Month 21. My grammar notebook
I show Tamar my grammar notebook: forty pages of tables, colours and arrows. She closes it and tests me without it.
Today: the verb system, all in one lesson.
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
Tamar
სემ, შენი რვეული მაჩვენე. ... ვაი, რამდენი ცხრილია!sem, sheni rveuli machvene. ... vai, ramdeni tskhrilia!Sam, show me your notebook. ... Wow, so many tables!
Sam
ყველა ზმნა ჩავწერე: აწმყო, მყოფადი, წყვეტილი...q'vela zmna chavts'ere: ats'mq'o, mq'opadi, ts'q'vet'ili...I've written down every verb: present, future, aorist...
Tamar
მაშინ რამდენიმე კითხვას დაგისვამ. „ცეკვა“, წყვეტილი, „ბავშვი“?mashin ramdenime k'itkhvas dagisvam. „tsek'va“, ts'q'vet'ili, „bavshvi“?Then I'll ask you a few questions. "Dance", aorist, "child"?
Sam
ბავშვმა იცეკვა.bavshvma itsek'va.ბავშვმა იცეკვაbavshvma itsek'va (the child danced).
Tamar
„მოსვლა“, თურმეობითი, „სტუმრები“?„mosvla“, turmeobiti, „st'umrebi“?"Come", perfect, "guests"?
Sam
სტუმრები მოსულან.st'umrebi mosulan.სტუმრები მოსულანst'umrebi mosulan (the guests have come).
Tamar
„სიყვარული“, უწყვეტელი, „მე“ და „შენ“?„siq'varuli“, uts'q'vet'eli, „me“ da „shen“?"Love", imperfect, "I" and "you"?
Sam
მიყვარდი!miq'vardi!მიყვარდიmiq'vardi (I loved you)!
Tamar
ყოჩაღ, სემ! ეს ზმნა ყველაზე კარგად გისწავლია!q'ochagh, sem! es zmna q'velaze k'argad gists'avlia!Bravo, Sam! You've learned that verb best of all!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| რვეული | rveuli | notebook, exercise book |
| ჩავწერე | chavts'ere | I wrote (it) down |
| წყვეტილი | ts'q'vet'ili | the aorist (literally "interrupted") |
| დაგისვამ | dagisvam | I'll ask you (a question), I'll put (it) to you |
| თურმეობითი | turmeobiti | the perfect (literally "the 'apparently' tense") |
| უწყვეტელი | uts'q'vet'eli | the imperfect (literally "uninterrupted") |
| მიყვარდი | miq'vardi | I loved you |
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 classes with their principal parts
| class | present | future | aorist | perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. transitive | წერსts'ers | დაწერსdats'ers | დაწერაdats'era | დაუწერიაdauts'eria |
| 2. intransitive | მოდისmodis | მოვაmova | მოვიდაmovida | მოსულაmosula |
| 3. medial | ცეკვავსtsek'vavs | იცეკვებსitsek'vebs | იცეკვაitsek'va | უცეკვიაutsek'via |
| 4. inversion | უყვარსuq'vars | ეყვარებაeq'vareba | შეუყვარდაsheuq'varda | ჰყვარებიაhq'varebia |
The subject's case
| class | series I | series II | series III |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 and 3 | nominative | ergative | dative |
| 2 | nominative | nominative | nominative |
| 4 | dative | dative | dative |
Unit 16 in one table
| topic | examples | lesson |
|---|---|---|
| three series | წერს / დაწერა / დაუწერიაts'ers / dats'era / dauts'eria | 151 |
| cases by class | ბავშვმა იცეკვა, ბავშვი მოვიდაbavshvma itsek'va, bavshvi movida | 152 |
| medial verbs | იცეკვა, ვიმღერე, ხოლმეitsek'va, vimghere, kholme | 153 |
| inversion in all tenses | მიყვარდა, შემიყვარდა, მიყვარხარmiq'varda, shemiq'varda, miq'varkhar | 154 |
| motion with preverbs | ავიდეთ, ჩამოდი!, გადავიდეთavidet, chamodi!, gadavidet | 155 |
| "be" complete | ვიქნები, ვიყო, ვყოფილიყავიviknebi, viq'o, vq'opiliq'avi | 156 |
| say, tell, tell a story | თქვა, უთხრა, მოუყვაtkva, utkhra, mouq'va | 157 |
| several roots, honorifics | დალია, ნახა, მიირთვით!dalia, nakha, miirtvit! | 158 |
| plural verbs | სხედან, დასხდნენ, ჩამოცვივდაskhedan, daskhdnen, chamotsvivda | 159 |
5Good to know
The Georgian names of the tenses describe how the action is seen: უწყვეტელიuts'q'vet'eli ("uninterrupted") for a process, წყვეტილიts'q'vet'ili ("interrupted") for a finished action, თურმეობითიturmeobiti (from თურმეturme, "apparently") for what you know only by its result or by hearsay.
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 guests have (apparently) come" is…
- "I loved you" is…
- "Nino has written a letter" is…
- "I fell in love" is…
- "Come down!" (towards me) is…
- "Wherever I may be" is…
- "I'll drink" is…
- "Please help yourselves!" is…
- "The guests sat down" is…
- "What did he tell you?" is…
- "We used to go to the sea" is…
- What does უწყვეტელიuts'q'vet'eli mean as a tense name?
Well done! Lesson 160 is ticked on your course map.
Say it, then write it
Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
- Give the principal parts of "dance".
Show the answer
ცეკვავს – იცეკვებს – იცეკვა – უცეკვიაtsek'vavs – itsek'vebs – itsek'va – utsek'via - Give the principal parts of "come".
Show the answer
მოდის – მოვა – მოვიდა – მოსულაmodis – mova – movida – mosula - Say "The child loves the dog."
Show the answer
ბავშვს ძაღლი უყვარს.bavshvs dzaghli uq'vars. - Say "Giorgi danced."
Show the answer
გიორგიმ იცეკვა.giorgim itsek'va. - Say "I'll be in Batumi tomorrow."
Show the answer
ხვალ ბათუმში ვიქნები.khval batumshi viknebi. - Say "Let's go up to the fortress!"
Show the answer
ციხეზე ავიდეთ!tsikheze avidet!
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