5.2 Ordinal Numbers

Understanding Ordinal Numbers in Georgian

In this chapter you will learn how to say “first, second, third” and so on in Georgian, and how they are typically used in everyday phrases like dates, floors, and simple lists.

Georgian ordinal numbers have some regular patterns, but they also have a few special forms that you will quickly recognize with practice.

What Ordinal Numbers Are in Georgian

Ordinal numbers answer the question “which one in order?”:

• first
• second
• third
• fourth

In Georgian these are called რიცხვითი რიგობითი სახელები (ritskhviti rigobiti sakhelebi), usually just რიგობითი (rigobiti) “ordinal”.

Cardinal numbers (one, two, three) are different and are covered in the “Cardinal Numbers” chapter. Here, we focus only on the “order” forms: first, second, third, etc.

Very Common Ordinals: “First” and “Second”

The two most frequent ordinals are irregular. You will hear them all the time.

“First”

The basic word for “first” is:

• პირველი
  pirveli

This is used with days, floors, people in a line, etc.

Examples:

• პირველი დღე
  pirveli dghe
  “the first day”
• პირველი სართული
  pirveli sartuli
  “the first floor”
• პირველი კითხვა
  pirveli kitkhva
  “the first question”
• პირველი ადამიანი რიგში
  pirveli adamiani rigshi
  “the first person in line”

“Second”

The usual word for “second” is:

• მეორე
  meore

Examples:

• მეორე თვე
  meore tve
  “the second month”
• მეორე სარიგო ნომერი
  meore sarigo nomeri
  “the second serial number”
• მეორე სართული
  meore sartuli
  “the second floor”
• მეორე ბავშვი
  meore bavshvi
  “the second child”

These two, პირველი and მეორე, are the most irregular. After them, a clear pattern starts to appear.

The Typical Georgian Ordinal Pattern

From “third” upwards, Georgian usually forms ordinals by adding a prefix მე- (me-) in front of a cardinal number form.

Very commonly, the cardinal number is in a stem that ends in -ე (-e). Attach მე- in front and you get the ordinal.

This pattern is not perfect and has exceptions, but it helps you recognize many ordinals as you learn more numbers.

Ordinals from 3 to 10

Here are the most useful simple ordinals to start with.

A few observations:

• “Third” is მესამე (mesame), not built directly from the simple spoken word სამი but it is very common and you should learn it as a unit.
• Some consonants change slightly when the მე- prefix is added, as you can see from “fourth, fifth, sixth.” This is normal Georgian sound behavior.

Simple example phrases

• მესამე დღე
  mesame dghe
  “the third day”
• მეოთხე გაკვეთილი
  meotkhe gakvetili
  “the fourth lesson”
• მეხუთე სართულის ბინა
  mekhute sartulis bina
  “the apartment on the fifth floor”
• მეექვსე თვე
  meekvse tve
  “the sixth month”
• მეშვიდე წელია
  meshvide tselia
  “it is the seventh year”
• მეცხრე სერია
  metskhre seria
  “the ninth episode”
• მეათე გვერდი
  meate gverdi
  “page ten,” literally “tenth page”

Ordinals for Dates (Basic Use)

Explaining the full Georgian date system belongs to “Talking About Dates and Holidays,” but you can already see how ordinals show up there.

When people speak informally about dates, the pattern “on the Nth of [month]” often uses ordinals.

Examples just for recognition:

• პირველი მაისი
  pirveli maisi
  “the first of May”
• მეორე იანვარი
  meore ianvari
  “the second of January”
• მეათე აპრილი
  meate aprili
  “the tenth of April”

At this stage, you only need to recognize that პირველი, მეორე, მესამე, მეათე can be used with month names to talk about dates.

Ordinals with Floors and Levels

Floors of buildings are a very practical context for ordinals. Here the same forms appear with the word სართული sartuli “floor”.

Common patterns:

• [ordinal] + სართული
  [ordinal] + sartuli
  “Nth floor”

Examples:

You can reuse this pattern with other nouns:

• მესამე კლასი
  mesame klasi
  “third class / grade”
• მეორე სერია
  meore seria
  “the second episode”
• მეშვიდე ნაწილი
  meshvide natsili
  “the seventh part”

Ordinals in Simple Lists and Ranking

Another basic use is to show order in competitions, lists, or rankings.

Typical patterns:

• იგი პირველ ადგილზეა
  igi pirvel adgilzea
  “He / she is in first place.”
• მე მეორე ვარ
  me meore var
  “I am second.”
• ჩვენ მესამე ვართ
  chven mesame vart
  “We are third.”
• ის მეათეა სიაში
  is meatea siashi
  “He / she is tenth in the list.”

You can think of the structure:

• [person/thing] + [ordinal] + ვიყო/ ვარ (to be)
  to say who is first, second, etc.

From 11th and Onward (Recognition Only)

Forming ordinals from 11 onward uses the same idea: prefix მე- to the correct cardinal form. However, the detailed system around higher numbers is more complicated and involves cardinal patterns you will learn elsewhere in the course.

For now, you only need to recognize that, just like მეათე “tenth,” larger ordinals also typically begin with მე- and relate to their corresponding cardinals.

Example for recognition:

• მეოცე
  meotse
  “twentieth” (from ოცი otsi “20”)
• ოცდამეხუთე
  otsdamekhute
  “twenty fifth”

The exact internal structure of these larger ordinals depends on the underlying cardinals, which you will study under “Cardinal Numbers.” Here, it is enough to notice the recurring მე- prefix that marks the ordinal meaning.

Word Order with Ordinals

The normal placement of ordinals in a noun phrase is:

• [ordinal] + [noun]

For example:

• პირველი დღე
  pirveli dghe
  “the first day”
• მერვე სართული
  mereve sartuli
  “the eighth floor”
• მეცხრე გაკვეთილი
  metskhre gakvetili
  “the ninth lesson”

The article “the” in English is just part of the meaning of the Georgian combination [ordinal + noun]. There is no separate word for “the” in Georgian.

Practice: Matching English and Georgian Ordinals

Try to connect these to fix the forms in your memory.

1. first floor
2. second day
3. third lesson
4. fifth month
5. tenth episode

Georgian:

a. მეხუთე თვე mekhute tve
b. მეათე სერია meate seria
c. პირველი სართული pirveli sartuli
d. მესამე გაკვეთილი mesame gakvetili
e. მეორე დღე meore dghe

Correct matches:

1 → c
2 → e
3 → d
4 → a
5 → b

New Vocabulary for This Chapter