თუ შეიძლება
“თუ შეიძლება” (tu sheidzleba) — please in Georgian. Adverb, level A0, topic — polite words. Literally 'if it is possible'. Georgian has no dedicated word for please — it is a two-word workaround. In a live sentence: “ერთი ყავა, თუ შეიძლება” — One coffee, please. You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters თ, უ, შ, ე, ი, ძ, ლ, ე, ბ, ა. One of 8 words in the set “polite words” in the Georgian course.
In short
| Written in Georgian | თუ შეიძლება |
| Read in Latin letters | tu sheidzleba |
| Translation | please |
| Part of speech | adverb |
| Level | A0 |
- თუ შეიძლებაtu sheidzlebaplease
Why it looks that way
Literally 'if it is possible'. Georgian has no dedicated word for please — it is a two-word workaround
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 ყავა, თუ შეიძლებაerti qava, tu sheidzlebaOne coffee, please
Nearby words: polite words
“Thank you”, “please” and “sorry” carry you while the rest of the words are still missing: with them even a gesture reads as a request rather than a demand.
- მადლობაmadlobathank youFrom madli — grace, favor. Doubled into didi madloba it simply means a big thank you
- გმადლობთgmadlobtI am gratefulThe polite form of madloba: the -t on the end is the respectful 'you'. Use it with elders and strangers
- არაფრისaraprisyou're welcomeLiterally 'for nothing' — the standard reply to madloba, in the same spirit as 'not at all'
- როგორ ხართ?rogor khart?how do you do?The same -t on the end as in the polite thank-you: politeness and plurality in one letter
- თქვენtkvenyou (plural)Both the plural you and the polite you — English 'you all' covers it well
- უკაცრავადukatsravadexcuse meThe polite way to address a stranger: passing through, asking the time, catching a waiter
- ბოდიშიbodishisorryThe short apology for a small fault: you bumped someone, you are late. Ukatsravad is the same but politer
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “polite words”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “please” in Georgian?
Literally 'if it is possible'. Georgian has no dedicated word for please — it is a two-word workaround
- How do you say “sorry” in Georgian?
The short apology for a small fault: you bumped someone, you are late. Ukatsravad is the same but politer
- How do you say “excuse me” in Georgian?
The polite way to address a stranger: passing through, asking the time, catching a waiter
- How do you say “you (plural)” in Georgian?
Both the plural you and the polite you — English 'you all' covers it well
- How do you say “how do you do?” in Georgian?
The same -t on the end as in the polite thank-you: politeness and plurality in one letter
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 “please” in Georgian?
«თუ შეიძლება», read “tu sheidzleba”. In a live sentence: “ერთი ყავა, თუ შეიძლება” — One coffee, please. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Adverb, level A0, from the set “polite words”; written with the characters თ, უ, შ, ე, ი, ძ, ლ, ე, ბ, ა.
How is “თუ შეიძლება” written in Latin letters?
tu sheidzleba. 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?
Literally 'if it is possible'. Georgian has no dedicated word for please — it is a two-word workaround. 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.