რადგან, რომ, სანამ, თუმცა: where the link goes, where the verb goes
At B1 the complex sentence stops being a luxury. There are not many connectors, but each has its own fixed place, and what you must memorize is the place, not the translation. For example: “რადგან ვიზა გამიგრძელდა, კიდევ ერთი თვე დავრჩი” — Since my visa was extended, I stayed one more month. A rule from the Georgian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
At B1 the complex sentence stops being a luxury. There are not many connectors, but each has its own fixed place, and what you must memorize is the place, not the translation.
Cause. რადგან (since, as) stands as the first word of the subordinate clause, and that clause may come before or after the main one: 'რადგან ვიზა გამიგრძელდა (radgan viza gamigrdzelda), დავრჩი (davrchi)'. The colloquial variant is იმიტომ რომ (imitom rom), and it only follows the main clause: 'დავრჩი, იმიტომ რომ ვიზა გამიგრძელდა (imitom rom viza gamigrdzelda)'. The consequence is introduced by ამიტომ (amitom), which opens the main clause: 'ვიზა გამიგრძელდა (viza gamigrdzelda), ამიტომ დავრჩი (amitom davrchi)'. Three words, three different places — that is where people trip.
Purpose. The purpose clause is built with რომ (rom) and a verb in the subjunctive: 'დავრეკე (davreke), რომ ბილეთი დამეჯავშნა (rom bileti damejavshna)' — I called so that she would book the ticket. Without the subjunctive you get a report, not a purpose. Shorter and more frequent is a verb noun with '-ად': 'ბილეთის დასაჯავშნად დავრეკე'.
Time. როცა (rotsa) and როდესაც (when) stand as the first word of the clause. სანამ (sanam) means both 'while' and 'before', and the particle 'არ (ar)' tells them apart: 'სანამ ველოდები (sanam velodebi)' — while I wait, 'სანამ არ წავიდოდი (sanam ar tsavidodi)' — before I left. მას შემდეგ (mas shemdeg), რაც (rats) — after; the link here is split: 'მას შემდეგ' in the main clause, 'რაც' in the subordinate one.
Concession. თუმცა (tumtsa) opens the main clause, the one that argues with what was said: 'ძვირია (dzviria), თუმცა ვიყიდე (tumtsa viqide)'. And მიუხედავად იმისა (miukhedavad imisa), რომ opens the subordinate clause, standing in front of it: 'მიუხედავად იმისა, რომ ძვირია (rom dzviria), ვიყიდე (viqide)'. These are mirror constructions, and substituting one for the other is not allowed.
And the general rule that holds it all together: the verb of the subordinate clause drifts to its end. 'რადგან ბილეთი ძვირი იყო (radgan bileti dzviri iqo), არ წავედით (ar tsavedit)' sounds natural; 'რადგან იყო ბილეთი ძვირი (radgan iqo bileti dzviri)' does not. English order is freer here, and it should not be copied one to one.
Finally, the particle -ც (-ts): it attaches last, after all endings and postpositions, and turns a question word into a link — 'რომელიც (romelits)', 'სადაც (sadats)', 'რაც', 'მეორეც (meorets)'. Not 'რაცში' but რაშიც.
Table
| Link | Meaning | Which part it opens | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|
| რადგან | since, as | the subordinate clause | first word; the clause may come first |
| იმიტომ რომ | because | the subordinate clause | only after the main clause |
| ამიტომ | so, therefore | the main clause | first word of the main clause, after the cause |
| რომ + subjunctive | so that | the purpose clause | after the main clause |
| როცა, როდესაც | when | the subordinate clause | first word |
| სანამ | while; before | the subordinate clause | first word; 'არ' changes the meaning |
| მას შემდეგ, რაც | after | both at once | split: 'მას შემდეგ' in the main clause |
| თუმცა | however, though | the main clause | first word of the main clause |
| მიუხედავად იმისა, რომ | despite the fact that | the subordinate clause | before the subordinate clause |
| -ც | turns a question into a link | — | attaches last: რომელშიც |
By example
- რადგან ვიზა გამიგრძელდა, კიდევ ერთი თვე დავრჩიradgan viza gamigrdzelda, kidev erti tve davrchiSince my visa was extended, I stayed one more month
- დავრეკე, რომ ნომერი დამეჯავშნაdavreke, rom nomeri damejavshnaI called so that they would book me a room
- მიუხედავად იმისა, რომ ძვირი იყო, ბილეთი ვიყიდეmiukhedavad imisa, rom dzviri iqo, bileti viqideEven though it was expensive, I bought the ticket
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
where the link goes, where the verb goes: how does it work in Georgian?
At B1 the complex sentence stops being a luxury. There are not many connectors, but each has its own fixed place, and what you must memorize is the place, not the translation.
What does it look like in an example sentence Georgian?
“რადგან ვიზა გამიგრძელდა, კიდევ ერთი თვე დავრჩი” (radgan viza gamigrdzelda, kidev erti tve davrchi) — Since my visa was extended, I stayed one more month. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.