Non-finite forms of the verb:
Masdars and Participles

Masdars
What is a masdar?
Main differences between the Georgian masdar and the English infinitive

More information:
Other types of masdar formation

For information on participles click here.
 
 

Masdars

The masdar denotes an action or state. It has no reference to the person or thing acting (includes no marker of person). It serves approximately the same function as the infinitive in English:

to build - შენება sheneba
to read - კითხვა k'itxva
to take - აღება agheba

The masdar is usually formed by adding the suffix -ა -a- to the stem of the present or future tenses:

The masdar formed from the stem of the present tense:
 
Forms of the present tense
Stem of the present
Forms of the masdar (infinitive)
(imperfective aspect; the action is not complete)
ვ-ა-კეთ-ებ
v-a-k'et-eb
1Subj-Neutr.version-do-Them.suff.
I am doing
კეთებ-
k'eteb
კეთებ-ა
k'eteb-a
to do 
ვ-წერ
v-c'er
1Subj-write
I am writing
წერ-
c'er-
წერ-ა
c'er-a
to write
ვ-უ-ხატ-ავ
v-u-xat'-av
1Subj-Object version-paint-Them.suff.
I am painting for him/her
ხატ-ავ
xat'-av
(*ხატ-ავ-ა >) ხატ-ვ-ა
(*xat'-av-a) > xat'-v-a
to paint

The masdar may contain a preverb and indicate that the action is completed.
The masdar formed from the stem of the future tense:
Forms of the future tense
Stem of the future
Forms of the masdar (infinitive)
(Complete aspect, the action is complete)
გა-ვ-ა-კეთ-ებ
ga-v-a-k'et-eb
Preverb-1Subj-Neutr.version-
-do-Them.suff.
I will do
გა-კეთ-ებ
ga-k'et-eb-
გაკეთებ-ა
gak'eteb-a
to do
და-ვ-წერ
da-v-c'er
Preverb-1Subj-write
I will write
და-წერ-
da-c'er-
დაწერ-ა
dac'er-a
to write
და-ვ-უ-ხატ-ავ
da-v-u-xat'-av
1Subj-Object version-paint-Them.suff.
I will paint for him/her
და-ხატ-ავ
da-xat'-av
(*დახატ-ავ-ა >) დახატ-ვ-ა
(*daxat'-av-a) > daxat'-v-a
To paint

Other types of masdar formation

Two important differences between the masdar in Georgian, on the one hand, and the infinitive in English, on the other hand, are that:

1. The infinitive in English is always the base form for the finite forms, which are formed from the infinitive, while in Georgian the "infinitive" is usually formed from the finite forms:

English:
infinitive > finite forms
to build > he is building, he has built, etc.
Georgian:
finite forms > infinitive
ჰ-კითხ-ავ-ს > კითხ-ვ-ა
hk'itx-av-s > ki'tx-v-a
he will ask him > to ask
 
Base form
Derived form
English
Infinitive
Finite forms
 
to ask, to warm
he is asking, he has asked, etc.
he will warm it, he warms, etc.
Georgian
Finite forms
"Infinitive" (masdar)

ჰ-კითხ-ავ-ს, გა-ა-თბ-ობ-ს
hk'itx-av-s, ga-a-tb-ob-s
he will ask him, he will warm smth.
კითხ-ვ-ა, გა-თბ-ობ-ა
ki'tx-v-a, ga-tb-ob-a
to ask, to warm

2. The second difference is that the infinitive in English has an object and governs its object the same way as the finite verb:
 

The finite verb
The infinitive
I build a house to build a house
I read a letter to read a letter
I watch the film to watch the film
I see him to see him

The objects (marked in blue) of infinitives and finite verbs have the same form in English.

The masdar ("infinitive") in Georgian has no object to govern in the same way as the verb does. The object of a masdar is in the genitive case in Georgian, while the object of the finite verb may be in either the dative or the nominative:
 

Finite verb
(a direct object appears either in the dative or nominative case.
An indirect object is in the dative case)
Infinitive
(The object is always marked by the genitive case,
It is neither a direct nor indirect object,
it is called a simple object)
(Present)
მე ვაშენებ სახლს
me vasheneb saxl-s
[I build  house-Dative]
I build a house

(Aorist)
მე ავაშენე სახლი
me avashene saxl-i
[I built house-Nominative]
I built a house

 სახლის შენება
saxl-is sheneba
[house-Genitive to build]
to build a house
(Present)
მე ვკითხულობ წერილს
me vk'itxulob c'eril-s
[I read letter-Dative]
I read a letter
 

(Aorist)
მე წავიკითხე წერილი
me c'avik'itxe c'eril-i
[I read letter-Nominative]
I read a letter

 წერილ-ის კითხვა
c'eril-is k'itxva
[letter-Genitive to read]
to read a letter
(Present)
მე ვუყურებ ფილმს
me vuq'ureb pilm-s
[I watch film-Dative]
I watch the film

(Aorist)
მე ვუყურე ფილმს
me vuq'ure pilm-s
[I watched film-Dative (indirect object)]
I watched the film

 ფილმ-ის ყურება
pilm-is q'ureba
[film-Genitive to watch]
to watch a film
(Present)
მე ვხედავ მას
me vxedav ma-s
[I see he-Dative]
I see him

(Aorist)
მე დავინახე ის
me davinaxe is
[I saw he.Nominative]
I saw him

 მისი დანახვა
m-is-i danaxva
[he-Genitive-Nominative to see]
to see him

Masdars in Georgian are declined words (like nouns) and may have different functions in the sentence:

Masdar as an object

მე ვამთავრებს სახლის აშენებას.
me vamtavreb saxlis ashenebas.
I am finishing building the house.
 
 
Subject
Verb-predicate
Attribute
Direct object
(expressed by the masdar /infinitive/)
მე ვამთავრებ სახლის აშენებას
me v-a-mtavr-eb saxl-is a-shen-eb-a-s
I 1 Subj-Neutral verion-finish-Them. suff.
(Present)		 house-Genitive Preverb-build-Them.suff.-Masdar
suffix-Dative
I finish of house to build

მე დავამთავრე სახლის აშენება.
me davamtavre saxlis asheneba.
I finished building a house.
 
 
Subject
Verb-predicate
Attribute
Direct object
(expressed by masdar /infinitive/)
მე დავამთავრე სახლის აშენება
me da-v-a-mtavr-e saxl-is a-shen-eb-a-ø
I Preverb-1 Subj-Neutral
verion-finish-Screeve marker
(Aorist)		 house-Genitive Preverb-build-Them.suff.-Masdar
suffix-Nominative (zero-marker)
I finished of a house to build

Masdar as a subject

მისი დანახვა ძალიან მახარებს.
misi danaxva dzalian maxarebs.
It makes me very happy to see him.
 
 
Attribute
Subject
(expressed by masdar /infinitive/)
Adverbial modifier
Verb-predicate
მისი დანახვა ძალიან მახარებს
m-is-i da-nax-v-a-ø dzalian m-a-xar-eb-s
he-Genitive-Nominative Preverb-see-Them.suff-Masdar-Nominative
(Present)		 very 1Obj-Neutral
vers.-glad-Them.suff.-3Subj.
his see very
much		 makes me glad

მისმა დანახვამ ძალიან გამახარა.
misma danaxvam dzalian gamaxara.
It made me glad to see him.
 
 
Attribute
Subject
(expressed by masdar /infinitive/)
Adverbial
modifier
Verb-predicate
მისმა დანახვამ ძალიან გამახარა
m-is-ma da-nax-v-a-m dzalian ga-m-a-xar-a
he-Genitive-Ergative Preverb-see-Them.suff-Masdar-Ergative
(Aorist)		 very Preverb-1Obj-Neutral
vers.-glad-3Subj.
his see very much made me glad