Politeness: the letter თ and the phrase 'if possible'
Politeness in Georgian rests on a single letter. -თ at the end of the verb, and you have switched to the polite 'you': მოიცადე (wait) → მოიცადეთ (please wait), გაიმეორე → გაიმეორეთ, შეავსე → შეავსეთ. The same -თ sits inside როგორ ხართ? and გმადლობთ. For example: “ერთი წუთით მოიცადეთ, თუ შეიძლება” — Wait a moment, please. A rule from the Georgian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Politeness in Georgian rests on a single letter. -თ at the end of the verb, and you have switched to the polite 'you': მოიცადე (wait) → მოიცადეთ (please wait), გაიმეორე (gaimeore) → გაიმეორეთ (gaimeoret), შეავსე → შეავსეთ (sheavset). The same -თ sits inside როგორ ხართ (rogor khart)? and გმადლობთ (gmadlobt).
The second brick is თუ შეიძლება (tu sheidzleba), literally 'if it is possible'. Georgian has no separate word for 'please', and this phrase covers its job. It goes at the end: ერთი ყავა (erti qava), თუ შეიძლება.
The third is forms of address. ბატონო (batono) to a man, ქალბატონო to a woman — not old-fashioned but the ordinary norm: the shop assistant, the neighbor and the official all get it. With a name it stands in front of the name: ბატონო გიორგი (batono giorgi).
And one observation that saves nerves. A direct request in the imperative does not sound rude in Georgian: მოიტანეთ წყალი (moitanet tsqali) is a normal 'bring water, please', not a bark. Piling softeners on top is not needed — -თ plus თუ შეიძლება is enough.
Table
| informal you | polite you | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| მოიცადე | მოიცადეთ | wait — please wait |
| გაიმეორე | გაიმეორეთ | repeat — please repeat |
| შეავსე | შეავსეთ | fill in — please fill in |
| ხარ | ხართ | you are (informal) — you are (polite) |
By example
- ერთი წუთით მოიცადეთ, თუ შეიძლებაerti tsutit moitsadet, tu sheidzlebaWait a moment, please
- ბატონო, სად არის სალარო?batono, sad aris salaro?Excuse me, where is the checkout?
- როდის მოხვალთ?rodis mokhvalt?When will you come?
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
Politeness: how does it work in Georgian?
Politeness in Georgian rests on a single letter. -თ at the end of the verb, and you have switched to the polite 'you': მოიცადე (wait) → მოიცადეთ (please wait), გაიმეორე → გაიმეორეთ, შეავსე → შეავსეთ. The same -თ sits inside როგორ ხართ? and გმადლობთ.
What does it look like in an example sentence Georgian?
“ერთი წუთით მოიცადეთ, თუ შეიძლება” (erti tsutit moitsadet, tu sheidzleba) — Wait a moment, please. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.