Describing words in Georgian
25 words
კარგიk'argi— good
cargo: The dockworker checks the CARGO crate by crate: all GOOD. K'AR-gi, with a crisp, clipped k'. It's also your all-purpose “OK!”
დიდიdidi— big
did he: Grandma gasps at your little cousin: “DID HE grow? He's so BIG!” DI-DI. And დიდი მადლობა is a big thanks: thank you very much.
პატარაp'at'ara— small
pitter-patter: The PITTER-PATTER of tiny feet: a SMALL child scampers across the floor. P'AT'-ara, p'at'-ara! Keep the p' and t' short and clipped.
ცუდიtsudi— bad
sooty: Your white shirt comes out of the chimney all SOOTY. BAD, very bad! Start with a sharp ts: TSU-di.
გემრიელიgemrieli— tasty
gem, really: One bite of khachapuri and you sigh: “This is a GEM, REALLY.” Tasty! GEM-RI-ELI.
ახალიakhali— new
a collie: Your brand NEW puppy is A COLLIE: a-KHA-li! New collar, new bowl, new everything.
ძველიdzveli— old (of things)
velvet: Grandma's OLD VELvet sofa is so ancient that flies BUZZ out of it: DZZ-VEL-i. For things only: an old person is მოხუცი.
ცხელიtskheli— hot
skillet: You grab the SKILLet straight off the fire and yelp: “ts-KHEL-i!” HOT! Hear the hiss of the pan in that ts-kh.
ლამაზიlamazi— beautiful
llamas: Two LLAMAS strut down a catwalk, freshly groomed and BEAUTIFUL. The crowd gasps: “LA-MA-ZI!”
ცივიtsivi— cold
it's ivy: Midwinter: the IVY on the wall is frozen stiff and COLD to the touch. “IT'S IVY!” → (i)TS-IVI. (Satsivi, the cold walnut chicken, is named for it.)
ძვირიdzviri— expensive
very: The shopkeeper whispers the price and you buzz like a startled bee: “Dzz… VERY expensive!” dz-VIRI. ძ is one “dz” sound.
იაფიiapi— cheap
yappy: The pet shop sells the YAPPY puppy really CHEAP: nobody else can stand the noise. i-A-pi!
ადვილიadvili— easy
a devil: It looked like A DEVIL of a puzzle, then turned out EASY: a-DVI-li.
თეთრიtetri— white
teddy: A polar bear is just a giant WHITE TEDDY: TET-ri. Bonus: Georgia's small coins are tetri too, “whites”, after old silver.
ძნელიdzneli— difficult
kennel: Getting a giant Great Dane into a tiny KENNEL is DIFFICULT: he folds, he unfolds, he sighs. dz-NEL-i.
შავიshavi— black
ნელაnela— slowly
Nella: NELLA the tortoise crosses the road SLOWLY, so slowly that the traffic lights change three times: NE-la.
წითელიts'iteli— red
sit, Ellie: Your red setter Ellie won't stop bouncing. “SIT, ELLIE!” — ts'-IT-ELI. Picture her glossy red coat: red.
ბედნიერიbednieri— happy
bed: Sunday morning, warm in BED, nowhere to be: BED-nieri — happy. ბედი (bedi) means luck, fate.
მწვანეmts'vane— green
van: A bright green VAN, stuffed with lettuce, rolls past: mts'-VAN-e — green.
დაღლილიdaghlili— tired
dog, lily: A DOG flops into a bed of LILIES, far too TIRED to move another paw: DAGH-LILI. The gh is a soft French-style r.
ლურჯიlurji— blue
lurk: A huge BLUE whale LURKS under your little boat, just a blue shadow in the deep: LUR-ji.
მართალიmartali— true, right
Martha: MARTHA never lies: if MARTHA said it, it's TRUE. MARTA-li! And მართალი ხარ means “you're RIGHT.”
ყვითელიq'viteli— yellow
quit the telly: The YELLOW sun is out! QUIT the TELLY and get outside: q'vi-TELI. The q' is a deep, clipped k from the throat.
ტკბილიt'k'bili— sweet
sweet tooth: A SWEET TOOTH, built in: t'k'bili (SWEET) is just k'bili (TOOTH) with a t' stuck on the front.
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.