Georgian Grammar → Verbs and Tenses → Conditional and Imperative
I'm excited to teach you about the conditional and imperative forms in Georgian! These verb forms allow you to express possibilities and commands, respectively.
Conditional Form
To form the conditional in Georgian, you first need to choose the appropriate verb stem for the subject pronoun. Then, you add the appropriate present tense ending:
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After the verb stem, you add the following endings:
- ვ– for 1st person singular (I)
- ს– for 2nd person singular (you, informal)
- ა– for 3rd person singular (he/she/it)
- ვთ– for 1st person plural (we)
- თ– for 2nd person plural (you, formal, or they)
For example, let's take the verb "to drink": სასმელი (sasmeli). The verb stem is სასმ- (sasam-), with the appropriate ending added for the present tense. To form the conditional, you would take the verb stem sasam- and add the appropriate conditional endings:
| Georgian |
Pronunciation |
English
|
| ვინმე |
vinme |
If I/he/she/they/you (formal)...
|
| ხართ |
k'art |
If you (informal)...
|
}
Notice that the conditional endings take different forms depending on the subject pronoun, but the verb stem remains the same.
Imperative Form
The imperative form is used to give commands or make requests. It is formed by taking the appropriate verb stem, adding the imperative prefix, and then adding the appropriate ending:
| Georgian |
Pronunciation |
English
|
| ვსასმებინებინა |
vsasamebin'ebin'a |
If I/he/she/they/you (formal) were drinking...
|
| ხართ სასმებინებთ |
k'art sasamebin'ebt |
If you (informal) were drinking...
|
}
The imperative prefix is typically და– (da-) for positive commands and არა– (ara-) for negative commands. Then, you add the following endings:
- –ა for 2nd person singular (you)
- –თე for 2nd person plural (you, formal)
For example, let's take the verb "to see": ხედავს (khedavs). The verb stem is ხედავ (kheda-). To give a positive command, you would add the imperative prefix da- and the appropriate ending –ა:
| Georgian |
Pronunciation |
English
|
| დადგე |
dadge |
Give!
|
| არავის ნუ გააკეთე |
aravis nu gaak'et'e |
Don't do anything!
|
}
To give a negative command, you would add the imperative prefix ara- and the appropriate ending –ა:
| Georgian |
Pronunciation |
English
|
| ხედა! |
kheda! |
Look!
|
}
Remember that the imperative form is often used in commands or requests, so it is important to pay attention to the appropriate level of politeness based on your audience.
I hope this lesson on the conditional and imperative forms in Georgian has been helpful! Remember to practice forming these verb forms with different verbs and subject pronouns. As always, don't hesitate to ask any questions in the comments below.
Related Lessons
Sources
| Georgian |
Pronunciation |
English
|
| არახედე! |
arakhede! |
Don't look!
|
| არავის ნუ ხედავთ! |
aravis nu khedavt |
Don't look at anything!
|
