What cases do (plain English version)
English marks a noun's role with prepositions — in the city, to Tbilisi, with a friend. Georgian attaches that job to the noun itself, either as a case ending or as an attached postposition. The bare noun (its dictionary form) is called the nominative.
Good news for beginners: for your first trip you mostly need to recognize the common endings and produce a handful of fixed phrases. Full case mastery comes later — this course introduces the system carefully, one meaning at a time.
The beginner's case map
| Ending | Approximate meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| — (nominative) | dictionary form (plain) | ქალაქი — city |
| -ის | of · possessive ('s) | ქალაქის — of the city |
| -ს | to · for · indirect object | მას — to him/her |
| -ში | in · inside | ქალაქში — in the city |
| -ზე | on · about · at | მაგიდაზე — on the table |
| -დან | from · since | თბილისიდან — from Tbilisi |
| -მდე | until · up to | ბათუმამდე — as far as Batumi |
| -თან | with · at (a person's place) | მასთან — with him/her |
| -ისთვის | for · for the benefit of | ბავშვისთვის — for the child |
The common case stems are predictable — you'll notice patterns quickly.
The two cases you meet everywhere
Nominative is the plain dictionary form — in many consonant-stem nouns -ი marks that form: ქალაქი 'a city', წიგნი 'a book'. ქალაქის is the genitive 'of the city' and ქალაქს the dative. Which case a subject takes depends on the verb and verb form — learn the examples in this course as units for now.
-ს marks the receiver or addressee — 'to/for'. With some verbs it also marks the person who experiences something: in მინდა 'I want', მინდა already contains 'to me' — Georgian literally says 'water is-wanted-to-me'. With verbs such as მინდა, the experiencer is represented by the verb's person marking. The first-person pronoun is მე, including in the dative; do not form it by adding -ს. Learn წყალი მინდა and მეორე მინდა as complete phrases.
წყალი მინდა
Pronunciation ts'q'ali minda
I want water (lit. 'water is-wanted-to-me')
პური მაქვს
Pronunciation p'uri makvs
I have bread (lit. 'bread is-to-me')
მეორე მინდა
Pronunciation meore minda
I want a second one
In / on / from / until — the traveler cases
სახლში ვარ
Pronunciation sakhlshi var
I am at home (house-IN)
მაგიდაზე
Pronunciation magidaze
on the table
სკოლიდან მოვდივარ
Pronunciation sk'olidan movdivar
I come from school (school-FROM)
ბათუმამდე ბილეთი
Pronunciation batumamde bileti
a ticket to Batumi (Batumi-UNTIL)
Postpositions — small words that follow the noun
Georgian also has postpositions — little words placed AFTER the noun (English puts them before). Most govern a specific case, but as a beginner you can treat the whole 'noun + postposition' chunk as one unit:
| Postposition | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -ის შესახებ | about (lit. 'concerning') | წიგნის შესახებ — about the book |
| -ის გარეშე | without | წყლის გარეშე — without water |
| -თან | with · at someone's place | მეგობართან — with a friend |
| -ის წინ / წინ | before · in front of | სახლის წინ — in front of the house |
Learn the standard form მეგობართან. Attached postpositions use particular noun forms; do not generate them by adding -ის to every noun.
Summary
- Cases = role endings on the noun, replacing English prepositions
- Beginner map: -ის 'of' · -ს 'to/for' · -ში 'in' · -ზე 'on/about' · -დან 'from' · -მდე 'until' · -თან 'with' · -ისთვის 'for'
- Nominative = plain dictionary form; which case a subject takes depends on the verb
- minda 'I want' and makvs 'I have' literally mean 'wanted-to-me' / 'to-me' — the wanting points at you
- Postpositions follow the noun: -თან 'with', -ის წინ 'before', -ის გარეშე 'without'
- Next: verbs & the copula
Mini practice
Q1. Georgian marks a noun's role mainly with…
- prepositions
- case endings
- word order alone
- articles
Answer: case endings
Q2. -ში means…
- of
- in
- from
- with
Answer: in
Q3. The nominative is…
- the 'of' case
- the plain dictionary form
- the polite form
- a verb ending
Answer: the plain dictionary form
Q4. ბათუმამდე means…
- in Batumi
- from Batumi
- as far as Batumi
- about Batumi
Answer: as far as Batumi
Q5. Postpositions in Georgian…
- precede the noun
- follow the noun
- are forbidden
- only appear in writing
Answer: follow the noun
