დიახ and ჰო: the polite yes and the colloquial one
Georgian has two 'yeses', and the choice between them is the same choice as between the polite and the informal 'you'. დიახ is the polite one: to an elder, to a stranger, on the phone with an office. It is longer and sounds official, and it is never wrong. For example: “დიახ, რა თქმა უნდა” — Yes, of course. A rule from the Georgian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Georgian has two 'yeses', and the choice between them is the same choice as between the polite and the informal 'you'. დიახ (diakh) is the polite one: to an elder, to a stranger, on the phone with an office. It is longer and sounds official, and it is never wrong.
ჰო (ho) is the short, everyday 'yes', among your own. The letter ჰ in it is a light puff of breath, so the word comes out almost as 'ho' on an exhale. Answering a stranger with ჰო is not rude, but it is noticeably chummy.
The 'no' for both is არა (ara), while the shortened არ (ar) is a separate particle of negation placed before the verb: არ ვიცი (ar vitsi) — I do not know. It is written separately and is not a prefix. But Georgian has more than one negation, and the difference between the two main ones is worth hearing at once: არ denies desire and fact, ვერ (ver) denies possibility. That is why 'I did not understand' comes out as ვერ გავიგე (ver gavige) — literally 'I could not understand'.
Table
| the word | how it sounds | to whom | the flavour |
|---|---|---|---|
| დიახ | di-akh | to an elder, a stranger, in an office | polite |
| ჰო | ho — a light puff, not 'kh' | your own, everyday | colloquial |
| არა | a-ra | everyone, no twin | no |
| არ ვიცი | ar vitsi | ar is the particle before the verb | I do not know |
| ვერ გავიგე | ver gavige | ver is 'could not', not 'did not want to' | I did not understand |
By example
- დიახ, რა თქმა უნდაdiakh, ra tkma undaYes, of course
- ჰო, ვიციho, vitsiYep, I know
- არა, გმადლობთara, gmadlobtNo, thank you
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 to say yes in Georgian?
Georgian has two 'yeses', and the choice between them is the same choice as between the polite and the informal 'you'. დიახ is the polite one: to an elder, to a stranger, on the phone with an office. It is longer and sounds official, and it is never wrong.
Დიახ vs ჰო?
ჰო is the short, everyday 'yes', among your own. The letter ჰ in it is a light puff of breath, so the word comes out almost as 'ho' on an exhale. Answering a stranger with ჰო is not rude, but it is noticeably chummy.
How to say no in Georgian?
The 'no' for both is არა, while the shortened არ is a separate particle of negation placed before the verb: არ ვიცი — I do not know. It is written separately and is not a prefix. But Georgian has more than one negation, and the difference between the two main ones is worth hearing at once: არ…
How to say yes politely in Georgian?
The 'no' for both is არა, while the shortened არ is a separate particle of negation placed before the verb: არ ვიცი — I do not know. It is written separately and is not a prefix. But Georgian has more than one negation, and the difference between the two main ones is worth hearing at once: არ…
What does it look like in an example sentence Georgian?
“დიახ, რა თქმა უნდა” (diakh, ra tkma unda) — Yes, of course. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.