რომ … -ბდი: 'if only' about what never was
You cannot talk about the past without 'if I had known'. A Georgian condition is made of two parts, and both of them are obligatory. For example: “რომ მცოდნოდა, არ წამოვიდოდი” — If I had known, I wouldn't have set out. A rule from the Georgian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
You cannot talk about the past without 'if I had known'. A Georgian condition is made of two parts, and both of them are obligatory.
A real condition: თუ (tu) plus an ordinary tense. თუ წვიმს (tu tsvims), არ წავალთ — if it rains, we will not go. თუ მოხვალ, დაგელოდები (dagelodebi) — if you come, I will wait.
An unreal condition: რომ (rom) plus a form in -ბდი. რომ მცოდნოდა (rom mtsodnoda), გითხარდი — if I had known, I would have told you. The link changes from თუ to რომ, and special forms stand in both parts. One part without the other sounds cut off.
The 'would' itself is the ending -ბდი / -ბდა: დავიჯერებდი (davijerebdi) — I would have believed, მოვიდოდა — he would have come. There is no separate little word for it.
Table
| form | what it means | example | translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| თუ + the present | a real 'if' | თუ წვიმს, დავრჩებით | if it rains, we will stay |
| რომ + -ბდი | if only, unreal | რომ მცოდნოდა, გითხარდი | if I had known, I would have told you |
| -ბდი | I would | დავიჯერებდი | I would have believed |
| -დოდა | he would | მოვიდოდა | he would have come |
| -ბოდი | I would be | ვიქნებოდი | I would have been |
| რომ + -იყო | if only (about the past) | რომ არ მომხდარიყო | had it not happened |
| კინაღამ | almost | კინაღამ დავეცი | I almost fell |
| ნეტავი | if only | ნეტავი ზღვაზე ვიყო | if only I were at the sea |
| ნუ | don't (a ban) | ნუ დანებდები | don't give up |
| ვერ | couldn't | ვერ შევძელი | I failed to |
By example
- რომ მცოდნოდა, არ წამოვიდოდიrom mtsodnoda, ar tsamovidodiIf I had known, I wouldn't have set out
- ეს რომ არ მომხდარიყო, დღეს სხვაგან ვიქნებოდიes rom ar momkhdariqo, dghes skhvagan viknebodiHad this not happened, I would be somewhere else today
- კინაღამ მატარებელს ავცდი, მაგრამ მოვასწარიkinagham matarebels avtsdi, magram movastsariI almost missed the train, but I made it
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
'if only' about what never was: how does it work in Georgian?
You cannot talk about the past without 'if I had known'. A Georgian condition is made of two parts, and both of them are obligatory.
What does it look like in an example sentence Georgian?
“რომ მცოდნოდა, არ წამოვიდოდი” (rom mtsodnoda, ar tsamovidodi) — If I had known, I wouldn't have set out. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.