# Georgian: thank you



## winenous

Hi, I am trying to learn a bit of Georgian to make a holiday more enjoyable, and am confused about the different types of "thank you".

In particular:
1) Some resources tell me "thank you" words start with a "g", while others ignore the "g". What is the difference
2) What does the "a" ending signify?

Am I right in thinking that there are 6 different ways to say "thank you"?
madlob (informal?)
madlobt (polite?)
madloba
gmadlob (informal?)
gmadlobt (polite?)
gmadloba

(Sorry, haven't yet figured out how to type Georgian letters on my keyboard, but do feel free to use then in your reply - as long as most of the explanation is in English)


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## entangledbank

The spelling contains a გ [g], but this is a very rare example of a letter being silent in Georgian.

Yes, the plain form _gmadlob_ [madlob] is singular, therefore familiar like French _tu_, German _du_ and so on; and like French, Georgian uses the plural, which has the ending _-t_, for ordinary polite address to one person.

I'm afraid I don't know the _-a_ forms. (I only know a bit of Georgian. Some real Georgian will eventually reply here, but it might be months from now.)


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## winenous

Thank you for the reply, entangledbank. But I have definitely seen it spelled without a g. In the Elementary Georgian book by Ani-Mdivani-Morrow for example, in the list of new words for Lesson 3. And in the Peace Corps course the g is clearly pronounced in lesson 3. But perhaps Elementary Georgian is not correct (the English is certainly not great), and the Peace Corps pronunciation is unrealistically clear?

As a side note, it is strange that text books, and some Georgians themselves, insist that every letter is pronounced, while a careful listening to native speakers on youtube suggests otherwise to me (I have never heard the initial r in rkatsiteli). But then sometimes non-Georgians say a letter is silent, but I can clearly hear it(the first v in qvevri seems clear to me).


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## AndrasBP

entangledbank said:


> I'm afraid I don't know the _-a_ forms.


My Georgian is basic, too, but I happen to know that მადლობა (madloba) is '*thanks*' as a noun. It's often used in the phrase დიდი მადლობა (didi madloba = big thanks) or even ძალიან დიდი მადლობა (dzalian didi madloba = very big thanks).



winenous said:


> Sorry, haven't yet figured out how to type Georgian letters on my keyboard


You can use Lexilogos virtual keyboards, it's a great tool when you need to a type a few words or a shorter text in a non-Latin script. You can choose from loads of other languages using non-Latin scripts or special diacritics.


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## winenous

Thanks, AndrasBP. So maybe we have something like
(g)madlob = you (informal) are thanked
(g)madlobt = you (polite) are thanked
(g)madloba = thanks (noun)

Thanks for the tip on Lexilogos too.


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## winenous

Actually, with a bit more reading and googling, what I am going for is
gmadlob = you (informal) are thanked
gmadlobt = you (polite) are thanked
madloba = thanks (noun)
where any initial g is usually silent.

And that is exactly what you guys said. I have certainly read and heard initial g letters being added and dropped, but now believe them either to be non-standard usage or simply erroneous.

Thanks again.


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## AndrasBP

You're welcome. 
The initial 'g' is a verbal prefix, roughly meaning 'the object of the verb is *you*', that's why it is not there before the noun '_madloba_'. (I don't want to pretend I understand the Georgian verbal system, though. It's extremely challenging. )
There's also the adjective _'madlobeli' _= thankful. You can say '_dzalian madlobeli var_" =lit. 'very thankful I am'.


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## winenous

Thanks again. There's certainly a lot I have to learn about Georgian Grammar


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## Lounger buddy

When you`re talking to someone and want to say thank you, you should use - გმადლობთ. ( a single person ). You can`t say მადლობა alone but დიდი მადლობა is okay. გმადლობა, გმადლობ and მადლობ aren`t correct forms. So you can say გმადლბოთ or დიდი მადლობა.


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## winenous

AndrasBP said:


> You can use Lexilogos virtual keyboards, it's a great tool when you need to a type a few words or a shorter text in a non-Latin script. You can choose from loads of other languages using non-Latin scripts or special diacritics.


I did use that for a while, but later learned that in Windows you can switch between keyboards, including the Georgian one, quite easily (though maybe you need to specifically install the Georgian one first - I can't remember), using a toolbox widget



 


When switched to Georgian you can then use the Windows virtual keyboard, which will show the Georgian characters, or your normal physical keyboard, on which the positions of most Georgian characters are easily guessable. I now usually use the latter. Just thought I'd mention it as it might help someone else.

To return to the original topic, I have ssen that another textbook, "Beginner's Georgian", has "thank you" as "მადლობთ" in Dialog 5, and in the Georgian-English glossary at the back, it lists the word as "(გ)მადლობ(თ)". So it seems that the spelling without the "გ" is acceptable at some sort of level


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## rev98

მადლობა is a noun, something like "thankfulness", this is why you can say დიდი მადლობა

It is also the base for the verb "to thank someone"

მე ვმადლობ (ვიღაცას) - I thank someone
მე გმადლობ - I thank you

Usually the personal pronouns are omitted, so you would use გმადლობ only, or in formal speech გმადლობთ
მე შენ გმადლობ
მე თქვენ გმადლობთ

All other forms mentioned here are not correct


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## winenous

rev98 said:


> მადლობა is a noun, something like "thankfulness", this is why you can say დიდი მადლობა
> 
> It is also the base for the verb "to thank someone"
> 
> მე ვმადლობ (ვიღაცას) - I thank someone
> მე გმადლობ - I thank you
> 
> Usually the personal pronouns are omitted, so you would use გმადლობ only, or in formal speech გმადლობთ
> მე შენ გმადლობ
> მე თქვენ გმადლობთ
> 
> All other forms mentioned here are not correct


Thank you for that. 

It is kind of what I was thinking after I'd studied more Georgian since my initial post here, but I'm mystified why two different text books should both omit the გ from გმადლობ. Could it be common spelling error in Georgia, I wonder, as the გ is usually silent?

(I think you maybe have a typo though. Shouldn't "I thank someone" be გმადლობს?)


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## rev98

not sure if I understand you correctly. The გ is never silent, when I hear people say it. If it is used as a verb, then გ is necessary when adressing the second person. Maybe when people speak quickly it might sound like they don't really pronounce it, but in reality it is there...


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## rev98

rev98 said:


> not sure if I understand you correctly. The გ is never silent, when I hear people say it. If it is used as a verb, then გ is necessary when adressing the second person. Maybe when people speak quickly it might sound like they don't really pronounce it, but in reality it is there...


გმადლობნს makes no sense in this case, it would mean "he/she thanks you"


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## winenous

rev98 said:


> გმადლობნს makes no sense in this case, it would mean "he/she thanks you"


So "I thank you" and "I thank him" are the same in Georgian? I haven't yet got as far as studying how to use object pronouns.


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## rev98

I thank you
(მე შენ) გმადლობ
I thank him
(მე მას) ვმადლობ
he thanks me
(ის მე) მმადლობს

In Georgian you have to remember that there are subject affixes and object affixes. Like if the first person (I) is the subject, you have a prefix ვ-. But if the second person is the object you have a prefix გ-, which kinda overrides that. Should we make a list of all the possibilities? I can see how this is hard to grasp


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## winenous

rev98 said:


> not sure if I understand you correctly. The გ is never silent, when I hear people say it. If it is used as a verb, then გ is necessary when adressing the second person. Maybe when people speak quickly it might sound like they don't really pronounce it, but in reality it is there...


Hmmm... When I listen carefully to recordings of everyday speech at a normal speed (not particularly fast, but not clearly enunciated either) I cannot hear it. 

The same with many other initial consonants in clusters - unless the word is preceded by a word ending in a vowel, in which case that consonant often sounds like it is attached to the previous word. That is not a rule I have read - it is solely my observation


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## rev98

to be honest, not just at the beginning. I often feel like a lot of sounds are omitted when Georgians are speaking, but in this very case, I believe Georgians do pronounce it (the გ), but it might be only because I might know that it has to be there in that moment...


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## winenous

rev98 said:


> I thank you
> (მე შენ) გმადლობ
> I thank him
> (მე მას) ვმადლობ
> he thanks me
> (ის მე) მმადლობს
> 
> In Georgian you have to remember that there are subject affixes and object affixes. Like if the first person (I) is the subject, you have a prefix ვ-. But if the second person is the object you have a prefix გ-, which kinda overrides that. Should we make a list of all the possibilities? I can see how this is hard to grasp


Sorry, I misread the initial ვ as გ. That now makes sense from my very quick scan through the way object endings work a few months ago. It is something I need to return to - when I'm feeling strong. I still have a lot to learn.


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## rev98

maybe we can say that third person singular has no sign or is weak or sth like that

I see him
მე მას ვხედავ
(ვ- is the subject sign for the first person, there is no object sign for the third person)
I see you
მე შენ გხედავ
(you are the object, object sign for 2nd person is გ-)
He sees me
ის მე მხედავს
(-ს is the subject sign for the 3rd person and მ- is the subject sign for the first person)
შენ მე მხედავ
you see me

in plural you need -თ no matter what

მე მათ ვხადავ
I see them
მე თქვენ გხდავთ
I see y'all
თქვენ მე მხედავთ
Y'all see me
ჩვენ მე მხედავთ
y'all see me
object plural marker -თ only for the 2nd person
Let me know if other combinations are not clear. The essential part is to learn the object signs and the subject signs


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## winenous

rev98 said:


> to be honest, not just at the beginning. I often feel like a lot of sounds are omitted when Georgians are speaking, but in this very case, I believe Georgians do pronounce it (the გ), but it might be only because I might know that it has to be there in that moment...


Yes, not just at the beginning.

I wish it would be explained in beginner's texts. As it is, you read is that Georgian words are ponounced exactly as they are spelled. So you spend ages struggling with consonant clusters, only to discover that Georgian usually omit some - at which point you heave a sigh of relief 

The one I really stumbled over was the სწ in სწავლიბ!


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## rev98

while I basically agree with you I feel that სწავლობ is always pronounced just like that


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## winenous

Thank you for that explanation @rev98. I'll look at it tomorrow - need to get to bed now


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## winenous

rev98 said:


> while I basically agree with you I feel that სწავლობ is always pronounced just like that


I always hear სტ, and believe it almost impossible to pronounce what would be "sts" in English. Again I listened to it many times on recordings. But admitedly the quality of recording might be an issue - they are usually mp3 files, and played through a phone or computer.


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## ain'ttranslationfun?

winenous said:


> I always hear სტ, and believe it almost impossible to pronounce what would be "sts" in English. Again I listened to it many times on recordings. But admitedly the quality of recording might be an issue - they are usually mp3 files, and played through a phone or computer.



'"sts" in English', as in "The finalists were informed of the jury's decision yesterday."?


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## winenous

ain'ttranslationfun? said:


> '"sts" in English', as in "The finalists were informed of the jury's decision yesterday."?


Ah, but that cluster is preceded by a vowel, which makes it easier. For me at least. 

Now I really am going to sleep


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