ორშაბათს, ხუთ საათზე, ერთ წელიწადში: time without a single preposition
Fixing a meeting is almost entirely time phrases, and Georgian builds them from the cases of the very word. There are no prepositions at all, remember, so 'on', 'in a while', 'until' and 'ago' have to be looked for at the end of the word. For example: “ორშაბათს ხუთ საათზე შევხვდეთ” — Let's meet on Monday at five o'clock. A rule from the Georgian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Fixing a meeting is almost entirely time phrases, and Georgian builds them from the cases of the very word. There are no prepositions at all, remember, so 'on', 'in a while', 'until' and 'ago' have to be looked for at the end of the word.
The day — the dative '-ს', and no 'on'. 'ორშაბათს (orshabats)' (on Monday), 'შაბათს (shabats)' (on Saturday), 'ხუთ მაისს' (on the fifth of May), 'იმ დღეს (im dghes)' (that day). The same case also covers duration: 'ორ საათს ველოდი' — I waited two hours.
The hour — '-ზე', the very 'on' that sits with the table and the shelf. 'ხუთ საათზე (khut saatze)' (at five o'clock); in speech simply 'ხუთზე'. Half past five is 'ხუთის ნახევარი'; a quarter to six is 'ექვსს თხუთმეტი აკლია'.
'In a while' — '-ში', the very 'in' that sits with the room. 'ერთ წელიწადში (ert tselitsadshi)' (in a year), 'ორ თვეში (or tveshi)' (in two months), 'ხუთ წუთში (khut tsutshi)' (in five minutes). And 'ago' is the genitive plus the word 'წინ (tsin)': 'ორი წლის წინ (ori tslis tsin)' (two years ago), 'დიდი ხნის წინ (didi khnis tsin)' (a long time ago). Note that 'წინ' here is not 'in front of' but 'ago' — only whether you talk of time or of space tells them apart.
An interval is framed by '-იდან … -მდე': 'დილიდან საღამომდე (dilidan saghamomde)' (from morning till evening), 'ცხრიდან ხუთამდე (tskhridan khutamde)' (from nine to five). Approximation goes through '-კენ': 'საღამოსკენ (saghamosken)' (toward evening), 'დილისკენ' (toward morning).
And the last thing English does not expect: 'წელი (tseli)' and 'წელიწადი' are not the same word. 'წელიწადი' is a span of twelve months ('ერთ წელიწადში' — in a year's time); 'წელი' is the calendar year and 'this year' ('წელს ვმუშაობ (tsels vmushaob)' — this year I work). Mixing them up means saying 'in this year's time'.
Table
| Meaning | How it is built | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| on Monday | the dative '-ს' | ორშაბათს | on Monday |
| at five o'clock | '-ზე' | ხუთ საათზე | at five o'clock |
| in a year | '-ში' | ერთ წელიწადში | in a year |
| two years ago | the genitive + წინ | ორი წლის წინ | two years ago |
| until evening | '-მდე' | საღამომდე | until evening |
| since morning | '-იდან' | დილიდან | since morning |
| toward evening | '-კენ' | საღამოსკენ | toward evening |
| two hours (how long) | the dative '-ს' | ორ საათს ველოდი | I waited two hours |
By example
- ორშაბათს ხუთ საათზე შევხვდეთorshabats khut saatze shevkhvdetLet's meet on Monday at five o'clock
- ერთ წელიწადში დაბრუნებას ვგეგმავert tselitsadshi dabrunebas vgegmavIn a year I plan to return
- დილიდან საღამომდე დაკავებული ვარdilidan saghamomde dakavebuli varFrom morning till evening I am busy
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
time without a single preposition: how does it work in Georgian?
Fixing a meeting is almost entirely time phrases, and Georgian builds them from the cases of the very word. There are no prepositions at all, remember, so 'on', 'in a while', 'until' and 'ago' have to be looked for at the end of the word.
What does it look like in an example sentence Georgian?
“ორშაბათს ხუთ საათზე შევხვდეთ” (orshabats khut saatze shevkhvdet) — Let's meet on Monday at five o'clock. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.