Travel Tips

Georgian is like nothing I've ever heard before...full of impossible letters and death rattles. The alphabet doesn't really encourage you to pick up words and phrases quickly, so it is certainly worth studying/memorizing before you leave for Georgia. The alphabet isn't as hard as it looks, although I must confess I still don't recognise some of the letters!! You can get hold of a phrasebook in Tbilisi, at Prospero Books, an English language bookstore in a courtyard off Rustavelis Gamziris (look out for a tiny signpost opposite the opera house). They also sell a small selection of postcards (very rare in Georgia...I didn't see any others, apart from some atrocious ones in the post office), and a very nice, but expensive, cafe. The staff all speak fluent English, and are very friendly, helping me to write in Georgian on my postcards home!
The phrasebook isn't bad, although it is hard to find the phrase you want...it is almost as if the author carried out some simple conversations and wrote them down as she said them....some phrases are more useful than others! There are also some amusing spelling mistakes in the English, such as "Two tickles please", included in the "At the tickle office" section! But this book was a lifesaver, especially outside Tbilisi, where not many people speak English, and I found it extremely useful to memorize a few phrases before trying to find accommodation.
So, here are a few basic phrases with which to astonish (or amuse) native Georgians:

Hello = Gamarjobat
Please = Tu sheidzleba
Thank you = Madlobt
Thank you very much = (dzalian) Didi madloba
How are you? = Rogora khart?
I'm fine, thanks = Me kargad, madlobt
And you? = Da shen?
Good Morning = Dila mshvidobisa
Good evening = Saghamo mshvidobisa
Goodnight = Ghame mshvidobisa
Excuse me = Ukatsrovat
Yes = Diakh (formal), Ki (neutral...I used this most often), Kho (informal...like "yeah")
No = Ara

Good = Kargia
Big = Didi
Small = Patara
Water = Tsgali
Tea = Chai
Beer = Ludi (Georgian)/Piva (Russian)
Bread = Puri
Today = Dghes
Tomorrow = Khval

I want = Me minda
You want = Shen ginda
He/she wants = Mas unda
We want = Tkven gvinda
You (pl) want = .... gindat
They want = .....undat
(Please note...this is not the pattern for every verb...in fact it is irregular!)
(also note...you don't need to say the pronouns me, shen, etc....it is OK to say "minda" for "I want")
I don't want = me ar minda

I am going = Me mivdivar
You are going = Shen midixar (the "x" is pronounced like "kh")
He/she is going = es midi

I want to go to Tbilisi = Me minda tsavide Tbilis-shi
(To say you want to go "to" somewhere, you add "shi" to your destination. If your destination ends in letter "i" (and most Georgian towns do), remove it, before adding the suffix. So "To Tbilisi" becomes Tbilis-shi, and "to Kazbegi" becomes Kazbegshi.

I like = Me momtsons
You like = Shen mogtsons

I know = Me vitsi
You know = Shen itsis
You know = itsit..........this is the plural form, but also the polite form, to use if you don't know someone...a bit like Tu and Vous in French

I don't speak (know) Georgian = Kartuli ar vitsi
Do you speak (know) English? = Inglisuli itsit?
French = Pranguli
German = Germanuli (hard "g")
Turkish = Turkuli
Arabic = Arabuli

I am English/from England = Me Ingliseli var

What? = Ra? What is it? = Ra aris?
How? = Rogor?
How many? = Ramdeni? How much? = Ra girs?
Which? = Romeli?
Where? = Sad? Where is? = Sad aris?
Why? = Ratom?
Who? = Vin?
When? = Rodis?

What's the Georgian for....? = Rogor aris .... kartulad?
This = es
That = is

1 = Erti
2 = Ori
3 = Sami
4 = Otkhi
5 = Khuti (make sure you get the kh...if you say it with a normal k, it means the male genitals!!)
6 = Ekvsi
7 = Shvidi
8 = Rva
9 = Tskhra
10 = Ati
11 = Tertmeti
12 = Tormeti
13 = Tsameti
14 = Totkhmeti
15 = Tkhutmeti
16 = Tekvsmeti
17 = Tshvidmeti
18 = Tvrameti (not trvameti!)
19 = Tskhrameti
20 = Otsi
21 = Otsdaerti (twenty and one)
22 = Otsdaori

30 = Otsda ati (twenty and ten)
31 = Otsdatertmeti (twenty and eleven)
40 = Ormotsi
50 = Ormotsda ati (forty and ten)
60 = Samotsi
70 = Samotsda ati (sixty and ten)
80 = Otkhmotsi
90 = Otkhmotsda ati (eighty and ten)
100 = ? I've forgotten!!

To make something plural is easy, as long as you know exactly how many:
One ticket = Erti Bilet
Two tickets = Ori Bilet

BUT...if you don't know how many (i.e., you just want to say "tickets") it becomes complicated, and I'm not entirely sure how to say it....so try to know how many you want!!

Prices are quite easy. The Lari is divided into 100 Tetri.
1 Lari = Erti Lari
50 tetri = Ormotsda ati tetri
9 Lari 75 tetri = Tskhra lari samotsda tkhutmeti tetri

House = Sakhl
In the house/At home = Sakhls
To the house = Sakhlshi
From the house = Sakhldan

Where are you going? = Sad midixart?
Where are you coming from? = Saidan modixart?

Street = Kucha e.g Shevardnadze Street = Shevardnadzis Kuchas
Avenue = Gamziri e.g Rustaveli Avenue = Rustavelis Gamziris

I like Georgia = Me momtsons Sakartvelos

Love = Sikwaruli (you will hear this millions of times, as every Georgian pop song includes this word....must be one of the longest words for "love" in any language...can anyone beat it?")
I love you = Me mixvarxar

Cheers = Gaumarjos (you will use this word a lot!!!)