10.2 Talking About Yesterday and Last Week

Understanding “Yesterday” and “Last Week” in Georgian

In this chapter you focus on very simple ways to talk about recent past time, especially yesterday and last week, without going deeply into verb tenses. You will combine words for time with basic verbs and expressions that you already know or will learn in other chapters.

Key Time Words for the Recent Past

Start with the most useful time words.

Basic recent past expressions

You will meet other time words like “month” and “year” in other chapters, so here you only see them in simple fixed combinations.

Examples:

• gushin var saxshi.
  გუშინ ვარ სახლში.
  “Yesterday I am at home.”
  (Beginner-style, but usually understood as “Yesterday I was at home.”)
• ts’in k’vira ar var samushavshi.
  წინა კვირა არ ვარ სამსახურში.
  “Last week I am not at work.”
  (Intended: “Last week I was not at work.”)

Later you will learn more correct past forms. For now, focus on time words and basic structure.

Saying “Yesterday” in Sentences

Simple statements with “yesterday”

You can place gushin at the beginning or later in the sentence. Beginners usually put it at the beginning.

Structure:

• gushin + [subject] + [verb] + [rest of sentence]

Examples:

• gushin var t’bilisshi.
  გუშინ ვარ თბილისში.
  “Yesterday I am in Tbilisi.”
• gushin var sakhlshi da viswavlob.
  გუშინ ვარ სახლში და ვსწავლობ.
  “Yesterday I am at home and I study.”
• gushin ar var sasts’avoze.
  გუშინ არ ვარ სასწავცზე.
  “Yesterday I am not at the course.”
• me gushin var megobartan.
  მე გუშინ ვარ მეგობართან.
  “I, yesterday, am with a friend.”

Notice how gushin clearly sets yesterday as the time.

Using “yesterday” with the verb “to be”

Use the forms of “to be” (learnt in another chapter) together with gushin.

At this beginner stage you do not change the verb; you only add gushin.

Saying where you were yesterday

Combine “yesterday” with basic place expressions.

Try to vary the place word:

• gushin var bazarze.
  გუშინ ვარ ბაზარზე.
  “Yesterday I am at the market.”
• gushin var universitetchi.
  გუშინ ვარ უნივერსიტეტში.
  “Yesterday I am at the university.”

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What You Did Yesterday

You can already say simple actions with verbs you know, for example “go,” “eat,” “study,” “work.” At this level you do not change them for the past; you only add a time word.

Simple action patterns

Basic pattern:

• gushin + [subject] + [verb] + [place or object]

Examples:

• gushin minda p’arkshi da vts’vlebi.
  გუშინ მინდა პარკში და ვცვლები.
  (Better for later, but as a simple style:) “Yesterday I want to go to the park and I walk.”

Instead of giving many advanced verbs, here are some very simple sentences that you can really use as a beginner:

• gushin viswavlob.
  გუშინ ვსწავლობ.
  “Yesterday I study.”
• gushin vts’er.
  გუშინ ვწერ.
  “Yesterday I write.”
• gushin vswavlob k’artul enas.
  გუშინ ვსწავლობ ქართულ ენას.
  “Yesterday I study Georgian language.”
• gushin vts’am + [food].
  გუშინ ვჭამ + [food].
  “Yesterday I eat [food].”

Examples with food:

• gushin vts’am p’uriz.
  გუშინ ვჭამ პურის.
  “Yesterday I eat bread.”
• gushin vts’am khach’ap’uris.
  გუშინ ვჭამ ხაჭაპურის.
  “Yesterday I eat khachapuri.”

Later you will learn correct past forms, such as “I ate,” but for now the focus is on communicating with time words.

Asking About Yesterday

You already know how to form yes–no questions and question words from other chapters. Here you only see how to add “yesterday”.

Yes–no questions with “yesterday”

Use rising intonation in speech or question mark in writing.

Patterns:

• gushin + [subject] + [verb] + ?

Examples:

• gushin var saxshi?
  გუშინ ვარ სახლში?
  “Yesterday am I at home?”
  (Meaning in context: “Were you at home yesterday?” when talking to “I” as in reported speech; but a more natural use is with “sheni”.)

Let us be more realistic with subjects:

• gushin iqavi saxshi?
  გუშინ იყავი სახლში?
  “Were you at home yesterday?”
  (This uses a real past form, which you will learn in more detail later.)

If you are not ready for past forms, you can still understand and answer them:

Question you might hear:

• gushin iqavi samushavshi?
  გუშინ იყავი სამსახურში?
  “Were you at work yesterday?”

Simplified answer you can give:

• diakh, gushin var samushavshi.
  დიახ, გუშინ ვარ სამსახურში.
  “Yes, yesterday I am at work.”
• ara, gushin ar var samushavshi.
  არა, გუშინ არ ვარ სამსახურში.
  “No, yesterday I am not at work.”

Using “when” for yesterday

You already know the question word “when” from another chapter. Here are examples that include “yesterday.”

• rodis xart t’bilisshi? gushin?
  როდის ხარ თბილისში? გუშინ?
  “When are you in Tbilisi, yesterday?”
• rodis xart saxshi? gushin tu dghes?
  როდის ხარ სახლში? გუშინ თუ დღეს?
  “When are you at home, yesterday or today?”

Even if the grammar is not perfect yet, the combination of “rodis” “when” and gushin “yesterday” helps you understand and communicate.

Talking About “Last Week”

“Last week” in Georgian is usually ts’in k’vira or ts’in k’virashi, depending on context. For beginners, you can use the simple form ts’in k’vira at the beginning of the sentence.

Saying where you were last week

Pattern:

• ts’in k’vira + [subject] + [verb] + [place]

Examples:

• ts’in k’vira var t’bilisshi.
  წინ კვირა ვარ თბილისში.
  “Last week I am in Tbilisi.”
• ts’in k’vira var deda-sopelshi.
  წინა კვირა ვარ დედა სოფელში.
  “Last week I am in my home village.”
• ts’in k’vira var sakhlshi.
  წინა კვირა ვარ სახლში.
  “Last week I am at home.”

You can also put the time expression later:

• me var t’bilisshi ts’in k’vira.
  მე ვარ თბილისში წინ კვირა.
  “I am in Tbilisi last week.”

Both orders are understandable at this level.

Talking about work or study last week

Use verbs for “work” and “study” that you know.

Examples:

• ts’in k’vira var samushavshi k’vela dghes.
  წინ კვირა ვარ სამსახურში ყველა დღე.
  “Last week I am at work every day.”
• ts’in k’vira vswavlob k’velas dghes.
  წინ კვირა ვსწავლობ ყველა დღეს.
  “Last week I study every day.”
• ts’in k’vira ar var skolashi.
  წინ კვირა არ ვარ სკოლაში.
  “Last week I am not at school.”

You can combine “last week” with other time expressions, like days of the week, which you will learn in more detail in the “Days of the Week” chapter.

Example:

• ts’in k’vira, orshabats, var samushavshi.
  წინ კვირა, ორშაბათს, ვარ სამსახურში.
  “Last week, on Monday, I am at work.”

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Comparing Yesterday, Today, and Last Week

You can make short, very useful sentences that compare yesterday, today, and last week. This helps you practice the time expressions.

Simple contrasts

Examples:

• gushin var saxshi, dghes var samushavshi.
  გუშინ ვარ სახლში, დღეს ვარ სამსახურში.
  “Yesterday I am at home, today I am at work.”
• ts’in k’vira var kalakshi, am k’vira var saxshi.
  წინ კვირა ვარ ქალაქში, ამ კვირა ვარ სახლში.
  “Last week I am in the city, this week I am at home.”
• gushin var dzalian dak’lavuli, dghes ar var dak’lavuli.
  გუშინ ვარ ძალიან დაღლილი, დღეს არ ვარ დაღლილი.
  “Yesterday I am very tired, today I am not tired.”

You can add “next week” for contrast too, though the focus here is on yesterday and last week.

Short Dialogues Using “Yesterday” and “Last Week”

These simple dialogues show how time expressions work in conversation. They mix beginner-style present with time words.

Dialogue 1: Yesterday at home

A: gushin iqavi saxshi?
გუშინ იყავი სახლში?
“Were you at home yesterday?”

B: diakh, gushin var saxshi.
დიახ, გუშინ ვარ სახლში.
“Yes, yesterday I am at home.”

A: ras aketeb?
რა აკეთებ?
“What do you do?”

B: gushin viswavlob k’artul enas.
გუშინ ვსწავლობ ქართულ ენას.
“Yesterday I study Georgian language.”

Dialogue 2: Last week in the city

A: sad xart ts’in k’vira?
სად ხარ წინ კვირა?
“Where are you last week?”

B: ts’in k’vira var batumshi.
წინა კვირა ვარ ბათუმში.
“Last week I am in Batumi.”

A: dghes sad xart?
დღეს სად ხარ?
“Where are you today?”

B: dghes var t’bilisshi.
დღეს ვარ თბილისში.
“Today I am in Tbilisi.”

Dialogue 3: Work last week

A: iqavi samushavshi ts’in k’vira?
იყავი სამსახურში წინ კვირა?
“Were you at work last week?”

B: ki, ts’in k’vira var samushavshi tskhra dghes.
კი, წინ კვირა ვარ სამსახურში ცხრა დღე.
“Yes, last week I am at work for nine days.”
(Grammatically rough, but usable at early stage.)

A: gushin?
გუშინ?
“Yesterday?”

B: ara, gushin ar var samushavshi. gushin var saxshi.
არა, გუშინ არ ვარ სამსახურში. გუშინ ვარ სახლში.
“No, yesterday I am not at work. Yesterday I am at home.”

Practice Ideas

Here are some simple practice tasks you can do on your own.

1. Write three sentences with “yesterday.”
   Example pattern:
• gushin var + [place].
2. Write three sentences with “last week.”
   Example pattern:
• ts’in k’vira var + [place or activity].
3. Make one short dialogue.
   Use questions like “Where are you yesterday?” or “Were you at work last week?” and simple answers with gushin and ts’in k’vira.

Do not worry if the verb forms are not fully correct for the past yet. The goal is to become comfortable with time words in real sentences.

New Vocabulary for This Chapter

Use these words with the time expressions gushin “yesterday” and ts’in k’vira “last week” to build many small, real sentences about your own life.