-ად and -ით: how a word turns into 'how'
Words like 'mostly', 'luckily', 'by hand' look like a class of their own in English. In Georgian they are two endings, and once you know them you stop learning each such word separately. For example: “საბედნიეროდ, ანგარიში ავტომატურად შეივსო” — Fortunately, the bill filled in automatically. A rule from the Georgian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Words like 'mostly', 'luckily', 'by hand' look like a class of their own in English. In Georgian they are two endings, and once you know them you stop learning each such word separately.
-ად makes a 'how' word out of an adjective: კარგი (kargi) → კარგად (kargad), სწრაფი → სწრაფად (stsrapad), ავტომატური → ავტომატურად (avtomaturad). No exceptions: -ი falls off, -ად grows on.
The same ending makes 'as what' out of a noun: საჩუქრად (sachukrad) — as a gift, მასწავლებლად მუშაობს — works as a teacher. One form, two jobs, and the neighbours tell them apart.
-ით (-it) answers 'with what, how': ხელით (khelit) — by hand, ფეხით (pekhit) — on foot. Some of these froze and now want a second noun in front of them: ექიმის თქმით (ekimis tkmit) — according to the doctor.
Table
| Form | Built from | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| -ად | an adjective | a how-word | სწრაფად — quickly |
| -ად | a noun | as what | საჩუქრად — as a gift |
| -ით | a noun | with what, how | ხელით — by hand |
| თქმით | თქმა | a trailing word: according to | ექიმის თქმით |
| წყალობით | წყალობა | a trailing word: thanks to | შენი წყალობით |
| შედარებით | შედარება | a trailing word: compared to | შარშანთან შედარებით |
| განსხვავებით | განსხვავება | a trailing word: unlike | შენგან განსხვავებით |
| სა-…-ოდ | a noun | an opening word | საბედნიეროდ — fortunately |
By example
- საბედნიეროდ, ანგარიში ავტომატურად შეივსოsabednierod, angarishi avtomaturad sheivsoFortunately, the bill filled in automatically
- ექიმის თქმით, შედეგი დადებითიაekimis tkmit, shedegi dadebitiaAccording to the doctor, the result is positive
- შარშანთან შედარებით, წელს ძირითადად სახლში ვმუშაობsharshantan shedarebit, tsels dziritadad sakhlshi vmushaobCompared to last year, this year I mostly work from home
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
how a word turns into 'how': how does it work in Georgian?
Words like 'mostly', 'luckily', 'by hand' look like a class of their own in English. In Georgian they are two endings, and once you know them you stop learning each such word separately.
What does it look like in an example sentence Georgian?
“საბედნიეროდ, ანგარიში ავტომატურად შეივსო” (sabednierod, angarishi avtomaturad sheivso) — Fortunately, the bill filled in automatically. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.