Exploring Places in the City

In this chapter you will learn common Georgian words for places in a town or city and simple patterns you can use with them. The focus is on recognizing and using these nouns in everyday phrases, especially with the verbs “to be,” “to go,” and “to have” that you meet elsewhere in the course.

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Key Place Words in Georgian

Here are some of the most common places you will hear and see in a Georgian city, especially in Tbilisi.

Some basic “city infrastructure” words:

You can already start making very simple sentences by combining these nouns with “is” and location words from other chapters, for example:

• ეს პარკია.
  Es parkia.
  “This is a park.”
• ეს ეკლესიაა.
  Es eklesiaa.
  “This is a church.”

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Shops and Services

These are very useful when walking around, asking, and understanding directions.

Notice the pattern for “X’s shop”:

• წიგნი “book” → წიგნის მაღაზია “book shop”
• ყვავილები “flowers” → ყვავილების მაღაზია “flower shop”

You will learn the grammar of possession in another chapter, but you can memorize these as fixed phrases for now.

Example sentences:

• ეს აფთიაქია.
  Es aptiakhi a.
  “This is a pharmacy.”
• სად არის ბანკი?
  Sad aris banki?
  “Where is the bank?”
• იქ არის სუპერმარკეტი.
  Ik aris supermarketi.
  “There is a supermarket there.”

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Food and Leisure Places

These are places where you might eat, drink, or relax.

Entertainment and culture:

Example mini dialogues:

• A: სად არის კაფე?
  Sad aris kafe?
  “Where is the café?”

B: კაფე პარკთან არის.
Kafe parktan aris.
“The café is near the park.”

• ეს რესტორანია თუ კაფე?
  Es restorania tu kafe?
  “Is this a restaurant or a café?”

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Public and Official Places

These are places for public services or administration.

Example sentences:

• მერია იქ არის.
  Meria ik aris.
  “The city hall is there.”
• ეს ბიბლიოთეკაა.
  Es biblioteka a.
  “This is a library.”
• სად არის პოლიციის განყოფილება?
  Sad aris policiis ganoqvileba?
  “Where is the police station?”

You can also combine descriptions:

• ეს ახალი ბიბლიოთეკაა.
  Es akhali biblioteka a.
  “This is a new library.”

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Education and Health Places

Important for students and for emergency situations.

Education:

Health:

Example sentences:

• ეს სკოლაა.
  Es skola a.
  “This is a school.”
• უნივერსიტეტი ქალაქის ცენტრშია.
  Universiteti kalakis tsentrshia.
  “The university is in the city center.”
• საავადმყოფო იქ არის.
  Saavadmqopho ik aris.
  “The hospital is there.”

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Work and Business Places

Useful for talking about jobs and daily routes.

Very basic patterns:

• ჩემი ოფისი აქ არის.
  Chemi ofisi ak aris.
  “My office is here.”
• ის ქარხანაში მუშაობს.
  Is karkhanashi mushaobs.
  “He or she works in a factory.”

You will learn the grammar of “in” and “at” with cases and postpositions elsewhere, but you can memorize the whole phrase “ქარხანაში მუშაობს” “works in a factory” as one unit for now.

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Religious and Historical Places

Georgia has many churches and historical buildings. Some common words:

Example phrases:

• ეს ძველი ეკლესიაა.
  Es dzveli eklesia a.
  “This is an old church.”
• ნარიყალა ციხეა.
  Narikala tsikhe a.
  “Narikala is a fortress.”
• ეს ისტორიული მუზეუმია.
  Es istoriuli muzeumi a.
  “This is a historical museum.”

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Simple “City Walk” Phrases

Here you combine place words with very simple models that you already know or will soon learn: “there is,” “where is,” “I am going.”

Basic question with “where”:

• სად არის X?
  Sad aris X?
  “Where is X?”

Examples:

• სად არის პარკი?
  Sad aris parki?
  “Where is the park?”
• სად არის მეტრო?
  Sad aris metro?
  “Where is the metro?”

To answer, you can use “here” and “there” and a nearby place word:

• მეტრო აქ არის.
  Metro ak aris.
  “The metro is here.”
• აფთიაქი იქ არის.
  Aptiakhi ik aris.
  “The pharmacy is there.”

You can also place one building “near” another using a fixed phrase:

• პარკი უნივერსიტეტთან არის.
  Parki universitettan aris.
  “The park is near the university.”
• კაფე ბიბლიოთეკასთან არის.
  Kafe bibliot’ekastan aris.
  “The café is near the library.”

You will study the postposition “თან” and case endings in another part of the course, but it is helpful to remember a few common chunks now:

• პარკთან “near the park”
• სახლთან “near the house”
• სკოლასთან “near the school”

You can also say where you are going, very simply, with “I am going to X”:

• მე პარკში მივდივარ.
  Me parkshi mivdivar.
  “I am going to the park.”
• მე სკოლაში მივდივარ.
  Me skolashi mivdivar.
  “I am going to school.”

For now, treat “პარკში” and “სკოლაში” as whole forms meaning “to the park” and “to school.” The case endings will be explained later.

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Useful Place Combinations

You often combine a general word like “street,” “square,” or “bridge” with a specific name. These names are often in the genitive case, which you will study in detail elsewhere. At this stage you can simply memorize common patterns.

Examples from Tbilisi:

Patterns to notice:

• X–ის ქუჩა “X’s street”
• X–ის ხიდი “X’s bridge”
• X–ის ეკლესია “X’s church”
• X–ის მოედანი “X’s square”

You do not need to form them yourself yet, but you will recognize them when you see them.

Simple example sentences:

• რუსთაველის გამზირი აქ არის.
  Rustavelis gamziri ak aris.
  “Rustaveli Avenue is here.”
• თავისუფლების მოედანი ქალაქის ცენტრშია.
  Tavisuplebis moedani kalakis tsentrshia.
  “Freedom Square is in the city center.”

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Mini Dialogues with Places

Here are a few more short dialogues that use the vocabulary from this chapter.

Dialogue 1: Finding the supermarket

A: ბოდიშით, სად არის სუპერმარკეტი?
Bodishit, sad aris supermarketi?
“Excuse me, where is the supermarket?”

B: სუპერმარკეტი იქ არის, პარკთან.
Supermarketi ik aris, parktan.
“The supermarket is there, near the park.”

A: დიდი მადლობა.
Didi madloba.
“Thank you very much.”

B: გთხოვთ.
Gt’khovt.
“You are welcome.”

Dialogue 2: Meeting at a café

A: შენ სადაც ხარ?
Shen sadats khar?
“Where are you?”

B: მე კაფეში ვარ, უნივერსიტეტთან.
Me kafesh’i var, universitettan.
“I am at the café, near the university.”

A: კარგი, მე ბიბლიოთეკიდან მოვდივარ.
Kargi, me bibliotekidan movdivar.
“OK, I am coming from the library.”

Dialogue 3: Tourist information

Tourist: ტურისტული ინფორმაცია სად არის?
Turistuli informatsia sad aris?
“Where is tourist information?”

Local: მერიის ახლოს არის.
Meris akhlos aris.
“It is near the city hall.”

Tourist: მერია სად არის?
Meria sad aris?
“Where is the city hall?”

Local: პირდაპირ წადით. მერიაა მოედანზე.
Pirdapir tsadit. Meria a moedanze.
“Go straight. City hall is on the square.”

Again, you will learn verb forms like “go” and “come” and directional words in more detail in the chapters about directions and transport. Here, focus on recognizing and using the place nouns.

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Vocabulary List for This Chapter

Below is a consolidated list of new words from this chapter. Some repeats from earlier tables are kept here for review.

Use these words to describe your own city in Georgian, even in very simple sentences. For example:

• ჩემს ქალაქში პარკი და თეატრი არის.
  Chems kalakshi parki da teatri aris.
  “In my city there is a park and a theater.”

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