30 Essential Georgian Phrases for Your First Trip to Tbilisi

Good from morning to night, and with anyone. Inside it is the old word for victory. To be polite, or to greet several people, add -t: gamarjobat. The usual reply is gagimarjos.

Word for word, "until we see each other", like au revoir.

The everyday thanks, for friends, shops and strangers alike. Make it bigger with didi madloba, thank you very much. The formal gmadlobt is mostly met on receipts and signs.

Ask t'ualet'ebi sad aris?, where are the toilets? Both t' sounds are ejectives; -ebi makes the plural.

The everyday yes, for anyone. Diakh is the polite yes for a stranger, and ho the easy one among friends.

A plain no that stands alone, as in English. Ara, madloba is no, thank you.

The cry for help in an emergency, called to anyone near. The emergency number in Georgia is 112. A calmer "help me, please" is damekhmaret.

Word for word, "if it is possible": Georgian has no single word for please. Put it at either end of a request: chai, tu sheidzleba, tea, please.

The apology, for a trodden foot or a late arrival. To stop a stranger and ask something, use uk'atsravad instead.

Opens a question to a stranger, or gets you past someone on a full bus. Say it before the trouble; bodishi comes after.

Where a thing is. It goes before the verb: sad aris?, where is it? To ask where someone is from, use saidan instead.

I understand, or I hear. Put ar in front when you do not: ar mesmis, I don't understand.

For when Georgian comes too fast: nela, tu sheidzleba, slowly, please.

The answer to madloba. Word for word, "of nothing": araperi is nothing.

How much and how many in one word: ramdeni ghirs?, how much is it? The gh is said at the back of the throat, close to a French r.

Ask for it with angarishi, tu sheidzleba. The same word is a bank account and a reckoning: every way of counting what is owed.

No apostrophes here: its p, t and k are the breathy kind, as in English.

Ts'q'ali is a famous mouthful: an ejective ts', then an ejective q' deep in the throat. A near miss is understood.

Word for word, "morning of peace". Good until about midday; after that, gamarjoba serves. Answer with the same words.

Name the food first, with -ze, on: rdzeze alergia makvs, I'm allergic to milk. Show it written down too, to be safe.

Barati is a card; -it, by, makes baratit, by card: baratit gadakhda sheidzleba?, can I pay by card? Carry cash for markets.

Ask for one with magida oristvis, tu sheidzleba. Ori is two, and -stvis makes it "for two". For three, say samistvis.

Ask met'ro sad aris?, where is the metro? Sad aris ...? works with any place: try it with t'ualet'i or aptiaki from the list above.

Ask for one with erti bileti, tu sheidzleba. Erti is one. After a number the noun stays singular: ori bileti, two tickets.

He helps, she helps. To ask a stranger, say shegidzliat damekhmarot?, can you help me? In an emergency, shout mishvelet! instead.

Isev is again: shegidzliat es isev tkvat?, could you say that again? Start with bodishi to make it softer.

Stop, said politely to a taxi or minibus driver: ak gaacheret, tu sheidzleba, stop here, please. Ak is here.

Sasts'rapo, "urgent", is what Georgians call the ambulance: sasts'rapo gamoidzakhet!, call an ambulance! The emergency number is 112.

Add -a, is, for gemrielia!, it's delicious! Georgians are proud of their food, and every host hopes to hear this.

Dzalian tskhare minda, I would like it very spicy. Georgian food is seldom very hot, so ask. To keep it mild, say tskhare ar minda, I don't want it spicy.