Lingoflyმან თქვა, რომ…: reported speech without a tense shift
The pleasant part first: Georgian does not shift the tense when retelling. What a person said keeps exactly the form he said it in. For example: “მან (man) თქვა (tkva), რომ (rom) ხვალ (khval) მოვა” (mova) — He said he would come tomorrow. A rule from the Georgian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The pleasant part first: Georgian does not shift the tense when retelling. What a person said keeps exactly the form he said it in.
How it looks. Direct: ვმუშაობ (vmushaob) — 'I am working'. Reported: მან (man) თქვა (tkva) (man tkva), რომ (rom) მუშაობს (mushaobs) (rom mushaobs) — he said he is working. The present stayed present.
The person does change. მე (me) ვმუშაობ (vmushaob) (me vmushaob) → მან (man) თქვა (tkva), რომ (rom) ის (is) მუშაობს (mushaobs) (rom is mushaobs). The person prefix travels with the pronoun: ვ- (I) goes, and the form about him stays.
A question is relayed by თუ (tu) or by a question word. სად (sad) მუშაობ? → მან (man) იკითხა (ikitkha) (man ikitkha), სად (sad) ვმუშაობ (vmushaob) (sad vmushaob) — he asked where I work. With no question word, თუ (tu) steps in: მან (man) იკითხა (ikitkha), თუ (tu) მოვალ (moval) (tu moval) — he asked whether I would come.
Table
| direct speech | in English | reported | translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| «ვმუშაობ» (vmushaob) | I am working | თქვა (tkva), რომ (rom) მუშაობს (mushaobs) | he said he is working |
| «მოვალ» (moval) | I will come | თქვა (tkva), რომ (rom) მოვა (mova) | he said he will come |
| «სად (sad) ხარ (khar)?» | where are you? | იკითხა (ikitkha), სად (sad) ვარ (var) | he asked where I am |
| «მოხვალ?» | will you come? | იკითხა (ikitkha), თუ (tu) მოვალ (moval) | he asked whether I will come |
| «დამეხმარე!» | help me! | თხოვა (tkhova), რომ (rom) დავხმარებოდი (davkhmarebodi) | he asked me to help |
| — | they say | ამბობენ, რომ (amboben, rom)… | they say that… |
| — | allegedly | ვითომ (vitom) ავად (avad) არის (aris) | he is allegedly ill |
| — | as if | თითქოს (titkos) არ (ar) იცოდა (itsoda) | as if he didn't know |
| — | apparently | ის (is) წასულა | he has left, apparently |
| — | word for word | სიტყვასიტყვით (sitqvasitqvit) გადმომცა (gadmomtsa) | he relayed it word for word |
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
reported speech without a tense shift: how does it work in Georgian?
The pleasant part first: Georgian does not shift the tense when retelling. What a person said keeps exactly the form he said it in.
What does it look like in a Georgian example sentence?
“მან (man) თქვა (tkva), რომ (rom) ხვალ (khval) მოვა” (mova) (man tkva, rom khval mova) — He said he would come tomorrow. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.