არ, ვერ, ნუ, აღარ, ვეღარ: five ways to say no
English 'not' covers everything; Georgian has five negations. Pick the wrong one and you say the wrong thing: 'I don't want to run' and 'I can't run' are different here. For example: “დღეს არ მინდა ვარჯიში, ხვალ წავალ” — Today I don't feel like training, I'll go tomorrow. A rule from the Georgian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
English 'not' covers everything; Georgian has five negations. Pick the wrong one and you say the wrong thing: 'I don't want to run' and 'I can't run' are different here.
არ (ar) is plain denial. Don't do, don't want, don't know: არ ვმუშაობ (ar vmushaob) — I don't work, არ მინდა (ar minda) — I don't want to. This denies a will or a fact.
ვერ (ver) denies ability. Couldn't, didn't manage: ვერ გავიგე (ver gavige) — I couldn't understand, ვერ მოვასწარი (ver movastsari) — I didn't make it. The pair shows it. არ წავედი (ar tsavedi) — I didn't go, I didn't want to. ვერ წავედი (ver tsavedi) — I couldn't, something stopped me.
ნუ (nu) is a ban, only with a request: ნუ ჩქარობ (nu chkarob) — don't hurry. And აღარ (aghar), ვეღარ (veghar) mean 'no longer': აღარ ვმუშაობ (aghar vmushaob) — I no longer work, ვეღარ ვრბენ (veghar vrben) — I can no longer run.
Table
| negation | what it means | example | in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| არ | don't want, don't do | არ მინდა | I don't want to |
| ვერ | can't, failed to | ვერ მოვასწარი | I didn't make it in time |
| ნუ | don't (a ban) | ნუ ჩქარობ | don't hurry |
| აღარ | no longer (stopped) | აღარ ვმუშაობ | I no longer work |
| ვეღარ | no longer able | ვეღარ ვრბენ | I can no longer run |
| არ + არავინ | double negation | არავინ არ მოვიდა | nobody came |
By example
- დღეს არ მინდა ვარჯიში, ხვალ წავალdghes ar minda varjishi, khval tsavalToday I don't feel like training, I'll go tomorrow
- ფეხი მტკივა და ვერ ვრბენpekhi mtkiva da ver vrbenMy foot hurts and I can't run
- ნუ ჩქარობ, სტარტამდე ჯერ ოცი წუთიაnu chkarob, startamde jer otsi tsutiaDon't hurry, there are still twenty minutes until the start
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
Არ vs ვერ in Georgian?
English 'not' covers everything; Georgian has five negations. Pick the wrong one and you say the wrong thing: 'I don't want to run' and 'I can't run' are different here.
Why georgians say ვერ გავიგე?
არ is plain denial. Don't do, don't want, don't know: არ ვმუშაობ — I don't work, არ მინდა — I don't want to. This denies a will or a fact.
How many ways Georgian has to say no?
ვერ denies ability. Couldn't, didn't manage: ვერ გავიგე — I couldn't understand, ვერ მოვასწარი — I didn't make it. The pair shows it. არ წავედი — I didn't go, I didn't want to. ვერ წავედი — I couldn't, something stopped me.
What ნუ means in Georgian?
ნუ is a ban, only with a request: ნუ ჩქარობ — don't hurry. And აღარ, ვეღარ mean 'no longer': აღარ ვმუშაობ — I no longer work, ვეღარ ვრბენ — I can no longer run.
What does it look like in an example sentence Georgian?
“დღეს არ მინდა ვარჯიში, ხვალ წავალ” (dghes ar minda varjishi, khval tsaval) — Today I don't feel like training, I'll go tomorrow. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.