Georgian words, one at a time
Madloba: the Georgian “thank you” you will use fifty times a day.
მადლობა (madloba) is Georgian for “thank you” — and also the noun “gratitude”. After gamarjoba, it is the second word every visitor ends up needing.
What madloba means.
მადლობა covers the whole range of “thank you”, from a shop counter to a speech. To say “thank you very much”, add “big”: დიდი მადლობა (didi madloba).
You will also see madloba typed in Latin letters in chats and SMS — Georgians often write Georgian without switching keyboards. Our translit translator page explains how to read such messages.
How to pronounce madloba.
- Three syllables: mad-LO-ba, with a light stress on “lo”.
- The “dl” is one motion — the “d” releases straight into the “l”, with no vowel between them.
- Every letter is pronounced: Georgian spelling is almost perfectly phonetic.
Hearing it beats reading about it: the free Phonetics course in tqvi lets you hear Georgian words in two voices, at normal and careful speed.
Formal thanks, and how to reply.
Thanking a group, an elder, or someone you address formally? Use გმადლობთ (gmadlobt) — the plural-polite form, and the one you will hear from shop assistants and officials.
When someone thanks you, reply არაფრის (arapris) — “you’re welcome”, literally “it’s nothing”.
The words that come next.
- გამარჯობა (gamarjoba) — “hello”
- როგორ ხარ? (rogor khar?) — “how are you?”
- ნახვამდის (nakhvamdis) — “goodbye”
tqvi teaches Georgian one sentence at a time, building on what you already understand — polite phrases included. Courses run A1 through B1, in English or Russian, and the first 10 lessons are free.
Madloba: common questions
What does madloba mean?
Madloba (მადლობა) means “thank you” in Georgian. It is also the noun “gratitude”. It works in any situation, from casual to formal.
How do you pronounce madloba?
Mad-LO-ba: three syllables with a light stress on “lo”. The “dl” pair is pronounced as one motion, with no vowel between the d and the l.
What is didi madloba?
Didi madloba (დიდი მადლობა) means “thank you very much” — didi is “big”, so it is literally “big thanks”.
What is the difference between madloba and gmadlobt?
Gmadlobt (გმადლობთ) is the plural-polite form of “thank you”. Use it with more than one person, or one person you address formally — an elder, an official, a shop assistant you don’t know.
How do you reply to madloba?
Say არაფრის (arapris) — “you’re welcome”, literally “it’s nothing”.
Politeness is lesson one.
Conversation is next.
Turn “madloba” into real conversations with a sentence-based course.
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