The personal pronouns
| Georgian | Translit | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| მე | me | I | same as the word 'me' — easy |
| შენ | shen | you (informal) | friends, family, children |
| ის | is | he / she / it | no gender distinction |
| ჩვენ | chven | we | |
| თქვენ | tkven | you (polite / plural) | strangers, elders, groups — the safe default |
| ისინი | isini | they |
ის (is) covers he, she, AND it — no gendered pronouns to choose between.
Pronouns are often dropped when the verb ending already shows the person: ვჭამ (vch'am) already means 'I eat' — the prefix ვ- carries 'I'.
shen vs tkven — choosing your 'you'
შენ (shen) is the informal singular you — for friends, family, and children. თქვენ (tkven) is the polite you — for strangers, elders, professionals, and any group. Georgians switch to shen by mutual agreement, often quickly among young people — but a visitor who opens with tkven is never wrong.
| Situation | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Shopkeeper, hotel desk, taxi driver | თქვენ (tkven) | strangers → polite |
| Older people, officials | თქვენ (tkven) | respect default |
| Friend who says 'shen-khar' to you | შენ (shen) | mirror their choice |
| Any group of people | თქვენ (tkven) | it doubles as plural 'you' |
When in doubt: tkven. You can't offend anyone by being too polite.
bat'ono and kalbat'ono — sir and madam
ბატონო
Pronunciation bat'ono
sir · Mr. (to a man)
ქალბატონო
Pronunciation kalbat'ono
madam · ma'am (to a woman)
Attach a title to a name or use it alone: ბატონო გიორგი 'Mr. Giorgi'. Georgians address each other by first name + title, not surname + title.
ბატონო, ბოდიში
Pronunciation bat'ono, bodishi
Excuse me, sir
ქალბატონო, გთხოვთ
Pronunciation kalbat'ono, gtkhovt
Please, ma'am
The words that carry politeness
გთხოვთ
Pronunciation gtkhovt
please (polite)
მადლობა
Pronunciation madloba
thank you
ბოდიში
Pronunciation bodishi
sorry · excuse me
Georgian does not use a separate honorific verb system for everyday politeness — politeness is commonly expressed through the formal pronoun tkven, titles, გთხოვთ, and tone. Adding გთხოვთ (gtkhovt) to any request instantly makes it courteous.
Summary
- Pronouns: me shen is chven tkven isini — is = he/she/it, no gender
- shen = informal you; tkven = polite you AND plural you — tkven takes plural verb forms (იცით, ხართ)
- Default to tkven with strangers — always safe
- Titles: ბატონო bat'ono (sir) / ქალბატონო kalbat'ono (madam)
- Politeness = tkven + გთხოვთ + titles — no special polite grammar
- Next: noun cases & postpositions
Mini practice
Q1. ის (is) covers…
- he only
- she only
- he/she/it
- they
Answer: he/she/it
Q2. The polite word for 'you' is…
- შენ
- თქვენ
- ის
- ჩვენ
Answer: თქვენ
Q3. ბატონო (bat'ono) addresses…
- a woman
- a man
- a child
- a group
Answer: a man
Q4. To a shopkeeper you should say…
- shen
- tkven
- is
- nothing
Answer: tkven
Q5. 'Please (polite)' is…
- მადლობა
- ბოდიში
- გთხოვთ
- დიახ
Answer: გთხოვთ
