ხომ, თუ, ნუთუ, -ც: little words the whole conversation rests on
A conversation runs on little words. They turn a statement into a question, a request into a polite one, a refusal into a soft one. Georgian has few of them, and each does its own job. For example: “ხომ არ იცით, სად არის გაჩერება?” — You wouldn't know where the stop is, would you?. A rule from the Georgian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
A conversation runs on little words. They turn a statement into a question, a request into a polite one, a refusal into a soft one. Georgian has few of them, and each does its own job.
First, the main thing: a question needs no extra word. გასაგებია (gasagebia) — it is clear, გასაგებია? — clear? Only the intonation differs, and the word order stays put.
ხომ (khom) means 'right?': ხომ მოხვალ? — you are coming, right? The speaker expects a yes. And ხომ არ (khom ar) makes the question cautious, almost apologetic: ხომ არ იცი, სად არის ურნა (sad aris urna)? — you wouldn't know where a bin is?
ნუთუ (nutu) means 'surely not', always with disbelief: ნუთუ მართლა (nutu martla)?. And -ც (-ts) glues onto a word and means 'too': მეც (mets) — me too, შენც — you too. There is no separate word for 'too'.
Table
| Particle | What it does | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| — (intonation) | turns it into a question | გასაგებია? | is it clear? |
| ხომ | right? after all | ხომ მოხვალ? | you are coming, right? |
| ხომ არ | a careful question | ხომ არ იცი? | you wouldn't know, would you? |
| ხომ + conditional | the polite request | ხომ ვერ შეძლებდით | you couldn't possibly |
| ნუთუ | surely not, disbelief | ნუთუ მართლა? | surely it isn't true? |
| თუ | if; in a question — or | ჩაი თუ ყავა? | tea or coffee? |
| -ც | too, also | მეც | me too |
| კი | yes; but, while | მე კი დავრჩი | while I stayed |
By example
- ხომ არ იცით, სად არის გაჩერება?khom ar itsit, sad aris gachereba?You wouldn't know where the stop is, would you?
- ნუთუ ეს ყველაფერი ერთ დღეში გააკეთე?nutu es qvelaperi ert dgheshi gaakete?Surely you didn't do all this in one day?
- მეც ასე ვფიქრობ, შენ კი სხვას ამბობmets ase vpikrob, shen ki skhvas ambobI think so too, while you are saying something else
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
little words the whole conversation rests on: how does it work in Georgian?
A conversation runs on little words. They turn a statement into a question, a request into a polite one, a refusal into a soft one. Georgian has few of them, and each does its own job.
What does it look like in an example sentence Georgian?
“ხომ არ იცით, სად არის გაჩერება?” (khom ar itsit, sad aris gachereba?) — You wouldn't know where the stop is, would you?. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.