Lingoflyეს, ეგ, ის: this, that one by you, and that one over there
English points with two words, this and that. Georgian has three, and they split by person, not by distance. ეს (es) — what is by me. ეგ — what is by you, in the listener's hands. ის (is) — what belongs to neither of us. For example: “ეს (es) ჩემი (chemi) ტელეფონია, ეგ კი (ki) შენი” (sheni) — This is my phone, and that one by you is yours. A rule from the Georgian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
English points with two words, this and that. Georgian has three, and they split by person, not by distance. ეს (es) — what is by me. ეგ (eg) — what is by you, in the listener's hands. ის (is) — what belongs to neither of us.
Beginners lose the middle one and say ეს (es) about everything in sight. You are understood, but it sounds odd. Point at yourself — ეს (es), at the listener — ეგ, off to the side — ის (is).
The second thing phrasebooks keep quiet about: before a noun the pointing word changes shape. Not 'ეს კაცმა' but ამ (am) კაცმა; not 'ის დღეს (dghes) (is dghes)' but იმ (im) დღეს (dghes) (im dghes). The stems are ეს (es) → ამ (am), ეგ → მაგ, ის (is) → იმ (im).
On its own, with no noun, the word stays whole. ეს (es) არის (aris) (es aris) — this is. ამას (amas) ვამბობ (amas vambob) — this is what I am saying.
Table
| Word | Where the thing is | Before a noun | Adverb from it |
|---|---|---|---|
| ეს (es) | by me, right here | ამ (am) ბიჭმა (bichma) — this boy | აქ (ak) — here |
| ეგ | by you, the listener | მაგ წიგნში — in that book of yours | მანდ — over there by you |
| ის (is) | with a third person, far off | იმ (im) დღეს (dghes) — that day | იქ (ik) — there |
| ასე (ase) | this way, the way I do it | — | ამიტომ (amitom) — therefore |
| ისე (ise) | that way, otherwise | — | იმიტომ რომ (imitom rom) — because |
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
this, that one by you, and that one over there: how does it work in Georgian?
English points with two words, this and that. Georgian has three, and they split by person, not by distance. ეს (es) — what is by me. ეგ — what is by you, in the listener's hands. ის (is) — what belongs to neither of us.
What does it look like in a Georgian example sentence?
“ეს (es) ჩემი (chemi) ტელეფონია, ეგ კი (ki) შენი” (sheni) (es chemi teleponia, eg ki sheni) — This is my phone, and that one by you is yours. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.