Goal: you will form the past of transitive verbs and keep the object plain.
Course progress: lesson 82 / 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 16. Homework done!
Monday morning, class. Tamar collects the homework: I wrote a text, read the story and even prepared a list of new words. For once, I can say it all in the past, and in correct Georgian.
Today: the past of verbs that do something, and the surprise that comes with it.
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| დავწერე | davts'ere | I wrote |
| გავაკეთე | gavak'ete | I did, I made |
| წავიკითხე | ts'avik'itkhe | I read (past) |
| მოვამზადე | movamzade | I prepared, I cooked |
| დავხატე | davkhat'e | I drew, I painted |
| შეასწორა | sheasts'ora | he, she corrected |
| სია | sia | list |
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.
The past (the aorist) uses the same preverb as the future (lesson 62) and new endings:
| person | write | do | read |
|---|---|---|---|
| მეme | დავწერეdavts'ere | გავაკეთეgavak'ete | წავიკითხეts'avik'itkhe |
| შენshen | დაწერეdats'ere | გააკეთეgaak'ete | წაიკითხეts'aik'itkhe |
| ის (მან)is (man) | დაწერაdats'era | გააკეთაgaak'eta | წაიკითხაts'aik'itkha |
| ჩვენchven | დავწერეთdavts'eret | გავაკეთეთgavak'etet | წავიკითხეთts'avik'itkhet |
| თქვენtkven | დაწერეთdats'eret | გააკეთეთgaak'etet | წაიკითხეთts'aik'itkhet |
| ისინი (მათ)isini (mat) | დაწერესdats'eres | გააკეთესgaak'etes | წაიკითხესts'aik'itkhes |
The endings: -ეe for I and you, -აa for he, she, -ეთet for we and you (plural), -ესes for they.
In the present and the future, the doer is in the basic form and the object takes -სs. In this past, it is the other way round: the doer takes -მაma / -მm and the object goes back to its basic form:
| doer | object | verb | |
|---|---|---|---|
| present | ნინოnino | წერილსts'erils | წერსts'ers |
| future | ნინოnino | წერილსts'erils | დაწერსdats'ers |
| past | ნინომninom | წერილიts'erili | დაწერაdats'era |
This "switch" is called ergativity, and it is the heart of Georgian grammar. Take your time with it: everything else in the past depends on it.
A good way to remember the switch: in the past, the doer is "marked" (-მაma) and the thing is "free" (basic form). Say these pairs aloud: ნინო წერილს წერსnino ts'erils ts'ers / ნინომ წერილი დაწერაninom ts'erili dats'era; ბავშვი სურათს ხატავსbavshvi surats khat'avs / ბავშვმა სურათი დახატაbavshvma surati dakhat'a.
The question გააკეთეgaak'ete? ("did you do it?") is also a perfect way to ask about any task: გააკეთეgaak'ete? კიk'i, გავაკეთეgavak'ete!
Choose an answer for each question, then press Check my answers. Score 70% or more and the lesson is ticked on your course map.
Well done! Lesson 82 is ticked on your course map.
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