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Essential Georgian Phrases for Travelers and Digital Nomads
Georgia has become one of Europe's most popular bases for digital nomads, visa-free stays of up to a year, fast internet, legendary food, and Tbilisi rents that still feel like a bargain. This is a practical phrasebook of around 45 essential Georgian phrases, organized by situation, each with the Georgian script, romanization, and English. Want to read the menus and signs too? Start with our complete Georgian alphabet guide.
Published June 2026 ยท 9 min read
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How to Use This Phrasebook
Georgian (kartuli, แฅแแ แแฃแแ) is a Kartvelian language unrelated to any of its neighbors, not Slavic, not Turkic, not Indo-European. It has its own beautiful 33-letter alphabet, Mkhedruli, and a few sounds that do not exist in English. The good news for travelers: Georgian is almost perfectly phonetic. Once you know how a letter sounds, it always sounds that way.
A few pronunciation notes before we start:
- kh is a throaty sound like the "ch" in Scottish "loch" or German "Bach" (แฎ).
- gh is a soft gargled g, like the French "r" (แฆ).
- q is a hard sound made deep in the throat (แง), approximate it with a sharp k if needed.
- Georgian loves consonant clusters. Gvprtskvni (you peel us) has eight consonants in a row. Do not panic, survival phrases are far gentler.
- Stress is usually light and falls toward the start of the word; it is rarely critical for being understood.
The romanizations below use a simple, readable system rather than strict academic transliteration. Read them like English and you will be understood.
๐ Greetings & Small Talk
Gamarjoba literally means "victory", a relic of Georgia's many wars, where greeting someone was wishing them victory. Reply to a greeting with the same word, or with gagimarjos.
๐ Politeness & Essentials
These are the highest-leverage words you can learn. Madloba (thank you) and bodishi (sorry / excuse me) alone will carry you through most of a trip.
๐ฃ๏ธ Getting By in Conversation
When you hit the edge of your Georgian, these rescue phrases keep things moving. Asking inglisuri itsi? (do you speak English?) is far more charming when prefaced with a Georgian greeting.
๐ท Restaurant, Wine & the Supra
Food is the heart of Georgian culture. A traditional feast is a supra (แกแฃแคแ แ), presided over by a tamada (toastmaster) who delivers long, eloquent toasts. The universal toast is gaumarjos, "to victory." If you are invited to a supra, do not start drinking wine before the tamada; follow his lead.
Wine culture tip: Georgia is widely considered the birthplace of wine, with 8,000 years of winemaking in clay qvevri vessels. House wine served from the barrel (often charmingly poured from plastic bottles) is cheap, local, and excellent. Order it by the litre. Do not order beer at a wine toast, it is considered slightly rude to toast with anything but wine.
๐ Taxis & Getting Around
In Tbilisi, the Bolt app is the easiest and most honest way to get a taxi, and it bypasses haggling entirely. For street taxis or marshrutka minibuses, knowing a few words helps. Always agree on the price before you get in if there is no meter.
๐๏ธ Shopping & Bazaar Bargaining
At Tbilisi's sprawling Dezerter Bazaar or the dry bridge flea market, fresh produce prices are usually fixed and fair, bargaining over a kilo of tomatoes will not endear you to anyone. But for souvenirs, antiques, clothing, and carpets, polite haggling is normal. Smile, use a little Georgian, and treat it as a friendly game rather than a fight.
๐ข Numbers You'll Actually Use
Georgian uses a base-20 (vigesimal) counting system for numbers above 20, which can feel odd at first, but for prices and quantities, the basics below get you a long way. The currency is the lari (โพ, GEL).
๐จ Emergencies & Health
Georgia is a very safe country for travelers, but it pays to know the basics. The single emergency number is 112 (police, ambulance, fire). Pharmacies (aptiaki) are common in cities and often have an English-speaking pharmacist.
Cultural Notes: Hospitality, Toasts & Etiquette
A guest is a gift from God
Georgian hospitality is not a clichรฉ, it is a deeply held value. The proverb 'stumari ghvtisaa' means 'a guest is from God.' If a Georgian invites you to their home, expect an overwhelming spread and gentle pressure to eat and drink more. Accepting a little of everything is the polite move; refusing outright can feel cold.
The tamada and the toast
At any real meal, one person becomes the tamada (toastmaster). Toasts follow a traditional order, to peace, to ancestors, to women, to friendship, and can be poetic and long. Wait for the tamada before drinking wine. When you toast, raise your glass and say gaumarjos.
Wine, not beer, for toasts
Toasting with beer is jokingly said to wish ill on someone. For serious toasts, wine (or chacha, the local grape brandy) is expected. If you genuinely cannot drink, it is fine to toast with a small sip or even water, just do it sincerely and make eye contact.
Religion and dress
Georgia is deeply Orthodox Christian. When visiting churches and monasteries, women traditionally cover their heads and wear skirts (wraps are often provided at the door), and men remove hats. A respectful approach goes a long way at sites like Sameba Cathedral or Jvari Monastery.
Russian still works, but Georgian wins hearts
Many older Georgians speak Russian from the Soviet era, and it is widely understood. But given Georgia's history, leading with Russian can occasionally land poorly. A few words of Georgian first is always the warmest, safest choice, and travelers consistently report it transforms their interactions.
Why Digital Nomads Choose Tbilisi
Georgia offers visa-free stays of up to 365 days for citizens of around 95 countries, plus the dedicated "Remotely from Georgia" program for remote workers. Tbilisi pairs this with fast fiber internet, a dense cafรฉ scene, coworking spaces, and a cost of living far below Western Europe. The Vake and Vera neighborhoods are nomad favorites; the old town and Fabrika hostel area are the social hubs.
You can absolutely live in Tbilisi on English and Russian alone, but learning Georgian changes everything. It turns transactional exchanges into genuine friendships, gets you invited to supras, and earns the kind of warmth Georgia is famous for. Even reaching a confident survival level (the phrases on this page) puts you ahead of most long-term expats. From there, our full Georgian course takes you toward real conversation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do people in Tbilisi speak English?
In central Tbilisi, younger people, hospitality staff, and the digital nomad scene generally speak some English, and many older Georgians speak Russian. However, outside the tourist core and especially in the regions, English is rare. Learning even 10 Georgian phrases dramatically changes how you are treated, Georgians are famously warm toward anyone who makes the effort to greet them in Kartuli.
How do you say hello and thank you in Georgian?
Hello is gamarjoba (แแแแแ แฏแแแ), which literally means 'victory.' Thank you is madloba (แแแแแแแ), and a stronger 'thank you very much' is didi madloba (แแแแ แแแแแแแ). For 'please' use gtxovt (แแแฎแแแ), and 'excuse me / sorry' is bodishi (แแแแแจแ). These five phrases cover the majority of polite everyday interactions.
Is Georgian hard to learn for travelers?
Georgian has a unique 33-letter alphabet (Mkhedruli) and complex grammar, so reaching fluency is a long project. But for travel purposes it is very approachable: pronunciation is largely phonetic, words sound the way they are written, and you only need a few dozen survival phrases. With romanization you can start speaking on day one without learning the script first.
What should I know about Georgian dining and toasts?
A traditional Georgian feast is called a supra, led by a toastmaster (tamada) who proposes long toasts. The universal toast word is gaumarjos (แแแฃแแแ แฏแแก), meaning 'victory' or 'cheers.' It is polite to wait for the tamada before drinking wine, and to toast with wine rather than beer. Refusing food entirely can seem cold, accepting a little of everything is the warmer choice.
How do I bargain at a Georgian bazaar?
At open markets like Dezerter Bazaar, prices for produce are usually fixed and fair, but for clothing, antiques, and souvenirs polite bargaining is expected. Ask 'ra ghirs?' (how much?), then counter with 'dzalian dzviria' (it's very expensive). A friendly smile and a few Georgian words often get you a better price than haggling hard in English.
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