Georgian Verbs for Beginners: A Practical Guide to Getting Started

Georgian verbs are famously complex. Even linguists describe them as among the most intricate verb systems in the world — with multiple verb classes, subject and object markers fused into the verb, and tense changes that completely transform words.

But here’s what nobody tells you: you don’t need to master the whole system to communicate. Georgians will understand you even with imperfect verbs. Getting the root right matters more than perfect conjugation.

This guide gives you exactly what you need to start using Georgian verbs today — the essential verbs, the patterns that matter, and practical phrases you’ll actually use. No drowning in grammatical theory. Just what works.

The Honest Truth About Georgian Verbs

Let’s be upfront about what you’re dealing with:

• Georgian has multiple verb classes that conjugate differently
• Subject and object markers are built directly into the verb (so one verb form can mean “I do it to you”)
• Tense changes don’t just add an ending — they can completely restructure the word
• Georgian uses screeves (verb forms organized by tense, mood, and aspect) that don’t map to English

This system is genuinely complex. But here’s the crucial insight: you can communicate effectively with a small set of high-frequency verbs and patterns. Master 20 verbs and you can handle 80% of daily situations.

The 20 Verbs You Need First

Before diving into grammar rules, learn these as complete units. Worry about conjugation patterns later.

Being & Having

Georgian	Transliteration	English
ვარ	var	I am
ხარ	khar	you are
არის	aris	he/she/it is
ვართ	vart	we are
არიან	arian	they are
მაქვს	makvs	I have (things)
გაქვს	gakvs	you have (things)
აქვს	akvs	he/she has (things)
მყავს	mq’avs	I have (people/animals)

Wanting, Liking, Knowing

Georgian	Transliteration	English
მინდა	minda	I want
გინდა	ginda	you want
უნდა	unda	he/she wants / should/must
მიყვარს	miq’vars	I love
მომწონს	momts’ons	I like (it pleases me)
ვიცი	vitsi	I know
შემიძლია	shemidzlia	I can
მესმის	mesmis	I understand

Movement & Action

Georgian	Transliteration	English
მივდივარ	mivdivar	I’m going
მოდი	modi	come!
წავიდეთ	ts’avidet	let’s go
ვმუშაობ	vmushaob	I work

Pro tip: Memorize these as complete phrases first. “მინდა ყავა” (minda q’ava — I want coffee) is more useful than understanding every grammatical detail of მინდა.

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Understanding Georgian Verb Structure

Here’s what makes Georgian verbs fundamentally different from English: a single Georgian verb form can contain information about the subject, the object, the direction, and the tense — all packed into one word.

A Georgian verb can contain up to five parts:

1. Preverb — indicates direction or completion (like a prefix)
2. Subject marker — shows who’s doing the action
3. Root — the core meaning
4. Thematic suffix — verb class marker
5. Tense/person ending — when + who

A Simple Example

ვწერ (vts’er) — “I write”:

• ვ- (v-) = I (subject marker)
• წერ (ts’er) = write (root)

გწერ (gts’er) — “I write to you”:

• გ- (g-) = to you (object marker)
• წერ (ts’er) = write (root)
• (The “I” is implied by the overall form)

დავწერე (davts’ere) — “I wrote”:

• და- (da-) = completeness (preverb)
• ვ- (v-) = I (subject marker)
• წერ (ts’er) = write (root)
• -ე (-e) = past tense marker

See how the verb grows and changes? Don’t panic — you’ll absorb these patterns naturally over time.

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The ვ- (v-) Pattern: “I Do Something”

Great news: many “I” forms in present tense start with ვ- (v-). This is your most recognizable pattern:

Georgian	Transliteration	English
ვწერ	vts’er	I write
ვკითხულობ	vk’itkhulob	I read
ვმუშაობ	vmushaob	I work
ვლაპარაკობ	vlap’arak’ob	I speak
ვსწავლობ	vsts’avlob	I study
ვცხოვრობ	vtskhovrob	I live
ვხედავ	vkhedav	I see
ვხარშავ	vkharshav	I cook
ვამზადებ	vamzadeb	I prepare
ვთამაშობ	vtamashob	I play

When you see or hear ვ- at the start of a verb, you know it means “I (do something).”

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Present Tense Conjugation

Here’s how a typical verb conjugates in present tense. Let’s use მუშაობ (mushaob — to work):

Person	Georgian	Transliteration	Markers
I work	ვმუშაობ	vmushaob	ვ- (I)
you work	მუშაობ	mushaob	—
he/she works	მუშაობს	mushaobs	-ს (he/she)
we work	ვმუშაობთ	vmushaobt	ვ- + -თ (we)
you (pl.) work	მუშაობთ	mushaobt	-თ (you pl.)
they work	მუშაობენ	mushaoben	-ენ (they)

The pattern to remember:

• “I” = ვ- prefix
• “he/she” = -ს suffix
• “we” = ვ- prefix AND -თ suffix
• “they” = -ენ suffix

This pattern works for many (not all) Georgian verbs. Learn it, and you can conjugate a whole class of verbs.

More Verbs Following This Pattern

ლაპარაკობ (lap’arak’ob — to speak):

• ვლაპარაკობ — I speak
• ლაპარაკობ — you speak
• ლაპარაკობს — he/she speaks

სწავლობ (sts’avlob — to study):

• ვსწავლობ — I study
• სწავლობ — you study
• სწავლობს — he/she studies

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”To Be” — The Irregular Essential

“To be” is irregular in almost every language. Georgian is no exception:

Person	Georgian	Transliteration
I am	ვარ	var
you are	ხარ	khar
he/she/it is	არის / არ	aris / ar
we are	ვართ	vart
you (pl.) are	ხართ	khart
they are	არიან	arian

Essential phrases with “to be”:

• მე ვარ ტურისტი (me var t’urist’i) — I am a tourist
• შენ ხარ კარგი მეგობარი (shen khar k’argi megobari) — You are a good friend
• ეს არის ჩემი სახლი (es aris chemi sakhli) — This is my house
• სად არის რესტორანი? (sad aris restorani?) — Where is the restaurant?
• რა არის ეს? (ra aris es?) — What is this?
• ვინ ხარ? (vin khar?) — Who are you?
• ჩვენ ვართ საქართველოში (chven vart sakartveloshi) — We are in Georgia

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”To Have” — It Works Differently

In Georgian, “to have” is expressed as “it is to me” — the possessed thing is the grammatical subject, and the possessor is in the dative case. This is a fundamental difference from English.

For Things (inanimate objects): მაქვს (makvs)

Person	Georgian	Literally
I have	მაქვს	”it is to me”
you have	გაქვს	”it is to you”
he/she has	აქვს	”it is to him/her”
we have	გვაქვს	”it is to us”
they have	აქვთ	”it is to them”

Examples:

• მაქვს კითხვა (makvs k’itkhva) — I have a question
• გაქვს დრო? (gakvs dro?) — Do you have time?
• მაქვს ბილეთი (makvs bileti) — I have a ticket
• არ მაქვს ფული (ar makvs puli) — I don’t have money

For People/Animals (animate): მყავს (mq’avs)

Person	Georgian	Literally
I have	მყავს	”he/she is to me”
you have	გყავს	”he/she is to you”
he/she has	ჰყავს	”he/she is to him/her”

Examples:

• მყავს ძმა (mq’avs dzma) — I have a brother
• გყავს შვილები? (gq’avs shvilebi?) — Do you have children?
• მყავს ძაღლი (mq’avs dzaghli) — I have a dog

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”To Want” — მინდა (minda)

One of the most useful verb patterns in Georgian:

Person	Georgian	Transliteration
I want	მინდა	minda
you want	გინდა	ginda
he/she wants	უნდა	unda
we want	გვინდა	gvinda
they want	უნდათ	undat

Practical phrases:

• მინდა ყავა (minda q’ava) — I want coffee
• მინდა ხინკალი (minda khink’ali) — I want khinkali
• რა გინდა? (ra ginda?) — What do you want?
• არ მინდა (ar minda) — I don’t want (it)
• მინდა წასვლა (minda ts’asvla) — I want to go
• სახლში მინდა წასვლა (sakhlshi minda ts’asvla) — I want to go home

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Experiencer Verbs: A Key Georgian Concept

Several very common Georgian verbs express experiences — loving, liking, hurting, being cold/hot. These work differently from English: the person experiencing the feeling is in the dative case (not the subject), and the verb agrees with the thing causing the experience.

Georgian	Transliteration	English	Literally
მიყვარს	miq’vars	I love	”it is loved to me”
მომწონს	momts’ons	I like	”it pleases to me”
მტკივა	mt’k’iva	it hurts me	”it pains to me”
მცივა	mtsiva	I’m cold	”it colds to me”
მშია	mshia	I’m hungry	”it hungers to me”
მწყურია	mts’q’uria	I’m thirsty	”it thirsts to me”
მეძინება	medzineba	I’m sleepy	”it sleeps to me”

Examples in conversation:

• მიყვარს საქართველო (miq’vars sakartvelo) — I love Georgia
• ეს მომწონს (es momts’ons) — I like this
• თავი მტკივა (tavi mt’k’iva) — My head hurts
• მშია, სადილის დრო არის (mshia, sadilis dro aris) — I’m hungry, it’s lunchtime
• მწყურია, წყალი მინდა (mts’q’uria, ts’q’ali minda) — I’m thirsty, I want water

This “experiencer” pattern is one of the most distinctive features of Georgian. Instead of “I love wine,” Georgian says “wine is loved to me.” It takes getting used to, but it’s beautifully logical once you accept it.

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Making Negatives: Just Add არ (ar)

Negation in Georgian is beautifully simple. Place არ (ar) before the verb:

Positive	Negative
ვიცი (vitsi) — I know	არ ვიცი (ar vitsi) — I don’t know
მესმის (mesmis) — I understand	არ მესმის (ar mesmis) — I don’t understand
მინდა (minda) — I want	არ მინდა (ar minda) — I don’t want
შემიძლია (shemidzlia) — I can	არ შემიძლია (ar shemidzlia) — I can’t
მომწონს (momts’ons) — I like	არ მომწონს (ar momts’ons) — I don’t like
მიყვარს (miq’vars) — I love	არ მიყვარს (ar miq’vars) — I don’t love
მაქვს (makvs) — I have	არ მაქვს (ar makvs) — I don’t have

Survival phrases (memorize these):

• არ ვიცი (ar vitsi) — I don’t know
• არ მესმის (ar mesmis) — I don’t understand
• არ ვლაპარაკობ ქართულად (ar vlap’arak’ob kartulad) — I don’t speak Georgian
• არ მინდა, მადლობა (ar minda, madloba) — I don’t want it, thanks

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Asking Questions

Yes/No Questions

Turn any statement into a question with rising intonation — no word change needed:

• ქართული იცი. (kartuli itsi.) — You know Georgian. (statement)
• ქართული იცი? (kartuli itsi?) — Do you know Georgian? (question — just raise your voice at the end)

Question Words

Georgian	Transliteration	English
რა?	ra?	what?
ვინ?	vin?	who?
სად?	sad?	where?
როდის?	rodis?	when?
რატომ?	rat’om?	why?
როგორ?	rogor?	how?
რამდენი?	ramdeni?	how many?
რომელი?	romeli?	which?

Useful questions:

• რას აკეთებ? (ras ak’eteb?) — What are you doing?
• სად მიდიხარ? (sad midikhjar?) — Where are you going?
• როდის მოდიხარ? (rodis modikhar?) — When are you coming?
• როგორ ხარ? (rogor khar?) — How are you?
• რამდენი ღირს? (ramdeni ghirs?) — How much does it cost?
• სად არის ტუალეტი? (sad aris t’ualeti?) — Where is the toilet?

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Past Tense: A Preview

Past tense in Georgian involves significant changes. Verbs can look completely different — and the case of the subject changes too (see our Georgian cases guide for the full explanation of the ergative case).

Key past tense forms to know:

Present	Past	English
ვარ (var)	ვიყავი (viq’avi)	I am → I was
მაქვს (makvs)	მქონდა (mk’onda)	I have → I had
მინდა (minda)	მინდოდა (mindoda)	I want → I wanted
მივდივარ (mivdivar)	წავედი (ts’avedi)	I’m going → I went
ვხედავ (vkhedav)	ვნახე (vnakhe)	I see → I saw

For now, focus on present tense. You can always use context or time words (გუშინ / gushin — yesterday; წუხელ / ts’ukhel — last night) to indicate past events while using simpler verb forms.

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Commands and Requests

Some useful imperative (command) forms:

Georgian	Transliteration	English
მოდი	modi	come (informal)
მოდით	modit	come (formal/plural)
წადი	ts’adi	go (informal)
წავიდეთ	ts’avidet	let’s go
დაჯექი	dajeki	sit down
დაიცადე	daitsade	wait
დამეხმარე	damekhamare	help me
მომეცი	mometsi	give me
მითხარი	mitkhari	tell me
ნახე	nakhe	look / see

Softening commands with გთხოვთ (gtkhovt — please):

• მოდით, გთხოვთ (modit, gtkhovt) — Come, please
• დამეხმარეთ, გთხოვთ (damekhmaret, gtkhovt) — Help me, please
• მითხარით, გთხოვთ (mitkharit, gtkhovt) — Tell me, please

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Quick Reference: Daily Verb Phrases

Situation	Georgian	Transliteration
I understand	მესმის	mesmis
I don’t understand	არ მესმის	ar mesmis
I know	ვიცი	vitsi
I don’t know	არ ვიცი	ar vitsi
I want	მინდა	minda
I don’t want	არ მინდა	ar minda
I can	შემიძლია	shemidzlia
I can’t	არ შემიძლია	ar shemidzlia
I like it	მომწონს	momts’ons
I love it	მიყვარს	miq’vars
I’m going	მივდივარ	mivdivar
I need	მჭირდება	mch’irdeba
I’m hungry	მშია	mshia
I’m thirsty	მწყურია	mts’q’uria
Let’s go	წავიდეთ	ts’avidet
Wait	დაიცადე	daitsade
Help me	დამეხმარე	damekhamare
I’m sorry	ბოდიში	bodishi
It doesn’t matter	არაუშავს	araushavs

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Overthinking Conjugation

Don’t freeze trying to conjugate perfectly. Use the base form and add ვ- for “I” — Georgians will understand. Communication beats perfection.

2. Forgetting Word Order Flexibility

Georgian word order is flexible thanks to case endings. მე მინდა ყავა and ყავა მინდა both mean “I want coffee.”

3. Translating Word-for-Word from English

“I have” = “it is to me.” “I love” = “it is loved to me.” Accept Georgian logic rather than forcing English structures.

4. Ignoring the Experiencer Pattern

Verbs like მინდა, მიყვარს, მომწონს, მშია, მცივა all use the dative experiencer pattern. Learning this pattern unlocks a huge portion of daily conversation.

5. Giving Up Too Early

Georgian verbs are genuinely hard. Everyone struggles at first — including Georgians themselves when learning formal grammar. Focus on the most common verbs and build from there.

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What’s Next?

You now have the foundation for Georgian verbs. Here’s your path forward:

1. Memorize the 20 essential verbs from this guide — use them as complete phrases
2. Practice the ვ- pattern — it’s the most productive pattern for beginners
3. Learn negatives — just add არ before any verb
4. Understand experiencer verbs — they’re everywhere in daily Georgian
5. Don’t worry about past tense yet — present tense + context gets you far

Resources to Keep Learning

• Audio course — Hear these verbs in real dialogues with native speakers. Repetition and context build conjugation instincts naturally.
• Flashcard app — Spaced repetition keeps verb forms fresh in your memory. Practice conjugation patterns daily.
• Georgian cases guide — Understanding cases is essential for understanding how verbs work (especially ergative constructions in past tense).
• Language exchange — Practice verb usage in live conversation with Georgians.
• Podcast course — Hear verbs used naturally in real conversations at various speeds.
• Georgian pronunciation guide — Make sure you’re saying the verbs correctly.

Georgian verbs are a journey, not a destination. Every conversation makes them more natural. Be patient with yourself, practice daily, and remember: even imperfect Georgian earns you genuine respect and warmth from Georgians.

წარმატებები! (ts’armatebebi!) — Success!

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Related Guides

• Georgian Cases Explained — How nouns change to work with verbs
• Complete Guide to the Georgian Alphabet — Read before you conjugate
• Georgian Pronunciation Guide — Say the verbs correctly
• 10 Georgian Phrases for Daily Life — Verbs in practical context
• Is Georgian Hard to Learn? — Honest expectations