Lesson 126: Was writing, wrote, has written

LIMBA audio course · Georgian

Hear it, then say it: learn to speak Georgian

37 audio lessons
about 13 minutes each
explained in simple English

This written course gives you the grammar, the words and the script. The LIMBA audio course trains your ear and your mouth: you listen, you repeat, you answer — the perfect complement to these lessons.

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1Sam’s diary

წერდა, დაწერა, დაუწერიაts'erda, dats'era, dauts'eria

Month 12. Three ways to tell the past

In class, Tamar asks what I did yesterday evening. She already knows a secret from Nino: I have written something in Georgian.

Today: three ways to tell the past.

2Dialogue

Tamarსემ, რას აკეთებდი გუშინ საღამოს?sem, ras ak'etebdi gushin saghamos?Sam, what were you doing yesterday evening?
Samწერილს ვწერდი ჩემი მშობლებისთვის.ts'erils vts'erdi chemi mshoblebistvis.I was writing a letter to my parents.
Tamarდაწერე?dats'ere?Did you finish it?
Samკი, დავწერე და გავგზავნე.k'i, davts'ere da gavgzavne.Yes, I wrote it and sent it.
Tamarნინომ მითხრა, რომ ლექსიც დაგიწერია ქართულად!ninom mitkhra, rom leksits dagits'eria kartulad!Nino told me you've written a poem in Georgian too!
Samნინოს უთქვამს? ... კი, დამიწერია.ninos utkvams? ... k'i, damits'eria.Nino said that? ... Yes, I have.
Tamarწამიკითხე!ts'amik'itkhe!Read it to me!
Sam„თბილისში ვცხოვრობდი, ქართულს ვსწავლობდი, და ერთ დღეს ქართულად ვიფიქრე...“„tbilisshi vtskhovrobdi, kartuls vsts'avlobdi, da ert dghes kartulad vipikre...“"I was living in Tbilisi, I was learning Georgian, and one day I thought in Georgian..."
Tamarბრავო! ეს ყველაფერი ერთ წელიწადში გისწავლია!bravo! es q'velaperi ert ts'elits'adshi gists'avlia!Bravo! You've learned all this in one year!

3New words

Georgian	Pronunciation	English
აკეთებდი	ak'etebdi	you were doing
ვწერდი	vts'erdi	I was writing
დაგიწერია	dagits'eria	you have written
უთქვამს	utkvams	he/she has (apparently) said
წამიკითხე!	ts'amik'itkhe!	read (it) to me!
ვიფიქრე	vipikre	I thought
წელიწადი	ts'elits'adi	a year

How to read the pronunciation

The pronunciation is written in English letters, following Georgia’s official romanization. Say every letter: a as in father, e as in pet, i as in machine, o as in port, u as in rule; r is rolled; g is always hard; kh as in Scottish loch; gh a soft gargled g, like a French r; sh as in shop; zh like the s in pleasure; ch as in church; ts as in cats; dz as in adze; j as in jam. An apostrophe marks a “popped” consonant, said with a little click in the throat and no puff of air: k’, p’, t’, ts’, ch’, q’ (q’ is made deep in the throat). Without an apostrophe, k, p, t, ts, ch have a small puff of air. Use the Pronunciation button at the top to hide or show it.

4Grammar and explanations

Three past tenses

	imperfect	aorist	perfect
form	წერდაts'erda	დაწერაdats'era	დაუწერიაdauts'eria
meaning	was writing, used to write	wrote (and finished)	has written; apparently wrote
the doer	nominative: ნინო წერდაnino ts'erda	ergative: ნინომ დაწერაninom dats'era	dative: ნინოს დაუწერიაninos dauts'eria

Imperfect: a process or a habit

წერილს ვწერდი.ts'erils vts'erdi.I was writing a letter.

ბავშვობაში ყოველ ზაფხულს ზღვაზე დავდიოდით.bavshvobashi q'ovel zapkhuls zghvaze davdiodit.As children, we went to the sea every summer.

Most verbs have no preverb in the imperfect: ვწერდიvts'erdi, ვაკეთებდიvak'etebdi, ვკითხულობდიvk'itkhulobdi.

Aorist: one completed action

წერილი დავწერე და გავგზავნე.ts'erili davts'ere da gavgzavne.I wrote the letter and sent it.

The preverb (დაda-, გაga-, წაts'a-…) shows that the action was finished.

Perfect: experience, result, hearsay

ლექსი დამიწერია.leksi damits'eria.I have written a poem.

ნინოს უთქვამს.ninos utkvams.Nino has (apparently) said it.

The same three for "do"

question	meaning
რას აკეთებდი?ras ak'etebdi?	What were you doing?
რა გააკეთე?ra gaak'ete?	What did you do?
რა გაგიკეთებია?ra gagik'etebia?	What have you done?

5Good to know

For transitive verbs, the case of the doer follows the tense group: nominative in the present, future and imperfect; ergative in the aorist and optative; dative in the perfect. Lesson 152 gives you the whole map.

6Exercises

Choose an answer for each question, then press Check my answers. Score 70% or more and the lesson is ticked on your course map.

"I was writing a letter" is…
"I wrote the letter and sent it" is…
"What were you doing?" is…
"What have you done?" is…
"Nino wrote a poem" (you saw it) is…
"Nino has (apparently) written a poem" is…
In the imperfect, the doer of a transitive verb is in…
In the perfect, the doer of a transitive verb is in…
"As children, we went to the sea every summer" is…
"You've learned all this in a year!" is…

Well done! Lesson 126 is ticked on your course map.

Say it, then write it

Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.

Ask "What were you doing yesterday?"
Show the answer
გუშინ რას აკეთებდი?gushin ras ak'etebdi?
Say "I was reading a book."
Show the answer
წიგნს ვკითხულობდი.ts'igns vk'itkhulobdi.
Say "I read the book (to the end)."
Show the answer
წიგნი წავიკითხე.ts'igni ts'avik'itkhe.
Say "I have read this book."
Show the answer
ეს წიგნი წამიკითხავს.es ts'igni ts'amik'itkhavs.
Say "Apparently Giorgi has bought a car."
Show the answer
თურმე გიორგის მანქანა უყიდია.turme giorgis mankana uq'idia.

Lesson finished? Now train your ear

Speak Georgian with the 37 LIMBA audio lessons

37 audio lessons
about 13 minutes each
explained in simple English

Download the Georgian audio courseOrder form · your download link arrives by email

▶ Listen to lesson 1 for free

Unit 13: The perfect: experience and hearsay B1

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