Everyday verbs in Georgian
34 words
მინდაminda— I want
mint: One MINT left on the plate and you grab it: “MIN-da! I WANT it!” The wanted thing goes first: ჩაი მინდა, I want tea.
მაქვსmakvs— I have (a thing)
max: Your suitcase is packed to the MAX: you HAVE everything. MA-KVS. For things only; for people and animals Georgian says მყავს.
ვარvar— I am
far: Waving from a mountaintop: “I AM so FAR away!” Say far with a v: VAR. Only for I: you are is ხარ, it is is არის.
არისaris— is (it is)
Paris: Drop the P from PARIS: ARIS. “The Eiffel Tower IS in (P)ARIS.” ეს არის ჩაი: this is tea.
მესმისmesmis— I understand
mess, miss: Your Georgian's a MESS and you MISS half the words, but you still UNDERSTAND: MES-MIS. Literally “I hear it”, like “I hear you”.
მიყვარსmiq'vars— I love
my cars: A little boy hugs his toy cars and beams: “MY CARS!” — mi-q'VARS, I love! Literally “to me it's loved”: the m- means me.
არ მესმისar mesmis— I don't understand
a mess: You stare at the verb table: what a MESS, a MESS! “ar MES-mis” — I don't understand. არ means not.
ვიციvitsi— I know
wits: On a quiz show you tap your temple: “I've got the WITS!” — VITS-i, I know!
მქვიაmkvia— my name is
kiwi: A fluffy KIWI bird offers you its wing: “m-KVI-a Kevin.” My name is Kevin. Literally “to me it's called”.
არ ვიციar vitsi— I don't know
fizzy: Ask a pirate what's in his bottle. He shrugs: “ARR... FIZZY? I DON'T KNOW.” ar VITSI. არ is “not”, ვიცი is “I know”.
შემიძლიაshemidzlia— I can
shimmy: They say you can't dance? You SHIMMY across the floor anyway, buzzing “SHEMI-dz-LI-a!” I CAN!
მჭირდებაmch'irdeba— I need
cheer: Exam tomorrow and I NEED someone to CHEER me on: m-CH'IR-deba! The m- in front means “to me”: literally “it is needed to me”.
ვჭამvch'am— I eat
chomp: I EAT like a shark: v-CH'AM! v-CH'AM! Almost “chomp”. The v- in front means “I”; ჭამ alone is “you eat”.
მომწონსmomts'ons— I like
Mom's ones: Which cookies do you LIKE? “MOM'S ONES!” mom-TS'ONS. Georgian says it the other way round, “it pleases me”: the m- is “me”.
ვსვამvsvam— I drink
swam: You SWAM across the lake and now you're so thirsty you DRINK half of it: v-SVAM. The v- at the front means “I”: I drink.
მივდივარmivdivar— I'm going
me, diva: Sweeping out in a fur coat: “ME, the DIVA? I'M GOING!” MIV-DIV-ar. Inside it, the v after mi- is the “I”.
ვლაპარაკობvlap'arak'ob— I speak
lap, rake: A parrot perches on your LAP clutching a tiny RAKE, and you TALK to it all day: v-LAP'-a-RAK'-ob. Drop the v- and it's “you speak”.
მოდიmodi— come here
moody: Your MOODY cat ignores you all day, then finally flicks its tail: “MO-di!” — come here. To several people, or politely: მოდით.
ვსწავლობvsts'avlob— I study
stuff, lobe: I STUDY so hard I STUFF facts into every brain LOBe: v-STS'AV-LOB. The v- in front means “I”, same as in ვცხოვრობ.
მოიცადეmoitsade— wait
wait for moi: A diva chases the departing train in heels: “WAIT for MOI!” — MOI-tsa-de. Polite or to several people: მოიცადეთ.
ვცხოვრობvtskhovrob— I live
cove, robe: I LIVE in a seaside COVE, in my bathROBE all day long: v-tskh-OV-ROB. The v- up front means “I” again.
მშიაmshia— I'm hungry
მყავსmq'avs— I have (a person or animal)
calves: Proud farmer: “I have two CALVES!” — m-Q'AVS. მყავს is “I have” for people and animals (a brother, a dog); for things it's მაქვს.
მწყურიაmts'q'uria— I'm thirsty
curry: One bite of a fiery CURRY and you gasp for water: “mts'-Q'UR-ia!” — I'm thirsty. The m- means “to me”: thirst happens TO you.
წავიდეთts'avidet— let's go
video: You snap the laptop shut on the endless cat VIDeos and grab your coat: “ts'a-VID-et!” Let's go!
მოვდივარmovdivar— I'm coming
ვმუშაობvmushaob— I work
mush: A sled driver yells “MUSH!” and the huskies get to work: v-MUSH-aob — I work. The v- at the front means “I”.
მტკივაmt'k'iva— it hurts
ვხედავvkhedav— I see
head: You stick your HEAD up over the crowd. Now I see! v-KHED-av — I see.
ვკითხულობvk'itkhulob— I read
kit: You squint at the instructions for a flat-pack furniture KIT: v-K'IT-khulob — I read.
ვყიდულობvq'idulob— I buy
დამეხმარეთdamekhmaret— help me
dame, mare: A DAME on a runaway MARE yells “HELP ME!”: da-mekh-MARE-t. The -t is polite (or plural); to a friend, just დამეხმარე.
ვეძებvedzeb— I'm looking for
Zeb the zebra: You're LOOKING FOR your pet zebra, Zeb: “Where's ZEB? Where's ZEB?” — ve-DZEB. The v- at the front means “I”.
მომეციmometsi— give me
Mom, me!: A toddler holds out both hands at the cookie jar: “MOM! ME! GIVE ME!” — MO-ME-tsi. To an adult, politely: მომეცით.
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.