Two ways to say 'have': მაქვს and მყავს
'I have' splits in two here, and one question decides it: alive or not. For example: “მანქანა მაქვს” — I have a car. A rule from the Georgian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
'I have' splits in two here, and one question decides it: alive or not.
მაქვს (makvs) — for things: მანქანა მაქვს (I have a car).
მყავს (mqavs) — for people and animals: ძაღლი მყავს (I have a dog), ორი შვილი მყავს (I have two children).
Getting it wrong is no disaster — you will be understood. But the difference is alive, and Georgians hear it. The test is simple: if the thing can walk, it takes მყავს.
Table
| what you have | form | example |
|---|---|---|
| a thing | მაქვს | მანქანა მაქვს — I have a car |
| a person | მყავს | ორი შვილი მყავს — I have two children |
| an animal | მყავს | ძაღლი მყავს — I have a dog |
| nothing | არ მაქვს | დრო არ მაქვს — I have no time |
By example
- მანქანა მაქვსmankana makvsI have a car
- ორი შვილი მყავსori shvili mqavsI have two children
- დრო არ მაქვსdro ar makvsI have no time
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 I have in Georgian?
'I have' splits in two here, and one question decides it: alive or not.
Მაქვს vs მყავს?
მაქვს — for things: მანქანა მაქვს (I have a car). მყავს — for people and animals: ძაღლი მყავს (I have a dog), ორი შვილი მყავს (I have two children).
Georgian have for people and for things?
Getting it wrong is no disaster — you will be understood. But the difference is alive, and Georgians hear it. The test is simple: if the thing can walk, it takes მყავს.
How to say I have a dog in Georgian?
Getting it wrong is no disaster — you will be understood. But the difference is alive, and Georgians hear it. The test is simple: if the thing can walk, it takes მყავს.
What does it look like in an example sentence Georgian?
“მანქანა მაქვს” (mankana makvs) — I have a car. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.