Lingoflyნისლი, ნისლმა, ნისლს: seven cases and what each one does
A noun has seven endings, and one rule behind them: the ending joins the stem, and the stem stays the same. The stem comes from the dictionary form: ნისლი (nisli) → ნისლ-. In words on -ა, -ე, -ო the stem is the word itself. For example: “სეტყვამ (setqvam) ბოსტნის კვალი (bostnis kvali) გაანადგურა” (gaanadgura) — The hail destroyed the vegetable bed. A rule from the Georgian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
A noun has seven endings, and one rule behind them: the ending joins the stem, and the stem stays the same. The stem comes from the dictionary form: ნისლი (nisli) → ნისლ-. In words on -ა, -ე, -ო the stem is the word itself.
-ი is the dictionary form and the one acting in the present: ნისლი (nisli) ჩამოწვა (chamotsva) (nisli chamotsva). -მა marks whoever acted in the past, and nothing else: სეტყვამ მოსავალი გაანადგურა (setqvam mosavali gaanadgura) (setqvam mosavali gaanadgura) — the hail destroyed the crop. -ს marks what the action is aimed at: ბილიკს ვხედავ (vkhedav).
-ის (-is) links two nouns, doing the work of 'of'. მზის ამოსვლა (mzis amosvla) — the rising of the sun. ხის ჩრდილი (khis chrdili) — the shade of a tree. -ით (-it) says with what or how: ფეხით (pekhit) — on foot. -ად says as what: მასწავლებლად მუშაობს (mushaobs).
The seventh ending, -ო, is only for calling out: ბიჭო!, დედაჩემო!. Rare in town, constant in a village and in a song.
Table
| What it marks | Ending | ნისლი (nisli) (fog) | მთა (mta) (mountain) |
|---|---|---|---|
| the dictionary form, the doer now | -ი | ნისლი (nisli) | მთა (mta) |
| the doer in the past | -მა | ნისლმა | მთამ |
| what the action is aimed at | -ს | ნისლს | მთას |
| whose, of what | -ის | ნისლის (nislis) | მთის (mtis) |
| with what, how | -ით | ნისლით | მთით |
| as what; makes adverbs | -ად | ნისლად | მთად |
| calling out to someone | -ო | ნისლო | მთაო |
By example
- სეტყვამ ბოსტნის კვალი გაანადგურაsetqvam bostnis kvali gaanadguraThe hail destroyed the vegetable bed
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
Georgian ergative case explained?
A noun has seven endings, and one rule behind them: the ending joins the stem, and the stem stays the same. The stem comes from the dictionary form: ნისლი (nisli) → ნისლ-. In words on -ა, -ე, -ო the stem is the word itself.
How many cases Georgian has?
A noun has seven endings, and one rule behind them: the ending joins the stem, and the stem stays the same. The stem comes from the dictionary form: ნისლი (nisli) → ნისლ-. In words on -ა, -ე, -ო the stem is the word itself.
Why the subject changes ending in the Georgian past?
-ი is the dictionary form and the one acting in the present: ნისლი (nisli) ჩამოწვა (chamotsva). -მა marks whoever acted in the past, and nothing else: სეტყვამ მოსავალი გაანადგურა (setqvam mosavali gaanadgura) — the hail destroyed the crop. -ს marks what the action is aimed at: ბილიკს ვხედავ (vkhedav).
Ნისლი (nisli), ნისლმა, ნისლს: the Georgian case endings?
A noun has seven endings, and one rule behind them: the ending joins the stem, and the stem stays the same. The stem comes from the dictionary form: ნისლი (nisli) → ნისლ-. In words on -ა, -ე, -ო the stem is the word itself.
What does it look like in a Georgian example sentence?
“სეტყვამ (setqvam) ბოსტნის კვალი (bostnis kvali) გაანადგურა” (gaanadgura) (setqvam bostnis kvali gaanadgura) — The hail destroyed the vegetable bed. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.