თქვა, რომ: reporting what someone said
A news story is nothing but reporting: 'the minister said that…', 'the witness claims that…'. Georgian does it with one word — რომ — but it puts the word where English does not put 'that'. For example: “ჟურნალისტმა თქვა, რომ წყარო სანდოა” — The journalist said the source is reliable. A rule from the Georgian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
A news story is nothing but reporting: 'the minister said that…', 'the witness claims that…'. Georgian does it with one word — რომ (rom) — but it puts the word where English does not put 'that'.
რომ slips inside the clause instead of staying at its edge. Correct: 'მან თქვა (man tkva), რომ ხვალ მოვა (rom khval mova)'. Here it happened to be the first word of the clause and matched the English order — but that is not always so: in living speech 'რომ' often settles after the first word of the clause: 'მან თქვა, ხვალ რომ მოვა (khval rom mova)'. Both are correct, the second is more colloquial, and understanding it is mandatory.
Person changes just as it does in English. Direct speech: 'ხვალ მოვალ (khval moval)' — I will come tomorrow. Reported: 'თქვა (tkva), რომ ხვალ მოვიდოდა' — he said he would come tomorrow. But the tense does not shift as strictly as in English: Georgian calmly leaves the future a future — 'თქვა, რომ ხვალ მოვა' sounds perfectly normal.
The indirect question works differently and hangs on თუ (tu). If the question had no question word ('will you come?'), the report takes 'თუ': 'მკითხა (mkitkha), თუ მოვიდოდი' — he asked whether I would come. English 'whether' stands second in its clause; Georgian 'თუ' stands first. Even livelier is the formula თუ არა (tu ara), placed after the verb: 'მკითხა, მოვიდოდი თუ არა' — literally 'will I come or not'.
If the question did have a question word, that word stays as the link, and 'რომ' is not needed at all: 'მკითხა, სად ვცხოვრობ (sad vtskhovrob)' — he asked where I live. Putting 'რომ' here is a common and conspicuous mistake.
Table
| Direct speech | Reported | Link | Where the link stands |
|---|---|---|---|
| ხვალ მოვა | თქვა, რომ ხვალ მოვა | რომ | first word of the clause |
| ხვალ მოვა | თქვა, ხვალ რომ მოვა | რომ | after the first word — colloquial |
| მოხვალ? | მკითხა, თუ მოვიდოდი | თუ | first word of the clause |
| მოხვალ? | მკითხა, მოვიდოდი თუ არა | თუ არა | after the verb |
| სად ცხოვრობ? | მკითხა, სად ვცხოვრობ | სად | a question word; no 'რომ' needed |
| რატომ არ მოხვედი? | მკითხა, რატომ არ მოვედი | რატომ | a question word |
By example
- ჟურნალისტმა თქვა, რომ წყარო სანდოაzhurnalistma tkva, rom tsqaro sandoaThe journalist said the source is reliable
- მკითხა, საზღვარი გადავკვეთე თუ არაmkitkha, sazghvari gadavkvete tu araHe asked whether I had crossed the border
- მოხელემ ჰკითხა, სად ვცხოვრობmokhelem hkitkha, sad vtskhovrobThe official asked where I live
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
reporting what someone said: how does it work in Georgian?
A news story is nothing but reporting: 'the minister said that…', 'the witness claims that…'. Georgian does it with one word — რომ — but it puts the word where English does not put 'that'.
What does it look like in an example sentence Georgian?
“ჟურნალისტმა თქვა, რომ წყარო სანდოა” (zhurnalistma tkva, rom tsqaro sandoa) — The journalist said the source is reliable. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.