Types of conjugation

The nine types of conjugation are identifiable in Georgian:

1.Type 1 (Conjugation of active voice verbs) syntactically follows the pattern B. Inversion occurs in the third series. Future tense is formed from the present by adding a preverb. See the table below, type 1. (Click here to view the paradigm in all screeves: xatavsxat'avs). 

2. Type 2 (Conjugation of dynamic passive voice verbs) syntactically follows the pattern A. Inversion does not occurin the third series. The future tense is formed from the present tense by adding a preverb. See the table below, type 2. (Click here to view the paradigm in all screeves: izrdeba izrdeba.

Some verbs from this group have an experiencer subject and syntactically follow the pattern C: they are inversive in all three series; e. g.: m-e-Zin-eb-a  m-e-dzin-eb-a "I want to sleep" (I am willing to sleep, I am sleepy) . Morphological and syntactical subject "it" ("content" subject Zili dzili "sleep") that is marked in the verb form by the suffix -a -a is usually omitted.
The experiencer subject (logic subject) me  me "I"  is marked by the object person marker m- m-.This means that morphological and syntactical object me me "I" is understood as a logic subject since the morphological and syntactical subject ("content" subject Zili  dzili "sleep") - the third person - (which is marked in the verb form by the suffix-a -a) is omitted. All these changes are caused by semantics of the verb, cf. the verb with the same morphology: m-e-xat-eb-a m-e-xat'-eb-a "Something is being painted for me" where me me  "I" is a  morphological and syntactical object, as well as a logical object (indirect object) .

Passive verb formed by the prefix can express the active action; e. g. in the sentence werili iwereba c'erili ic'ereba the grammatical subject werili  c'erili is acted upon. But if in such construction the grammatical subject is an animate subject, then the passive verb form can obtain a function of an active verb and it follows the syntactic pattern of the active verbs; e. g.:
 

Passive with the function of active verb
megobar-i sofl-idan weril-s i-wer-eb-a
megobar-i sopl-idan c'eril-s i-c'er-eb-a
friend-Nom   village-Instr.from  letter-Dat. Vowelpref.-write-Them.  -3 Subj.Sing

A friend is writing a letter from the village.
 
 

Passive with the function of active verb
megobar-ma sofl-idan weril-i mo-i-wer-a
megobar-ma sopl-idan c'eril-i mo-i-c'er-a
friend-Erg   village-Instr.from  letter-Nom. Preverb-Vowelpref.-write- -3 Subj.Sing

A friend wrote a letter from the village.
 
 

Passive with the function of active verb
megobar-s sofl-idan weril-i mo-u-wer-ia
megobar-s sopl-idan c'eril-i mo-u-c'er-ia
friend-Dat.   village-Instr.from  letter-Nom. Peverb-Vowelpref.-write-Them.  -Perfective

Apparently a friend has written a letter from the village.
 

3. Class III, Type 3 (Conjugation of middle-active voice verbs) Follows the pattern B.
 Inversion occurs in the third series. Future tense is formed by adding the prefix i- (/u-) and the thematic suffix -eb to the present tense form. The same stem (formed by adding  the prefix i-/u-)  is used in the second series. See the table below, type 3. (Click here to view the paradigm in all screeves:  the table cxovrobscxovrobs
 (Click here to vew the transcription of the table)

Class III, subgroup ending in the suffix -i (Conjugation of middle-active verbs). See the table below, type 4. These verbs follow the pattern B (tiris t'ir-i-s s/he is crying, icinis icin-i-s s/he is laughing..)

Class III; subgroup ending in an auxiliary verb. Read here.

Class IV, Type 4 (Conjugation of stative passive verbs). These verbs follow
the pattern A (e. g.: afenia apenia it is spread on it)

Irregular verbs. (Click here to view the paradigm in all screeves for the verb: aris aris (transcriptions of the tables aris).
This verb follows the pattern A (the subject remains in the nominative in all three series) :
is aris is aris he is
is iyo is iq'o he was
is yofila is q'opila apparently he has been

The verbs having an experiencer or possessor subject follow the pattern C (e. g. aqvs akvs s/he/it has, uyvars uq'vars s/he/it loves it).

N o t e: The shared feature for Class IV verbs is the lack of own forms in some screeves. This lack is usually compensated with the "loan" forms from the corresponding active or passive voice forms: middle-actives "borrow" forms of the subjective version of the active voice verbs (cxovrobs - *icxovra cxovrobs - *icxovra), middle-passives "borrow" forms of the passive voice forms: (uyvars - (uyvardeba) -*Seuyvarda uq'vars - *sheuq'varda). "Borrowed"  forms are marked by asterisks.

The types of conjugation:



Type one
See  also the table
xatavsxat'avs
Type two
See also the table
izrdebaizrdeba
The third Subject person marker (//ending) in the singular  in the present
-s 
-s
-eb-a
-eb-a


xat-av-s
xat'-av-s (he paints) 
Tb-eb-a
tb-eb-a (he warms himself)
Form of the future
Preverb+Present Preverb+Present


da-xat-av-s
da-xat'-av-s (he will paint)
ga-Tbeba
ga-tbeba (he will warm himself)
Suffix producing a stem of the Imperfect
 -d -d -od -od


xat-av-d-a 
xat'-av-d-a (he was painting)
Tbeb-od-a
tbeb-od-a (he was warming himself)
Form of the third series
Inversion occurs: No inversion, auxiliary verb occurs in the first and the second subject persons


da-m-ixatia da-m-ixat'ia (It turns out I have painted)  (cf. Present: v-xatavv-xat'av) ga-v-mTbar-var ga-v-mtbar-var (It turns out I have warmed myself) 
 (cf. v-Tbebi  v-tbebi)

 


Class III, Type three
See  also the table
cxovrobscxovrobs

Class III, subgroup ending in the suffix -i

The third Subject person marker (//ending) in the singular in the present
-s -s 
-i-s -i-s



ø-cxovr-ob-s 
ø-cxovr-ob-s

v-tir-i
v-t'ir-i (I am crying)
tir-i-s 
t'ir-i-s (s/he is crying)
Form of the future
Vowel prefix i-(/u-)+Present(/+eb-s)
Vowel prefix i-(/u-)+Present(/+eb-s)


i-cxovr-eb-s
i-cxovr-eb-s

i-tir-eb-s
i-t'ir-eb-s
Suffix producing a stem of the Imperfect
-d -d
-od -od


0-cxovrobd-a 0-cxovrob-d-a
tir-od-a
t'ir-od-a (he was going away)
Form of the third series
Inversion
Inversion


m-i-cxovria
m-i-cxovria
 (cf. v-cxovrob)

m-i-tir-ia
m-i-t'ir-ia

More detailed

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© Manana Kock Kobaidze