Plural: one ending, -ები, for everything
Georgian has one plural ending for everything: -ები. It works almost everywhere. For example: “ვიტამინები მჭირდება” — I need vitamins. A rule from the Georgian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Georgian has one plural ending for everything: -ები. It works almost everywhere.
Assembly is simple. The final -ი is cut off and -ები takes its place: ვაშლი (vashli) → ვაშლები, ოთახი (otakhi) → ოთახები. A word ending in -ა loses nothing: კალათა (kalata) → კალათები.
People trip on two other things. Some words drop a vowel in the middle: მეგობარი (megobari) → მეგობრები (megobrebi). And after a number the noun stays singular: ორი ვაშლი (ori vashli), never a plural. To an English ear that sounds odd; to a Georgian ear your plural does.
Books also show the old ending -ნი. Recognizing it is useful, using it is pointless: living speech has dropped it.
Table
| one | many | what happened |
|---|---|---|
| ვაშლი — apple | ვაშლები | -ი swapped for -ები |
| ოთახი — room | ოთახები | the same |
| კალათა — basket | კალათები | an -ა word just added -ები |
| მეგობარი — friend | მეგობრები | a vowel dropped out in the middle |
| ორი ვაშლი — two apples | ორი ვაშლი | no plural after a number |
By example
- ვიტამინები მჭირდებაvitaminebi mchirdebaI need vitamins
- ორი აბი დღეშიori abi dgheshiTwo tablets a day
- ჩემი მეგობრები აქ ცხოვრობენchemi megobrebi ak tskhovrobenMy friends live here
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
Plural: how does it work in Georgian?
Georgian has one plural ending for everything: -ები. It works almost everywhere.
What does it look like in an example sentence Georgian?
“ვიტამინები მჭირდება” (vitaminebi mchirdeba) — I need vitamins. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.