LingoflyWho does it — nobody: impersonal constructions
Some sentences have no doer at all, and Georgian builds them its own way. Three kinds cover almost everything you will meet. For example: “დღეს (dghes) წვიმს (tsvims) და (da) ცივა” (tsiva) — Today it is raining and it is cold. A rule from the Georgian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Some sentences have no doer at all, and Georgian builds them its own way. Three kinds cover almost everything you will meet.
Weather and state. The verb stands alone. წვიმს (tsvims) — it is raining, თოვს (tovs) — it is snowing. ცხელა (tskhela) — it is hot, ცივა (tsiva) — it is cold. There is no 'it' to put in front.
The person the action touches. მჭირდება (mchirdeba) — I need, მომწონს (momtsons) — I like, მტკივა (mtkiva) — it hurts, მეშინია (meshinia) — I am afraid. The person sits inside the verb: მ- is me, გ- is you.
Someone unknown did it. The verb goes into the third person plural and nobody is named. ჩანთა მომპარეს (chanta mompares) — my bag was stolen. აქ (ak) არ (ar) ეწევიან — no smoking here.
Table
| Pattern | How it is built | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| weather | a verb with no subject | თოვს (tovs) | it is snowing |
| state | adjective + -ა | ცხელა (tskhela) | it is hot |
| I need | recipient inside the verb | მჭირდება (mchirdeba) / გჭირდება (gchirdeba) | I need / you need |
| I like | recipient inside the verb | მომწონს / მოგწონს | I like it / you like it |
| someone did it | 3rd person plural | მომპარეს (mompares) | my bag was stolen |
| they say | 3rd person plural | ამბობენ (amboben) | they say |
| it can be done | passive on -ება | არ ირთვება (ar irtveba) | it won't switch on |
| it is done | participle + -ია | დაკეტილია (daketilia) | it is closed |
By example
- მუზეუმში ფოტოს გადაღება აკრძალულიაmuzeumshi potos gadagheba akrdzaluliaPhotography is prohibited in the museum
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
Who does it — nobody: how does it work in Georgian?
Some sentences have no doer at all, and Georgian builds them its own way. Three kinds cover almost everything you will meet.
What does it look like in a Georgian example sentence?
“დღეს (dghes) წვიმს (tsvims) და (da) ცივა” (tsiva) (dghes tsvims da tsiva) — Today it is raining and it is cold. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.