Little words in Georgian
23 words
დიახdiakh— yes
dear, ah: “DEAR? AH… yes,” your grandmother says politely, looking up from her book. DI-AKH is the polite yes.
არაara— no
arrr: You ask a pirate for his treasure map. He folds his arms: “ARRR-a!” No.
მეme— I
me: Who ate the last khachapuri? “ME!” Georgian agrees: მე is both I and me, no I-versus-me fuss at all.
შენshen— you (one person)
shenanigans: Someone's been up to SHENanigans, and every finger points at YOU: SHEN! One person, informal; the polite or plural you is თქვენ.
ესes— this
yes: You point at the cake: “THIS one?” — “YES!” Drop the y and you've got it: ES, this.
დაda— and; sister
ta-da: Your SISTER pulls a rabbit AND a dove AND a scarf from her hat: “Ta-DA, and DA, and DA!” და is both and and sister.
აქak— here
ჩვენchven— we
chain: WE all hold hands in a human CHAIN across the square: CHVEN!
მაგრამmagram— but
my RAM: The game looks amazing, BUT MY RAM can't handle it: ma-g-RAM!
ძალიანdzalian— very
zillion: Not just a lot: a ZILLION, VERY very many. DZA-li-an!
თქვენtkven— you (polite or plural)
the Queen: Mumble “the QUEEN” fast and clipped: T-KVEN. It's the polite “you”, fit for royalty, and also “you all” when the whole court is there.
იქik— there
ick: Over THERE, on the floor: a squashed sandwich. “ICK!” You point at it from far away: IK, there. And “here” is აქ (ak).
ისis— he, she, it; that
is: Point and ask “Who IS that?”: ის (is). He, she, it or that: Georgian has no gender, so one tiny word covers them all.
კიk'i— yes (casual)
key: You turn the KEY and the lock clicks open: “K'I!” Yes! A quick, clipped, casual yes; the polite one is დიახ (diakh).
ბევრიbevri— a lot, many
beavers: A river so packed with BEAVERS there's barely any water left: MANY, MANY beavers. BEV-ri.
ცოტაtsot'a— a little
tot: “Just a TOT,” says Grandpa, finger and thumb a hair apart: only a LITTLE. ts-OT'-a.
ისინიisini— they
I see knees: THEY think they're hiding behind the curtain, but I SEE KNEES, lots of them: i-SI-ni.
ანan— or
an: AN apple OR AN orange? Only one fits in your hand. Georgian keeps just the little word in the middle: AN means OR.
კიდევk'idev— more, again
kid: Swing the KID round once and she shouts “MORE! AGAIN!”: K'ID-ev.
მეცmets— me too
me: “Who wants ice cream?” You shoot your hand up: “ME-ts!” Georgian მე really is “ME”, and the -ც (ts) on the end means “too”.
ყველაq'vela— everyone, all
quell: One look from Grandma QUELLs EVERYONE at the table: q'-VEL-a, all of them. Careful: ყველი (q'veli) is cheese.
არაფერიaraperi— nothing
a rapper: A RAPPER grabs the mic, the crowd hushes… and he says nothing at all: A-RAP-ER-i — nothing.
ალბათalbat— probably, maybe
albatross: A sailor squints at an ALBATross: will it bring good luck? Probably… ALBAT — probably, maybe.
Read them yourself
Learn the 33 letters first, in one or two evenings. Then the app teaches these words, each read letter by letter, and brings each one back just before you would forget it.