არ, ვერ, ნუ, აღარ, ვეღარ: five ways to say no
English 'not' is one word for every case. Georgian has five negations, and choosing between them is not style: pick the wrong one and you report the wrong thing. The sport unit is a good place to sort them out, because 'I don't want to run' and 'I can't run' are different things here. For example: “დღეს არ მინდა ვარჯიში, ხვალ წავალ” — Today I don't feel like training, I'll go tomorrow. A rule from the Georgian…
How it works
English 'not' is one word for every case. Georgian has five negations, and choosing between them is not style: pick the wrong one and you report the wrong thing. The sport unit is a good place to sort them out, because 'I don't want to run' and 'I can't run' are different things here.
არ (ar) — plain negation. Not doing, not wanting, not knowing: არ ვმუშაობ (I don't work), არ მინდა (I don't want), ეს არ არის ჩემი (this is not mine). This is the negation of will and of fact.
ვერ (ver) — the negation of ability. Couldn't, failed to, didn't manage: ვერ გავიგე (I didn't understand — I failed to), ვერ მოვასწარი (I didn't make it in time), ვერ დავამთავრე (I didn't manage to finish). Compare: არ წავედი (ar tsavedi) — I didn't go (didn't want to), ვერ წავედი (ver tsavedi) — I couldn't go (something got in the way). English has to spell this out in words; Georgian manages it with one letter.
ნუ (nu) — a prohibition, a plea not to do. Only with the imperative: ნუ გეშინია (don't be afraid), ნუ ჩქარობ (don't hurry), ნუ დაგვიანდები (don't be late). Saying არ გეშინია (ar geshinia) is impossible — it would mean 'you are not afraid', a statement, not a plea.
აღარ (aghar) and ვეღარ (veghar) — 'no longer'. A piece -ღა- glues onto each of the first two, and you get a stop: აღარ ვმუშაობ (aghar vmushaob) — I no longer work (I quit), ვეღარ ვრბენ (veghar vrben) — I can no longer run (the ability is gone). The difference between them is the same as between არ and ვერ: will versus ability.
Where the negation stands. Directly before the verb, with nothing allowed between them: დღეს ვერ მოვალ (dghes ver moval) — today I won't be able to come. In a question it stays in the same place: ვერ მოხვალ? — you won't be able to come?
And a small consequence. Double negation is obligatory: არავინ არ მოვიდა (aravin ar movida) — nobody came, არაფერი არ მითქვამს (araperi ar mitkvams) — I have said nothing. One negation is not enough for such a sentence.
Table
| negation | what it means | example | in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| არ | don't want, don't do | არ მინდა | I don't want to |
| ვერ | can't, failed to | ვერ მოვასწარი | I didn't make it in time |
| ნუ | don't (a ban) | ნუ ჩქარობ | don't hurry |
| აღარ | no longer (stopped) | აღარ ვმუშაობ | I no longer work |
| ვეღარ | no longer able | ვეღარ ვრბენ | I can no longer run |
| არ + არავინ | double negation | არავინ არ მოვიდა | nobody came |
By example
- დღეს არ მინდა ვარჯიში, ხვალ წავალdghes ar minda varjishi, khval tsavalToday I don't feel like training, I'll go tomorrow
- ფეხი მტკივა და ვერ ვრბენpekhi mtkiva da ver vrbenMy foot hurts and I can't run
- ნუ ჩქარობ, სტარტამდე ჯერ ოცი წუთიაnu chkarob, startamde jer otsi tsutiaDon't hurry, there are still twenty minutes until the start
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
Არ vs ვერ in Georgian?
English 'not' is one word for every case. Georgian has five negations, and choosing between them is not style: pick the wrong one and you report the wrong thing. The sport unit is a good place to sort them out, because 'I don't want to run' and 'I can't run' are different things here.
Why georgians say ვერ გავიგე?
არ — plain negation. Not doing, not wanting, not knowing: არ ვმუშაობ (I don't work), არ მინდა (I don't want), ეს არ არის ჩემი (this is not mine). This is the negation of will and of fact.
How many ways Georgian has to say no?
ვერ — the negation of ability. Couldn't, failed to, didn't manage: ვერ გავიგე (I didn't understand — I failed to), ვერ მოვასწარი (I didn't make it in time), ვერ დავამთავრე (I didn't manage to finish). Compare: არ წავედი — I didn't go (didn't want to), ვერ წავედი — I couldn't go (something got in…
What ნუ means in Georgian?
ნუ — a prohibition, a plea not to do. Only with the imperative: ნუ გეშინია (don't be afraid), ნუ ჩქარობ (don't hurry), ნუ დაგვიანდები (don't be late). Saying არ გეშინია is impossible — it would mean 'you are not afraid', a statement, not a plea.
What does it look like in an example sentence Georgian?
“დღეს არ მინდა ვარჯიში, ხვალ წავალ” (dghes ar minda varjishi, khval tsaval) — Today I don't feel like training, I'll go tomorrow. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.