8 English mistakes Georgian speakers make — and how to fix them

Every language leaves fingerprints on the way we speak English. Georgian is a beautiful, very logical language — but it builds sentences in a completely different way. That's why Georgian speakers tend to make the same handful of mistakes, no matter where they live. The good news: once you understand why a mistake happens, it's much easier to fix.

1. Forgetting “a” and “the”

Georgian has no articles at all, so English articles feel unnecessary. But English speakers notice when they're missing: “I bought car” sounds wrong, even though it's perfectly clear.

• Use a/an when you mention something for the first time or it's “one of many”: I bought a car.
• Use the when both of you know which one: The car is outside.
• Use no article for general plurals and uncountable things: Cars are expensive. I love coffee.

2. Mixing up “he” and “she”

In Georgian, „ის“ means he, she and it. In English you must choose every time — and mixing them up can be confusing (“My wife said he will call you”). Practise by retelling short stories about people you know, out loud, and paying attention only to he/she/his/her.

3. “Five book” instead of “five books”

Georgian uses the singular after numbers: „ხუთი წიგნი“. English always needs the plural after numbers bigger than one: five books, two children, three years. Watch out for this especially with time: “I live here three year” is one of the most common mistakes.

4. Questions without “do” and “does”

In Georgian you can turn a sentence into a question just with intonation. English usually needs a helper: “Do you work today?”, “Where does he live?”. Saying “You work today?” is understood in casual speech, but in interviews and at work it sounds unfinished.

5. In, on, at

Georgian expresses place and time with endings like -ში and -ზე, so English prepositions feel random. A simple rule of thumb helps a lot:

• at — an exact point: at 5 pm, at the bus stop
• on — days and surfaces: on Monday, on the table
• in — longer periods and inside spaces: in July, in 2026, in the car

6. Present Perfect vs. Past Simple

“I have lived here since 2019” and “I lived there in 2019” describe different things. If the period is still continuing — or the exact time doesn't matter — English uses the Present Perfect. If it's finished and you say when, use the Past Simple. This one takes practice, which is why we come back to it again and again in lessons.

7. Word order

Georgian word order is flexible: „წიგნი მე წავიკითხე“ and „მე წავიკითხე წიგნი“ both work. English is strict: subject – verb – object. “The book I read” is not a full sentence; “I read the book” is.

8. The “th”, “w” and “v” sounds

Georgian has no “th” sound, so “think” often becomes “tink” or “sink”, and “w” and “v” can merge (“vork” instead of “work”). Put the tip of your tongue lightly between your teeth for “th”, and round your lips without touching your teeth for “w”. A few minutes a day with a mirror makes a real difference.