Language/Georgian/Grammar/The-Conjugation-System

The Conjugation System in Georgian

The Georgian verb has three series and 11 so called mts’krivi or screeves (rows) of conjugation. There are 11 rows of conjugation in Georgian.

I Series

ats’mq’o – Present Indicative – is indefinite or present continuous, narrative (vkhat’av – I paint / I am painting). Sometimes these forms without a preverb may be polysemantic with a meaning of future tense: vkhat’av – now and vkhat’av – tomorrow.

uts’q’vet’eli – Imperfect – is past continuous, narrative (vkhat’avdi – I was painting).

ats’mq’os k’avshirebiti – Present Subjunctive – is the present subjunctive (vkhat’avde – if I paint / if I were painting).

mq’opadi – Future Indicative – is the imperfect future indefinite, narrative (davkhat’av – I will paint).

kholmeobiti – Conditional – is the future in the past conditional (davkhat’avdi – I would paint).

mq’opadis k’avshirebiti – Future Subjunctive – is the future subjunctive, conditional (davkha’tavde – if I were to paint).

II Series

ts’q’vet’ili / aoristi – Aorist Indicative – is the general past, narrative: (da)vkhat’e – I have painted / I painted. It could be in the present/past perfect with preverbs.

II k’avshirebiti – Optative – is the future subjunctive: (da)vkhat’o – I should paint. It could also be in the present/past perfect with preverbs.

III Series

I turmeobiti – Perfect – is the past narrative (the subject can hardly believe in his act: turme – it seems): (da)mikhat’avs – it seems I painted / I have/had painted. It could be in the present/past perfect with preverbs.

II turmeobiti – Pluperfect – and III k’avshirebiti – Perfect Subjunctive – are very close rows; they are future in the past subjunctive conditional: (da)mekhat’a – (da)mekhat’os – if I had painted it.

The subjunctive mood is exposed by the following rows: ats’mq’os k’avshirebiti, kholmeobiti, mq’opadis k’avshirebiti, II k’avshirebiti and III k’avshirebiti.

The imperatives in modern Georgian don’t have special rows. They use the following rows:

a) ts’q’vet’ili – dakhat’e!

b) II k’avshirebiti – for the I and the III persons – (ar) davkhat’ot! (ar) dakhat’on! For negative imperatives of the II person – ar (da)khat’ot!

c) mq’opadi is seldom used, only for very categorical orders – (ar) davkhat’av!

Negative forms are produced by adding “ar” or “ver”. “ar” is more categorical.

Compare:

• ar davkhat’av – I will not paint
• ver davkhat’av – I can’t paint

Indefinite

1. Present – ats’mq’o

2. Past – ts’q’vet’ili (aoristi)

3. Future – mq’opadi

4. Future in the past – kholmeobiti

Continuous

1. Present – ats’mq’o

2. Past – uts’q’vet’eli

3. Future – ats’mq’o

4. Future in the past – II turmeobiti / III k’avshirebiti

Perfect

1. Present – ts’q’vet’ili (aoristi) or I turmeobiti

2. Past – ts’q’vet’ili (aoristi) or I turmeobiti

3. Future – mq’opadi

4. Future in the past – II turmeobiti / III k’avshirebiti

Perfect-continuous

1. Present – uts’q’vet’eli

2. Past – uts’q’vet’eli

3. Future – mq’opadi

4. Future in the past – II turmeobiti / III k’avshirebiti

Sources

http://eprints.iliauni.edu.ge/3071/1/Basic-Georgian%202%20bolo%20versia.pdf

Related Lessons

• Adverbial forms "to have breakfast, dinner, lunch and supper"
• Cases of the subject and direct object with transitive verbs
• Adverbs produced from Adjectives
• Nouns
• Postpositions of the Genitive
• Noun Inflection
• Adverbs of Time
• Inflection of adjectives with nouns
• Verbs Destination System
• The adverbial case