Learning Georgian: Where to Study, What It Costs, and Whether You Need It

You do not need Georgian to live in Georgia. A residence permit and a job come without any language requirement, and in Tbilisi and Batumi you can get by with English or Russian. The language becomes mandatory only when you apply for citizenship. Without it, though, public schools stay out of reach for your children, and so do many everyday conversations.

The sections below cover what kind of language Georgian is and how hard it is, when you cannot do without it, where to learn it for free and where to pay, what courses and tutors cost, which apps actually offer it, how the citizenship exam works, and which phrases will carry you through your first days.

What kind of language it is

Georgian belongs to the Kartvelian family and is related neither to English nor to Russian. It has its own script, Mkhedruli, with 33 letters, and ordinary text has no capital letters. Words are read almost exactly as they are written, because each letter stands for one sound.

In 2016 UNESCO added the three Georgian writing systems to its list of intangible cultural heritage. They are the ancient Asomtavruli and Nuskhuri scripts and the modern Mkhedruli, which people write in today.

The grammar is where the difficulty starts. Georgian has 7 cases, a verb changes according to both its subject and its object, and consonants come in long clusters. The US Foreign Service Institute (FSI) rates Georgian as a hard language: an English speaker needs about 1,100 hours of study to reach a working level.

When you cannot do without Georgian

A residence permit in Georgia has no language requirement, and you only need a notarized translation of your foreign documents. A job at a private company and a work permit do not require the language either.

Georgian is mandatory in three cases:

• Citizenship: before you apply, you take an exam in the language, Georgian history, and the basics of law.
• Civil service: only citizens who speak the state language can work there.
• Public schools: almost all of them teach in Georgian, and the exceptions are schools, or separate sections within schools, that teach in Russian, Azerbaijani, or Armenian. International schools in Georgia teach in English, and a year there costs from 9,500 ₾.

In everyday life, English and Russian get you through. According to the CRRC Caucasus Barometer survey of 2024, 81% of Georgia's residents understand at least some Russian, and 26% speak English at an intermediate level or higher. Younger people more often speak English, and the older generation speaks Russian.

How long it takes

You can realistically learn the alphabet in 1-2 weeks, and that makes life easier right away: signs, menus, and bus stop names turn from patterns into words. Schools allow about 3 months for each level.

With two or three lessons a week and homework, the typical timeline looks like this: everyday level A2 takes about 6-9 months, and confident B1 takes about 12-18 months. These are estimates based on school programs rather than a firm rule, since a lot depends on how much you practice outside class.

Free options

The Zurab Zhvania School of Public Administration runs free state courses, and foreigners with a residence permit can enroll. Levels run from A1 to B1+, and classes are taught in several languages, including Russian. You apply on the website zspa.ge, and a short interview then determines your level and group. You can ask questions by phone at 032 2 47 24 24.

Without a residence permit, you can start with the free online course from the Justice Training Center at eacademy.tcj.gov.ge. It consists of 20 conversational lessons and is available in English, and to register you only need your name, an email address, and your date of birth.

The Ministry of Education's website geofl.ge is free for everyone and offers textbooks from A1 to C1, audio, grammar, and dictionaries. Language exchange is another free route. Tbilisi has regular meetups, and you can find a conversation partner in the HelloTalk and Tandem apps.

University courses

Ilia State University offers the most affordable option with a teacher: a group course for 5-7 students costs 400 ₾ per sublevel of 80 academic hours, and one-on-one lessons cost 20 ₾ an hour. You can sign up by phone at 032 2 23 28 77 on weekdays between 11:00 and 16:00.

In summer, the same university runs an international school: four weeks of Georgian at level A1 or A2-B1, with housing, meals, and excursions, cost $3,600-4,000 in 2026. The language center at Tbilisi State University also teaches foreigners, its courses start on the first Monday of each month, and it quotes prices on request.

Private language schools

Private schools cost more, but they are more flexible about schedules, and many of them teach in English or Russian. Prices are current as of October 1, 2026:

Take a trial lesson before you pay for a course, since most schools offer it free or count it toward the fee. At private schools an hour in a group costs roughly 20-30 ₾, and one-on-one lessons cost 40-50 ₾.

Private tutors

A private tutor in Tbilisi or Batumi usually charges 30-60 ₾ an hour. Online tutors on international platforms charge $10-30 per lesson.

One-on-one lessons bring quick results when you need a specific skill, such as spoken Georgian for work or preparation for the exam. If you are starting from zero, a group is the better choice: it costs less and keeps you on a schedule.

Apps and textbooks

The best-known apps do not offer the language: Duolingo, Drops, Babbel, and Rosetta Stone have no Georgian, and Memrise no longer offers user-created courses. Georgian is available in Ling, Lingwing (a Georgian product), Glossika, and EasyGeorgian, and each of them has a free tier and a paid subscription.

Among English-language textbooks, the most frequent recommendations are "Georgian: A Learner's Grammar" by George Hewitt and "Beginner's Georgian" by Dodona Kiziria, which comes with audio. Language schools usually hand out their own workbooks and handwriting sheets.

The citizenship exam

To get Georgian citizenship after 10 years of residence or 5 years of marriage to a citizen, you have to pass an exam in the Georgian language, the country's history, and the basics of law. The Public Service Development Agency runs it, and you can register at any Public Service Hall.

• You take the exam before you file your citizenship application.
• You take the test on a computer, and it is in Georgian only.
• The first attempt is free, every one after that costs 40 ₾, and there is no limit on retakes.
• The result is valid for 1 year.

Many private schools, among them AZRI, Sami Residence, and Biliki, run separate courses that prepare you for this exam.

Phrases for your first days

Even a few words of Georgian noticeably change how shopkeepers and neighbors treat you. These are the ones you need most:

"Madloba" is the casual, friendly form. In a store or a government office it is better to say "gmadlobt". Phrases for describing symptoms come in handy at pharmacies in Georgia, although most pharmacists in Tbilisi speak English or Russian.

In short

• You do not need Georgian for a residence permit or a job, but you do need it for citizenship.
• The 33-letter alphabet takes 1-2 weeks to learn, and an everyday level takes six months or more.
• Ilia State University is the cheapest place to learn with a teacher: 400 ₾ for 80 academic hours.
• A group at a private school costs from 400 ₾ for 2 months, and a private tutor charges 30-60 ₾ an hour.
• Duolingo has no Georgian, but Ling, Lingwing, Glossika, and the free geofl.ge do.
• Your first attempt at the citizenship exam is free, and the result is valid for 1 year.