Lingoflyუნდა, შეიძლება, შემიძლია: must, may, able
Three words you cannot fill in a single form without: უნდა (unda) (must), შეიძლება (sheidzleba) (may), შემიძლია (shemidzlia) (I can). They look simple and demand different things after them. For example: “ხვალ (khval) საკონსულოში უნდა (unda) მივიდე” (mivide) — Tomorrow I have to go to the consulate. A rule from the Georgian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Three words you cannot fill in a single form without: უნდა (unda) (must), შეიძლება (sheidzleba) (may), შემიძლია (shemidzlia) (I can). They look simple and demand different things after them.
უნდა (unda) never changes: მე (me) უნდა (unda) წავიდე (tsavide) (me unda tsavide) and მან (man) უნდა (unda) წავიდეს alike. The point is that the verb after it takes a special wish form, not the ordinary future. Not 'უნდა წავალ (tsaval) (unda tsaval)' but უნდა (unda) წავიდე (tsavide) (unda tsavide).
უნდა (unda) has a twin. მას (mas) წასვლა (tsasvla) უნდა (unda) (mas tsasvla unda) is 'he wants to leave', while მან (man) უნდა (unda) წავიდეს is 'he must leave'. What stands next to it decides: an action name (წასვლა (tsasvla)) gives 'wants', a verb (წავიდეს) gives 'must'.
შეიძლება (sheidzleba) — may, perhaps: შეიძლება (sheidzleba) შევიდე?. შემიძლია (shemidzlia) — 'I am able': შემიძლია (shemidzlia) ვთარგმნო. They are easy to confuse, and 'may I' is far from 'can I'.
Table
| Word | Meaning | What it demands after itself | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| უნდა (unda) | must, have to | a verb in the wish form | უნდა (unda) წავიდე (tsavide) — I must go |
| უნდა (unda) (with a noun) | wants | an action name | წასვლა (tsasvla) უნდა (unda) — he wants to leave |
| მინდა (minda) | I want | a name, or რომ (rom) + the wish form | დაჯავშნა (dajavshna) მინდა (minda) — I want to book |
| შეიძლება (sheidzleba) | one may, maybe | the wish form | შეიძლება (sheidzleba) შევიდე? — may I come in? |
| არ შეიძლება (ar sheidzleba) | not allowed | the wish form or a name | აქ მოწევა არ შეიძლება (ak motseva ar sheidzleba) |
| შემიძლია (shemidzlia) | I can, I am able | the wish form | შემიძლია (shemidzlia) ვთარგმნო — I can translate |
| აკრძალულია (akrdzalulia) | prohibited (a sign) | an action name before it | გაჩერება (gachereba) აკრძალულია (akrdzalulia) |
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
must, may, able: how does it work in Georgian?
Three words you cannot fill in a single form without: უნდა (unda) (must), შეიძლება (sheidzleba) (may), შემიძლია (shemidzlia) (I can). They look simple and demand different things after them.
What does it look like in a Georgian example sentence?
“ხვალ (khval) საკონსულოში უნდა (unda) მივიდე” (mivide) (khval sakonsuloshi unda mivide) — Tomorrow I have to go to the consulate. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.