10 Past and Future Time Reference

Understanding Time in Georgian

In this chapter you will get a first, global picture of how Georgian handles past, present, and future. Later chapters in this section will zoom in on specific time frames like yesterday, last week, or the near future. Here we focus on the basic ideas that are unique to Georgian and give you simple model sentences you can recognize and start imitating.

Time Without Full Tenses: What You Actually Need First

Georgian has a rich tense system with special verb forms for different kinds of pasts and futures. However, in everyday beginner conversation, speakers often combine a few basic present tense forms with time words like “yesterday,” “tomorrow,” “now,” or “later” to express when something happens.

You have already met or will meet the present tense in detail in earlier sections, and you will learn specific past and future structures in later chapters. In this overview, you will see:

• How to use time expressions with simple verbs
• How to recognize three main time frames: past, present, future
• How context often makes the time clear even with very simple grammar

Think of this chapter as a “map” of time in Georgian. You will not learn all verb endings here, only simple high‑frequency patterns that help you understand and produce basic sentences.

Three Basic Time Frames in Georgian

Georgian talks about time in a way that may feel familiar but uses different tools:

1. Present / general
2. Past
3. Future / planned

At an absolute beginner level, the time word is often more important than the verb form.

Time Words as “Signals”

Here are very common time expressions that immediately signal a time frame:

Most of these will be explored again in later chapters. For now, notice:

Very Simple Present, Past, and Future Meanings

To show the idea of time, we will use two very common verbs that you already know or will meet soon:

• “to be” aris (არის)
• “to go” midis (მიდის)

Here are model patterns. Do not worry about every ending yet. Focus on the combination of time word + verb.

Present / General

You see:

• akhla “now” and dghes “today” show we talk about the present.
• Words like yoveldge “every day” show a habit.

---

First Glimpse of the Past

Later chapters will explain how Georgian changes verb forms for the past. Here, you just need to feel how time words and context help.

Past with Time Words

Note:

• gushin “yesterday” and gasul kviras “last week” clearly show past time.
• The verb “to be” changes (var → viqavi, vart → viqavt).
  The full pattern belongs to the later “past” chapters. For now just notice that it changes.

You can often understand the basic meaning from the time word even if the verb is unfamiliar.

First Glimpse of the Future and Plans

Georgian has dedicated future forms, but in very everyday speech people also use the present with a future time word like “tomorrow” or “later”.

Future with Time Words

In the last two examples, the verb form looks like a present, but xval “tomorrow” or shemdeg “later” makes the future meaning clear.

You will later see explicit future conjugations. At beginner level, listening for xval, shemdeg, and other time words already gives you the main idea.

Basic Time Questions

Before you know complex question structures, you can already recognize and use a few very useful questions about time.

For everyday talk, rodis? is the main word you need. Look at these simple patterns:

Do not worry about every verb change here. Just notice:

• rodis “when” can be used for past, present, or future
• The time frame is understood from the rest of the sentence or context

---

Time Expressions in a Sentence: Typical Positions

Georgian word order is flexible, but there are very common positions for time expressions.

1. At the beginning of the sentence
2. After the subject
3. At the end, for emphasis

Usually, putting the time at the beginning is the clearest way for beginners.

Time at the Beginning

Time After the Subject

Both patterns are natural. For simple learning, start sentences with the time word.

Simple Patterns You Can Reuse

Even before you master all tenses, you can use a few very stable sentence shells:

Pattern 1: “Time + place + ‘to be’”

Structure:
[time] + [place in -shi] + [form of “to be”]

Examples:

You can change the place and the time and keep the structure.

Pattern 2: “Time + go/come”

Structure:
[time] + [place in -shi or -dan] + [verb “to go / to come”]

Examples:

Again, the later chapters will parse the verb forms. Here the time word + place ending is your key.

Recognizing Time in Dialogues

Here are short mini‑dialogues. Try to pay attention to time words and place words more than to every verb form.

Dialogue 1: Yesterday vs Today

A: gushin sad iqavi?
B: gushin sakhlshi viqavi, dghes samushavshi var.

Key items:

• gushin “yesterday” → past
• dghes “today” → present
• sad “where”
• Same verb “to be,” different forms

Dialogue 2: Today vs Tomorrow

A: dghes sad xar?
B: dghes samushavshi var, xval sakhlshi viknebi.

Key item:

Dialogue 3: Going and Coming

A: rodis midixar tqbilisshi?
B: gushin midivi. xval moval ak.

Even if some verb forms are new, you can follow:

• rodis “when”
• tqbilisshi “in Tbilisi”
• gushin “yesterday,” xval “tomorrow”
• ak “here”

---

Practice: Build Your Own Time Sentences

You can start expressing simple things about your life using a few words and patterns from this chapter. Try to say in Georgian:

1. Today I am at home.
2. Tomorrow I will be at work.
3. Yesterday I was at school.
4. Tomorrow I go to Tbilisi.
5. Yesterday I was in Tbilisi, today I am at home.

Use the model:

• dghes / gushin / xval + [place]-shi + var / viqavi / viknebi

Even if you do not yet remember every exact verb form, practicing the time and place words will help you when you meet the detailed grammar later.

New Vocabulary from This Chapter

In the following chapters you will look more closely at how Georgian builds past and future forms, and how to talk about “yesterday,” “last week,” and the “near future” in a more precise way. Here, you have learned to hear and use time expressions and to connect them with very simple sentences.