ეს, ეგ, ის: this, that one by you, and that one over there
English points with two words, 'this' and 'that'. Georgian has three, and they are divided not by distance from the speaker but by the three persons, like pronouns. ეს — what is by me: 'ეს ჩემი ტელეფონია'. ეგ — what is by you, the listener: 'ეგ რა არის?' — what is that you've got? ის — what is by neither of us: farther away, with a third person, or outside the conversation altogether. For example: “ეს ჩემი…
How it works
English points with two words, 'this' and 'that'. Georgian has three, and they are divided not by distance from the speaker but by the three persons, like pronouns. ეს (es) — what is by me: 'ეს ჩემი ტელეფონია (es chemi teleponia)'. ეგ (eg) — what is by you, the listener: 'ეგ რა არის (eg ra aris)?' — what is that you've got? ის (is) — what is by neither of us: farther away, with a third person, or outside the conversation altogether.
The usual beginner's loss is the middle member: people say 'ეს' about everything in sight. You are understood, but it sounds strange, like pointing at a thing in someone else's hands and saying 'this'. A simple rule: pointing at yourself — ეს, at your listener — ეგ, away — ის.
Second, and phrasebooks keep quiet about it: before a noun the pointing word changes its form. Not 'ეს კაცმა' but ამ კაცმა; not 'ის დღეს (is dghes)' but იმ დღეს (im dghes). The oblique stems are: ეს → ამ (am), ეგ → მაგ, ის → იმ (im). From there come words you have already seen: 'ამ კვირაში (am kvirashi)' — this week, 'იმ დროს (im dros)' — at that time. On its own, without a noun, the word stays whole: 'ეს არის (es aris)' — this is it, 'ამას ვამბობ (amas vambob)' — this is what I am saying.
Third, the reason this note lives in this wave: pointing words refer back to what was said. 'ამიტომ (amitom)' — therefore (literally 'because of this'), 'იმიტომ რომ (imitom rom)' — because, 'ასე (ase)' — like this, this way, 'ისე (ise)' — that way, otherwise. When you hear 'ამიტომ' in the middle of a story, the speaker is referring to what he himself just said — already a bridge to the complex sentence.
Table
| Word | Where the thing is | Before a noun | Adverb from it |
|---|---|---|---|
| ეს | by me, right here | ამ ბიჭმა — this boy | აქ — here |
| ეგ | by you, the listener | მაგ წიგნში — in that book of yours | მანდ — over there by you |
| ის | with a third person, far off | იმ დღეს — that day | იქ — there |
| ასე | this way, the way I do it | — | ამიტომ — therefore |
| ისე | that way, otherwise | — | იმიტომ რომ — because |
By example
- ეს ჩემი ტელეფონია, ეგ კი შენიes chemi teleponia, eg ki sheniThis is my phone, and that one by you is yours
- ამ კვირას მუზეუმი დაკეტილიაam kviras muzeumi daketiliaThe museum is closed this week
- საცობი იყო, ამიტომ დავაგვიანეsatsobi iqo, amitom davagvianeThere was a traffic jam, so I was 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
this, that one by you, and that one over there: how does it work in Georgian?
English points with two words, 'this' and 'that'. Georgian has three, and they are divided not by distance from the speaker but by the three persons, like pronouns. ეს — what is by me: 'ეს ჩემი ტელეფონია'. ეგ — what is by you, the listener: 'ეგ რა არის?' — what is that you've got? ის — what is by…
What does it look like in an example sentence Georgian?
“ეს ჩემი ტელეფონია, ეგ კი შენი” (es chemi teleponia, eg ki sheni) — This is my phone, and that one by you is yours. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.