ძალიან, მეტისმეტად, ალბათ: how strongly, and how sure you are
Two different questions are answered by look-alike little words, and that is why they get confused. The first: how strongly — very, too, quite. The second: how sure I am — probably, of course, it seems. Take them in order. For example: “ეს წიგნი ძალიან საინტერესოა” — This book is very interesting. A rule from the Georgian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Two different questions are answered by look-alike little words, and that is why they get confused. The first: how strongly — very, too, quite. The second: how sure I am — probably, of course, it seems. Take them in order.
Degree stands before the adjective or adverb and never changes itself. ძალიან (dzalian) — very, a neutral booster: 'ძალიან საინტერესოა (dzalian sainteresoa)'. მეტისმეტად (metismetad) — too, excessively, and that is already bad: 'მეტისმეტად ძვირია (metismetad dzviria)' — more than I am ready to pay. The classic beginner's slip is here: 'very expensive' is ძალიან ძვირი (dzalian dzviri), not 'მეტისმეტად'. საკმაოდ (sakmaod) — quite, fairly: 'საკმაოდ კარგია (sakmaod kargia)'. ცოტა (tsota) — a little, slightly. სულ (sul) — at all, entirely, and with negation 'სულ არ (sul ar)' — not at all. And separately უფრო (upro): 'უფრო იაფი (upro iapi)' — cheaper, the comparative you already know.
Evaluation is the other half, and its place is different: it refers to the whole sentence and usually comes as the first word. ალბათ (albat) — probably, most likely. რა თქმა უნდა (ra tkma unda) — of course, needless to say (literally 'what is there to say'). მგონი (mgoni) — I guess; literally 'it seems to me', and it is the most frequent word of living speech. შესაძლოა (shesadzloa) — possibly, more bookish. როგორც ჩანს (rogorts chans) — apparently, by all appearances.
Swap the two groups and you get a sentence that is understood but heard as a foreigner's: 'ის ძალიან კარგად თამაშობს (is dzalian kargad tamashobs)' — he plays very well, while 'მგონი, ის კარგად თამაშობს (is kargad tamashobs)' — I guess he plays well. Degree sticks to the word; evaluation stands in front of it all and is set off by a comma.
Table
| Word | Meaning | Where it stands | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ძალიან | very | before the word | ძალიან ლამაზი |
| მეტისმეტად | too, excessively | before the word | მეტისმეტად ცხელი |
| საკმაოდ | quite, fairly | before the word | საკმაოდ ახლოს |
| ცოტა | a little | before the word | ცოტა დაღლილი |
| უფრო | more, -er | before the word | უფრო იაფი |
| ალბათ | probably | at the front | ალბათ, ხვალ |
| რა თქმა უნდა | of course | at the front | რა თქმა უნდა, მოვალ |
| მგონი | I guess, it seems to me | at the front | მგონი, დაიკარგა |
By example
- ეს წიგნი ძალიან საინტერესოაes tsigni dzalian sainteresoaThis book is very interesting
- ხმის სიმაღლე მეტისმეტად დიდიაkhmis simaghle metismetad didiaThe volume is too loud
- მგონი, კურიერი დააგვიანებსmgoni, kurieri daagvianebsI guess the courier will be late
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 strongly, and how sure you are: how does it work in Georgian?
Two different questions are answered by look-alike little words, and that is why they get confused. The first: how strongly — very, too, quite. The second: how sure I am — probably, of course, it seems. Take them in order.
What does it look like in an example sentence Georgian?
“ეს წიგნი ძალიან საინტერესოა” (es tsigni dzalian sainteresoa) — This book is very interesting. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.