π Where to Learn Georgian: Free Courses, Schools and Online Options
π Where to learn Georgian: three paths
Free, through a paid school, or on your own online. The right choice depends less on money and more on your status in the country and how much you need the structure of a classroom.
Georgian isn't a language most people set out to learn with a plan. First you pick up "gamarjoba" and "madloba," then you start recognising letters on shop signs, and at some point you realise that without the language, you'll always be treated as a guest here, no matter how long you've lived in the country.
The good news is you can learn Georgian in Georgia almost for free, if you know where to look. The bad news is the language is genuinely hard, and without some structure it's difficult to get past a handful of set phrases. Here's what's actually out there, who each option suits, and what it costs.
π Free Georgian language courses for foreigners
The main free option is the state language and integration programme run through the Zurab Zhvania School of Public Administration. It was originally built for Georgia's ethnic minorities, but it's open to foreigners too.
There's one condition, and it matters: according to what the school itself confirmed to journalists at Paper Kartuli in September 2026, you can enrol if you're a foreigner holding a residence permit. Ukrainian citizens are the exception; they don't need one.
Classes run in several languages, including Russian, along with Ukrainian, Georgian, Turkish, English, Armenian and Azerbaijani. Levels go from A1 to B1+, and the higher levels come with tracks: education, law, management, finance. So this isn't just "language for daily life," it's a path toward language you can actually use at work.
The process is simple. Register on the school's website, zspa.ge, then complete a short interview that determines your level and group.
The school has regional branches too. Our directory, for instance, lists the Zurab Zhvania School of Public Administration in Kutaisi. Confirm exactly where classes take place in your city when you register.
The second free option is an online course from Georgia's Ministry of Justice, launched in 2026 alongside the UN Development Programme and the German government. Twenty online lessons focused on conversational skills are open to anyone, with no status requirements at all. Registration runs through the Justice Ministry's training centre platform, eacademy.tcj.gov.ge, and all it asks for is your name, email, and date of birth. The one catch, already mentioned above: there's no Russian among the course materials.
π« Georgian language courses in Tbilisi
If you don't have residency yet, or you want your own pace and a schedule that fits your life, private schools and tutors are the way to go. Tbilisi has plenty, in a range of formats: small groups, one-on-one lessons, conversation clubs run through schools, online classes.
Being honest about pricing. There's no standard rate; every school sets its own. As a reference point, one specific example: a course in Tbilisi charging 250 GEL for four two-hour lessons. One-on-one lessons typically cost more than group ones, and intensives more than once-a-week classes.
When choosing, look past the flashy school name and check three things. Who's actually teaching: a philologist experienced in teaching Georgian as a foreign language, or just someone who happens to be a native speaker. Whether there's a structured curriculum by level, rather than just "conversation practice." And what language grammar gets explained in; if it's Russian, the first few months move noticeably faster.
Schools and courses in the capital are listed in our directory: foreign language courses in Tbilisi.
π Georgian language courses in Batumi
Batumi has fewer options than the capital, but it does have them, and for a lot of people the key question is whether any of them are free.
Our directory lists the Georgian Language and Culture Integration School, and search patterns show people specifically looking it up as a free course. Confirm enrolment conditions, cost, and status requirements directly with the school; they may differ from the state programme described above.
Private schools in Batumi include, for example, Biliki, which by its own description also prepares students for the citizenship exam, and Azri. The full list is in foreign language courses in Batumi.
π» How to learn Georgian online for free
Beyond the Justice Ministry course, there are a few free resources learners themselves consistently recommend.
The Georgian as a foreign language project at geofl.ge has published open-access textbooks for various levels and reading texts with audio recordings. It's probably the best free foundation for self-study.
The Ver Gavige platform at vergavi.ge is built around the European reference-level descriptions for Georgian, A1 through B2. The creators use AI for reading exercises and checking practice work, though by their own account, native speakers and teachers review anything involving idioms or politeness forms.
And one more piece of honest advice: if you're learning on your own, start with the alphabet. As long as you're reading Georgian words transliterated into Latin script, progress stays slow. The alphabet takes about two weeks to learn, and everything moves noticeably faster after that. We've covered the Georgian alphabet as a starting point.
π£οΈ Where to practise speaking Georgian
A course gets you the grammar, but only practice gets you actually talking.
Tbilisi has run a conversation club called khidi for three years now: meetups happen on Saturdays, drawing both foreigners and native speakers. The club runs its own Telegram channel with a curated set of free resources, everything from bots and flashcards to dictionaries and YouTube channels sorted by level.
For everyday situations, while your own vocabulary is still catching up, our own material can help: a beginner's phrasebook, 12 words and phrases every traveller should know, and an overview of translators between Russian and Georgian. And if you're curious why Georgian feels so unlike other languages, there's the uniqueness of the Georgian language.
If you already hold a residence permit, start with the free state programme, even if you're planning to move to a private school later. The intake interview shows you your actual level for free, and the first few months in a group give you the structure that self-study almost always lacks.
And speak Georgian whenever you get the chance, mistakes and all. At the shop, at the market, with neighbours. Georgians respond warmly to any attempt at their language, and those short exchanges cement what you learned in class far better than any exercise sheet does.
Learned Georgian in Georgia? Leave a review on Madloba: tell us where you studied, what it cost, and what actually helped most, classes, a club, or working on your own. Reviews like that help people still figuring out where to start.
Information is current as of September 2026. Enrolment conditions for the state programme, the list of languages offered, and the makeup of free online courses can change; details on the Zhvania School programme come from the school's official site and Paper Kartuli's 16 September 2026 report. Private schools each set their own prices, so confirm before enrolling.
βFrequently Asked Questions
π¬ The main option is the state programme run through the Zurab Zhvania School of Public Administration: free for foreigners with a residence permit, and Ukrainian citizens can enrol without one. Anyone can access the Georgian Justice Ministry's free twenty-lesson online course, no status required.
π¬ For the Zhvania School's state programme, yes, based on what the school confirmed as of September 2026. Ukrainian citizens are the exception. The Justice Ministry's online course has no status requirements at all.
π¬ Yes. The Zhvania School programme is offered in Russian among other languages, as are many private schools in Tbilisi and Batumi. The Justice Ministry's free online course, though, doesn't include Russian among its materials.
π¬ Register on the Zurab Zhvania School of Public Administration's website, zspa.ge, then complete a short interview. That determines your level and which group you join.
π¬ There's no standard price list; every school sets its own rate. As a reference point, one Tbilisi course charges 250 GEL for four two-hour lessons. One-on-one lessons usually cost more than group ones.
π¬ Yes, Batumi has private schools as well as the Georgian Language and Culture Integration School. Confirm conditions and cost directly with each school; the full list is in our Batumi language course directory.
π¬ You can get a solid start: the free Justice Ministry course, the open Georgian as a foreign language textbooks with audio, and the Ver Gavige platform all provide a good foundation. Speaking practice, though, almost always needs to happen live, with native speakers.
π¬ Tbilisi's khidi conversation club meets on Saturdays, drawing both foreigners and Georgians. And, of course, everyday life: at the market, in shops, with neighbours.
π¬ With the alphabet. As long as you're reading Georgian words in Latin transliteration, progress stays slow. The alphabet takes about two weeks to pick up, and after that, both classes and self-study move noticeably faster.
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