უნდა, შეიძლება, მინდა: must, may, want — and what they do to the verb
Three words without which not a single form gets filled in and not a single border crossed. They look simple, they demand different things, and the confusion between them is the most frequent mistake at B1. For example: “ხვალ საკონსულოში უნდა მივიდე” — Tomorrow I have to go to the consulate. A rule from the Georgian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Three words without which not a single form gets filled in and not a single border crossed. They look simple, they demand different things, and the confusion between them is the most frequent mistake at B1.
უნდა (unda) — 'must, have to'. The word is unchangeable: both 'მე უნდა წავიდე (me unda tsavide)' and 'მან უნდა წავიდეს' use the same 'უნდა'; only the verb behind it changes. And here is the main thing: after 'უნდა' the verb must stand in the subjunctive form, not the ordinary future. Not 'უნდა წავალ (unda tsaval)' but უნდა წავიდე (unda tsavide). Not 'უნდა ვმუშაობ (unda vmushaob)' but უნდა ვიმუშაო. Beginners put the ordinary form here and the sentence falls apart.
'უნდა' has a twin that confuses people: 'მინდა (minda)' — I want, but 'უნდა' — he wants. So 'მას წასვლა უნდა (mas tsasvla unda)' means 'he wants to leave', while 'მან უნდა წავიდეს' means 'he must leave'. What tells them apart is the neighbour: a verb noun ('წასვლა (tsasvla)') gives 'wants', a verb in the subjunctive ('წავიდეს') gives 'must'.
შეიძლება (sheidzleba) — 'one may; maybe'. Also unchangeable, and it also pulls the subjunctive after it: 'შეიძლება შევიდე?' — may I come in? In the meaning of 'possibly' it stands first: 'შეიძლება დაგვიანდეს' — maybe he will be late. The negation 'არ შეიძლება (ar sheidzleba)' — not allowed — is the colloquial stand-in for the sign-word 'აკრძალულია (akrdzalulia)'.
Separately there is შემიძლია (shemidzlia) — 'I can, I am able': not 'permitted' but 'in my power'. 'შემიძლია ვთარგმნო' — I can translate. It changes by person: 'შემიძლია', 'შეგიძლია (shegidzlia)', 'შეუძლია (sheudzlia)'. Confusing 'შეიძლება' with 'შემიძლია' is easy, and the gap between 'is it allowed' and 'am I able' is wide.
And მინდა — 'I want': after it comes a verb noun ('ნომრის დაჯავშნა მინდა (nomris dajavshna minda)') or 'რომ (rom)' with the subjunctive ('მინდა, რომ დაჯავშნო'). The first variant is shorter and wins in speech.
Table
| Word | Meaning | What it demands after itself | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| უნდა | must, have to | a verb in the subjunctive | უნდა წავიდე — I must go |
| უნდა (with a noun) | wants | a verb noun | წასვლა უნდა — he wants to leave |
| მინდა | I want | a noun, or რომ + subjunctive | დაჯავშნა მინდა — I want to book |
| შეიძლება | one may, maybe | the subjunctive | შეიძლება შევიდე? — may I come in? |
| არ შეიძლება | not allowed | the subjunctive or a noun | აქ მოწევა არ შეიძლება |
| შემიძლია | I can, I am able | the subjunctive | შემიძლია ვთარგმნო — I can translate |
| აკრძალულია | prohibited (a sign) | a verb noun before it | გაჩერება აკრძალულია |
By example
- ხვალ საკონსულოში უნდა მივიდეkhval sakonsuloshi unda mivideTomorrow I have to go to the consulate
- შეიძლება ბლანკი კიდევ ერთხელ ავიღო?sheidzleba blanki kidev ertkhel avigho?May I take the form one more time?
- დოკუმენტების თარგმნა შემიძლიაdokumentebis targmna shemidzliaI can translate the documents
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
must, may, want — and what they do to the verb: how does it work in Georgian?
Three words without which not a single form gets filled in and not a single border crossed. They look simple, they demand different things, and the confusion between them is the most frequent mistake at B1.
What does it look like in an example sentence Georgian?
“ხვალ საკონსულოში უნდა მივიდე” (khval sakonsuloshi unda mivide) — Tomorrow I have to go to the consulate. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.