Lingoflyმესამედი, ორჯერ, ცალობით: fractions, multiples and 'how it is counted'
To talk about a figure you need three things: a fraction, a multiple, and a way of counting. All three are endings, and exceptions are rare. For example: “ხელფასის (khelpasis) მესამედი (mesamedi) და (da) ბინის (binis) ნახევარი (nakhevari) ერთი (erti) და (da) იგივე (igive) თანხაა” — A third of the salary and half the rent are one and the same sum. A rule from the Georgian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
To talk about a figure you need three things: a fraction, a multiple, and a way of counting. All three are endings, and exceptions are rare.
A fraction is მე- (me)…-ედი. The number is wrapped on both sides: სამი (sami) → მესამედი (mesamedi) (a third), ოთხი (otkhi) → მეოთხედი (meotkhedi) (a quarter). Only half drops out of the system: ნახევარი (nakhevari) is a word of its own.
A multiple is -ჯერ (-jer). ორჯერ (orjer) means both 'twice' and 'twofold', სამჯერ (samjer) threefold. The verb decides which: ორჯერ (orjer) წავიკითხე (tsavikitkhe) (orjer tsavikitkhe) — I read it twice, ორჯერ (orjer) გაძვირდა (gadzvirda) (orjer gadzvirda) — it doubled in price.
The way of counting is -ობით. It sticks to the counting unit and answers 'how are they counted'. ცალობით (tsalobit) — by the piece, ათეულობით (ateulobit) — by the dozen. კილოობით (kiloobit) — by the kilo.
Table
| ending | what it does | example | in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| მე-…-ედი | a fraction | მესამედი (mesamedi) | a third |
| მე-…-ედი | a fraction | მეოთხედი (meotkhedi) | a quarter |
| -ჯერ | a multiple | ორჯერ (orjer) | twice, twofold |
| -მაგად | how many times over | ორმაგად (ormagad) | twofold |
| -ჯერ | a multiple | ასჯერ | a hundred times |
| -ხელ | the exception | ერთხელ (ertkhel) | once |
| -ობით | the way of counting | ცალობით (tsalobit) | piece by piece |
| -ით | by how much | მესამედით (mesamedit) | by a third |
| -ით | a measure | სიგრძით (sigrdzit) | in length |
| უფრო (upro) … ვიდრე (vidre) | comparison | უფრო (upro) დაბალი (dabali), ვიდრე (vidre) | lower than |
By example
- კვერცხს ცალობით ვყიდულობთ, ვაშლს კი კილოობითkvertskhs tsalobit vqidulobt, vashls ki kiloobitWe buy eggs piece by piece, and apples by the kilo
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
fractions, multiples and 'how it is counted': how does it work in Georgian?
To talk about a figure you need three things: a fraction, a multiple, and a way of counting. All three are endings, and exceptions are rare.
What does it look like in a Georgian example sentence?
“ხელფასის (khelpasis) მესამედი (mesamedi) და (da) ბინის (binis) ნახევარი (nakhevari) ერთი (erti) და (da) იგივე (igive) თანხაა” (khelpasis mesamedi da binis nakhevari erti da igive tankhaa) — A third of the salary and half the rent are one and the same sum. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.