Subject-Verb Agreement
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Georgian verbs change their endings based on who is doing the action (the subject).
- 1st person (I/We) often uses prefixes like 'v-'. Example: v-ts'er (I write).
- 2nd person (You) often uses prefixes like 'h-' or 'kh-'. Example: ts'er (You write).
- 3rd person (He/She/It/They) uses specific suffixes like '-s' or '-en'. Example: ts'ers (He writes).
Present Tense Agreement (Verb: To Write - წერა)
| Person | Prefix | Root | Suffix |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1st Sing
|
v-
|
ts'er
|
-
|
|
2nd Sing
|
-
|
ts'er
|
-
|
|
3rd Sing
|
-
|
ts'er
|
-s
|
|
1st Plur
|
v-
|
ts'er
|
-t
|
|
2nd Plur
|
-
|
ts'er
|
-t
|
|
3rd Plur
|
-
|
ts'er
|
-en
|
Meanings
Subject-verb agreement ensures the verb form matches the person (I, you, he/she/it) and number (singular/plural) of the subject.
Active Present Tense
Describing actions happening now or habitual actions.
“მე ვჭამ (I am eating)”
“შენ ჭამ (You are eating)”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
v- + root
|
vts'er (I write)
|
|
Negative
|
ar + v- + root
|
ar vts'er (I don't write)
|
|
Question
|
v- + root + ?
|
vts'er? (Do I write?)
|
|
3rd Person
|
root + -s
|
ts'ers (He writes)
|
|
Plural
|
v- + root + -t
|
vts'ert (We write)
|
|
Negative 3rd
|
ar + root + -s
|
ar ts'ers (He doesn't write)
|
Formalitätsspektrum
მე ვწერ წერილს. (Writing)
ვწერ წერილს. (Writing)
წერილს ვწერ. (Writing)
წერილს ვჩხაპნი. (Writing)
The Georgian Verb Person Map
1st Person
- v-ts'er I write
2nd Person
- ts'er You write
3rd Person
- ts'ers He/She writes
Beispiele nach Niveau
მე ვწერ
I am writing
შენ წერ
You are writing
ის წერს
He/She is writing
ჩვენ ვწერთ
We are writing
მე ვჭამ ვაშლს
I am eating an apple
შენ ჭამ ვაშლს
You are eating an apple
ის ჭამს ვაშლს
He/She is eating an apple
ჩვენ ვჭამთ ვაშლს
We are eating an apple
მე ვკითხულობ წიგნს
I am reading a book
შენ კითხულობ წიგნს
You are reading a book
ის კითხულობს წიგნს
He/She is reading a book
ისინი კითხულობენ წიგნს
They are reading a book
მე ვმუშაობ ოფისში
I work in an office
შენ მუშაობ ოფისში
You work in an office
ის მუშაობს ოფისში
He/She works in an office
ჩვენ ვმუშაობთ ოფისში
We work in an office
მე ვფიქრობ, რომ ეს კარგია
I think that this is good
შენ ფიქრობ, რომ ეს კარგია
You think that this is good
ის ფიქრობს, რომ ეს კარგია
He/She thinks that this is good
ისინი ფიქრობენ, რომ ეს კარგია
They think that this is good
მე ვხედავ მზეს
I see the sun
შენ ხედავ მზეს
You see the sun
ის ხედავს მზეს
He/She sees the sun
ჩვენ ვხედავთ მზეს
We see the sun
Leicht verwechselbar
Learners often use present tense endings for past actions.
Learners think the verb agrees with the object.
Mixing up the plural '-t' suffix.
Häufige Fehler
me ts'er
me vts'er
is vts'ers
is ts'ers
shen ts'ers
shen ts'er
vts'ers
vts'er
chven ts'er
chven vts'ert
tkven vts'ert
tkven ts'ert
isini ts'er
isini ts'eren
v-ts'er-s
vts'er
ts'er-v
vts'er
ar ts'er-s
ar ts'ers
v-ts'er-en
vts'ert
ts'er-t-s
ts'ert
v-ts'er-a
vts'er
Satzmuster
მე ___ წიგნს.
შენ ___ წიგნს.
ის ___ წიგნს.
ჩვენ ___ წიგნს.
Real World Usage
ras shvebi? (What are you doing?)
vukvetav khinkals (I order khinkali)
vmušaob am sferoši (I work in this field)
sad midikhar? (Where are you going?)
vts'er axal posts (I am writing a new post)
vukvetav sazamtros (I am ordering watermelon)
Drop the Pronoun
Watch the 'v-'
Listen for the '-s'
Casual Speech
Smart Tips
Look for the 'v-' prefix first.
Drop the pronoun 'me'.
Assume it's 'he' or 'she'.
Combine the 'v-' prefix and '-t' suffix.
Aussprache
V-prefix
The 'v' is a soft labiodental fricative.
S-suffix
The 's' is a sharp dental fricative.
Question
vts'er? ↑
Rising pitch indicates a question.
Einprägen
Eselsbrücke
V is for Very Me (1st person). S is for She (3rd person).
Visuelle Assoziation
Imagine a 'V' shaped arrow pointing at yourself for 'v-'. Imagine a snake ('s') curling around a third person for '-s'.
Rhyme
V for me, nothing for you, S for him, that's what we do.
Story
I (v-) am writing a letter. You (nothing) are reading it. He (s) is laughing at us.
Word Web
Herausforderung
Conjugate 5 verbs in 5 minutes using the v-/root/-s pattern.
Kulturelle Hinweise
People often drop the 'v-' in very casual speech, though it is grammatically standard.
Some dialects use different plural markers.
Always use the full pronoun and verb form in formal writing.
Georgian verb agreement stems from Proto-Kartvelian person markers.
Gesprächseinstiege
რას აკეთებ? (What are you doing?)
წერ წერილს? (Are you writing a letter?)
რას ჭამენ ისინი? (What are they eating?)
ფიქრობ, რომ ეს სწორია? (Do you think this is correct?)
Tagebuch-Impulse
Häufige Fehler
Test Yourself
___ts'er (I write)
He writes.
Find and fix the mistake:
me ts'ers
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
I eat
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
I / work
Georgian verbs always need pronouns.
Score: /8
Ubungsaufgaben
8 exercises___ts'er (I write)
He writes.
Find and fix the mistake:
me ts'ers
ts'er / me / წერილს
I eat
1st Person
I / work
Georgian verbs always need pronouns.
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
Because the verb conjugation already contains the person information.
The listener might be confused about who is acting.
In the present tense, yes, for singular.
Use 'v-' and add '-t' at the end.
Yes, some verbs have different roots.
Yes, but use formal pronouns.
Only in that both conjugate, but the systems are different.
Plural often involves the '-t' or '-en' suffixes.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Conjugation by suffix.
Georgian uses prefixes, Spanish does not.
Pronoun + Verb.
Georgian is pro-drop.
Suffix conjugation.
Georgian has prefix-suffix interplay.
No person conjugation.
Georgian is highly inflected.
Prefix/Suffix conjugation.
Arabic root system is triliteral.
No conjugation.
Georgian uses morphology for person.
