მან 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 თქვა, რომ ხვალ მოვა” — 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 თქვა (man tkva), რომ მუშაობს (rom mushaobs) — he said he is working. The present stayed present.
The person does change. მე ვმუშაობ (me vmushaob) → მან თქვა, რომ ის მუშაობს (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 მუშაობ? → მან იკითხა (man ikitkha), სად ვმუშაობ (sad vmushaob) — he asked where I work. With no question word, თუ steps in: მან იკითხა, თუ მოვალ (tu moval) — he asked whether I would come.
Table
| direct speech | in English | reported | translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| «ვმუშაობ» | I am working | თქვა, რომ მუშაობს | he said he is working |
| «მოვალ» | I will come | თქვა, რომ მოვა | he said he will come |
| «სად ხარ?» | where are you? | იკითხა, სად ვარ | he asked where I am |
| «მოხვალ?» | will you come? | იკითხა, თუ მოვალ | he asked whether I will come |
| «დამეხმარე!» | help me! | თხოვა, რომ დავხმარებოდი | he asked me to help |
| — | they say | ამბობენ, რომ… | they say that… |
| — | allegedly | ვითომ ავად არის | he is allegedly ill |
| — | as if | თითქოს არ იცოდა | as if he didn't know |
| — | apparently | ის წასულა | he has left, apparently |
| — | word for word | სიტყვასიტყვით გადამცა | he relayed it word for word |
By example
- მან თქვა, რომ ხვალ მოვაman tkva, rom khval movaHe said he would come tomorrow
- მან იკითხა, თუ ვმუშაობ, და მე ვუპასუხე, რომ ვმუშაობman ikitkha, tu vmushaob, da me vupasukhe, rom vmushaobHe asked whether I was working, and I answered that I was
- ვითომ არაფერი იცოდა, მაგრამ ყველაფერი სცოდნიაvitom araperi itsoda, magram qvelaperi stsodniaHe claimed to know nothing, but it turns out he knew everything
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 an example sentence Georgian?
“მან თქვა, რომ ხვალ მოვა” (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.