Start with გამარჯობა (gamarjoba): hello. Then add a goodbye, a time-of-day greeting, and a short introduction. These examples come from the greetings lessons in Tbilingo, with recordings you can replay as you read.
Everyday greetings to listen to
Read the Georgian line first, use the Latin hint if you need help, and check the recording. A useful first set is hello, goodbye, and excuse me. Add the morning and evening greetings when that first set feels familiar.
| Georgian | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| გამარჯობაgamarjoba | Hello | |
| ნახვამდისnakhvamdis | Goodbye | |
| დილა მშვიდობისაdila mshvidobisa | Good morning | |
| გამარჯობა, როგორ ხარ?Gamarjoba, rogor khar? | Hello, how are you? | |
| უკაცრავადukatsravad | Excuse me | |
| შუადღე მშვიდობისაshuadghe mshvidobisa | Good afternoon | |
| საღამო მშვიდობისაsaghamo mshvidobisa | Good evening |
The Latin spellings are pronunciation hints. Some Georgian sounds do not have an exact English equivalent; use the pronunciation guide for comparisons with audio.
How to ask “How are you?”
როგორ ხარ? (rogor khar?) is the informal question used in the conversation below. A polite or plural version is როგორ ხართ? (rogor khart?). The added final consonant changes the form, so pay attention to the whole phrase.
This formal/informal distinction is introduced in the greetings section of the Peace Corps Georgian lessons. In Tbilingo’s beginner conversation, the two speakers use informal forms.
Read a short exchange
This extract from New Friends shows the question and a reply together. Listen once for the meaning, then again while following the Georgian text.
როგორ ხარ?
How are you?
კარგად ვარ, მადლობა. შენ?
I’m fine, thank you. And you?
მეც კარგად ვარ.
I’m fine too.
Notice შენ? at the end of the reply: in this conversation, it means “And you?” Learning the reply and follow-up together gives you more to say than memorizing a question by itself.
Introduce yourself
The next part of the same conversation asks for a name. Listen for the repeated words across the question and answer.
რა გქვია?
What’s your name?
მე მქვია ანა. შენ?
My name is Ana. And you?
მე მქვია ნიკა. სასიამოვნოა.
My name is Nika. Nice to meet you.
Try reading the exchange with a partner, taking one line each. If you are practicing alone, pause after the question and say the reply before playing its recording.
Practice three things you can remember
- Say hello and goodbye without looking at the translations.
- Ask “How are you?” and give the reply from the example.
- Listen to the name question and identify the two names in the replies.
Check the names
The speakers introduce themselves as Ana (ანა) and Nika (ნიკა).
When you are ready, read the longer conversation and counting story, or use Tbilingo’s sentence exercises to practice putting the words together.