Language/Georgian/Grammar/How-to-Use-Be

Georgian Grammar - How to Use "Be"

Hi Georgian learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will focus on one of the most essential and frequently used verbs in Georgian, "be". We will learn how to use this verb in various tenses and forms. Additionally, we will explore some interesting cultural insights about the Georgian language. Don't forget to practice the examples and exercises at the end of the lesson! Let's get started! 🚀

Consider exploring these related pages after completing this lesson: The Genitive Case & Gender.

What is the Verb "Be" in Georgian?

The verb "be" in Georgian is არის (aris). In Georgian, there is no equivalent of the verb "to be" as in English. Instead, the verb is inflected to match the person, number, tense, and mood of the sentence. Georgian verbs are highly inflected, meaning that they undergo significant changes to indicate different grammatical features. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the forms of verbs when learning Georgian grammar.

Here are the present tense forms of the verb "be":

Person	Singular Form	Plural Form	English Translation
1st Person	მე ვარ (me var)	ჩვენ ვართ (chven var't)	I am / We are
2nd Person	შენ ხარ (shen khar)	თქვენ ხართ (tkven khar't)	You are / You all are
3rd Person	ის არის (is aris)	ისინი არიან (isini aria'n)	He/She/It is / They are

Note that the verb "be" in Georgian does not change its form for gender. It stays the same for all genders.

Let's see some examples in context:

• Person 1: მე ვარ ქართული. (Me var kartuli.)
• Person 2: მეც. (Mec.)
• Translation: Person 1: "I am Georgian." Person 2: "Me too."

• Person 1: შენ ხარ შენ? (Shen khar shen?)
• Person 2: კი, მე ვარ. (Ki, me var.)
• Translation: Person 1: "Are you you?" Person 2: "Yes, I am."

• Person 1: ამას არარის ვარებს. (Amas araris varebs.)
• Person 2: მაგრამ ისია ჩემი აშკარა იმპროვიზატორი. (Magram isia chemi ashkara improvizatori.)
• Translation: Person 1: "This is not working." Person 2: "But it's my backup improvisation."

The Verb "Be" in Past and Future Tenses

Like in English, the verb "be" in Georgian also has past and future tenses. Here are the forms:

Tense	Singular Form	Plural Form	English Translation
Past	მე ვიყო (me viqo)	ჩვენ ვიყოთ (chven viqot)	I was / We were
Future	მე ვიქნათ (me vik'nat)	ჩვენ ვიქნათ (chven vik'nat)	I will be / We will be

Let's see some examples in context:

• Person 1: გიორგი ეცადება. (Giorgi ec'adeba.)
• Person 2: ეს გინდათ, რომ ის ფეხბურთი ითამაშებს? (Es gindat, rom is p'exburthi it'amshebs?)
• Person 1: არა, ის ვიყო მაშინ. (Ara, is viqo mashin.)
• Translation: Person 1: "Giorgi was trying." Person 2: "Do you want him to play soccer?" Person 1: "No, he was."

• Person 1: დააკარგებ. (Daak'argeb.)
• Person 2: რას? (Ras?)
• Person 1: მე ვიქნათ უფრო გამიზღვრებას. (Me vik'nat upro gamiz'vrebas.)
• Translation: Person 1: "I will be more specific." Person 2: "About what?" Person 1: "Giving instructions."

Negative Forms of the Verb "Be"

To form negative sentences with the verb "be" in Georgian, you need to add the particle არ (ar) before the verb, like "not" in English. Let's see the forms:

Tense	Singular Form	Plural Form	English Translation
Present	არ ვარ (ar var)	არ ვართ (ar var't)	I am not / We are not
Past	არ ვიყო (ar viqo)	არ ვიყოთ (ar viqot)	I was not / We were not
Future	არ ვიქნათ (ar vik'nat)	არ ვიქნათ (ar vik'nat)	I will not be / We will not be

Here are some examples in context:

• Person 1: არ ვარ ყოველდღე სხვადასხვა ამას. (Ar var qovel'de sxvadasxva amas.)
• Person 2: მეც არ ვარ. (Mec ar var.)
• Translation: Person 1: "I am not doing anything different every day." Person 2: "Me neither."

• Person 1: დეპრესიაში რაღაც დღე არ ვიყო. (Depressiashii ra'ats' dae ar viqo.)
• Person 2: შენ არ ჩანთა. (Shen ar ch'anta.)
• Translation: Person 1: "I didn't feel like myself for some days due to depression." Person 2: "You did not seem it."

Interesting Facts about the Georgian Language

Besides being a highly inflected language, Georgian is also unique in several other aspects.

• Georgian is one of the oldest living languages in the world, with evidence of its written form dating back to the 5th century.
• Georgian has its own unique script, which is one of the only 14 scripts worldwide that are still in use. The Georgian script has 33 letters and is written from left to right.
• Georgian is an agglutinative language, meaning that words are constructed by adding different morphemes together. This makes Georgian words often long and complex.
• Georgian is also known for its complex verb system with up to 14 tenses, while many European languages have only one or two tenses.
• Georgian grammar is relatively regular and logical, making it a fascinating language for linguists and language learners alike.

To improve your Georgian Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

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➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Other Lessons

• Missing vowels “ა”, “ე”, “ო”
• How to Use Have
• Adjectives
• Nouns
• Infection of noun endings on vowels
• Inflection of adjectives with nouns
• Cases of the subject and direct object with transitive verbs
• Toasting
• Using personal pronouns as the subject
• Adjectives Degrees

Sources

• Georgian grammar - Wikipedia
• Essentials of Georgian Grammar. With Conjugation Tables of 250 ...