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B1 · IntermediateUnit 14: Passive, states and positionsLesson 135 of 200

Lesson 135Make someone do it: causatives

Goal: you will say who makes or lets someone do something.

Course progress: lesson 135 / 200

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1Sam’s diary

ბავშვს ვაჭმევ
ბავშვს ვაჭმევbavshvs vach'mev

Month 14. Feeding little Dato

Nino and I babysit Dato again. Feeding him, dressing him and putting him to bed: three missions, and Dato has his own opinion about each of them.

Today: making someone eat, drink, laugh and sleep.

2Dialogue

Nino
სემ, დათოს ვახშამი უნდა ვაჭამოთ. ფაფას შენ აჭმევ?sem, datos vakhshami unda vach'amot. papas shen ach'mev?Sam, we have to give Dato his dinner. Will you feed him the porridge?
Sam
კარგი. დათო, ერთი კოვზი... არა? ორი?k'argi. dato, erti k'ovzi... ara? ori?OK. Dato, one spoonful... no? Two?
Dato
არ მინდა! მე თვითონ ვჭამ!ar minda! me tviton vch'am!I don't want to! I'll eat by myself!
Nino
კარგი, თვითონ ჭამოს. მე წყალს ვასმევ.k'argi, tviton ch'amos. me ts'q'als vasmev.OK, let him eat by himself. I'll give him water.
Sam
ახლა რა ვქნათ? პიჟამას ჩავაცმევ?akhla ra vknat? p'izhamas chavatsmev?What now? Shall I put his pyjamas on him?
Nino
კი, ჩააცვი. მერე დავაძინოთ.k'i, chaatsvi. mere davadzinot.Yes, put them on him. Then let's put him to bed.
Dato
არ მეძინება! სემ, რამე სასაცილო მითხარი!ar medzineba! sem, rame sasatsilo mitkhari!I'm not sleepy! Sam, tell me something funny!
Nino
ყოჩაღ, სემ, გააცინე! ახლა კი... დაიძინა!q'ochagh, sem, gaatsine! akhla k'i... daidzina!Well done, Sam, you made him laugh! And now... he's asleep!

3New words

GeorgianPronunciationEnglish
ვაჭამოთvach'amot(that) we feed (him)
ფაფაpapaporridge
აჭმევach'mevyou feed (him)
თვითონtvitonby oneself, oneself
ვასმევvasmevI give (him) to drink
პიჟამაp'izhamapyjamas
ჩავაცმევchavatsmevI'll dress (him), I'll put (it) on (him)
დავაძინოთdavadzinotlet's put (him) to sleep
არ მეძინებაar medzinebaI'm not sleepy
გააცინეgaatsineyou made (him) laugh
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

Make someone do it: causatives

A causative verb means "make someone do something" or "let someone do something":

simple verbcausativemeaning
ჭამსch'ams (eats)აჭმევსach'mevsfeeds (makes eat)
სვამსsvams (drinks)ასმევსasmevsgives to drink
იცვამსitsvams (puts on)აცმევსatsmevsdresses (someone)
იძინებსidzinebs (goes to sleep)აძინებსadzinebsputs to sleep
იცინისitsinis (laughs)აცინებსatsinebsmakes laugh
წერსts'ers (writes)აწერინებსats'erinebsmakes write
აკეთებსak'etebs (does)აკეთებინებსak'etebinebsmakes do

The suffix -ინin- builds causatives from many verbs: აწერინებსats'erinebs, აკეთებინებსak'etebinebs.

Cases

In the present and future, the person made to act and the thing are both in the dative: > ბავშვს ფაფას ვაჭმევbavshvs papas vach'mev. | to-child porridge I-make-eat | I'm feeding the child porridge.

In the aorist: ergative doer, dative person, nominative thing. The official B2 grammar example: > შვილმა დავალება დაწერაshvilma davaleba dats'era – დედამ შვილს დავალება დააწერინაdedam shvils davaleba daats'erina. | The child wrote the homework – the mother made the child write the homework.

Aorist and commands

aoristcommand
დააძინაdaadzina (he put him to sleep)დააძინეdaadzine! (put him to sleep!)
გააცინაgaatsina (he made him laugh)გააცინეgaatsine! (make him laugh!)
ჩააცვაchaatsva (he dressed him)ჩააცვიchaatsvi! (dress him!)

5Good to know

არ მეძინებაar medzineba ("I'm not sleepy") is an inversion verb, like მშიაmshia: sleep does not come to me. Every Georgian child says it at bedtime.

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.

  1. "I'm feeding the child porridge" is…
  2. "I'll give him water" is…
  3. "Dress him!" is…
  4. "Let's put him to sleep" is…
  5. "You made him laugh!" is…
  6. "The mother made her child write the homework" is…
  7. Which suffix often makes a causative?
  8. "I'm not sleepy" is…
  9. "I'll eat by myself!" is…
  10. What is a კოვზიk'ovzi?

Well done! Lesson 135 is ticked on your course map.

Say it, then write it

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

  1. Say "I'm feeding the dog."
    Show the answerძაღლს ვაჭმევ.dzaghls vach'mev.
  2. Say "Give the child water!" (literally "make the child drink")
    Show the answerბავშვს წყალი დაალევინე!bavshvs ts'q'ali daalevine!
  3. Say "Let's put Dato to sleep."
    Show the answerდათო დავაძინოთ.dato davadzinot.
  4. Say "Nino made me laugh."
    Show the answerნინომ გამაცინა.ninom gamatsina.
  5. Say "I'm not sleepy."
    Show the answerარ მეძინება.ar medzineba.

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

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.

Download the Georgian audio courseOrder form · your download link arrives by email
▶ Listen to lesson 1 for free

Unit 14: Passive, states and positions B1

  1. 131For sale: passive verbs
  2. 132It's getting warm: change verbs in -დებაdeba
  3. 133It stands, it lies, it hangs
  4. 134Sit down! Stand up!
  5. 135Make someone do it: causatives
  6. 136Done and to be done: participles
  7. 137The writer, the reader
  8. 138Swimming, reading, learning: verbal nouns
  9. 139Building words
  10. 140Review: renting a flat

See the 20 units and all 200 lessons →

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