I have stepped up now to level 2 of the Usborne First readers translated into Georgian. This is a retelling of the classic “Genie in a Bottle” story.
A fisherman is not having much luck fishing apart from catching some seaweed, some colourful shells and an old sock (ფუუუ!)…but then he finds an old bottle in his net.
მეთევზემ ბოტლს თავსახური მოხსნა და შიგ ჩაიხედა.
The fisherman removed the cap and looked inside the bottle.
At first it seems there is nothing in the bottle, that it is empty (ცარიელია!) and he throws it away. But then there is a cloud of smoke and an angry genie appears.
=^_^= “მიაუ !”
The genie has been trapped inside the bottle for 1000 years, he is very hungry and wants to eat the fisherman, but the fisherman has an idea….
Level 2 readers have a vocabulary range of 250 words (level one was 150 words). I got through the book laboriously by copying out the Georgian then making a translation in English. For this I am helped by a dictionary, my Georgian wife and Google Translate (which isn’t too slick on Georgian!).
Later I may read the book in Georgian to one of my grand daughters.
Some useful Georgian vocabulary from the book:
მერე then
ძველი old
უცებ suddenly
მაგრამ but
Not useful Georgian vocabulary:
ჯინი genie (not a word I will need every day….sorry, Christina Aguilera)
აურუყრუყდა this is the sound the genie’s stomach (მუცელი) makes when he is hungry
ქართულს სწავლობ ნელ-ნელა