Lingoflyთუ and რომ: if it will be — and if it were
In English 'if' covers everything: 'if I have time I will come' and 'if I had time I would come'. Georgian uses two different links and two different verb forms. For example: “თუ (tu) გამოცდას ჩავაბარებ, სტიპენდიას მივიღებ” — If I pass the exam, I will get the stipend. A rule from the Georgian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
In English 'if' covers everything: 'if I have time I will come' and 'if I had time I would come'. Georgian uses two different links and two different verb forms.
A real condition takes თუ (tu), and the verb after it stands in the ordinary future. თუ (tu) გამოცდას ჩავაბარებ (tu gamotsdas chavabareb), სტიპენდიას მივიღებ (stipendias mivigheb) — if I pass the exam, I will get the stipend.
An unreal condition — something that is not so — takes რომ (rom), and the verb gets the ending -დი / -დე. ფული (puli) რომ (rom) მქონდეს (mkondes) (puli rom mkondes), ბინას ვიყიდდი (binas viqiddi) — if I had money, I would buy a flat.
The main trap is the order. რომ (rom) stands after the first word, not at the very front like English 'if'. The same form without any 'if' sounds politer than a blunt request: გირჩევდით — I would advise you.
Table
| Type of condition | Conjunction | Verb in the main part | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| real, about the future | თუ (tu) | the future | თუ (tu) მოვასწრებ, მოვალ (moval) — if I make it in time, I will come |
| real, about the present | თუ (tu) | the present | თუ (tu) გინდა (ginda), დაგეხმარები (dagekhmarebi) — if you want, I will help |
| unreal, about the present | რომ (rom) | conditional on '-დი' | დრო რომ მქონდეს, წავიდოდი (dro rom mkondes, tsavidodi) — if I had time, I would go |
| unreal, about the past | რომ (rom) | the past conditional | ადრე (adre) რომ (rom) მცოდნოდა, არ (ar) წავიდოდი (tsavidodi) — had I known earlier, I would not have gone |
| a polite softener | — | conditional without 'if' | გირჩევდით — I would advise you |
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
Თუ (tu) vs რომ (rom) in Georgian?
A real condition takes თუ (tu), and the verb after it stands in the ordinary future. თუ (tu) გამოცდას ჩავაბარებ, სტიპენდიას მივიღებ — if I pass the exam, I will get the stipend.
How to say if I had time in Georgian?
In English 'if' covers everything: 'if I have time I will come' and 'if I had time I would come'. Georgian uses two different links and two different verb forms.
Why რომ (rom) does not start the sentence?
An unreal condition — something that is not so — takes რომ (rom), and the verb gets the ending -დი / -დე. ფული (puli) რომ (rom) მქონდეს (mkondes), ბინას ვიყიდდი — if I had money, I would buy a flat.
How to ask politely in Georgian with გირჩევდით?
The main trap is the order. რომ (rom) stands after the first word, not at the very front like English 'if'. The same form without any 'if' sounds politer than a blunt request: გირჩევდით — I would advise you.
What does it look like in a Georgian example sentence?
“თუ (tu) გამოცდას ჩავაბარებ, სტიპენდიას მივიღებ” (tu gamotsdas chavabareb, stipendias mivigheb) — If I pass the exam, I will get the stipend. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.