Month 19. The case map
I keep making the same mistake: I put -მაma where it doesn't belong, and I forget it where it does. Nino draws me a map, the map of Georgian cases.
Today: who takes -მაma, and when?
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.
Download the Georgian audio courseOrder form · your download link arrives by email▶ Listen to lesson 1 for free
1Sam’s diary
2Dialogue
Sam
გუშინ ბავშვი იცეკვა.gushin bavshvi itsek'va.Yesterday the child danced.
Nino
არა, სემ: „ბავშვმა იცეკვა“. „ცეკვავს“ წარსულში „-მა“-ს იღებს.ara, sem: „bavshvma itsek'va“. „tsek'vavs“ ts'arsulshi „-ma“-s ighebs.No, Sam: "ბავშვმა იცეკვაbavshvma itsek'va". "Dance" takes -მაma in the past.
Sam
მაშინ „ბავშვმა მოვიდა“?mashin „bavshvma movida“?Then "ბავშვმა მოვიდაbavshvma movida"?
Nino
არა! „ბავშვი მოვიდა“. მოსვლა „-მა“-ს არასოდეს იღებს.ara! „bavshvi movida“. mosvla „-ma“-s arasodes ighebs.No! "ბავშვი მოვიდაbavshvi movida". "Come" never takes -მაma.
Sam
და „ბავშვს უყვარს“?da „bavshvs uq'vars“?And "ბავშვს უყვარსbavshvs uq'vars"?
Nino
სწორია. „უყვარს“ ყოველთვის მიცემით ბრუნვას იღებს.sts'oria. „uq'vars“ q'oveltvis mitsemit brunvas ighebs.Correct. "Love" always takes the dative case.
Sam
ანუ ოთხი ოჯახია: ვინ წერს, ვინ მოდის, ვინ ცეკვავს და ვის უყვარს.anu otkhi ojakhia: vin ts'ers, vin modis, vin tsek'vavs da vis uq'vars.So there are four families: who writes, who comes, who dances and who loves.
Nino
ყოჩაღ! შენ ქართული გრამატიკის რუკა გაქვს!q'ochagh! shen kartuli gramat'ik'is ruk'a gakvs!Well done! You've got the map of Georgian grammar!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| წარსულში | ts'arsulshi | in the past |
| სწორია | sts'oria | that's correct |
| მიცემითი | mitsemiti | the dative case |
| სახელობითი | sakhelobiti | the nominative case |
| მოთხრობითი | motkhrobiti | the ergative case |
| გრამატიკა | gramat'ik'a | grammar |
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
The four verb classes and the subject's case
| class | example | series I | series II | series III |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. transitive | წერსts'ers (writes) | ნინო წერსnino ts'ers | ნინომ დაწერაninom dats'era | ნინოს დაუწერიაninos dauts'eria |
| 2. intransitive | მოდისmodis (comes) | ნინო მოდისnino modis | ნინო მოვიდაnino movida | ნინო მოსულაnino mosula |
| 3. medial | ცეკვავსtsek'vavs (dances) | ნინო ცეკვავსnino tsek'vavs | ნინომ იცეკვაninom itsek'va | ნინოს უცეკვიაninos utsek'via |
| 4. inversion | უყვარსuq'vars (loves) | ნინოს უყვარსninos uq'vars | ნინოს უყვარდაninos uq'varda | ნინოს ჰყვარებიაninos hq'varebia |
- Class 1 and class 3 change: nominative → ergative → dative.
- Class 2 always has the nominative.
- Class 4 always has the dative.
And the object?
| class 1, object | series I | series II | series III |
|---|---|---|---|
| წერილიts'erili (letter) | წერილს წერსts'erils ts'ers (dative) | წერილი დაწერაts'erili dats'era (nominative) | წერილი დაუწერიაts'erili dauts'eria (nominative) |
With inversion verbs, the thing loved, wanted or had is always in the nominative: ნინოს ძაღლი უყვარსninos dzaghli uq'vars (Nino loves the dog).
The case names
| case | ending | Georgian name |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | -ი-i | სახელობითიsakhelobiti |
| ergative | -მა, -მ-ma, -m | მოთხრობითიmotkhrobiti |
| dative | -ს-s | მიცემითიmitsemiti |
| genitive | -ის-is | ნათესაობითიnatesaobiti |
5Good to know
How do you know a verb's class? Look at its aorist: დაწერაdats'era, იცეკვაitsek'va (with an ergative) or მოვიდაmovida, დაბრუნდაdabrunda (with a nominative). The official learner's dictionary gives each verb with the cases of its partners, for example დაწერა მან ისdats'era man is.
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.
- "The child danced" is…
- "The child came" is…
- "The child loves the dog" is…
- "Nino wrote a letter" is…
- "Nino is writing a letter" is…
- "Nino has danced" is…
- Which class always takes the nominative?
- Which class always takes the dative?
- What is the Georgian name of the ergative case?
- "in the past" is…
Well done! Lesson 152 is ticked on your course map.
Say it, then write it
Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
- Say "Giorgi danced."
Show the answer
გიორგიმ იცეკვა.giorgim itsek'va. - Say "Giorgi came."
Show the answer
გიორგი მოვიდა.giorgi movida. - Say "Giorgi loves rugby."
Show the answer
გიორგის რაგბი უყვარს.giorgis ragbi uq'vars. - Say "Giorgi has written a letter."
Show the answer
გიორგის წერილი დაუწერია.giorgis ts'erili dauts'eria. - Say "Giorgi wrote a letter."
Show the answer
გიორგიმ წერილი დაწერა.giorgim ts'erili dats'era.
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 16: The verb system in full B2
- 151The three series of tenses
- 152Who takes -მაma? Verb classes and cases
- 153Dance, play, cry: medial verbs
- 154Love, want, have: inversion verbs in all tenses
- 155Go and come: the complete verb
- 156To be: the complete verb
- 157Say and tell: the complete verbs
- 158Eat, drink, see: verbs that change root
- 159Plural subjects that change the verb
- 160Review: the verb system