Verbs in Georgian
78 words Georgian words on the topic “verbs”: მინდა — I want, მიყვარს — I love, მივდივარ — to go, ვჭამ — to eat. 78 words can be played from recordings.
78 words on the topic
- მინდაmindaI wantLiterally 'it is wanted by me': the m- at the front is 'to me', the same m- as in mkvia, I am called
- მიყვარსmiqvarsI loveLiterally 'it is loved by me'. The m- again marks the one who feels it; all the emotion verbs are built this way
- მივდივარmivdivarto goOne word for both English verbs: on foot or by transport it is mivdivar. The form is personal, 'I go': the v inside the stem is 'I' — mi-v-divar. He goes is midis
- ვჭამvchamto eatA personal form: vcham, I eat. The v- at the very start is 'I', then the root cham. He eats is chams
- ვსვამvsvamto drinkA personal form: vsvam, I drink. He drinks is svams, we drink is vsvamt
- ვკითხულობvkitkhulobto readA personal form: vkitkhulob, I read. The same root as in kitkhva, question: asking and reading are kin in Georgian
- ვლაპარაკობvlaparakobto speakA personal form: vlaparakob, I speak. You have seen it in the plural: laparakobth? — do you speak?
- ვმუშაობvmushaobto workA personal form: vmushaob, I work. He works is mushaobs: the v- leaves, the -s arrives
- ვცხოვრობvtskhovrobto liveA personal form: vtskhovrob, I live. About where you live, not about being alive — that is tsotskhali var
- მაქვსmakvsI haveA personal form: makvs, I have. Only about things; about people and animals the word is mqavs. You have is gakvs
- ვსწავლობvstsavlobto studyA personal form: vstsavlob, I teach and I study at once. Georgian does not split the two: teaching a subject and learning it are one word
- ღეჭვაghechvato chewthe gh is a rolling throaty rasp, the ch a sharp click of a ch: ghe-ch-va
- ყლაპვაqlapvato swallowthe q is a catch in the very depth of the throat, neither k nor kh; the p after it is a sharp p with no puff
- სუნთქვაsuntkvato breatheHidden inside is suni, smell: to breathe in Georgian is to draw in scent. ghrmad isuntekh — breathe deeply
- ხედვაkhedvato seethe kh is a full-on kh as in 'loch', not the light exhale h: khed-va
- გაგონებაgagonebato hearGeorgian splits hearing and listening: gagoneba is to make out, mosmena is to listen on purpose. In speech there is also mismis, I hear and understand at once
- ძილიdzilito sleepthe dz is one fused dz sound, not d plus z: dzi-li
- ზიდვაzidvato carryGeorgian more often points the direction: motana, bring here; tsagheba, take there. Zidva is to carry a load, with no direction
- დადგმაdadgmato set uprightthree consonants in the middle — dgm — are said with no inserted vowel: dad-gma
- გატეხვაgatekhvato break (something)the t is a sharp t with no puff, and kh follows as a full-on kh: ga-tekh-va
- აშენებაashenebato buildHence mshenebloba, construction, and mshenebeli, builder. The personal form: vasheneb, I build
- გათბობაgatbobato heatthe thb is an aspirated t straight into b, with no vowel between: gat-bo-ba
- დარეკვაdarekvato callSame root as zari. Whom you call sits inside the verb: dagirekav — I'll call you; damireke — call me
- ჩამოტვირთვაchamotvirtvato downloadthe consonant pile looks scary but sounds like cha-mo-tvirt-va: a single vowel in the middle
- გაგზავნაgagzavnato sendThe same root as gamgzavreba, departure, from the train station unit. Whom you send it to sits inside the verb: gamomigzavne — send it to me
- მიღებაmighebato receivegh is throaty, sitting between two vowels: mi-ghe-ba
- პასუხის გაცემაpasukhis gatsemato replyLiterally 'to give an answer': Georgian assembles dozens of verbs this way. Shorter and livelier: vupasukheb — I'll reply
- ჩართვაchartvato turn onThe partner of gamortva. The preverb cha- means 'inward', and light, the phone and the washing machine all turn on the same way: charte!
- გამორთვაgamortvato turn offThe preverb gamo- means 'outward': to turn off is literally 'to lead out'. The partner of chartva — only the preverbs differ
- შეკეთებაsheketebato fixFrom keteba, to do: 'to do back'. remonti you know — that is renovating an apartment; sheketeba is fixing an object
- შეცვლაshetsvlato replaceTo replace a part, to change clothes, to change a decision. Currency exchange is the relative gadatsvla
- მოგებაmogebato winBoth to win a match and to make a profit: mogeba is also 'profit'. The partner of tsageba
- წაგებაtsagebato lose (a game)the ts is sharp, pushed out in one burst: tsa-ge-ba. The pair mogeba and tsageba differs in the first sound
- სირბილიsirbilito runThe verbal noun covers both 'a run' and 'to run'. vrbitvar — I'm running — an odd form, easiest to memorize whole
- ხტომაkhtomato jumpthe opening kht is kh and a sharp t with no vowel between: khto-ma
- ჯდომაjdomato sitthe j is a fused j sound, with d right behind it: jdo-ma
- დგომაdgomato standvdgavar — I'm standing. From it come sadguri, station, and gachereba nearby: the place where one stands
- წოლაtsolato be lyinga sharp ts at the start: tso-la. Compare with czoli, wife — there the ts is aspirated, and it is a different word
- აწევაatsevato liftTo lift a thing — atseva; to raise a price — the same. The phone receiver is 'taken': qurmili aighe
- სროლაsrolato throwBoth to throw a ball and to shoot: srola is throwing in general. To throw out trash is a different word, gadagdeba
- დაჭერაdacherato catchthe ch is ejective — sharp, as if cut off: da-che-ra
- ვარდნაvardnato fallBoth to fall from a height and to fall in price: kursi daetsa — the rate fell. tsaviketsi is 'I fell' — by tripping
- მღერაmgherato singthe word begins with mgh, no vowel: mghe-ra
- ცეკვაtsekvato dancethe ts is aspirated, not sharp: tsek-va
- ვთამაშობvtamashobto playLiterally 'I play': this verb's verbal noun coincides with the word for 'game', so you learn it in its living form. tamashob — you play; tamashobs — he plays
- ხატვაkhatvato drawFrom khati, an image, an icon: to draw is 'to make an image'. vxatav — I draw
- ფოტოს გადაღებაpotos gadaghebato take photosLiterally 'the taking of a photograph'. They'll ask: gadamighe, tu sheidzleba — take a photo of me, please
- სეირნობაseirnobato strollvseirnob — I stroll. To walk the dog is dzaghlis gaseirneba
- დასვენებაdasvenebato restThe same root as the familiar dasvenebis dghe, a day off. daisvene — have a rest
- დაქორწინებაdakortsinebato get marriedThe same root as qortsili, a wedding. One verb for both the man and the woman: davqortsindi — I got married — either of them will say
- მოწვევაmotsvevato inviteThe living form is met more often than the noun: dagpatizheb — I will invite you, and treat you too. mogitsvev — I'll call you over
- ვლოცულობvlotsulobto prayLiterally 'I pray': this verb's verbal noun coincides with the word for 'prayer', so we take the living form. lotsulobs — he prays
- მილოცვაmilotsvato congratulateA verbal noun from the familiar gilotsavt. In speech the living form is nearly always taken: gilotsav — congratulations to you
- დაგვაdagvato sweepcotsxi is a broom, dagva is what you do with it. ezo dagave — sweep the yard
- რეცხვაretskhvato do laundryOne word covers washing clothes and dishes: tansamlis retskhva, churchlis retskhva — only washing hands takes the other verb, davana
- დაუთოებაdautoebato ironStraight from uto, the iron: 'to iron'. Stroking a cat is a completely different word, mopereba
- ვეხმარებიvekhmarebito helpLiterally 'I help'. Whom you help stands in the dative: dedas vekhmarebi. The request you know: damekhmaret!
- თხოვნაtkhovnato requestthe opening tkh is an aspirated t and kh in a row: tkhov-na
- ნების დართვაnebis dartvato allowLiterally 'to give will': neba is will, wish. From it comes the familiar binadrobis nebartva — a residence permit. In speech more often: mama ar mishevs — dad won't let me
- აკრძალვაakrdzalvato forbidthe krdz is a sharp k, r and the fused dz in a row: a-krdzal-va
- ჩამოწერაchamotserato cheatthe ts is sharp, no puff of air: cha-mo-tse-ra
- გასწორებაgastsorebato correctthe sc is s and a sharp ts in a row: gas-tso-re-ba
- დაზოგვაdazogvato saveFrom zogi, a part, a share: to set a share aside. You save money, time and strength alike: drois dazogva — to save time. What is saved is danazogi. Saving on something takes the postposition -ze
- ხარჯვაkharjvato spendThe same root as xarjebi, expenses. Money, time and energy are all spent: energiis xarjva — spending energy. The live first person is vxarjav — I spend. To waste is a different word, plangva, with a note of blame
- დაგროვებაdagrovebato save upFrom grova, a heap: to pile into a heap. You save up money, points and experience: qulebis dagroveba. The word is neutral — no hint of stinginess
- დაზღვევაdazghvevato insureThe same word as 'insurance' from the documents unit: the verbal noun serves as both the thing and the action. A car gets insured like this: mankana davazgvie — I insured the car
- ცემინებაtseminebato sneezeThe verbal noun serves as both 'a sneeze' and 'to sneeze': the live form isvacemineb — I sneeze. To one who sneezes they say janmrteleba! — health! — rather than 'bless you'
- ავად გახდომაavad gakhdomato fall illLiterally 'to become bad': avad is unwell, and gaxdoma is to become. Live speech: avad gavxdi — I fell ill; avad aris — he is ill; avad gaxda — he fell ill
- გამოჯანმრთელებაgamojanmrtelebato recoverfour consonants in a row: ga-mo-jan-mrte-le-ba. No vowels between them
- შეთანხმებაshetankhmebato agree onBoth 'an agreement' as a paper and 'to agree' as an action: one verbal noun in both roles. The live form is shevtanxmdit — we agreed; the root tanxmoba is consent
- სამსახურიდან წასვლაsamsakhuridan tsasvlato quitLiterally 'a going from work': -dan is from where, casvla is a going. You leave of your own will this way; when they dismiss you it is datxovna, the next word of the lesson
- სამსახურიდან დათხოვნაsamsakhuridan datkhovnato firethe tx is an aspirated t and kh in a row: da-tkhov-na
- შესახლებაshesakhlebato move inThe same word as hotel check-in: the preverb she- is inward, saxli is a house. About settling into a new apartment they say shevsaxldit — we moved in. Moving-in day: shesaxlebis dghe
- გამოსახლებაgamosakhlebato move outThe preverb gamo- means motion outward: the mirror of shesaxleba. Careful: in legal language the same word means forced eviction, and its tone is harsh
- გადავდივარgadavdivarto be movingThe live first-person form: 'I am moving'. The verbal noun is taken by the move as an event, so the verb comes like this — the course did the same with vmushaob, vtamashob and vloculob
- შეფუთვაsheputvato pack (wrap up)From puta, a bundle. Both the action and the wrapping as material: sheputva on a box means exactly the wrapping. A gift wrapping is sacukris sheputva. Tape is cebovani lenti, a cardboard box muqaos quti
- გახსნაgakhsnato unpackOne word for 'to open' and 'to unpack': you open a door, a bank account and a box of things. Don't confuse with axsna, to explain, from the study unit: the preverb ga- tells them apart
- მოწყობაmotsqobato get settledthe cq is a sharp ts and the throaty q in a row, the hardest spot of the word: mots-qo-ba
How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
- ერთი ყავა მინდაerti qava mindaI want one coffee
- ღვინო მიყვარსghvino miqvarsI love wine
- სახლში მივდივარsakhlshi mivdivarI am going home
- დილით ხაჭაპურს ვჭამdilit khachapurs vchamIn the morning I eat khachapuri
- საღამოს ჩაის ვსვამsaghamos chais vsvamIn the evening I drink tea
- საღამოს წიგნს ვკითხულობsaghamos tsigns vkitkhulobIn the evening I read a book
What is worth knowing about these words
მინდა (minda) — I want. Literally 'it is wanted by me': the m- at the front is 'to me', the same m- as in mkvia, I am called
მიყვარს (miqvars) — I love. Literally 'it is loved by me'. The m- again marks the one who feels it; all the emotion verbs are built this way
მივდივარ (mivdivar) — to go. One word for both English verbs: on foot or by transport it is mivdivar. The form is personal, 'I go': the v inside the stem is 'I' — mi-v-divar. He goes is midis
ვჭამ (vcham) — to eat. A personal form: vcham, I eat. The v- at the very start is 'I', then the root cham. He eats is chams
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is მინდა (minda) — I want.
- What is this word?
It is ვმუშაობ (vmushaob) — to work.
- What is this word?
It is ხედვა (khedva) — to see.
- What is this word?
It is გათბობა (gatboba) — to heat.
- What is this word?
It is გამორთვა (gamortva) — to turn off.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “I want” in Georgian?
Literally 'it is wanted by me': the m- at the front is 'to me', the same m- as in mkvia, I am called
- How do you say “to work” in Georgian?
A personal form: vmushaob, I work. He works is mushaobs: the v- leaves, the -s arrives
- How do you say “to see” in Georgian?
An action noun, 'seeing'; one speaks with the personal form: vkhedav, I see; khedav? — do you see?
- How do you say “to heat” in Georgian?
The same word as 'heating' in the household unit: Georgian does not split the action and the established routine. The personal form is vathb, I heat
- How do you say “to turn off” in Georgian?
The preverb gamo- means 'outward': to turn off is literally 'to lead out'. The partner of chartva — only the preverbs differ
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
I want, I can, I am going, I know. Twenty verbs cover more everyday sentences than two hundred nouns.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- This holds not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “I want” in Georgian?
«მინდა», read “minda”. Literally 'it is wanted by me': the m- at the front is 'to me', the same m- as in mkvia, I am called. It is one of 78 words in the set “verbs” — the rest are in the table above.
How many verbs do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 78 words on this page covers nearly every everyday case on the topic — but it is best taken a few at a time, not all at once.
Is there audio?
Yes, 78 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.