirvelisgan gansxvavdeba. About yourself: vgansxvavdebi
- მსგავსიmsgavsisimilarthree consonants at the start of the word: msgav-si
- მსგავსებაmsgavsebaresemblanceA noun from msgavsi, exactly as gansxvaveba from gansxvavebuli. These two words walk as a pair: msgavseba metia, vidre gansxvaveba — there is more resemblance than difference
- ცვლილებაtsvlilebachange (alteration)the cvl is ts, v and l in a row at the start: cvli-le-ba
- ჯერ ერთიjer ertifirst of allThe place is rigid: the very start of the sentence, then a comma and the full thought — jer erti, es zviria. It has only one partner, meorec; a third point is not counted with this pair — there they switch to pirveli, meore, mesame
- მეორეცmeoretssecondlyThis is meore, second, plus the particle -c, which means 'and, too' and always attaches last. It opens the second argument, after the comma: jer erti, zviria; meorec, sorsaa. You saw the same -c in romelic
- უპირველეს ყოვლისაupirveles qovlisaabove allthe q is a throaty stop deep in the throat: qov-li-sa
- გარდა ამისაgarda amisabesidesHere is a rare order for Georgian: garda stands before the word, not after it, though by function it is a postposition. The phrase opens a sentence that adds an argument: garda amis, pasic gaizarda
- სხვათა შორისskhvata shorisby the waythe sxv is s, kh and v in a row: sxva-ta
- საერთო ჯამშიsaerto jamshiall in allLiterally 'in the common sum': jami is a sum, a total. The phrase draws the line and opens the closing sentence: saerto jams, girda. Don't confuse with zogadad — 'generally speaking'
- მოკლედ რომ ვთქვათmokled rom vtkvatin shortfour consonants in a row, no vowel between: vtkvat
- სხვა სიტყვებით რომ ვთქვათskhva sitqvebit rom vtkvatin other wordsthe tq is a sharp t and the throaty q in a row: si-tqve-bit
- მთავარიmtavarithe main thingthe mt is m and an aspirated t at the start: mta-va-ri
- ბოლოს და ბოლოსbolos da bolosin the endA doubling of bolo, the end — Georgian loves doubled adverbs, as in drodadro. The place is twofold: at the start of a conclusion and in an irritated question: ra ginda bolos da bolos?
- თუმცაtumtsaalthoughIt works both ways, and the place differs. As 'although' it opens a concession inside the sentence: cavedi, tumca ar mindoda. As 'however' it starts a new sentence: tumca es arapers cvlis. The comma before it is obligatory, and the verb of its clause stays in place
- სამაგიეროდsamagierodbut thenIt stands as the first word of the sentence where a plus is traded for a minus: nomeri pataraa, samagierod iapia. Inside is magieri, a substitute, in return: the word means exactly 'in exchange'
- პირიქითpirikiton the contrarythe p sharp, the q aspirated: pi-ri-kit
- მიუხედავადmiukhedavaddespiteIt stands before a word in the genitive: cvimis miuxedavad — despite the rain. Before a whole clause it unfolds into the formula miuxedavad imisa, rom…: miuxedavad imisa, rom dagvianda, movascrit. The rom part goes first
- თუმცაღაtumtsaghahoweverthe gh is voiced and throaty, like a French r: tum-tsa-gha
- ერთი მხრივerti mkhrivon the one handIt opens the first half of a weighing and almost always demands meore mxriv to follow. mxriv is the instrumental of mxare, a side — the same one as in one-way traffic from the road unit
- მეორე მხრივmeore mkhrivon the other handThe second half of the pair, and its place is the start of the second sentence. Note that Georgian says 'from the second side', not 'from the other': meore, not sxva. This one form is the correct one
- მიუხედავად ამისაmiukhedavad amisaneverthelessHere miuxedavad already carries the pronoun amisa, of this, and the order is the reverse of the usual: the postposition word has moved to the front. The whole phrase opens the sentence and refers to what was said: zviria; miuxedavad amis, viqide
- ამის ნაცვლადamis natsvladinsteadnacvlad is the postposition 'instead of', and it follows the word in the genitive: amis nacvlad, chems nacvlad — instead of me. English order is the mirror image, and that is the most common mistake: not nacvlad amis
- მაინცmaintsanywayIts place is inside the sentence, usually right before the verb: maints caval — I'll go anyway. The final -c is the same particle as in meorec and romelic. A second usage, chemtvis maints aris in the sense 'I don't care', is rare; for that they usually say sul eria
- შემთხვევითshemtkhvevitby accidentThe instrumental from shemtxveva, a case, from the thought unit: 'by case'. The place is before the verb. It also politely softens a question: shemtxvevit ar ici? — do you happen to know?
- განზრახganzrakhon purposethe nzr is n, z and r in a row: gan-zrakh
- წარუმატებლობაtsarumateblobafailurethe ts is sharp, no puff of air: tsa-ru-ma-teb-lo-ba
- ნაბიჯ-ნაბიჯnabij-nabijstep by stepA doubling of nabiji, a step, through the hyphen — the usual Georgian way to say 'one at a time': cvet-cvetad, drop by drop; cal-calke, separately. The final -i drops out in the doubling
- მოქმედებების თანმიმდევრობაmokmedebebis tanmimdevrobaorder of operationsmoqmedeba is an action, tanmimdevroba is a sequence. In order: tanmimdevrobit. In an appliance's manual it is the first thing you look for
- დაწვრილებითdatsvrilebitin detailthe ts is sharp, no puff of air: da-tsvri-le-bit
- შენი სიტყვებითsheni sitqvebitin your own wordsthe t and q in a row — both sharp: si-tqve-bit
- მარტივად რომ ვთქვათmartivad rom vtkvatsimply putthe t sharp, no puff of air: mar-ti-vad
- მაგალითი მომიყვანეmagaliti momiqvanegive an examplethe q is a deep throaty k: mo-mi-qva-ne
- მაჩვენე, როგორ კეთდებაmachvene, rogor ketdebashow how it's donethe k sharp, no puff of air: qet-de-ba
- გასაგებია?gasagebia?is that clear?Literally 'is it understandable?': gasagebi, understandable, plus -a. The question differs from the statement only by intonation — there is no question word here. Politer: gasagebia, xom?
- ახლა გასაგებიაakhla gasagebianow it's clearThe same gasagebia, but with axla, now, and without the question — it is the answer to someone who has just explained. Shorter and livelier: aha, gasagebia
- დავიბენიdavibeniI got confusedFrom dabneva, to bewilder: davibeni — I got confused, lost. A confused person is dabneuli. They also say ambavi ameria — everything got mixed up on me
- გახსენებაgakhsenebato recallA verbal noun from maxsendeba. I recalled — gamaxsenda, and the subject in this verb is not 'I' but the recollection itself. To memorize from wave one is damaxsovreba — the xs root is the same
- დავიწყებაdavitsqebato forget (once)the ts sharp, the q a throaty k: da-vi-tsqe-ba
- განზრახვაganzrakhvaintentionAn intention as a thought-out decision. On purpose is ganzrax — the same word without the ending. I have no such intention: aseti ganzraxva ar mavqs
- გადაფიქრებაgadapikrebato change one's mindFrom fikri, thinking, with the preverb gada-, which means 're-': the same re- in carrying over and in paying. I changed my mind: gadavifikre
- ყველაფერი გეგმის მიხედვითqvelaperi gegmis mikhedviteverything is going to planthe q is a deep throaty k: qve-la-pe-ri
- თუ გამოვაtu gamovaif it works outtu is if; gamova — it will come out — the future of the same gamosvla as in gamomivida. The cautious promise in Georgian sounds exactly so
- ჯერ არ გადამიწყვეტიაjer ar gadamitsqvetiaI haven't decided yetthe ts sharp, the q a throaty k: ga-da-mi-tsqve-tia
- ყველაფერი შეიცვალაqvelaperi sheitsvalaeverything changedthe q is a deep throaty k: qve-la-pe-ri
- უკეთესობისკენuketesobiskenfor the betterthe k sharp, no puff of air: u-ke-te-so-bis-ken
- უარესობისკენuaresobiskenfor the worsethe k sharp, no puff of air: u-a-re-so-bis-ken
- ეკუთვნისekutvnisbelongThe verb carries the owner inside: mekutvnis is 'belongs to me', gekutvnis to you, ekutvnis to him. No separate 'to me' is needed
- სხვისიskhvisisomeone else'sFrom skhva, another, in the genitive: someone else's is 'of another'. A stranger in the sense of unfamiliar is utskho, a different word
- საერთოsaertosharedFrom erti, one: shared is 'brought down to one'. The same word stands in saerto jamshi, in the total
- ბიძგებაbidzgebapushFrom bidzgi, a push. On the doors in Tbilisi you will read not this word but mitsiet (push away) and gamotsiet (pull toward)
- გაწევაgatsevapullts is a sharp short ts with no puff of air: ga-tse-va
- დარტყმაdartqmahitthe rtq cluster has no vowels, with an ejective t and the guttural q: dar-tqma
- მეტრიmetrimetreWritten as it sounds, with the Georgian -i at the end. After a number it does not change: ori metri, khuti metri — always singular
- სანტიმეტრიsantimetricentimeterThe same metri with the prefix santi-. In speech it is often shortened to sm
- კილომეტრიkilometrikilometerthe opening k is ejective: the tongue snaps off the palate and the sound cuts off, with no puff of air
- ლიტრიlitriliterOn the bottle and at the pump you will see L. One and a half liters is ertnakhevari litri
- გრამიgramigramThe pair to the familiar kilogrami: a thousand grams is a kilogram. Recipes write gr
- წონაtsonaweightthe opening ts is a sharp clipped ts, not a soft hissing one: tso-na
- სიგრძეsigrdzelengththe grdz cluster with no vowel: si-grdze, three consonants in a row
- სიგანეsiganewidthThe same si-…-e frame, the root ganieri, wide. Length and width differ by one syllable: sigrdze and sigane
- სიმაღლეsimaghletotal heightThe same word as a person's height in the looks unit: Georgian does not split height and stature. The root is maghali, tall
- სიღრმეsighrmedepthgh is a rolled throaty sound, like a French r, then rm with no vowel: si-ghrme
- დაახლოებითdaakhloebitapproximatelythree vowels in a row at the start — da-a-khlo-e-bit, and none of them is swallowed
- თითქმისtitkmisalmostboth t's are aspirated, and the k is aspirated too: tit-kmis with a puff of air
- ზუსტადzustadpreciselyThe same word as 'precisely' in the time unit: Georgian does not split 'exactly two liters' and 'exactly so'. The ending -ad turns zusti into an adverb
- საშუალოდsashualodon averageEnglish takes three words, Georgian one: sashualo, average, plus the adverbial -ad. An average figure is sashualo machvenebeli
- ორჯერorjertwice as muchThe suffix -jer is the 'times': ertkhel, orjer, samjer. 'Twice as cheap' is orjer iapi, 'twice as big' orjer meti
- ციფრიtsipridigitthe ts is aspirated, softer than the sharp ejective ts: tsi-pri
- მეოთხედიmeotkhediquarterA fraction is built by the me-…-edi frame around a number: otkhi becomes meotkhedi, sami mesamedi, khuti mekhutedi. Half falls out of the row — nakhevari
- აწონვაatsonvaweights is a sharp clipped ts: a-tson-va
- ზედმეტიzedmetiextraLiterally 'beyond the measure': zed (on top of) plus meti (more). The adverb from it is the familiar zedmetad, too much
- ცარიელიtsarieliemptythe opening ts is a soft hissing ts with a light puff, not the sharp ejective: tsa-ri-e-li
- თავის არიდებაtavis aridebaavoidLiterally 'to turn one's head away': again tavi in the role of 'self'. The living form is veridebi, I avoid
- ფაქტიpaktifactthe p with a puff, the k with a puff, and the t ejective: pak-ti
- კითხვაkitkhvaquestionthe opening k is ejective and the kh is raspy: kit-khva
- მნიშვნელოვანიmnishvnelovaniimportantthe mn and shvn clusters: mni-shvne-lo-va-ni, fewer vowels than it looks
- დადებითიdadebitipositivethe ejective t at the end: da-de-bi-ti
- უარყოფითიuarqopitinegativethe guttural q and the ejective t: u-ar-qo-pi-ti
- შედარებითshedarebitcompared toA postposition, not a preposition: what you compare with stands before it in the dative — sharchan shedarebit, compared to last year
- ისეთივეisetivethe sameThe particle -ve means 'the very same': iseti, such, becomes isetive. The full turn is isetive…, rogorc, 'the same … as'
- უპირატესობაupiratesobaadvantagethe p is ejective: u-pi-ra-te-so-ba
- ნაკლიnaklidrawbackthe k is ejective, and the word holds one vowel: nak-li
- შედეგებიshedegebiconsequencesThe plural of the familiar shedegi, a result: consequences and results share one word, and the context tells them apart
- გათვალისწინებაgatvalistsinebatake into accountthe listsi run, with an ejective ts: ga-tva-lis-tsi-ne-ba
- სავარაუდოდsavaraudodmost likelyEnglish takes two words, Georgian one: varaudi, an assumption, in the sa-…-od frame. Sabednierod and samtsukharod are built the same way
- დანამდვილებითdanamdvilebitfor surethe mdv cluster has no vowel: da-nam-dvi-le-bit
- ალბათობაalbatobaprobabilityThe -oba frame around the familiar albat, probably — it turns the adverb into a noun. A high probability is maghali albatoba
- ვარაუდიvaraudiassumptionThe pair to savaraudod from this lesson. To assume is varaudobs
- როგორც ჩანსrogorts chansit seemsLiterally 'as it is visible': chans means 'it shows'. The turn opens the phrase, and in speech no comma separates it, only in writing
- უნდა იყოსunda iqosmust bethe q is the guttural, deeper than a plain k: un-da i-qos
- ეს შეუძლებელიაes sheudzlebeliacannot bedz is one fused dz sound: she-u-dzle-be-lia
- სულ მცირეsul mtsireat leastthe mts cluster has no vowel: mtsi-re
- ყოველ შემთხვევაშიqovel shemtkhvevashiin any casea guttural q and the mtkhv cluster: qo-vel shem-tkhve-va-shi
- ყოველი შემთხვევისთვისqoveli shemtkhvevistvisjust in caseIt differs from the previous turn by one postposition: -shi (in the case) against -istvis (for the case). The first draws the line, the second is about having a reserve
- რომromif onlyThe real 'if' is tu, while the unfulfilled one is rom, and the verb after it takes the ending -di. Rom stands after the first word of the clause: puli rom mkondes, 'if I had money'
- იმ პირობითim pirobiton conditionthe p is ejective: im pi-ro-bit
- მაშინაც კი, თუmashinats ki, tueven ifLiterally 'and then even, if'. The particle -ts and the word ki together give 'even'; the order inside the turn does not change
- ამ შემთხვევაშიam shemtkhvevashiin that caseThe same shemtkhveva, a case, as in 'in any case', but with the pointing am — 'in this case'
- თორემtoremotherwiseNot 'in another way' but 'or else': ichkare, torem dagviandebi, 'hurry, or else you will be late'. Otherwise in the sense of differently is skhvanairad
- მაშინmashinat that pointBoth 'at that moment' and 'in that case': mashin patara viqavi and mashin tsavidet. The stress falls on the first syllable
- იმისათვის, რომimisatvis, romin order toAfter this turn the verb must stand in the subjunctive: imisatvis rom movasvtso. Shorter, people use the verbal noun on -ad: mosastsrebad
- თითქოსtitkosas ifboth t's are aspirated and the k too: tit-kos with a puff of air
- იმის მაგივრად, რომimis magivrad, romrather thanFrom magivrad, in exchange. Simpler, people use the verbal noun: darekvis magivrad, 'instead of calling'
- ძირითადადdziritadadmostlydz is one fused dz sound: dzi-ri-ta-dad
- როგორც წესიrogorts tsesias a rulethe ts is a sharp clipped ts with a cut-off end: tse-si
- თითქმის ყველაtitkmis qvelaalmost everyonethe q is the guttural, deeper than a plain k: qve-la
- გამონაკლისიgamonaklisiexceptionthe k is ejective: ga-mo-nak-li-si
- და ასე შემდეგda ase shemdegand so onLiterally 'and so further'. In writing it is shortened to da a.sh., where English writes its own abbreviation
- განსხვავებითganskhvavebitunlikethe nskhv run is four consonants in a row: gan-skhva-ve-bit
- გარდაgardaexceptEnglish puts a preposition first, Georgian a word after the noun in the genitive: chemi garda, 'except me'. The familiar garda amisa means 'besides that'
- მთლად არაmtlad aranot quitethe opening mt has no vowel, and the t is aspirated: mtlad
- მეტ-ნაკლებადmet-naklebadmore or lessLiterally 'more-less': two familiar words joined by a hyphen. The same naklebi as in nakli, a drawback
- ძლივსdzlivswith difficultydz is one fused dz sound, and the word holds one vowel: dzlivs
- ცდა ღირსtsda ghirsworth tryingthe ts is aspirated and the gh throaty: tsda ghirs
- უნდა მექნაunda meknashould havethe k is an aspirated k: un-da mek-na
- ყველაზე კარგადqvelaze kargadbest of alla guttural q and an ejective k: qve-la-ze kar-gad
- ყველაზე ცუდადqvelaze tsudadworst of allThe pair to 'best of all', built the same way. Worse as a comparison is uaresad, a different word
- რაც შეიძლება სწრაფადrats sheidzleba stsrapadas fast as possiblethe sts cluster has no vowel, with an ejective ts: stsra-pad
- ტყუილადtquiladin vainthe tq pair: an ejective t and the guttural q in a row — tqui-lad
- თავის გართმევაtavis gartmevacopeAgain tavi in the role of 'self': literally 'to take hold of oneself'. The living form is tavi gavartve, 'I coped'
- მცდელობაmtsdelobaattemptthe opening mts has no vowel: mtsde-lo-ba
- ანუanuthat isOne short word where English takes two. The familiar skhva sitkiebit, in other words, is longer and more bookish
- აღმოჩნდაaghmochndait turned outa throaty gh and the chnd cluster: agh-mo-chn-da
- შედეგადshedegadas a resultThe familiar shedegi with the adverbial -ad — the English phrase has folded into one word. 'As a result of this' is amis shedegad
- იწვევსitsvevsleads tothe ts is a sharp clipped ts with a cut-off end: i-tsvevs
- წყალობითtsqalobitthanks tothe tsq pair: a sharp ejective ts and the guttural q in a row — tsqa-lo-bit
- პირველივე ცდაზეpirvelive tsdazeon the first trythe p is ejective and the ts aspirated: pir-ve-li-ve tsda-ze
- ორასიorasitwo hundredOri (two) plus asi (hundred), fused with no space: or-asi. Twenties end at the hundred; from there numbers are added together
- სამასიsamasithree hundredSami (three) and asi melt into one word, the final -i of the three dropping off: sam-asi. Georgian writes a number as one word
- ოთხასიotkhasifour hundredFrom otkhi (four). The rule in full view: the -i leaves, asi glues on — every hundred up to nine hundred works like this
- ხუთასიkhutasifive hundredFrom khuti (five). Georgia's largest banknote is named with the same word plus a suffix — the five-hundred-lari note
- ექვსასიekvsasisix hundredkh is aspirated, with a light puff of breath: ek-vsa-si, every consonant stays audible
- შვიდასიshvidasiseven hundredFrom shvidi (seven). To the ear it is one word, not 'seven hundred': Georgian never splits its hundreds
- რვაასიrvaasieight hundredthe two a's in a row do not merge: rva-a-si, four syllables
- ცხრაასიtskhraasinine hundredFrom tskhra (nine), again with a double a at the seam. The last hundred before the familiar thousand
- მეოთხეmeotkhefourthThe me-...-e frame around otkhi (four): the number's final -i drops off and -e takes its place
- მეხუთეmekhutefifthThe same frame around khuti (five). Ordinals behave like adjectives: they stand before the noun and describe rather than count
- მეექვსეmeekvsesixthdo not merge them: me-ek-vse, the first e belongs to the prefix, the second to the root
- მეშვიდეmeshvideseventhFrom shvidi (seven). The seventh day of the Georgian week is kvira, Sunday — the week starts on Monday
- მერვეmerveeighthFrom rva (eight), but the root is reshuffled inside: not 'mervae' but merve. The only bumpy spot in the whole series
- მეცხრეmetskhreninthFrom tskhra (nine): the frame eats the final a — me-tskhr-e. Three consonants in a row, just as in the number itself
- მეათეmeatetenthFrom ati (ten). The frame keeps working on any number: meotse, twentieth; mease, hundredth
- მეასეmeasehundredthThe same frame around asi (hundred). The hundreds build ordinals the same way: meorase, two hundredth
- ანanorDoubled, it means 'either ... or': an chai, an qava
- აგრეთვეagretvealsoThe bookish word. In speech the little particle -tse usually does the job: mets, 'me too' — one letter instead of a whole word
- მხოლოდmkholodonlyFour consonants in a row at the start — and Georgian calls that modest
- უკვეukvealreadyShort and frequent. In the negative the sense shifts: ukve aghar — 'no longer'
- კიდევkidevstillCovers 'still' in time and 'one more' alike: kidev erti qava — one more coffee
- მეტისმეტადmetismetadtoo muchmeti (more) is visible twice inside: literally 'more than more'
- ერთადertadtogetherFrom erti (one) with the adverb tail -ad: literally 'into one'
- არ შეიძლებაar sheidzlebanot allowedSheidzleba, 'it is possible', with the negator ar in front. Signs go further: akrdzalulia, 'forbidden'
- საჭიროაsachiroamustUnda stands before the verb: unda davelodet, we must wait. In speech it is the usual way
- ცხოვრებაtskhovrebalifeAlso the action noun of the verb 'to live'. Five consonants in a row at the start: tskhovr
- სურვილიsurvilito wantThe living form is minda, and its subject stands in the dative: not 'I want' but 'it wants to me'
- შეძლებაshedzlebato be ableThe living form is shemidzlia, and its subject is also dative — built just like minda
- სიტყვაsitqvawordAlso 'speech': in the phrase 'to deliver a speech' it is sitqva that does the job
- საქმეsakmematterBoth a matter as an occupation and a matter as an affair. 'What is the matter?' is said with exactly this word
- ხერხიkherkhiwayWatch the trap: the same word means 'saw'. Method and saw share one Georgian word
- ადვილადadviladeasilyFrom advili, easy, with the adverb tail -ad. That is how all adverbs are made
- ძნელადdzneladhard (with effort)From dzneli, hard, with the same tail -ad. The partner of advilad
- რომromso thatThe course met rom as 'if only'. It is the general clause linker: with a wish-form verb it means 'so that'
- თუtuifShort tu opens the condition. The same word asks yes-no questions: ar vitsi, tu mova — I don't know if he will come
- სანამsanamwhile (all the time)The course met sanam as 'until': one word holds both senses, and the verb tells them apart — sanam mushaobs, while he works
- რაკიrakisinceOpens a cause both speakers already know: raki aseaa — well, since it is so. The k is ejective
- ოღონდoghondjust to (so that)Adds a rider to something already agreed: let's go, if only it is not for long. The gh is deep and throaty, the final d lands with no vowel after it
- ასე რომase romsoFrom ase, thus, and the same rom. It stands before the conclusion, set off by a comma from what the conclusion follows from
- შორისshorisbetweenFollows the noun instead of leading it, and the noun takes the dative: or sakls shoris. Such words are called postpositions
- მახლობლადmakhlobladnearAlso a postposition on the right, with the noun in the genitive: sakhlis makhloblad. Everyday speech prefers the glued tail -tan: sakhltan
- ნაცვლადnatsvladinstead ofA postposition, and the noun before it changes case: chais natsvlad, instead of tea; chems natsvlad, instead of me. Nothing may stand to its left
- წინააღმდეგtsinaaghmdegagainstA postposition with the genitive: omis tsinaaghmdeg, against the war. Hidden inside is tsina, 'in front': to stand face to face
- გარეშეgareshewithoutA postposition standing on the right: shakris gareshe, without sugar; shens gareshe, without you
- -თვის-tvisforNo separate word at all: -tvis glues onto the end of the noun — bavshvistvis, for the child; shentvis, for you. There is never a space before it
- შესახებshesakhebaboutA postposition with the genitive: tsignis shesakheb, about the book. Everyday speech usually gets by with the tail -ze
- შემდეგshemdegafter (later)A postposition with the genitive: gaketilebis shemdeg, after the lesson. Left without a noun, the same word simply means 'then'
- დროსdrosduringA frozen case form of dro, time: gaketilebis dros, during the lesson. English needs two words; Georgian has one
- გამოgamobecause ofA postposition with the genitive, and only about cause: tsvimis gamo, because of the rain. For place — 'from around the corner' — it will not do at all
- გარშემოgarshemoaroundA postposition with the genitive: sakhlis garshemo, around the house. It can also stand alone as an adverb: garshemo tqea — forest all around
- გავლითgavlitthroughThe course met gavlit as 'across': one word for both senses, with the genitive on its left. 'In an hour' is not a word at all but the ending -shi: ert saatshi
- შიგნიდანshignidanfrom the insideThe tail -dan means 'from': shignit is inside, shignidan is from the inside. The same tail in sakhlidan — from the house
- ახლომახლოakhlomakhlonearbyAn echo word: akhlo said twice with the sounds swapped. Georgian repeats like this to mark approximation — 'somewhere close'
- პასუხიpasukhianswerThe course gave pasukhi as a verb, 'to answer': one word holds both the action and its result. The p is ejective, with no puff
- პრობლემაproblemaproblemAn international word with the Georgian tail -a. The native sakithi means rather 'question, matter', with no disaster inside
How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
- დიახ, გისმენთdiakh, gismentYes, I am listening
- ჰო, მეც მოვდივარho, mets movdivarYes, I am coming too
- არა, მადლობაara, madlobaNo, thank you
- ყველაფერი კარგად არისqvelaperi kargad arisEverything is fine
- დღეს თავს ცუდად ვგრძნობdghes tavs tsudad vgrdznobToday I feel bad
- ყველაფერი ძალიან კარგად წავიდაqvelaperi dzalian kargad tsavidaEverything went very well
What is worth knowing about these words
დიახ (diakh) — yes. The polite yes: for elders and strangers. Between friends the short ho does the job instead
ჰო (ho) — yeah. The everyday yes of friends and family. To a stranger answer diakh — that is the respectful one
არა (ara) — no. Also the negation particle: ar vitsi means 'I don't know' — one word doing both jobs
კარგად (kargad) — well. Also a farewell: kargad! alone means 'all the best!' when you part
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is დიახ (diakh) — yes.
- What is this word?
It is მაგრამ (magram) — but.
- What is this word?
It is მძიმე (mdzime) — heavy.
- What is this word?
It is ადამიანი (adamiani) — person.
- What is this word?
It is ჩვიდმეტი (chvidmeti) — seventeen.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “yes” in Georgian?
The polite yes: for elders and strangers. Between friends the short ho does the job instead
- How do you say “but” in Georgian?
Its bookish partner is tumca, 'however'. In speech magram is what sounds most often
- How do you say “heavy” in Georgian?
Also 'comma' — the mark that weighs down a sentence
- How do you say “person” in Georgian?
From the name Adam. About people in general one more often says khalxi — folk, people; adamiani is one individual
- How do you say “seventeen” in Georgian?
From shvidi (seven), but the opening switched from sh to ch — the only such spot in the series
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Yes, no, good, bad, very. The small change of a language — and no sentence assembles without it.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- This holds not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “yes” in Georgian?
«დიახ», read “diakh”. The polite yes: for elders and strangers. Between friends the short ho does the job instead. It is one of 303 words in the set “basic words” — the rest are in the table above.
How many basic words do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 303 words on this page covers nearly every everyday case on the topic — but it is best taken a few at a time, not all at once.
Is there audio?
Yes, 303 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.