Lingoflyდიახ and ჰო: the polite yes and the colloquial one
Georgian has two 'yeses', and choosing between them is the same choice as between the polite and the informal 'you'. დიახ (diakh) is the polite one: to an elder, to a stranger, on the phone with an office. It is longer, sounds official, and is never wrong. For example: “დიახ (diakh), რა თქმა უნდა” (ra tkma unda) — Yes, of course. A rule from the Georgian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Georgian has two 'yeses', and choosing between them is the same choice as between the polite and the informal 'you'. დიახ (diakh) is the polite one: to an elder, to a stranger, on the phone with an office. It is longer, sounds official, and is never wrong.
ჰო (ho) is the short everyday 'yes', among your own. The letter ჰ in it is a light puff of breath, so the word comes out almost as 'ho' on an exhale. Answering a stranger with ჰო (ho) is not rude, but it is noticeably chummy.
The 'no' for both is არა (ara). The shortened არ (ar) is a separate word of denial that stands before the verb: არ ვიცი (ar vitsi) — I do not know. And it is not the only denial. არ (ar) denies a wish or a fact, ვერ (ver) denies ability. Hence 'I did not understand' is ვერ გავიგე (ver gavige).
Table
| the word | how it sounds | to whom | the flavour |
|---|---|---|---|
| დიახ (diakh) | di-akh | to an elder, a stranger, in an office | polite |
| ჰო (ho) | ho — a light puff, not 'kh' | your own, everyday | colloquial |
| არა (ara) | a-ra | everyone, no twin | no |
| არ ვიცი (ar vitsi) | ar vitsi | ar is the particle before the verb | I do not know |
| ვერ გავიგე (ver gavige) | ver gavige | ver is 'could not', not 'did not want to' | I did not understand |
By example
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
How to say yes in Georgian?
Georgian has two 'yeses', and choosing between them is the same choice as between the polite and the informal 'you'. დიახ (diakh) is the polite one: to an elder, to a stranger, on the phone with an office. It is longer, sounds official, and is never wrong.
Დიახ (diakh) vs ჰო (ho)?
Georgian has two 'yeses', and choosing between them is the same choice as between the polite and the informal 'you'. დიახ (diakh) is the polite one: to an elder, to a stranger, on the phone with an office. It is longer, sounds official, and is never wrong.
How to say no in Georgian?
Georgian has two 'yeses', and choosing between them is the same choice as between the polite and the informal 'you'. დიახ (diakh) is the polite one: to an elder, to a stranger, on the phone with an office. It is longer, sounds official, and is never wrong.
How to say yes politely in Georgian?
Georgian has two 'yeses', and choosing between them is the same choice as between the polite and the informal 'you'. დიახ (diakh) is the polite one: to an elder, to a stranger, on the phone with an office. It is longer, sounds official, and is never wrong.
What does it look like in a Georgian example sentence?
“დიახ (diakh), რა თქმა უნდა” (ra tkma unda) (diakh, ra tkma unda) — Yes, of course. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.