ერთი
“ერთი” (erti) — one in Georgian. Numeral, level A0, topic — numbers and counting. In an order it works as an indefinite article: erti qava is simply 'a coffee', not strictly one cup. In a live sentence: “ერთი ბილეთი, თუ შეიძლება” — One ticket, please. You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters ე, რ, თ, ი. One of 57 words in the set “numbers and counting” in the Georgian course.
In short
| Written in Georgian | ერთი |
| Read in Latin letters | erti |
| Translation | one |
| Part of speech | numeral |
| Level | A0 |
- ერთიertione
Why it looks that way
In an order it works as an indefinite article: erti qava is simply 'a coffee', not strictly one cup
A word with a story stays in memory longer than one learned as a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
In a live sentence
A single word almost never appears alone in conversation. A sentence shows where it fits and what stands next to it.
- ერთი ბილეთი, თუ შეიძლებაerti bileti, tu sheidzlebaOne ticket, please
Nearby words: numbers and counting
A price, the change, a house number, the time you agreed on, the floor. Numbers are the first thing you have to catch by ear — and the first thing people say fast.
- ორიoritwoOrmotsi (forty) and orasi (two hundred) are built on it: the root shows in both
- სამიsamithreeThe same root inside samotsi (sixty) and samasi (three hundred)
- ოთხიotkhifourHence otkhshabati, Wednesday: literally 'fourth day', the week counted from Saturday
- ხუთიkhutifiveThe kh here is deep and hoarse, made far back in the throat — further back than English h
- ექვსიekvsisixFour consonants in a row and a single vowel. The ordinal grows its own extra e: meekvse, sixth
- შვიდიshvidisevenDo not mix up with shvidasi (seven hundred) — the opening is the same. The ordinal is meshvide
- რვაrvaeightA word with no vowel at all. In Georgian that is normal, not a typo
- ცხრაtskhranineThree consonants in a row and a single vowel at the end — also perfectly normal
- ათიatitenPast twenty Georgian counts in twenties: forty is literally 'two twenties'
- თერთმეტიtertmetielevenHides the familiar erti (one) and meti (more): 'ten and one more'. The whole teens are assembled this way
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “numbers and counting”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “one” in Georgian?
In an order it works as an indefinite article: erti qava is simply 'a coffee', not strictly one cup
- How do you say “eight” in Georgian?
A word with no vowel at all. In Georgian that is normal, not a typo
- How do you say “four” in Georgian?
Hence otkhshabati, Wednesday: literally 'fourth day', the week counted from Saturday
- How do you say “eleven” in Georgian?
Hides the familiar erti (one) and meti (more): 'ten and one more'. The whole teens are assembled this way
- How do you say “seven” in Georgian?
Do not mix up with shvidasi (seven hundred) — the opening is the same. The ordinal is meshvide
How not to forget this word
Reading a word and remembering it are different jobs. A day later, little survives of a single reading — and that is not bad memory, that is how memory works.
- This has been tested on foreign words too. The difference shows up most when you test yourself a few days later rather than straight away.checked many timesKim & Webb, 2022, Language Learning 72(2) · 48 experiments, 3,411 participants, 98 comparisons.
- 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.
- An answer you worked out yourself sticks better than one handed to you.checked many timesBertsch et al., 2007, Memory & Cognition 35(2) · 86 studies, 445 comparisons, d = 0.40.
Frequently asked
How do you say “one” in Georgian?
«ერთი», read “erti”. In a live sentence: “ერთი ბილეთი, თუ შეიძლება” — One ticket, please. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Numeral, level A0, from the set “numbers and counting”; written with the characters ე, რ, თ, ი.
How is “ერთი” written in Latin letters?
erti. This is a practical spelling — you need it to read aloud and be understood, not to meet an academic standard.
Why does this word look the way it does?
In an order it works as an indefinite article: erti qava is simply 'a coffee', not strictly one cup. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
Can I hear how it sounds?
Yes, right on this page: click the word and it will play. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.