Goal: you will form the future with a preverb.
Course progress: lesson 62 / 200
LIMBA audio course · Georgian
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 emailWeek 9. Homework for Monday
Tamar gives us homework for Monday: write a short text and read a story. On Sunday night, Nino asks me if I have done it. "I'll do it," I say. "I'll write it tomorrow morning." She laughs: she knows me.
Today: the most common way to form the future: a little prefix in front of the present.
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| დავწერ | davts'er | I will write |
| გავაკეთებ | gavak'eteb | I will do, I will make |
| დავხატავ | davkhat'av | I will draw |
| მოვამზადებ | movamzadeb | I will prepare, I will cook |
| წავიკითხავ | ts'avik'itkhav | I will read |
| დავალება | davaleba | homework, task |
| ტექსტი | t'ekst'i | text |
| მოთხრობა | motkhroba | story, short story |
| ჯერ არა | jer ara | not yet |
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.
For many verbs, the future is simply the present with a preverb in front. Each verb has its own preverb, which you learn with the verb:
| present | future | preverb |
|---|---|---|
| ვწერvts'er I write | დავწერdavts'er I will write | და-da- |
| ვხატავvkhat'av I draw | დავხატავdavkhat'av I will draw | და-da- |
| ვაკეთებ I dovak'eteb I do | გავაკეთებgavak'eteb I will do | გა-ga- |
| ვამზადებvamzadeb I prepare | მოვამზადებmovamzadeb I will prepare | მო-mo- |
| ვჭამvch'am I eat | შევჭამshevch'am I will eat | შე-she- |
The ვv- of "I" comes after the preverb: დაda + ვწერvts'er = დავწერdavts'er.
| person | future of "to write" | future of "to do" |
|---|---|---|
| მეme | დავწერdavts'er | გავაკეთებgavak'eteb |
| შენshen | დაწერdats'er | გააკეთებgaak'eteb |
| ისis | დაწერსdats'ers | გააკეთებსgaak'etebs |
| ჩვენchven | დავწერთdavts'ert | გავაკეთებთgavak'etebt |
| თქვენtkven | დაწერთdats'ert | გააკეთებთgaak'etebt |
| ისინიisini | დაწერენdats'eren | გააკეთებენgaak'eteben |
Notice the double vowel in გააკეთებgaak'eteb: გაga- + აკეთებak'eteb.
ვკითხულობvk'itkhulob (I read) changes more: its future is წავიკითხავts'avik'itkhav, წაიკითხავts'aik'itkhav, წაიკითხავსts'aik'itkhavs....
The preverb gives the idea of a finished result: დავწერdavts'er is "I will write (and finish)". The object still takes -სs: წერილს დავწერts'erils davts'er, ტექსტს წავიკითხავt'ekst's ts'avik'itkhav.
In the dialogue you heard გააკეთეgaak'ete? "did you do?" — a past form you will learn in lesson 82. And დაგპირდებიdagp'irdebi, "I will promise you", is another future with დაda-.
ჯერ არაjer ara ("not yet") is a perfect short answer to any "have you...?" question.
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Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
Lesson finished? Now train your ear
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