მაღალი კაცი and კაცი მაღალია: the adjective before the noun and in the predicate
Describing a person is almost all adjectives, and in Georgian they behave more simply than a newcomer expects — except in two places, where they behave quite differently. For example: “ჩემი მეზობელი მოკრძალებული და საიმედოა” — My neighbor is modest and dependable. A rule from the Georgian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Describing a person is almost all adjectives, and in Georgian they behave more simply than a newcomer expects — except in two places, where they behave quite differently.
First: the adjective has no gender and no number. 'მაღალი კაცი (maghali katsi)', 'მაღალი ქალი (maghali kali)', 'მაღალი ბიჭები' — the word never changes. The noun takes the plural on itself; the adjective stays as it is.
Second: the predicate is assembled with the ending '-ა', not with a separate word. English says 'he is tall' with a verb; Georgian glues '-ა' onto the adjective itself: მაღალია (maghalia). If the word ends in '-ი', that '-ი' is lost: მაღალი (maghali) → მაღალია, ჯიუტი (jiuti) → ჯიუტია (jiutia), ხარბი (kharbi) → ხარბია. If it ends in a consonant, '-ია' is added: მელოტი (meloti) → მელოტია. Nouns behave the same way: 'ექიმია (ekimia)' — he is a doctor.
Third, and this is about declension. A description before the noun also declines, but more shortly than the noun itself: the adjective drops its final '-ი' and takes the case ending. 'ახალი ბინა (akhali bina)' → 'ახალ ბინაში (akhal binashi)' (in a new flat), 'კარგი მეგობარი (kargi megobari)' → 'კარგ მეგობარს (karg megobars)' (to a good friend). The rule fits on one line: the noun takes the full ending, the adjective in front of it the shortened one.
And the last thing, the reason this note lives in the character unit: half of all traits are assembled by two patterns. '-იანი' means 'with something': ხასიათიანი (with character), ნაოჭებიანი (wrinkled), ხარისხიანი (of good quality), ფასდაკლებიანი (discounted). 'უ-…-ო' means 'without something': უხასიათო (out of sorts), უხმო (soundless), უფასო (free of charge), უშაქრო (sugar-free). Spot '-იანი' or the frame 'უ-…-ო' in an unfamiliar word and you already know half the meaning — and this works across the whole language, not only with people.
Table
| Role | Form | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| a description | no change | ჯიუტი ბავშვი | a stubborn child |
| a description in a case | shortened, without '-ი' | ჯიუტ ბავშვს | to a stubborn child |
| the predicate | '-ი' → '-ა' | ბავშვი ჯიუტია | the child is stubborn |
| the plural | only the noun changes | ჯიუტი ბავშვები | stubborn children |
| 'with something' | the suffix '-იანი' | ხასიათიანი | with character |
| 'without something' | 'უ-…-ო' | უხასიათო | out of sorts, lifeless |
| the name of a quality | the prefix 'სი-' | სიმაღლე | height |
By example
- ჩემი მეზობელი მოკრძალებული და საიმედოაchemi mezobeli mokrdzalebuli da saimedoaMy neighbor is modest and dependable
- ხუჭუჭა თმის გოგონას ველოდებიkhuchucha tmis gogonas velodebiI am waiting for a girl with curly hair
- დღეს უხასიათო ვარ და ხმაზეც ეტყობაdghes ukhasiato var da khmazets etqobaI am out of sorts today, and you can hear it in my voice
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
the adjective before the noun and in the predicate: how does it work in Georgian?
Describing a person is almost all adjectives, and in Georgian they behave more simply than a newcomer expects — except in two places, where they behave quite differently.
What does it look like in an example sentence Georgian?
“ჩემი მეზობელი მოკრძალებული და საიმედოა” (chemi mezobeli mokrdzalebuli da saimedoa) — My neighbor is modest and dependable. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.