სკოლის პირდაპირ, სახლის უკან: postpositions that stayed separate words
You have known the ending-postpositions since the first waves: 'სახლში', 'მაგიდაზე', 'ხიდთან'. But there is a second kind — postpositions that stayed independent words. They are written separately, stand AFTER the noun, and demand a particular case of it. Giving directions without them is impossible. For example: “მაღაზია სკოლის პირდაპირ არის” — The shop is opposite the school. A rule from the Georgian course…
How it works
You have known the ending-postpositions since the first waves: 'სახლში (sakhlshi)', 'მაგიდაზე (magidaze)', 'ხიდთან'. But there is a second kind — postpositions that stayed independent words. They are written separately, stand AFTER the noun, and demand a particular case of it. Giving directions without them is impossible.
Almost all of them ask for the genitive. 'აფთიაქის პირდაპირ' (opposite the pharmacy), 'სახლის უკან (sakhlis ukan)' (behind the house), 'ხიდის წინ (khidis tsin)' (in front of the bridge), 'ქუჩის გასწვრივ (kuchis gastsvriv)' (along the street), 'გზის გადაღმა (gzis gadaghma)' (across the road), 'გეგმის მიხედვით (gegmis mikhedvit)' (according to the plan), 'შაქრის გარეშე (shakris gareshe)' (without sugar), 'ამის შესახებ (amis shesakheb)' (about this), 'წვიმის გამო (tsvimis gamo)' (because of the rain), 'გაკვეთილის შემდეგ (gakvetilis shemdeg)' (after the lesson).
The main beginner's mistake is putting such a word in front. 'პირდაპირ აფთიაქის' sounds just as scrambled as 'the pharmacy opposite it stands'. Memorize the order once and for all: first the landmark, then the relation.
Separately stands 'პირდაპირ (pirdapir)'. On its own, with no noun in front, it is the adverb 'straight': 'პირდაპირ იარე' — go straight. With a genitive in front of it, it means 'opposite'. One word, two jobs, and only the neighborhood tells them apart.
Finally, two endings that belong here by meaning: '-კენ' (toward) and '-მდე' (up to). They glue on rather than stand apart: 'ზღვისკენ' (toward the sea), 'საღამოსკენ (saghamosken)' (toward evening), 'ბოლომდე (bolomde)' (to the end), 'ხუთამდე (khutamde)' (until five). The pair '-იდან … -მდე' frames an interval: 'დილიდან საღამომდე (dilidan saghamomde)' — from morning till evening.
Table
| Postposition | Case before it | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| პირდაპირ | the genitive | აფთიაქის პირდაპირ | opposite the pharmacy |
| უკან | the genitive | სახლის უკან | behind the house |
| წინ | the genitive | ხიდის წინ | in front of the bridge |
| გასწვრივ | the genitive | ქუჩის გასწვრივ | along the street |
| გადაღმა | the genitive | გზის გადაღმა | across the road |
| მიხედვით | the genitive | გეგმის მიხედვით | according to the plan |
| -კენ (an ending) | it glues on | ზღვისკენ | toward the sea |
| -მდე (an ending) | it glues on | ბოლომდე | to the end |
By example
- მაღაზია სკოლის პირდაპირ არისmaghazia skolis pirdapir arisThe shop is opposite the school
- ავტოსადგომი შენობის უკან იპოვეთavtosadgomi shenobis ukan ipovetFind the parking behind the building
- ქუჩის ბოლომდე იარეთ, მერე მარცხნივkuchis bolomde iaret, mere martskhnivWalk to the end of the street, then turn left
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
postpositions that stayed separate words: how does it work in Georgian?
You have known the ending-postpositions since the first waves: 'სახლში', 'მაგიდაზე', 'ხიდთან'. But there is a second kind — postpositions that stayed independent words. They are written separately, stand AFTER the noun, and demand a particular case of it. Giving directions without them is…
What does it look like in an example sentence Georgian?
“მაღაზია სკოლის პირდაპირ არის” (maghazia skolis pirdapir aris) — The shop is opposite the school. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.