Learn Georgian from Spanish at PBC Languages
Free Georgian-Spanish language exchanges with native speakers, plus small-group classes at PBC Languages. Real conversation, not textbook drills.
Create your free accountNo card needed. Exchanges between members are always free.
The first wall for a Spanish speaker learning Georgian is sound. Georgian has three versions of sounds like p, t, k, ts and ch: plain, aspirated and ejective (a sharp, glottal pop that doesn't exist in Spanish at all). Then there are consonant clusters with no vowel to break them up — words like გვფრცქვნი (gvprtskvni, 'you peel us') or მწვრთნელი (mtsvrtneli, 'coach') that force your mouth into sequences Spanish never asks of it. The q sound (ყ) is another one that trips people up, since it's produced further back in the throat than anything in Spanish.
What gets calcado wrong is grammar, not vocabulary, since Georgian and Spanish don't share roots. Spanish speakers relax when they find out Georgian has no grammatical gender — no el/la to memorize — but then lose that crutch entirely when it comes to verbs: Georgian verbs mark both the subject and the object in the same word (polypersonal agreement), so a single verb form can carry information that in Spanish would need a full sentence with pronouns. Prepositions don't exist either; Georgian uses case endings and postpositions, so 'on the table' becomes magidაზე (table-on), one word instead of two.
Where progress is genuinely fast: the Mkhedruli alphabet, once you sit down and learn its 33 letters, is almost perfectly phonetic — one letter, one sound, no silent letters, no exceptions like Spanish's b/v or Basque loanwords. Most people can read Georgian aloud correctly within one or two weeks even without understanding what they're reading. Numbers, greetings and basic hospitality phrases (gamarjoba, madloba, gaumarjos) also stick quickly because they come up constantly in every exchange.
Words you will actually hear
| Here | Elsewhere | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| mama | mamá | False friend: in Georgian mama means 'father', not 'mother'. The mother is deda. |
| banki | banco | International loanword, easy to guess and remember from the start. |
| telefoni | teléfono | Same Greek root, almost identical pronunciation once you know the alphabet. |
| universiteti | universidad | Long but transparent, one of the easiest academic words to recognize. |
| restorani | restaurante | Close enough that you'll read a menu sign without help. |
| taxi | taxi | Identical, useful the moment you land in Tbilisi. |
| shokoladi | chocolate | Recognizable immediately, a good confidence booster for beginners. |
| muzeumi | museo | Same root, one of the first words that makes Georgian feel less foreign. |
| teatri | teatro | Another shared Greek-Latin root that reads almost the same once you know Mkhedruli. |
How it works here
-
Sign up and say your level
Two minutes. If you do not know your level, we place you in the first class.
-
Pick a class or an exchange
Classes are led by a native teacher. An exchange is with another member: half the time in their language, half in yours.
-
Join by video, nothing to install
From your phone or your computer. If you cannot make it, cancel and get your place back.
Questions about this
How long does it take a Spanish speaker to hold a basic conversation in Georgian?
Reading the alphabet fluently usually takes one to two weeks of regular practice. Getting to a basic conversation — greetings, ordering food, simple questions — depends entirely on how often you show up to classes and exchanges, but steady weekly practice over a few months is realistic. Georgian's grammar (cases, verb agreement) takes longer than the alphabet, so don't expect the same speed on both fronts.
Is the one-to-one exchange really free?
Yes. You give half an hour in the language you speak well and receive half an hour in Georgian in return — no fees, no subscriptions, just a trade of time between members. PBC Languages doesn't charge for setting up the exchange itself.
What level do I need to join a class or find an exchange partner?
Classes are organized by level, including complete beginners, so zero Georgian is fine to start. For one-to-one exchanges, even a handful of phrases is enough, since your Georgian-speaking partner will adjust the pace — the exchange works both ways, so they're learning Spanish from you at the same time.
How exactly is the time split in a Georgian-Spanish exchange?
Thirty minutes in Georgian, thirty minutes in Spanish, in the same session. You decide together where to split it — some pairs do a hard switch at the halfway point, others let it flow depending on how the conversation is going.
Keep looking around
Start this week
A free account, a free first group class, and exchanges that never cost anything.
