მი-, მო-, ჩა-, გადა-: the prefix decides where the action goes
The whole unit u51 rests on one device, and without it fifty verbs of motion would have to be crammed. The Georgian verb barely changes its root: direction is set by the preverb — the prefix in front of the root. Learn a dozen preverbs and you read an unfamiliar verb halfway through. For example: “ბავშვი ფანჯარას მიუახლოვდა, ზამთარი კი მოახლოვდა” — The child walked up to the window, and winter drew near. A rule from…
How it works
The whole unit u51 rests on one device, and without it fifty verbs of motion would have to be crammed. The Georgian verb barely changes its root: direction is set by the preverb — the prefix in front of the root. Learn a dozen preverbs and you read an unfamiliar verb halfway through.
The two main ones: მი- and მო-. მი- leads away from the speaker, მო- leads toward him. From there მისვლა (to go over there) and მოსვლა (to come over here); მიახლოება (to approach something) and მოახლოება (to draw near — usually about time bearing down on us). This pair works with almost any root of motion and nowhere else.
The vertical: ა-, ჩა-, ჩამო-, გადმო-. ასვლა (asvla) — up, ჩასვლა (chasvla) — down and in, ჩამოსვლა (chamosvla) — from up there down to the speaker (and 'to arrive from far away'), ჩამოგდება (chamogdeba) — to drop. The same ჩა- in a transferred sense: ჩაღრმავება (chaghrmaveba) — to go deep into a subject, literally 'to sink inward', ჩავარდნა (chavardna) — to fall into (trouble).
Across and around: გადა-, შემო-, გამო- (gamo). გადაგდება (gadagdeba) — to throw across, გადაბრუნება (gadabruneba) — to flip over, გადაადგილება (gadaadgileba) — to move, relocate. შემოვლა (shemovla) — to go around, შემოდის (shemodis) — comes in. გამორკვევა (gamorkveva) — to turn out, become clear, literally 'to lead out what was clear to only one'.
The preverb's second job: it makes the verb complete. წერს (tsers) — writes (in general), დაწერს — will write (and finish). That is why in the course's examples a preverb is almost always present: without it the action hangs in the air. Look for the preverb first — it tells you where the verb is headed.
Table
| preverb | where to | example | in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| მი- | away from the speaker | მიახლოება | to approach |
| მო- | toward the speaker | მოახლოება | to draw near |
| ა- | up | ასვლა | to climb |
| ჩა- | down, in | ჩავარდნა | to fall into |
| ჩამო- | from up to down | ჩამოსვლა | to come down |
| გადა- | across | გადაბრუნება | to flip over |
| შემო- | around, in | შემოვლა | to go around |
| გამო- | out | გამორკვევა | to become clear |
| გან- | aside, away | განზე გადგომა | to step aside |
| და- | down and to the end | დაწევა | to catch up |
By example
- ბავშვი ფანჯარას მიუახლოვდა, ზამთარი კი მოახლოვდაbavshvi panjaras miuakhlovda, zamtari ki moakhlovdaThe child walked up to the window, and winter drew near
- მეოთხე სართულზე ავედი და მერე ჩამოვედიmeotkhe sartulze avedi da mere chamovediI went up to the fourth floor and then came down
- ბურთი ღობეზე გადააგდო და ტბა შემოვიარაburti ghobeze gadaagdo da tba shemoviaraHe threw the ball over the fence and walked around the lake
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
the prefix decides where the action goes: how does it work in Georgian?
The whole unit u51 rests on one device, and without it fifty verbs of motion would have to be crammed. The Georgian verb barely changes its root: direction is set by the preverb — the prefix in front of the root. Learn a dozen preverbs and you read an unfamiliar verb halfway through.
What does it look like in an example sentence Georgian?
“ბავშვი ფანჯარას მიუახლოვდა, ზამთარი კი მოახლოვდა” (bavshvi panjaras miuakhlovda, zamtari ki moakhlovda) — The child walked up to the window, and winter drew near. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.