Language/Georgian/Grammar/Nouns
Hi Georgian learners! ๐
In this lesson, we will be focusing on Georgian grammar, specifically on nouns.
Nouns are an important part of any language, as they are used to refer to people, places, things, and ideas. In Georgian, nouns are divided into several categories based on gender, number, and case. Understanding how these categories work is essential for building your Georgian vocabulary and improving your communication skills.
Don't hesitate to look into these other pages after completing this lesson: The Conjugation System, Future Tense, Adjective Agreement & That (แ แแ).
Gender[edit | edit source]
Like many languages, Georgian has two genders: masculine and feminine. The gender of a noun determines which article and other modifiers it takes.
For example, the word for "book" in Georgian is แฌแแแแ (tsigni). If we want to say "a book," we would use the masculine article, which is -แ (-i). So "a book" would be แฌแแแแ-แ (tsigni-i).
However, if we were talking about "a table," which is not gender-specific in English, we would need to know that it is a feminine noun in Georgian. Therefore, we would use the feminine article, which is -แก (-s), to say "a table": แแแแแแ-แก (magida-s).
Here is a table showing some common gendered nouns in Georgian:
Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
แแแชแ | katsi | man |
แฅแแแ | k'ali | woman |
แแแชแแก | katsis | of a man |
แฅแแแแก | k'alis | of a woman |
Number[edit | edit source]
In Georgian, nouns can be either singular or plural. The plural is formed by adding the suffix -แแแ (-ebi) to the end of the noun.
For example, if we want to say "books" in Georgian, we would add -แแแ to the end of แฌแแแแ, giving us แฌแแแแแแ (tsignebi).
Here is a dialogue to illustrate how to use numbers in Georgian:
- Person 1: แแแแแ แ แฌแแแแแแ แแแฅแแ? (magari tsignebi gak'vit?) (Do you have any good books?)
- Person 2: แแแแฎ, แแ แแแแแแ แแแ แแแ. (diax, organika k'argia) (Yes, organic (chemistry) is good.)
Case[edit | edit source]
In Georgian, nouns change their form depending on their grammatical role in the sentence. This is known as "case." Georgian has seven cases: nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, ergative, adverbial, and vocative. Each case has its own suffix that is added to the noun.
Let's take a look at the nominative and genitive cases.
The nominative case is used for the subject of a sentence. In Georgian, the nominative case is usually the same as the dictionary form of the noun.
For example:
- แแแชแ (katsi) means "man" in Georgian. If we want to say "the man is walking," we would use the nominative case: แแแชแ แแแ แกแแแแแแแ แแกแ แแแก (katsi varsk'vlavad isrebs) - lit. "The man walks under the star."
The genitive case is used to show possession. In Georgian, the genitive case is formed by adding the suffix -แแก (-is) to the noun.
For example:
- แคแแฎแแแก แแแขแแ แ แจแแแแฃแ แแแ (p'ekhbis patara shin-aureba) means "small inner courtyard" in Georgian. Here, แคแแฎแแ (p'ekhbi) means "foot" in Georgian and is in the genitive case to show that the courtyard belongs to or is associated with a foot.
Plural forms of nouns[edit | edit source]
The plural form of some nouns in Georgian are irregular. Here are some examples:
Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
แฅแฃแ แแ | k'urdi | wolf |
แแแแ | tavi | language |
แแแแ | mama | father |
แแแแ | deda | mother |
Conclusion[edit | edit source]
In this lesson, we learned about gender, number, and case in Georgian nouns. Remember that using nouns correctly is key to speaking Georgian fluently, and to practice what you learned today, try making simple sentences using the different cases and forms. To improve your Georgian Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!
Sources[edit | edit source]
- Georgian grammar - Wikipedia
- Georgian Grammar, Introduction to Lexical Categories
- Georgian/Nouns - Wikibooks, open books for an open world
Congratulations on finishing this lesson! Explore these related pages to keep learning: Georgian Grammar โ Adjectives and Adverbs โ Comparison, Accusative Case, Inflection of demonstrative pronouns with nouns & Missing vowels โแโ, โแโ, โแโ.
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]
- Noun Inflection
- Derivation
- Word Order
- Adjectives Degrees
- Cases of the subject and direct object with transitive verbs
- Conjugation of the verb โto haveโ in the future tense
- Adverbs
- Adverbs produced from Adjectives
- Medio actives Verbs
- The adverbial case