A1 General 5 min read Fácil

Postposition -tan (With/At Someone's Place)

Attach -tan to a Dative noun to say you are with a person or at their place.
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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Use the suffix -tan to indicate you are at someone's house or with a specific person.

  • Attach -tan to the person's name: 'Giorgi-tan' (at Giorgi's).
  • Use it for people, not places: 'saxl-shi' (at home) vs 'deda-tan' (at mom's).
  • It implies both location and company: 'I am at my friend's'.
Person + tan = At their place / With them

Overview

Imagine you are walking through the cobblestone streets of Tbilisi. You want to visit your new friend, Nino. In English, you might say you are going "to Nino's house or staying at Nino's." Georgian makes this much simpler.
You just use one tiny word: -tan. This little postposition is your golden ticket to social life in Georgia. It handles everything related to being at someone’s place or in their company.
It is one of the most common sounds you will hear in daily conversation. Whether you are seeing a doctor or heading to a party, -tan is your best friend.

How This Grammar Works

In Georgian, postpositions are like English prepositions, but they jump to the end of the word. Think of them as a suffix that changes the meaning. The postposition -tan specifically likes to hang out with the Dative case.
If you know how to say to the friend (megobars), you are already halfway there. You take that Dative form and snap -tan onto the end. It is like clicking two Lego bricks together.
The s from the Dative case and the t from -tan merge into a smooth stan sound. It feels very natural once you say it a few times.

Formation Pattern

1
Building this is a simple three-step process.
2
Start with your noun in the Nominative (the dictionary form), like ekimi (doctor).
3
Change it to the Dative case. For most nouns ending in a vowel, you drop the vowel and add -s. So, ekimi becomes ekims.
4
Attach -tan directly to that -s.
5
Result: ekim-s-tan (at the doctor's).
6
If the name ends in a consonant like Davit, it becomes Davits-tan. If it ends in a vowel like Nino, it becomes Ninostan. It is consistent and predictable. Even native speakers mess up complex cases, but this pattern is a rock-solid foundation for you. Think of it like a grammar traffic light: Dative is the green light that lets -tan through.

When To Use It

Use -tan whenever you are talking about a person's domain or presence.
  • Visiting Friends: If you are at Giorgi’s house, you are Giorgistan.
  • Professional Visits: Going to the dentist? You are going stomatologtan.
  • Proximity: It also means near or beside. If you are standing next to a table, you are magidastan.
  • Comparison: Sometimes we use it to compare things, like compared to me (chemtan shedarebit).
Real-world scenario: You are at a crowded supra (feast). You want to tell someone you are sitting with the host. You would say,
Me maspindzelstan var
(I am with the host). It is polite, clear, and very Georgian.

When Not To Use It

Do not use -tan for general locations that aren't tied to a person.
  • Buildings: If you are inside a generic cinema, use -shi (in).
  • Surfaces: If you are on top of a mountain, use -ze (on).
  • Transportation: You don't go with a bus using -tan; that requires a different case entirely.
Also, avoid using -tan when you mean with in the sense of using a tool. If you are eating with a fork, -tan will make people look at you funny. That is a different rule for another day. Using -tan for a fork would imply you are visiting the fork's house for tea!

Common Mistakes

The biggest trap is forgetting the Dative -s. Beginners often say Nino-tan instead of Ninostan. It sounds a bit naked to a Georgian ear. Another classic mix-up is using it for and. If you want to say Me and Nino, do not use -tan. Use da.
Also, watch out for pronouns. You cannot just add -tan to me (I). It becomes chemtan (with me). These are special forms you just have to memorize. Think of them as the VIPs of the -tan world. Yes, even native speakers might slip up on complex names, but they will always catch a missing -s on a simple noun.

Contrast With Similar Patterns

Let’s compare -tan with -shi.
  • Sakhltan means near the house or
    at the house (area).
  • Sakhlshi means inside the house.
If you tell your friend
I am restorantan,
they will look for you on the sidewalk outside. If you say
I am restorshanshi,
they will walk through the front door to find you.
Also, contrast it with the instrumental case -it.
  • Manqanit = by car (using it as a tool).
  • Manqanastan = near the car (standing next to it).

Quick FAQ

Q

Can I use -tan for my cat?

Yes! If you are sitting with your cat, katastan works perfectly.

Q

Does it change in the plural?

Yes, it attaches to the plural Dative. Bavshvebtan (with the children).

Q

Is it formal?

It is neutral. You use it with your boss and your best friend alike.

Q

Can I use it for with a feeling, like with love?

No, that uses a different structure. -tan is for physical or social presence.

Formation Table

Noun Suffix Result Meaning
Giorgi
-tan
Giorgitan
At Giorgi's
Nino
-tan
Ninotan
At Nino's
Deda
-tan
Dedatan
At mom's
Megobari
-tan
Megobartan
At friend's
Ekimi
-tan
Ekimtan
At doctor's
Studenti
-tan
Studenttan
At student's

Meanings

The suffix -tan is a locative marker used exclusively with people to denote being at their residence or in their company.

1

Location

At someone's home or place of work.

“გიორგისთან ვარ (I am at Giorgi's).”

“ექიმთან მივდივარ (I am going to the doctor's).”

2

Company

Being in the presence of someone.

“შენთან მინდა ყოფნა (I want to be with you).”

“მასთან ვსაუბრობ (I am talking with him/her).”

Reference Table

Reference table for Postposition -tan (With/At Someone's Place)
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Noun + tan + var
Giorgitan var
Negative
Noun + tan + ar var
Giorgitan ar var
Question
Noun + tan + xar?
Giorgitan xar?
Past
Noun + tan viyavi
Giorgitan viyavi
Future
Noun + tan viqnebi
Giorgitan viqnebi

Espectro de formalidad

Formal
მეგობართან ვიმყოფები.

მეგობართან ვიმყოფები. (Social)

Neutral
მეგობართან ვარ.

მეგობართან ვარ. (Social)

Informal
მეგობართან ვარ.

მეგობართან ვარ. (Social)

Jerga
მეგობართან ვარ.

მეგობართან ვარ. (Social)

The -tan Universe

Person

Family

  • deda mom

Friends

  • megobari friend

Pro

  • ekimi doctor
Regístrate gratis para leer la explicación completa

Ejemplos por nivel

1

მე ვარ გიორგისთან.

I am at Giorgi's.

2

დედასთან მივდივარ.

I am going to mom's.

1

ექიმთან ვიყავი გუშინ.

I was at the doctor's yesterday.

2

შენთან მინდა ყოფნა.

I want to be with you.

1

მასწავლებელთან კონსულტაციაზე მივდივარ.

I am going to the teacher for a consultation.

2

მეგობრებთან ერთად ვსადილობ.

I am having lunch with friends.

1

იურისტთან ვიყავი საქმის გასარჩევად.

I was at the lawyer's to discuss the case.

2

ბავშვებთან თამაში ძალიან მამხიარულებს.

Playing with the children cheers me up.

1

მხატვართან სტუდიაში შევიარე.

I stopped by the artist's studio.

2

მთავრობის წარმომადგენელთან შეხვედრა დაინიშნა.

A meeting with the government representative was scheduled.

1

პროფესორთან დისკუსია ძალიან ნაყოფიერი აღმოჩნდა.

The discussion with the professor turned out to be very productive.

2

მან თავის მეგობართან ერთად გაატარა შაბათ-კვირა.

He spent the weekend with his friend.

Fácil de confundir

Postposition -tan (With/At Someone's Place) vs Inessive (-shi)

Both mean 'at'.

Errores comunes

✗

saxl-tan

✓

saxl-shi

House is a place, not a person.
✗

restoran-tan

✓

restoran-shi

Restaurant is a place.
✗

qalaq-tan

✓

qalaq-shi

City is a place.

Patrones de oraciones

მე ვარ ___ -თან.

მე მივდივარ ___ -თან.

შენ ხარ ___ -თან?

Real World Usage

Texting constant

გიორგისთან ვარ

Doctor's office common

ექიმთან ვარ

Social media common

მეგობრებთან ერთად

Regístrate gratis para ver todos los ejemplos
💡

Person-only rule

Always check if the noun is a person before adding -tan.
⚠️

No places

Do not use -tan for buildings.
🎯

Professional use

Use -tan for all professional services.

Smart Tips

Use -tan for all professionals.

ekimi-shi → ekim-tan

Always use -tan for social visits.

megobari-shi → megobar-tan

Ask: Is it a person? If yes, -tan.

saxl-tan → saxl-shi

Pronunciación

Gior-gi-tan

Suffix stress

The stress usually stays on the root word.

Question

Giorgitan xar? ↑

Rising intonation for questions.

Memorízalo

Mnemotecnia

Think of 'tan' as 't-an' (to an) person's house.

Asociación visual

Imagine a person standing next to a house door with a sign saying 'TAN'.

Rhyme

If it's a person, use -tan, it's the best way to make a plan.

Story

I went to Giorgi's (Giorgitan). I saw my doctor (ekimtan). I stayed with my friend (megobartan).

Word Web

Giorgi-tanDeda-tanMegobar-tanEkim-tanShen-tanMas-tan

Desafío

Write 5 sentences about where you are going today using -tan.

Notas culturales

Visiting someone's home is central to Georgian culture, making -tan a very frequent word.

Ancient Georgian locative marker.

Inicios de conversación

“

სად ხარ?

“

ვისთან მიდიხარ?

“

ექიმთან იყავი?

Temas para diario

Describe your day using -tan.
Who did you visit yesterday?
Where are you going this weekend?

Errores comunes

Incorrect

Correcto

Incorrect

Correcto

Incorrect

Correcto

Incorrect

Correcto

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Test Yourself

Choose the correct suffix. Opción múltiple

მე ვარ გიორგი___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: -tan
Giorgi is a person.
Fill in the blank.

მე ვარ ექიმი___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: -tan
Doctor is a person.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

მე ვარ სახლთან.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: saxl-shi
House is a place.
Translate to Georgian. Traducción

I am at mom's.

Answer starts with: ded...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: dedatan var
Mom is a person.

Score: /4

Ejercicios de practica

4 exercises
Choose the correct suffix. Opción múltiple

მე ვარ გიორგი___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: -tan
Giorgi is a person.
Fill in the blank.

მე ვარ ექიმი___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: -tan
Doctor is a person.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

მე ვარ სახლთან.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: saxl-shi
House is a place.
Translate to Georgian. Traducción

I am at mom's.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: dedatan var
Mom is a person.

Score: /4

Preguntas frecuentes (6)

No, use -shi for shops.

No, it means 'at their place' or 'with them'.

No, it is the same for everyone.

Usually no, use other markers.

It is neutral and used in all registers.

Shen-tan var.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

Regístrate gratis para practicar

In Other Languages

Spanish high

en casa de

Georgian is agglutinative.

French high

chez

French is a preposition.

German high

bei

German is a preposition.

Japanese moderate

no tokoro ni

Agglutination vs particles.

Arabic high

inda

Arabic is a preposition.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
The Adverbial Case (Transition and Destination)
Next
Personal Pronouns (Nominative Case)

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