LingoflyTwo ways to say 'have': მაქვს and მყავს
'I have' splits in two here, and one question decides it: alive or not. For example: “მანქანა (mankana) მაქვს” (makvs) — 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 (mankana) მაქვს (makvs) (I have a car).
მყავს (mqavs) — for people and animals: ძაღლი მყავს (dzaghli mqavs) (I have a dog), ორი შვილი მყავს (ori shvili mqavs) (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 (mqavs).
Table
| what you have | form | example |
|---|---|---|
| a thing | მაქვს (makvs) | მანქანა (mankana) მაქვს (makvs) — I have a car |
| a person | მყავს (mqavs) | ორი შვილი მყავს (ori shvili mqavs) — I have two children |
| an animal | მყავს (mqavs) | ძაღლი მყავს (dzaghli mqavs) — I have a dog |
| nothing | არ (ar) მაქვს (makvs) | დრო (dro) არ (ar) მაქვს (makvs) — I have no time |
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 I have in Georgian?
'I have' splits in two here, and one question decides it: alive or not.
Მაქვს (makvs) vs მყავს (mqavs)?
მაქვს (makvs) — for things: მანქანა (mankana) მაქვს (makvs) (I have a car). მყავს (mqavs) — for people and animals: ძაღლი მყავს (dzaghli mqavs) (I have a dog), ორი შვილი მყავს (ori shvili mqavs) (I have two children).
Georgian have for people and for things?
მაქვს (makvs) — for things: მანქანა (mankana) მაქვს (makvs) (I have a car). მყავს (mqavs) — for people and animals: ძაღლი მყავს (dzaghli mqavs) (I have a dog), ორი შვილი მყავს (ori shvili mqavs) (I have two children).
How to say I have a dog in Georgian?
'I have' splits in two here, and one question decides it: alive or not.
What does it look like in a Georgian example sentence?
“მანქანა (mankana) მაქვს” (makvs) (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.