Inversion is an exchange of functions between  the subject and the object person markers.

Person markers (a short repetition)
Usually, in non-inversive verbs, the subject person marker expresses the acting person, while the object person marker is used to mark the object of action, e. g.:

me v-wer
me v-c'er

me (me I), the first subject person, who is acting, who is writing, is marked by the first subject person marker v- v-.

Sen ø-wer
shen ø-c'er

Sen (shen you), the second subject person, who is acting, who is writing, is marked by the second subject person marker ø-.

is wer-s
is c'er-s

is (is he/she), the third subject person, who is acting, who is writing, is marked by the third subject person marker s- s-.

These markers: v- v-, ø- and -s -s are called as the v-set markers.

When the first person is an object, it is usually marked by the object person marker m- m-  and the third subject person is marked by the subject person marker -s -s:

me m-wer-s is:  me (object person) m-(object marker)-wer-s (subject marker) is (subject person).
me m-c'er-s is  me (object person) m-(object marker)-c'er-s (subject marker) is (subject person).
to.me writes/is writing he/she (He/she is writing to me)

The second object person is marked by g- g-
Sen g-wer-s is
shen g-c'er-s is
to.you writes/is writing he/she (He/she is writing to you)

The third object person is marked by  ø- / s- /h-  (ø- / -s / h-)
mas s-wer-s is
mas s-c'er-s is
to.him /her writes/is writing he/she (He/she is writing to him /her)

These markers: m- m-, g-g- and s- s-(with their variants/ h- /ø- / h- /ø-)  are called the m-set markers.

What is  inversion?
In some groups of verbs (in all tenses of many Class IV and some Class II verbs, as well as in perfect and pluperfect tenses of Class I and Class III verbs) the real (logical) subject is marked by the object person marker, and the real (logical) object is marked by the subject person marker. This phenomenon is called inversion, which implies a reversal of the functions between  the subject and the object person markers or exchange of functions between  the v- set and the m- set markers (N o t e: these names: v- set and m-set markers (instead of subject and object persons markers) have been introduced by Ak'ak'i Shanidze - the author of The Foundations of Georgian grammar, in order to emphasise that none of these markers have a function to express only the subject or only the object person). Even other types of verbs, e.g. type 1 and type 2 may have inversive pairs. These parallel forms of direct and direct verbs will be touched upon later in other sections.

Inversion occurs in all three series of inversive verbs. Inversion also occurs in certain tense/aspect/mood forms of Class I and Class III verbs.

When inversion occurs, the object person marker (m-set marker) expresses the acting person, while the subject person marker (v-set marker) marks the object of action, e. g.: the verb form m-i-yvar-s m-iq'var-s "m-love-s" means that the one, who is in love, is the first person. But this first person is marked not by the prefix v- v-(the first subject person marker, v-set) but by the prefix m- m-(the first object person marker, m-set). At the same time, the one, who is the object of love, who is loved, is marked not by the object person marker (the prefix h-, m-set), but by the suffix -s (the third subject person marker, v-set):

Compare:

Case marking is also inversive in these verbs: the subject person is marked by the dative case, while the object person is marked by the nominative case. This is more obvious in the third person (because the first and the second person personal pronouns do not change the form in nominative and dative):

Inversion in the three series:
As is mentioned above, in certain types of the verbs -- verbs, denoting possession (e. g.: me maqvs saxli  me makvs saxli I have a house) and verbs expressing feelings, emotions (e. g.: me mciva me mciva It is cold to me; me miyvars me miq'vars I love) -- inversion occurs in all  three series. A subject (either a subject having something or somebody, or an experiencing subject) is marked as an object in the verb form; e. g.:

A subject of such verbs occurs as a possessor or as an experiencer (/experiencing) subject, which means that the subject is not active (or agentive), but rather passive. It is just experiencing the feeling or receiving the thing that is given (or that belongs) to him/her.
Thus, subject is marked by m-set markers in these verbs in all three series.

Inversion only in the third series
Inversion is evidenced in the III series forms of certain types of direct verbs (Class I and Class III). In the third series  action expressed by a verb is represented more as a result, than as a process. The possessor of the result (logical subject) is marked as an object in the verb form. e. g.

It is just the result, and not the process of writing, that is emphasised here. The first person, the one who has written, is represented not as an actor, one who is acting, but as a possessor of a result. That is why it is marked by the dative case and it is marked as an object in the verb form.

This function of the perfect (// the first resultative) and the pluperfect (// the second resultative), to emphasise the result and not the process, dictates that these forms be used when the person telling the story has not seen an action or a process, but has witnessed the result of the action.

Negation and inversion

Forms of the third series (particularly, of the perfect //the first resultative) are used in negative clauses too when the speaker wants to mention only the result, but not about his or her own part in or attitude toward the process that caused these consequences, e. g.

• ar davwere ar davc'ere  (the verb is in the aorist) means that I have not written because I did not want to write.
• ver davwere ver davc'ere  (the verb is still in the aorist but another particle of negation occurs)  means that I have not written because I did not manage to write; this nuance is expressed by the particle ver ver.
• ar damiweria ar damic'eria (the verb in the perfect) denotes just the result (that I have not written) without showing the reason for or the speaker's attitude toward this fact.

Conjugation of the verbs myavs mq'avs (I have) and maqvs makvs (I have) in the present

© Manana Kock Kobaidze & Karina Vamling