-ად and -ით: how a noun becomes an adverb, then a postposition
This unit is almost entirely made of words that English takes for adverbs and parenthetical phrases: 'mostly', 'fortunately', 'compared to', 'thanks to', 'by hand'. In Georgian these are not a separate class of words but two case endings, and recognizing them frees you from learning each such word on its own. For example: “საბედნიეროდ, ანგარიში ავტომატურად შეივსო” — Fortunately, the bill filled in automatically. A…
How it works
This unit is almost entirely made of words that English takes for adverbs and parenthetical phrases: 'mostly', 'fortunately', 'compared to', 'thanks to', 'by hand'. In Georgian these are not a separate class of words but two case endings, and recognizing them frees you from learning each such word on its own.
'-ად' makes an adverb out of an adjective. კარგი (kargi) → კარგად (kargad), სწრაფი → სწრაფად (stsrapad), ავტომატური → ავტომატურად (avtomaturad), ძირითადი → ძირითადად (dziritadad). A rule without exceptions: the adjective drops its '-ი' and takes '-ად'.
The same ending makes 'as what' out of a noun. საჩუქრად (as a gift), მასწავლებლად მუშაობს (works as a teacher), ცოდვად ითვლება (counts as a sin). One form, two jobs, and what stands nearby tells them apart.
'-ით (-it)' answers 'with what, how'. ხელით (by hand), ფეხით (on foot), ხმის აწევით (by raising one's voice). This is the old instrumental, and it behaves like an ordinary case.
And now the main thing, the reason this note stands here. Some '-ით' forms have frozen into postpositions — that is, they demand another noun in front of them: ექიმის თქმით (according to the doctor), შენი წყალობით (thanks to you), შარშანთან შედარებით (compared to last year), შენგან განსხვავებით (unlike you), კანონის მიხედვით (according to the law). English puts the little word in front of the group, Georgian behind it — an inverted order to get used to. The case of the first noun differs from postposition to postposition: the genitive with 'თქმით (tkmit)' and 'წყალობით (tsqalobit)', the dative with '-თან (-tan)' for 'შედარებით (shedarebit)', '-გან' for 'განსხვავებით (ganskhvavebit)'.
A parenthetical word is assembled whole by the frame 'სა-…-ოდ'. საბედნიეროდ (fortunately), სამწუხაროდ (unfortunately), სავარაუდოდ (presumably), საბოლოოდ (in the end). All of them stand at the front of the sentence and are set off by a comma in writing — in speech there is usually no pause.
Table
| Form | Built from | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| -ად | an adjective | an adverb | სწრაფად — quickly |
| -ად | a noun | as what | საჩუქრად — as a gift |
| -ით | a noun | with what, how | ხელით — by hand |
| თქმით | თქმა | a postposition: according to | ექიმის თქმით |
| წყალობით | წყალობა | a postposition: thanks to | შენი წყალობით |
| შედარებით | შედარება | a postposition: compared to | შარშანთან შედარებით |
| განსხვავებით | განსხვავება | a postposition: unlike | შენგან განსხვავებით |
| სა-…-ოდ | a noun | a parenthetical word | საბედნიეროდ — fortunately |
By example
- საბედნიეროდ, ანგარიში ავტომატურად შეივსოsabednierod, angarishi avtomaturad sheivsoFortunately, the bill filled in automatically
- ექიმის თქმით, შედეგი დადებითიაekimis tkmit, shedegi dadebitiaAccording to the doctor, the result is positive
- შარშანთან შედარებით, წელს ძირითადად სახლში ვმუშაობsharshantan shedarebit, tsels dziritadad sakhlshi vmushaobCompared to last year, this year I mostly work from home
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
how a noun becomes an adverb, then a postposition: how does it work in Georgian?
This unit is almost entirely made of words that English takes for adverbs and parenthetical phrases: 'mostly', 'fortunately', 'compared to', 'thanks to', 'by hand'. In Georgian these are not a separate class of words but two case endings, and recognizing them frees you from learning each such word…
What does it look like in an example sentence Georgian?
“საბედნიეროდ, ანგარიში ავტომატურად შეივსო” (sabednierod, angarishi avtomaturad sheivso) — Fortunately, the bill filled in automatically. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.