4.7 Forming Yes–No Questions

Understanding Yes–No Questions in Georgian

In this chapter you learn how to turn simple Georgian statements into yes–no questions in the present tense. You already know some basic verbs and how to make positive sentences. Now we focus only on what changes when you ask a question that can be answered with “yes” or “no.”

What Is a Yes–No Question in Georgian?

A yes–no question is a question that expects “yes” or “no”, not a full piece of new information.

English:

• “Are you a student?”
• “Do you work?”
• “Is this bread fresh?”

Georgian:

• “Are you a student?”

  სტუდენტი ხარ?

student-i khar?

The structure of the sentence is mostly the same as a statement. The difference is the question intonation and sometimes a small word or particle.

Statement:

• შენ სტუდენტი ხარ.
  shen studenti khar.
  “You are a student.”

Yes–no question:

• სტუდენტი ხარ?
  studenti khar?
  “Are you a student?”

Notice that the word order does not have to change. The question feeling often comes from rising intonation and the question mark.

Intonation: How Your Voice Changes

In spoken Georgian, intonation is very important for yes–no questions.

• At the end of a yes–no question, the pitch usually rises.
• The rest of the sentence often sounds similar to a normal statement.

Compare:

1. Statement

   შენ ხარ მასწავლებელი.

shen khar mastsavlebeli.
“You are a teacher.”
Voice: falls at the end.

2. Question

   შენ ხარ მასწავლებელი?

shen khar mastsavlebeli?
“Are you a teacher?”
Voice: rises on the last word.

If you simply take a correct statement and add a questioning intonation, in many everyday situations it will sound like a natural yes–no question.

Yes–No Questions with “To Be”

You already know basic present forms of “to be” (copula). Now see how they work in questions.

With “I am” – ვარ

Statement:

• მე ვარ ნინო.
  me var nino.
  “I am Nino.”

Question:

• მე ვარ ნინო?
  me var nino?
  “Am I Nino?” (Usually said for confirmation or surprise.)

More natural everyday questions often drop “მე” if it is clear from context:

• ვარ სწორად?
  var sorad?
  “Am I correct?”

With “You are” – ხარ / ხართ

Informal singular “you” (shen):

• Statement: შენ ხარ სტუდენტი.
  shen khar studenti.
  “You are a student.”
• Question: შენ ხარ სტუდენტი?
  shen khar studenti?
  “Are you a student?”

Polite or plural “you” (tkven):

• Statement: თქვენ ხართ ექიმი.
  tkven khart eqimi.
  “You are a doctor.”
• Question: თქვენ ხართ ექიმი?
  tkven khart eqimi?
  “Are you a doctor?”

Georgians often drop the pronoun if it is clear:

With “He / She is” – არის

Statement:

• ის არის სახლში.
  is aris sakhlshi.
  “He/She is at home.”

Question:

• ის არის სახლში?
  is aris sakhlshi?
  “Is he/she at home?”

Often “არის” is shortened in speech and writing to ა attached to the noun or adjective, but this belongs in more detail to other chapters. For yes–no questions in simple beginner language, you can safely use the full form “არის.”

Yes–No Questions with “To Have”

You know the basic way to say “to have” with the verbs ყავს (for animate possession) and აქვს (for inanimate possession). The pattern for yes–no questions is the same: usually you keep the word order and change intonation.

Having people or animals: ჰყავს

Statement:

• მას ჰყავს ძმა.
  mas hqavs dzma.
  “He/She has a brother.”

Question:

• მას ჰყავს ძმა?
  mas hqavs dzma?
  “Does he/she have a brother?”

More examples:

• შენ ჰყავს და.
  shen hqavs da.
  “You have a sister.”
• შენ ჰყავს და?
  shen hqavs da?
  “Do you have a sister?”

Having things: აქვს

Statement:

• მას აქვს მანქანა.
  mas aqvs mankana.
  “He/She has a car.”

Question:

• მას აქვს მანქანა?
  mas aqvs mankana?
  “Does he/she have a car?”

A few common question examples:

Yes–No Questions with Common Action Verbs

You already saw some present tense patterns. For yes–no questions with action verbs, Georgian again often keeps the same order and depends on intonation.

Look at these pairs:

In normal conversation, Georgians often make questions with just one or two words and clear intonation:

• მუშაობ?
  mushob?
  “Do you work?” / “Are you working?”
• სწავლობ?
  sts’avlob?
  “Do you study?” / “Are you studying?”
• ცხოვრობ აქ?
  tskhovrob ak?
  “Do you live here?”
• ბანანებს ჭამ?
  bananebs cham?
  “Do you eat bananas?”

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Question Particle „თუ“

Georgian has a small word თუ that can help show that the sentence is a question. It is often translated as “whether” or “if” in this context.

In many everyday yes–no questions, თუ comes after the main verb or after the first meaningful phrase.

Basic examples:

This თუ არა pattern is often more emphatic or slightly challenging, for example when you doubt something. For simple neutral yes–no questions, you usually do not need თუ at all. You can focus on intonation and context.

In some questions you hear თუ with options, similar to “or” in English:

• სვამ ჩაის თუ ყავას?
  svam chais tu qavas?
  “Do you drink tea or coffee?”

This is still a yes–no type choice, but now it asks between two items.

For beginner practice, it is enough to recognize თუ and understand that it often signals a question or alternative. You do not need to use it very often yourself yet.

Answering Yes–No Questions

Yes–no questions naturally lead to short answers. In Georgian you often answer with:

• დიახ or კი for “yes”
• არა for “no”

Short Answers

Very often Georgians answer just with one word:

• დიახ. / კი.
  diakh. / ki.
  “Yes.”
• არა.
  ara.
  “No.”

You can also repeat the verb for clarity or politeness.

Notice that to say “do not have,” “do not work,” and so on, we use negation, which is explained in another chapter. Here you only need to see the pattern of the answer.

Word Order in Yes–No Questions

Georgian word order is quite flexible. For basic yes–no questions it is usually similar to the statement.

Typical neutral pattern in the present:

• Subject + Verb + Other elements

Examples with similar patterns:

Sometimes only the intonation and the question mark show that the sentence is a question. For example, in writing:

• შენ გიყვარს თბილისი.
  shen giqvars Tbilisi.
  “You love Tbilisi.”
• შენ გიყვარს თბილისი?
  shen giqvars Tbilisi?
  “Do you love Tbilisi?”

Both forms look almost the same. The question has a question mark and in speech a rising intonation.

If you want to emphasize a word, you can move it to the front. The sentence still stays a yes–no question as long as your intonation rises at the end.

• ქართულს სწავლობ შენ?
  kartul-s sts’avlob shen?
  “Is it Georgian that you study?”

For now, it is safe to keep a simple SVO type pattern similar to your statements.

Polite and Informal Questions

The main difference between informal and polite yes–no questions is the verb form and sometimes the pronoun.

Informal “you” (shen), used with friends, family, people your age:

• მუშაობ?
  mushob?
  “Do you work?”

Polite or plural “you” (tkven), used with strangers, older people, or in formal contexts:

• მუშაობთ?
  mushobt?
  “Do you work?” (polite / plural)

Compare:

The structure of the question is the same. Only the verb ending and sometimes the pronoun change.

Everyday Mini Dialogues

Here are simple dialogues using yes–no questions in the present tense. Try to read them aloud.

Dialogue 1: At a language class

A:

შენ სწავლობ ქართულს?

shen sts’avlob kartul-s?
“Do you study Georgian?”

B:

დიახ, ქართულს ვსწავლობ.

diakh, kartul-s vstsvlob.
“Yes, I study Georgian.”

A:

მძიმეა?

mdzimea?
“Is it difficult?”

B:

არა, ძალიან საინტერესოა.

ara, dzalian saintereso-a.
“No, it is very interesting.”

Dialogue 2: Meeting someone new

A:

გაერთე? სტუდენტი ხარ?

gaerte? studenti khar?
“Excuse me, are you a student?”

B:

კი, სტუდენტი ვარ. თქვენც სტუდენტი ხართ?

ki, studenti var. tkvents studenti khart?
“Yes, I am a student. Are you also a student?”

A:

არა, მე ვმუშაობ.

ara, me vmushavob.
“No, I work.”

Dialogue 3: At home

A:

გყავს ძმა?

gqavs dzma?
“Do you have a brother?”

B:

კი, ერთი ძმა და ერთი და მყავს.

ki, erti dzma da erti da mqavs.
“Yes, I have one brother and one sister.”

A:

ისინი ცხოვრობენ თბილისში?

isini tskhovroben Tbilisi-shi?
“Do they live in Tbilisi?”

B:

დიახ, აქ ცხოვრობენ.

diakh, ak tskhovroben.
“Yes, they live here.”

Practice Suggestions

Here are some simple exercises you can try on your own.

1. Turn statements into questions.
   For each of these, write the yes–no question:
• შენ ხარ ექიმი.
  shen khar eqimi.
  “You are a doctor.”
• ის კითხულობს წიგნს.
  is kithkhulobs tsign-s.
  “He / she reads a book.”
• თქვენ ცხოვრობთ თბილისში.
  tkven tskhovrobt Tbilisi-shi.
  “You live in Tbilisi.”
• მას ჰყავს ძაღლი.
  mas hqavs dzaghli.
  “He / she has a dog.”
2. Write answers.
   Choose “yes” or “no” and write a short answer:
• ხარ სტუდენტი?
  khar studenti?
• გაქვს მანქანა?
  gakvs mankana?
• გიყვარს თბილისი?
  giqvars Tbilisi?
3. Mix polite and informal.
   Make an informal and a polite version of:
• “Do you live here?”
• “Do you work?”
• “Do you like tea?”

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New Vocabulary for This Chapter

Use these patterns often in your own sentences. With time, forming yes–no questions in Georgian will feel natural and automatic.