რომ, რადგან, თუ, როცა: two thoughts in one sentence
Until now the course held to short sentences. Further on there is no getting past conjunctions: 'I was late because there was a jam', 'call me when you arrive', 'if it rains, we will stay home'. Here is the minimal set that carries you all the way to B1. For example: “დავაგვიანე, იმიტომ რომ საცობი იყო” — I was late because there was a traffic jam. A rule from the Georgian course: worked out on examples, not…
How it works
Until now the course held to short sentences. Further on there is no getting past conjunctions: 'I was late because there was a jam', 'call me when you arrive', 'if it rains, we will stay home'. Here is the minimal set that carries you all the way to B1.
რომ (rom) is the hardest-working word in Georgian. It means both 'that' and 'so that': 'ვიცი (vitsi), რომ მოხვალ' — I know that you will come; 'მინდა (minda), რომ მოხვიდე' — I want you to come. The difference is carried not by the conjunction but by the form of the verb after it: after 'that' stands the ordinary future (მოხვალ), after 'so that' stands the wish form (მოხვიდე). And remember its place: რომ usually stands not as the first word of the clause but as the second — 'ვიცი, ხვალ რომ მოხვალ' sounds just as normal as 'ვიცი, რომ ხვალ მოხვალ'.
რადგან (radgan) and იმიტომ რომ (imitom rom) — because. The first is more bookish and starts the sentence; the second is living speech and follows the main clause: 'დავაგვიანე (davagviane), იმიტომ რომ საცობი იყო (imitom rom satsobi iqo)'. The reason can also be named by a single postposition: 'ავარიის გამო' — because of the accident.
თუ (tu) — if: 'თუ წვიმს (tu tsvims), სახლში დავრჩებით (sakhlshi davrchebit)'. The same word also means 'whether' in a question, and you know it from the polite 'თუ შეიძლება (tu sheidzleba)' — literally 'if it is possible'. როცა (rotsa) and როდესაც (rodesats) — when: 'დამირეკე (damireke), როცა ჩამოხვალ (rotsa chamokhval)'. Note that after 'when' Georgian talks about the future in the future tense, where English uses the present.
And two connectors without which a story falls apart: მაგრამ (magram) — but (you already have it) and ამიტომ (amitom) — so, therefore. They stand between two whole sentences and change nothing inside them: 'ბატარეა დაჯდა (batarea dajda), ამიტომ ვერ დაგირეკე' — the battery died, so I could not call you.
Table
| Conjunction | Means | What follows it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| რომ | that | the ordinary form | ვიცი, რომ მოხვალ |
| რომ | so that | the wish form | მინდა, რომ მოხვიდე |
| რადგან | since, as | at the front of the sentence | რადგან გვიანია, წავალ |
| იმიტომ რომ | because | after the main clause | ვერ მოვედი, იმიტომ რომ ავად ვიყავი |
| თუ | if; whether | the condition | თუ გინდა, დაგირეკავ |
| როცა | when | the future about the future | როცა ჩამოხვალ, დამირეკე |
| მაგრამ | but | between sentences | მინდოდა, მაგრამ ვერ მოვასწარი |
| ამიტომ | so, therefore | between sentences | დაიღალა, ამიტომ დაიძინა |
By example
- დავაგვიანე, იმიტომ რომ საცობი იყოdavagviane, imitom rom satsobi iqoI was late because there was a traffic jam
- დამირეკე, როცა ჩამოხვალdamireke, rotsa chamokhvalCall me when you arrive
- თუ წვიმს, სახლში დავრჩებითtu tsvims, sakhlshi davrchebitIf it rains, we will stay 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
two thoughts in one sentence: how does it work in Georgian?
Until now the course held to short sentences. Further on there is no getting past conjunctions: 'I was late because there was a jam', 'call me when you arrive', 'if it rains, we will stay home'. Here is the minimal set that carries you all the way to B1.
What does it look like in an example sentence Georgian?
“დავაგვიანე, იმიტომ რომ საცობი იყო” (davagviane, imitom rom satsobi iqo) — I was late because there was a traffic jam. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.