Georgian Phrases: From Gamarjoba to Gaumarjos, with Pronunciation

Everyone around the table raises a glass, someone says “gaumarjos!”, and you smile without knowing what just happened. Or the market vendor answers your careful “gamarjoba” with a word you’ve never heard. These are the Georgian phrases that get you through those moments, with pronunciation, and the typically Georgian expressions that no standard phrasebook explains.

Georgian phrases are short, fixed expressions you use to greet people, say thank you, apologise or simply keep a conversation going. In Georgia, they do more than that. Hospitality is taken very seriously, and a few words in Georgian change how people treat you, from the taxi driver to your partner’s grandmother.

I’ve been learning languages on my own for over 20 years and have written four books about it. I don’t speak Georgian, and I won’t pretend to. What I’ve learned from Norwegian, Danish and Swedish is that the first 30 phrases decide whether you keep going or give up. That’s why this page doesn’t just list words, it explains when Georgians really use them. If you can’t read the Georgian script yet, start with our guide to the Georgian alphabet. The pronunciation in the tables below will get you started in the meantime.

The 16 Georgian phrases you’ll use every day

If you only learn one table, make it this one. The pronunciation is written the way an English speaker would read it.

Two things make Georgian easier here than many other languages: there’s no “der, die, das” and no difference between “he” and “she”, so these phrases work no matter who you’re talking to. What does change is politeness. With older people, strangers and officials, use the polite forms you’ll find in the sections below.

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Georgian phrases you should know

How do you say hello in Georgian?

The standard greeting is gamarjoba (გამარჯობა). It comes from the word for “victory”, so you’re really wishing someone victory. The typical reply is gagimarjos (გაგიმარჯოს), “victory to you too”. Among friends, you’ll often hear the casual salami (სალამი), and in formal situations mogesalmebit (მოგესალმებით), which literally means “I greet you”.

English	Georgian	Phonetic (IPA)
Hello!	გამარჯობა!	[ɡɑmɑrd͡ʒɔbɑ]
Hello to you too! (reply)	გაგიმარჯოს!	[ɡɑɡimɑrd͡ʒɔs]
Welcome! / I greet you (formal)	მოგესალმებით!	[mɔɡɛsɑlmɛbitʰ]
Have a nice day! (formal)	კარგ დღეს გისურვებთ!	[kʼɑrɡ dɣɛs ɡisurvɛbtʰ]
Good morning!	დილა მშვიდობისა!	[dilɑ mʃvidɔbisɑ]
Good evening!	საღამო მშვიდობისა!	[sɑɣɑmɔ mʃvidɔbisɑ]
Nice to see you.	სასიამოვნოა შენი ნახვა.	[sɑsiɑmɔvnɔɑ ʃɛni nɑχvɑ]
I’m glad to see you.	მიხარია შენი ნახვა.	[miχɑriɑ ʃɛni nɑχvɑ]

If you are greeted in Georgian, the best way to respond is as follows:

English	Georgian	Phonetic (IPA)
Have a nice day too!	შენც კარგ დღეს გისურვებ!	[ʃɛnt͡s kʼɑrɡ dɣɛs ɡisurvɛb]
Thanks, it’s nice to see you too.	გმადლობ, შენთან შეხვედრაც სასიამოვნოა.	[ɡmɑdlɔb ʃɛntʰɑn ʃɛχvɛdrɑt͡s sɑsiɑmɔvnɔɑ]

How are you in Georgian? And how to answer

The everyday question is rogor khar? (როგორ ხარ?). With older people or someone you don’t know, use the polite rogor brdzandebit? (როგორ ბრძანდებით?). The answer you’ll need most is madloba, kargad var (მადლობა, კარგად ვარ), which means “Thanks, I’m fine”. If you’ve seen this phrase in a message and wondered what it means, that’s it.

English	Georgian	Phonetic (IPA)
How are you?	როგორ ხარ?	[rɔɡɔr χɑr]
How are you? (polite)	როგორ ბრძანდებით?	[rɔɡɔr brd͡zɑndɛbitʰ]
Are you doing well?	კარგად ხარ?	[kʼɑrɡɑd χɑr]
What are you up to? (casual)	რას შვრები?	[rɑs ʃvrɛbi]

If you are asked how you are, you can answer with the following phrases:

English	Georgian	Phonetic (IPA)
Thank you for asking, I am fine.	მადლობა რომ მკითხე, კარგად ვარ.	[mɑdlɔbɑ rɔm mkʼitʰχɛ kʼɑrɡɑd vɑr]
Thanks, I’m fine.	მადლობა, კარგად ვარ.	[mɑdlɔbɑ kʼɑrɡɑd vɑr]
Thanks, I’m not doing so well.	მადლობა, ისე კარგად არ ვარ.	[mɑdlɔbɑ isɛ kʼɑrɡɑd ɑr vɑr]
Thanks, I’m fine. And how are you?	მადლობა, კარგად ვარ. შენ როგორ ხარ?	[mɑdlɔbɑ kʼɑrɡɑd vɑr. ʃɛn rɔɡɔr χɑr]

How do you say thank you in Georgian?

The universal word is madloba (მადლობა). It works everywhere, from the bakery to your host family. To be more polite, say gmadlobt (გმადლობთ), and to add emphasis, didi madloba (დიდი მადლობა), “many thanks”. The answer is arapris (არაფრის), “it’s nothing”.

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Want to go beyond phrases? Read our step-by-step guide to learn Georgian.

How do you say goodbye in Georgian?

The standard goodbye is nakhvamdis (ნახვამდის), literally “until we see each other”. Among friends and family, most Georgians simply say kargad! (კარგად!), which means “be well”. It’s short, warm and the word you’ll hear most often when someone hangs up the phone.

English	Georgian	Phonetic (IPA)
Goodbye!	ნახვამდის!	[nɑχvɑmdis]
Bye! / Be well! (casual)	კარგად!	[kʼɑrɡɑd]
Take care!	კარგად იყავი!	[kʼɑrɡɑd iqʼɑvi]
Farewell (in peace)	მშვიდობით	[mʃvidɔbitʰ]
See you tomorrow!	ხვალამდე!	[χvɑlɑmdɛ]
See you soon!	მალე შევხვდებით!	[mɑlɛ ʃɛvχvdɛbitʰ]
See you later!	მერე გნახავ!	[mɛrɛ ɡnɑχɑv]
Good night	ღამე მშვიდობისა	[ɣɑmɛ mʃvidɔbisɑ]
Sleep well	ტკბილად იძინე	[tʼkʼbilɑd id͡zinɛ]
Talk to you later.	მოგვიანებით გესაუბრები.	[mɔɡviɑnɛbitʰ ɡɛsɑubrɛbi]
Nice to have met you!	სასიამოვნოა შენი გაცნობა!	[sɑsiɑmɔvnɔɑ ʃɛni ɡɑt͡snɔbɑ]

How do I introduce myself in Georgian?

When you travel or live in Georgia, people will want to know who you are and where you’re from, often within the first minute. The phrase for “my name is” is simply your name plus mkvia (მქვია), literally “I am called”.

English	Georgian	Phonetic (IPA)
My name is John.	მე ჯონი მქვია.	[mɛ d͡ʒɔni mkʰviɑ]
What is your name?	რა გქვია?	[rɑ ɡkʰviɑ]
What is your first name?	რა არის შენი სახელი?	[rɑ ɑris ʃɛni sɑχɛli]
What is your surname?	რა არის შენი გვარი?	[rɑ ɑris ʃɛni ɡvɑri]

If you want to tell people where you come from, the following sentences are useful:

English	Georgian	Phonetic (IPA)
Where do you come from?	საიდან ხარ?	[sɑidɑn χɑr]
I am from London.	ლონდონიდან ვარ.	[lɔndɔnidɑn vɑr]
Are you from Birmingham?	ბირმინგემიდან ხარ?	[birminɡɛmidɑn χɑr]
No, I’m from Madrid.	არა, მადრიდიდან ვარ.	[ɑrɑ mɑdrididɑn vɑr]
Great, I’m from Madrid too.	შესანიშნავია! მეც მადრიდიდან ვარ.	[ʃɛsɑniʃnɑviɑ mɛt͡s mɑdrididɑn vɑr]
Where do you live?	სად ცხოვრობ?	[sɑd t͡sʰχɔvrɔb]
I live in Tbilisi.	თბილისში ვცხოვრობ.	[tʰbilisʃi vt͡sʰχɔvrɔb]

Do you speak English or Russian? Phrases for when you get stuck

Many Georgians switch languages quickly to help you. If you’d rather practise, ask them to speak slowly. Older people often speak Russian, younger people in the cities often speak English. More on that in our guide on what language is spoken in Georgia.

English	Georgian	Phonetic (IPA)
Do you speak English?	ინგლისურად ლაპარაკობ?	[inɡlisurɑd lɑpʼɑrɑkʼɔb]
Do you speak Russian?	რუსულად ლაპარაკობ?	[rusulɑd lɑpʼɑrɑkʼɔb]
Yes, I speak English.	კი, ინგლისურად ვლაპარაკობ.	[kʼi inɡlisurɑd vlɑpʼɑrɑkʼɔb]
Yes, I speak some English.	კი, ცოტათი ვლაპარაკობ ინგლისურად.	[kʼi t͡sʼɔtʼɑtʰi vlɑpʼɑrɑkʼɔb inɡlisurɑd]
No, I do not speak any English.	არა, საერთოდ არ ვლაპარაკობ ინგლისურად.	[ɑrɑ sɑɛrtʰɔd ɑr vlɑpʼɑrɑkʼɔb inɡlisurɑd]
I only speak English.	მხოლოდ ინგლისურად ვლაპარაკობ.	[mχɔlɔd inɡlisurɑd vlɑpʼɑrɑkʼɔb]
I understand a little Georgian.	ცოტა ქართული მესმის.	[t͡sʼɔtʼɑ kʰɑrtʰuli mɛsmis]
Please speak slowly.	ნელა ილაპარაკე, თუ შეიძლება.	[nɛlɑ ilɑpʼɑrɑkʼɛ tʰu ʃɛid͡zlɛbɑ]
I don’t understand.	არ მესმის.	[ɑr mɛsmis]

Useful sentences with “I am…”

The following sentences will help you find your way in Georgian and express your wishes and needs:

English	Georgian	Phonetic (IPA)
I am English	მე ინგლისელი ვარ	[mɛ inɡlisɛli vɑr]
I am injured	დაჭრილი ვარ	[dɑt͡ʃʼrili vɑr]
I am here	აქ ვარ	[ɑkʰ vɑr]
I am hungry	მშიერი ვარ	[mʃiɛri vɑr]
I am thirsty	მწყურია	[mt͡sʼqʼuriɑ]
I am single	დაუქორწინებელი ვარ	[dɑukʰɔrt͡sʼinɛbɛli vɑr]
I need help!	მჭირდება დახმარება!	[mt͡ʃʼirdɛbɑ dɑχmɑrɛbɑ]
I am tired	დაღლილი ვარ	[dɑɣlili vɑr]
I am cheerful	მხიარული ვარ	[mχiɑruli vɑr]
I am sad	სევდიანი ვარ	[sɛvdiɑni vɑr]
I am in love	შეყვარებული ვარ	[ʃɛqʼvɑrɛbuli vɑr]
I am ill	ავად ვარ	[ɑvɑd vɑr]
I am ready	მზად ვარ	[mzɑd vɑr]
I am busy	დაკავებული ვარ	[dɑkʼɑvɛbuli vɑr]
I am lost	დავიკარგე	[dɑvikʼɑrɡɛ]
I am a tourist	ტურისტი ვარ	[tʼuristʼi vɑr]
I am new here	ახალი ვარ აქ	[ɑχɑli vɑr ɑkʰ]
I am sure	დარწმუნებული ვარ	[dɑrt͡sʼmunɛbuli vɑr]
I am proud	ამაყი ვარ	[ɑmɑqʼi vɑr]
I am a teacher	მასწავლებელი ვარ	[mɑst͡sʼɑvlɛbɛli vɑr]
I am late	ვაგვიანებ	[vɑɡviɑnɛb]
I am 30 years old	ოცდაათი წლის ვარ	[ɔt͡sdɑɑtʰi t͡sʼlis vɑr]
I am in a hurry	მეჩქარება	[mɛt͡ʃʰkʰɑrɛbɑ]
I am happy	ბედნიერი ვარ	[bɛdniɛri vɑr]
I am surprised	გაკვირვებული ვარ	[ɡɑkʼvirvɛbuli vɑr]
I am angry	გაბრაზებული ვარ	[ɡɑbrɑzɛbuli vɑr]

How do you say sorry in Georgian?

The everyday word is bodishi (ბოდიში), and it covers both “sorry” and “excuse me”. To get someone’s attention or squeeze past in a crowded marshrutka, ukatsravad (უკაცრავად) is the more polite choice.

English	Georgian	Phonetic (IPA)
Sorry	ბოდიში	[bɔdiʃi]
Excuse me	უკაცრავად	[ukʼɑt͡srɑvɑd]
Forgive me (polite)	მაპატიეთ	[mɑpʼɑtʼiɛtʰ]
Sorry, that was not the intention	ბოდიში, ეს განზრახული არ ყოფილა	[bɔdiʃi ɛs ɡɑnzrɑχuli ɑr qʼɔpʰilɑ]
Sorry, I did not do it on purpose	ბოდიში, ეს განზრახ არ გამიკეთებია	[bɔdiʃi ɛs ɡɑnzrɑχ ɑr ɡɑmikʼɛtʰɛbiɑ]
Sorry, that was very clumsy of me	ბოდიში, ძალიან მოუხერხებელი ვიყავი	[bɔdiʃi d͡zɑliɑn mɔuχɛrχɛbɛli viqʼɑvi]
No problem / Never mind	არა უშავს	[ɑrɑ uʃɑvs]

Typically Georgian: expressions no phrasebook explains

This is the part that makes Georgian feel like Georgian. You’ll hear these words every day, and they often have no real English equivalent. Use one of them at the right moment and you’ll see faces light up.

At the supra: Georgian toasts and table phrases

Sooner or later you’ll be invited to a supra, the traditional Georgian feast. It follows clear rules: a toastmaster, the tamada, leads the evening with a long series of toasts to peace, to the family, to the dead, to friendship and to the guests. You don’t need to give a speech, but these words will make you part of the table instead of an observer:

English	Georgian	Pronunciation
Cheers! (literally “to victory”)	გაუმარჯოს!	gaumarjos!
Passing the toast on to someone	ალავერდი	alaverdi
Bottoms up! (literally “to the end”)	ბოლომდე!	bolomde!
Enjoy your meal! (polite)	გემრიელად მიირთვით!	gemrielad miirtvit!
It’s delicious!	გემრიელია!	gemrielia!
Thank you for the hospitality, many thanks	დიდი მადლობა	didi madloba

A practical tip from many guests who’ve sat through their first supra: you don’t have to empty your glass at every toast. Sip, raise your glass, say gaumarjos. That’s perfectly polite. When the tamada says alaverdi to someone, that person continues the toast in their own words.

Romantic Georgian phrases for your partner

Many people who search for Georgian phrases have one very personal reason: a Georgian partner. If that’s you, these are the words worth learning first. Said with a bad accent, they still count.

English	Georgian	Pronunciation
I love you	მიყვარხარ	miqvarkhar
I missed you	მომენატრე	momenatre
My love	ჩემო სიყვარულო	chemo siqvarulo
You’re beautiful	ლამაზი ხარ	lamazi khar
My dear	გენაცვალე	genatsvale

A small grammar bonus: miqvarkhar is one single word that contains “I”, “love” and “you”. That’s typical for Georgian verbs, and it’s one reason why learning complete phrases works better at the beginning than learning grammar rules.

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Useful signs and notices in Georgian

Signs are the best free reading practice in Georgia. The script itself is part of the country’s identity: the living culture of the three Georgian writing systems is recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. These are the signs you’ll see most often:

English	Georgian	Phonetic (IPA)
Entrance	შესასვლელი	[ʃɛsɑsvlɛli]
Exit	გასასვლელი	[ɡɑsɑsvlɛli]
Toilet	ტუალეტი	[tʼuɑlɛtʼi]
Attention!	ყურადღება!	[qʼurɑdɣɛbɑ]
Caution!	ფრთხილად!	[pʰrtʰχilɑd]
Police	პოლიცია	[pʼɔlit͡siɑ]
Ambulance	სასწრაფო დახმარება	[sɑst͡sʼrɑpʰɔ dɑχmɑrɛbɑ]
Firefighters	მეხანძრეები	[mɛχɑnd͡zrɛɛbi]
Crossing forbidden.	გადასვლა აკრძალულია.	[ɡɑdɑsvlɑ ɑkʼrd͡zɑluliɑ]
This building is under video surveillance.	ეს შენობა ვიდეომეთვალყურეობით კონტროლდება.	[ɛs ʃɛnɔbɑ vidɛɔmɛtʰvɑlqʼurɛɔbitʰ kʼɔntʼrɔldɛbɑ]

Numbers to 25 in Georgian

Georgian counts in twenties, similar to the French quatre-vingts: 30 is “twenty and ten” (otsdaati) and 40 is “two twenties” (ormotsi). Here are the numbers from 1 to 25.

English	Georgian	Phonetic (IPA)
One	ერთი	[ɛrtʰi]
Two	ორი	[ɔri]
Three	სამი	[sɑmi]
Four	ოთხი	[ɔtʰχi]
Five	ხუთი	[χutʰi]
Six	ექვსი	[ɛkʰvsi]
Seven	შვიდი	[ʃvidi]
Eight	რვა	[rvɑ]
Nine	ცხრა	[t͡sʰχrɑ]
Ten	ათი	[ɑtʰi]
Eleven	თერთმეტი	[tʰɛrtʰmɛtʼi]
Twelve	თორმეტი	[tʰɔrmɛtʼi]
Thirteen	ცამეტი	[t͡sʰɑmɛtʼi]
Fourteen	თოთხმეტი	[tʰɔtʰχmɛtʼi]
Fifteen	თხუთმეტი	[tʰχutʰmɛtʼi]
Sixteen	თექვსმეტი	[tʰɛkʰvsmɛtʼi]
Seventeen	ჩვიდმეტი	[t͡ʃʰvidmɛtʼi]
Eighteen	თვრამეტი	[tʰvrɑmɛtʼi]
Nineteen	ცხრამეტი	[t͡sʰχrɑmɛtʼi]
Twenty	ოცი	[ɔt͡si]
Twenty-one	ოცდაერთი	[ɔt͡sdɑɛrtʰi]
Twenty-two	ოცდაორი	[ɔt͡sdɑɔri]
Twenty-three	ოცდასამი	[ɔt͡sdɑsɑmi]
Twenty-four	ოცდაოთხი	[ɔt͡sdɑɔtʰχi]
Twenty-five	ოცდახუთი	[ɔt͡sdɑχutʰi]

The colours in Georgian

The most common colours in Georgian with phonetic transcription for pronunciation.

English	Georgian	Phonetic (IPA)
Red	წითელი	[t͡sʼitʰɛli]
Blue	ლურჯი	[lurd͡ʒi]
Green	მწვანე	[mt͡sʼvɑnɛ]
Yellow	ყვითელი	[qʼvitʰɛli]
Black	შავი	[ʃɑvi]
White	თეთრი	[tʰɛtʰri]
Orange	ნარინჯისფერი	[nɑrind͡ʒispʰɛri]
Brown	ყავისფერი	[qʼɑvispʰɛri]
Purple	იისფერი	[iispʰɛri]
Pink	ვარდისფერი	[vɑrdispʰɛri]

Days of the week, months and seasons in Georgian

A fun detail: Monday to Thursday are built on shabati (Saturday). Orshabati (Monday) is literally “two-shabati”, samshabati (Tuesday) “three-shabati” and so on, while Sunday, kvira, also means “week”.

English	Georgian	Phonetic (IPA)
Monday	ორშაბათი	[ɔrʃɑbɑtʰi]
Tuesday	სამშაბათი	[sɑmʃɑbɑtʰi]
Wednesday	ოთხშაბათი	[ɔtʰχʃɑbɑtʰi]
Thursday	ხუთშაბათი	[χutʰʃɑbɑtʰi]
Friday	პარასკევი	[pʼɑrɑskʼɛvi]
Saturday	შაბათი	[ʃɑbɑtʰi]
Sunday	კვირა	[kʼvirɑ]
January	იანვარი	[iɑnvɑri]
February	თებერვალი	[tʰɛbɛrvɑli]
March	მარტი	[mɑrtʼi]
April	აპრილი	[ɑpʼrili]
May	მაისი	[mɑisi]
June	ივნისი	[ivnisi]
July	ივლისი	[ivlisi]
August	აგვისტო	[ɑɡvistʼɔ]
September	სექტემბერი	[sɛkʰtʼɛmbɛri]
October	ოქტომბერი	[ɔkʰtʼɔmbɛri]
November	ნოემბერი	[nɔɛmbɛri]
December	დეკემბერი	[dɛkʼɛmbɛri]
Spring	გაზაფხული	[ɡɑzɑpʰχuli]
Summer	ზაფხული	[zɑpʰχuli]
Autumn	შემოდგომა	[ʃɛmɔdɡɔmɑ]
Winter	ზამთარი	[zɑmtʰɑri]

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Frequently asked questions about Georgian phrases

How do you say hello in Georgian?

Hello in Georgian is gamarjoba (გამარჯობა). The usual reply is gagimarjos (გაგიმარჯოს). Among friends, the casual salami (სალამი) is common, and mogesalmebit (მოგესალმებით) is a formal greeting.

What does madloba, kargad var mean?

მადლობა, კარგად ვარ (madloba, kargad var) means “Thanks, I’m fine”. It’s the standard answer to როგორ ხარ? (rogor khar?), “How are you?”.

How do you say thank you in Georgian?

Thank you is madloba (მადლობა). The more polite form is gmadlobt (გმადლობთ), and many thanks is didi madloba (დიდი მადლობა). You reply with arapris (არაფრის), “you’re welcome”.

How do you say goodbye in Georgian?

The standard goodbye is nakhvamdis (ნახვამდის). Among friends, most Georgians just say kargad (კარგად), which means “be well”. See you later is mere gnakhav (მერე გნახავ).

What does gaumarjos mean?

Gaumarjos (გაუმარჯოს) is the Georgian toast, comparable to “cheers”. It literally means “to victory” and comes from the same root as the greeting gamarjoba.

What does genatsvale mean?

Genatsvale (გენაცვალე) is a typical Georgian term of endearment. Literally it means “may I take your place”, in the sense of taking on someone’s suffering. In everyday use, it means “my dear”.

How do you say I love you in Georgian?

I love you in Georgian is miqvarkhar (მიყვარხარ). It’s a single word that contains I, love and you.

Related links

• Learn Georgian: a realistic plan from alphabet to first conversation
• The Georgian alphabet: all 33 letters with pronunciation
• What language is spoken in Georgia?
• The different ways of learning languages
• Learning vocabulary successfully
• Motivated language learning
• Train your listening comprehension
• Learning languages quickly, is it possible?

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