მან თქვა, რომ…: reported speech without a tense shift
The lesson u58-l5 retells someone else's story, and the main news here is pleasant: Georgian does not shift tenses in reported speech. What the person said stays in exactly the form he said it. For example: “მან თქვა, რომ ხვალ მოვა” — He said he would come tomorrow. A rule from the Georgian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The lesson u58-l5 retells someone else's story, and the main news here is pleasant: Georgian does not shift tenses in reported speech. What the person said stays in exactly the form he said it.
How it looks. Direct speech: 'ვმუშაობ (vmushaob)' — 'I am working'. Reported: მან თქვა (man tkva), რომ მუშაობს (rom mushaobs) — he said he is working. The present stayed a present. English would have to say 'he said he was working'; Georgian keeps the tense.
The person does change, though. 'მე ვმუშაობ (me vmushaob)' → მან თქვა, რომ ის მუშაობს (rom is mushaobs). The person prefix inside the verb moves together with the pronoun: ვ- (I) goes away, and the third person stays.
A question is reported through თუ (tu) or through a question word. 'სად მუშაობ?' → მან იკითხა (man ikitkha), სად ვმუშაობ (sad vmushaob) — he asked where I work. If the question had no question word, თუ is put in: მან იკითხა, თუ მოვალ (tu moval) — he asked whether I would come.
A request or a command is reported through რომ (rom) and a special form. 'დამეხმარე!' → მან თხოვა (man tkhova), რომ დავხმარებოდი (rom davkhmarebodi). The form on -ოდი/-იყო (-iqo) is the optative, and the same form stands after უნდა (unda) in the past.
Someone else's words can be flagged without being retold. There are three tools for that. ვითომ (vitom) — 'allegedly', open distrust. თითქოს (titkos) — 'as if', softer. And a whole verb form on -ია: გამიგონია (gamigonia) means 'I have, reportedly, heard' — Georgian can flag unreliability inside the verb itself, with no extra words. ის წასულა (is tsasula) — 'he has left, apparently' (I did not see it).
The impersonal 'they say' is the third person plural. ამბობენ (amboben), რომ…, წერენ, რომ…, ამბობდნენ, რომ…. There is no subject with it, and none should be looked for.
Table
| direct speech | in English | reported | translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| «ვმუშაობ» | I am working | თქვა, რომ მუშაობს | he said he is working |
| «მოვალ» | I will come | თქვა, რომ მოვა | he said he will come |
| «სად ხარ?» | where are you? | იკითხა, სად ვარ | he asked where I am |
| «მოხვალ?» | will you come? | იკითხა, თუ მოვალ | he asked whether I will come |
| «დამეხმარე!» | help me! | თხოვა, რომ დავხმარებოდი | he asked me to help |
| — | they say | ამბობენ, რომ… | they say that… |
| — | allegedly | ვითომ ავად არის | he is allegedly ill |
| — | as if | თითქოს არ იცოდა | as if he didn't know |
| — | apparently | ის წასულა | he has left, apparently |
| — | word for word | სიტყვასიტყვით გადამცა | he relayed it word for word |
By example
- მან თქვა, რომ ხვალ მოვაman tkva, rom khval movaHe said he would come tomorrow
- მან იკითხა, თუ ვმუშაობ, და მე ვუპასუხე, რომ ვმუშაობman ikitkha, tu vmushaob, da me vupasukhe, rom vmushaobHe asked whether I was working, and I answered that I was
- ვითომ არაფერი იცოდა, მაგრამ ყველაფერი სცოდნიაvitom araperi itsoda, magram qvelaperi stsodniaHe claimed to know nothing, but it turns out he knew everything
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
reported speech without a tense shift: how does it work in Georgian?
The lesson u58-l5 retells someone else's story, and the main news here is pleasant: Georgian does not shift tenses in reported speech. What the person said stays in exactly the form he said it.
What does it look like in an example sentence Georgian?
“მან თქვა, რომ ხვალ მოვა” (man tkva, rom khval mova) — He said he would come tomorrow. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.