First week

The first week of Georgian lessons are over. I am enjoying them very much, although they are difficult, but the teacher is also very patient!

Maybe the biggest nightmare I faced until now are numbers. From 1 to 10 they are OK, and also from 11 to 29 they are relatively OK. It's from 30 that the folly begins. Like in French, some numbers are obtained by sum or multiplication, or both. So, for 30 we have 20+10. 20 is ოცი (otsi), 10 is ათი (ati), 30 is ოცდაათი (otsdaati).

It gets worse of course especially if you think about their inordinate love for consonant orgies. 76? სამოცდათექვსმეტი (samotsdatekvsmet'i), which literally means "sixty and sixteen" (60+16=76). You must do bloody math! 159?. ას ორმოცდაცხრამეტი, transliterated is "as ormotsdatskhramet'i", which is a wonderful [100+(2x20)+19]=159.

After this, the ergative case and the aorist tense are a breeze...

 

Am I doing any progress, anyway? Yes, I am. My biggest personal task is to strenghten and expand my vocabulary. I am able to buy things in shops, answer to some (very) basic questions but real conversations are yet a thing to come. I am slightly faster in reading Georgian characters, although when words start to be a bit long, I slow down considerably.

 

But I am not in any hurry...