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A2 · ElementaryUnit 10: Wishes, needs, possibilitiesLesson 92 of 200

Lesson 92I must: უნდაunda + the optative

Goal: you will say what you must or should do.

Course progress: lesson 92 / 200

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1Sam’s diary

ა ბ გ დ ეუნდა ვისწავლო
უნდა ვისწავლოunda vists'avlo

Week 20. Exam week

Exam week. Tamar writes the programme on the board, and my list of things to do gets longer and longer: revise the verbs, read three texts, write an essay, go to bed early.

Today: "must" and "should", with the optative.

2Dialogue

Tamar
პარასკევს გამოცდაა. ყველამ უნდა ისწავლოს ზმნები.p'arask'evs gamotsdaa. q'velam unda ists'avlos zmnebi.The exam is on Friday. Everybody must learn the verbs.
Sam
ტექსტებიც უნდა წავიკითხოთ?t'ekst'ebits unda ts'avik'itkhot?Do we have to read the texts too?
Tamar
დიახ, სამი ტექსტი უნდა წაიკითხოთ და ერთი ესე უნდა დაწეროთ.diakh, sami t'ekst'i unda ts'aik'itkhot da erti ese unda dats'erot.Yes, you must read three texts and write one essay.
Sam
ხუთშაბათს რა უნდა გავაკეთო?khutshabats ra unda gavak'eto?What should I do on Thursday?
Tamar
ხუთშაბათს უნდა დაისვენო! და ადრე უნდა დაიძინო.khutshabats unda daisveno! da adre unda daidzino.On Thursday you should rest! And you should go to bed early.
Sam
გამოცდის დროს ლექსიკონი არ უნდა გამოვიყენოთ?gamotsdis dros leksik'oni ar unda gamoviq'enot?We mustn't use a dictionary during the exam?
Tamar
არა, არ უნდა გამოიყენოთ!ara, ar unda gamoiq'enot!No, you mustn't use one!

3New words

GeorgianPronunciationEnglish
უნდაundamust, should (same word as "wants", lesson 36)
არ უნდაar undamust not, should not
ვისწავლოvists'avlothat I learn (optative)
წავიდეts'avidethat I go (optative)
ესეeseessay
დაიძინოdaidzinothat you go to sleep (optative)
გამოვიყენოgamoviq'enothat I use (optative)
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

Must: უნდაunda + optative

უნდაunda (the same word as "wants") followed by the optative means "must, should, have to". უნდაunda never changes; the optative shows the person:

personmust writemust go
მეmeუნდა დავწეროunda davts'eroუნდა წავიდეunda ts'avide
შენshenუნდა დაწეროunda dats'eroუნდა წახვიდეunda ts'akhvide
ისisუნდა დაწეროსunda dats'erosუნდა წავიდესunda ts'avides
ჩვენchvenუნდა დავწეროთunda davts'erotუნდა წავიდეთunda ts'avidet
თქვენtkvenუნდა დაწეროთunda dats'erotუნდა წახვიდეთunda ts'akhvidet
ისინიisiniუნდა დაწერონunda dats'eronუნდა წავიდნენunda ts'avidnen

Endings of the optative

For most verbs: -ოo, -ოo, -ოსos, -ოთot, -ოთot, -ონon (დავწეროdavts'ero, ვისწავლოvists'avlo, ვიყიდოviq'ido). For "go" and a few others: -ეe, -ეe, -ესes, -ეთet, -ეთet, -ნენnen (წავიდეts'avide, დავბრუნდეdavbrunde).

The doer: -მაma again!

The optative belongs to the same family as the past: verbs that do something take a doer in -მაma / -მm, and the object stays in its basic form:

ნინომ უნდა დაწეროს ესე.ninom unda dats'eros ese.Nino-ERG must write essayNino must write an essay.
ყველამ უნდა ისწავლოს ზმნები.q'velam unda ists'avlos zmnebi.everybody-ERG must learn verbsEverybody must learn the verbs.

But with "go", "come", "rest"... the subject stays basic: ნინო უნდა წავიდესnino unda ts'avides.

Must not: არ უნდაar unda

არ უნდაar unda + optative = "must not, should not": ეს არ უნდა გააკეთოes ar unda gaak'eto, "you shouldn't do that".

5Good to know

The official Georgian grammar for learners gives exactly this example: ანამ ეს ლექსი უნდა ისწავლოსanam es leksi unda ists'avlos, "Ana must learn this poem", with ანამanam in -მm and ლექსიleksi in its basic form.

უნდაunda + optative is also polite advice: ექიმთან უნდა წახვიდეekimtan unda ts'akhvide, "you should go to the doctor's".

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 must study" is…
  2. "You must go" (to a friend) is…
  3. "Nino must write an essay" is…
  4. "We must go" is…
  5. "They must read the texts" is…
  6. "You shouldn't do that" is…
  7. Does უნდაunda change with the person?
  8. "He must rest" is…
  9. "Nino must go" is…
  10. What does ესეese mean?

Well done! Lesson 92 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 must learn the verbs."
    Show the answerზმნები უნდა ვისწავლო.zmnebi unda vists'avlo.
  2. Say "We must go home."
    Show the answerსახლში უნდა წავიდეთ.sakhlshi unda ts'avidet.
  3. Tell a friend "You should go to the doctor's."
    Show the answerექიმთან უნდა წახვიდე.ekimtan unda ts'akhvide.
  4. Say "Giorgi must buy bread."
    Show the answerგიორგიმ პური უნდა იყიდოს.giorgim p'uri unda iq'idos.
  5. Say "You mustn't drink a lot." (to a friend)
    Show the answerბევრი არ უნდა დალიო.bevri ar unda dalio.

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 10: Wishes, needs, possibilities A2

  1. 91Let's go! წავიდეთts'avidet!
  2. 92I must: უნდაunda + the optative
  3. 93I want to...: მინდაminda + the optative
  4. 94May I? შეიძლებაsheidzleba
  5. 95Don't go! არar + the optative
  6. 96In order to, because: რომrom, იმიტომ რომimit'om rom
  7. 97At the doctor's
  8. 98Hungry, cold, afraid
  9. 99I need, I miss, I'm glad
  10. 100A2 review: a trip to Kazbegi

See the 20 units and all 200 lessons →

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