Version

Definition
Formation of the version forms
Version of the active voice verbs
Version of the passive and the middle voice verbs

Definition
Version is a category of the Georgian verb which shows whether the result of an action, fulfilled by the subject, belongs to the subject itself (subject version) or to the indirect object (object version) or is expressed as neutral (neutral version).
There is a a vowel prefix found just before the root of a Georgian verb. In our course it has been called a vowel prefix or relation marker. Version is expressed by this marker.

Formation of the version forms

Version is attested in active, passive and middle voice verbs.

Active voice verbs can express the category of version only in the forms of the first and the second series. In the third series, the category of version can be expressed only syntactically.

Middle and passive voice verbs have only neutral and object versions.
Middle and passive voice verbs can express these two versions in all three series (but not by adding vowel prefixes).

Version of the active voice verbs (Class 1)

The neutral version is expressed either by the ა- prefix - a- or by the lack of any vowel prefix in the verb form.

The subject version is expressed by means of the vowel prefix ი- i-.

The object version is formed by means of the vowel prefix უ- u- (and by means of the vowel prefix ი- i- when it is preceded by the first or the second object person markers. The collocuters, i.e. 1st and 2nd persons use the same vowel prefixe as a subject).

Class 1 verbs usually have three versions. The neutral version is usually marked with the vowel prefix a- in verbs formed with the thematic markers -eb and -ob:

ვაშენებ v-a-shen-eb I build it Neutral version (without a nuance of superessive situation)

ვიშენებ v-i-shen-eb I build it for myself Subject version

ვუშენებ v-u-shen-eb I build it for him/her Object version

მიშენებ m-i-shen-eb you build it for me Object version

The neutral version is expressed without a vowel prefix in verbs formed by the thematic markers -i, -av, -am or zero-marker ø (e.g. ვკერავ v-k'er-av I sew it, ვწერ v-c'er-ø I write it).

In such verbs, the neutral version can have two forms -- one without any prefix and another with the prefix ა- a-. The form without a vowel prefix expresses the neutral version, while the form with the prefix ა- a- can express the so-called superessive situation.

ვწერ	v-ø-c'er	I am writing it	Neutral version
ვაწერ	v-a-c'er	I am writing it on smth.	Neutral version (with the nuance of superessive situation: the prefix a- shows that the action is being fulfilled on the surface of an object)
ვიწერ	v-i-c'er	I am writing it for myself	Subject version
ვუწერ	v-u-c'er	I am writing it for him/her	Object version
მიწერ	m-i-c'er	You are writing it for me	Object version

Example of conjugation:

The subject version:
(In the paradigm below, the subject person changes, but the object person remains unchanged)

ვიკეთებ (მე საყურეს) v-i-k'et-eb (me saq'ures) I put earrings on (me)	ვიკეთებთ (ჩვენ საყურეს) v-i-k'et-eb-t (chven saq'ures) We put earrings on (us)
იკეთებ (შენ საყურეს) i-k'et-eb (shen saq'ures) you put earrings on (yourself)	იკეთებთ (თქვენ საყურეს) i-k'et-eb-t (tkven saq'ures) You put earrings on (yourself)
იკეთებს (ის საყურეს) i-k'et-eb-s (is saq'ures) s/he puts earrings on (herself/himself)	იკეთებენ (ისინი საყურეს) i-k'et-eb-en (isini saq'ures) they put earrings on (themselves)

The object version
(In the paradigm below, the subject person changes, but the object persons remain unchanged)

ვუკეთებ (მე მას საყურეს) v-u-k'et-eb (me mas saq'ures) I put earrings on her/him/them	ვუკეთებთ (ჩვენ მას საყურეს) v-u-k'et-eb-t (chven mas saq'ures) We put earrings on her/him/them
უკეთებ (შენ მას საყურეს) u-k'et-eb (shen mas saq'ures) you put earrings on her/him/them	უკეთებთ (თქვენ მას საყურეს) u-k'et-eb-t (tkven mas saq'ures) You put earrings on her/him/them
უკეთებს (ის მას საყურეს) u-k'et-eb-s (is mas saq'ures) s/he puts earrings on someone else (on her/him/them, but not on me, you or herself/hiself)	უკეთებენ (ისინი მას საყურეს) u-k'et-eb-en (isini mas saq'ures) they put earrings on someone else (on her/him/them, but not on me, you or themselves)

The object version
(In the paradigm below, the indirect object person changes, but the direct object and the subject person remain unchanged)

მიკეთებს (ის მე საყურს) m-i-k'et-eb-s (is me mas) s/he puts earrings on me	გვიკეთებს (ის ჩვენ საყურს) gv-i-k'et-eb-en (is chven mas) s/he puts earrings on us
გიკეთებს (ის შენ საყურს) g-i-k'et-eb-s (is shen mas) s/he puts earrings on you	გიკეთებთ (ის თქვენ საყურს) g-i-k'et-eb-t (is tkven mas) s/he puts earrings on you (pl)
უკეთებს (ის მას საყურს) u-k'et-eb-s (is mas mas) s/he puts earrings on someone else (on her/him/them, but not on me, you or herself/hiself)	უკეთებს (ის მათ საყურს) u-k'et-eb-s (is mat mas) s/he puts earrings on someone else (on her/him/them, but not on me, you or herself/hiself)

Class 2 verbs

Version of the dynamic passive (Class 2)

There are three main groups distinguished in verb class 2:

Prefixal passives:
ვიმალები v-i-malebi - I am hiding myself
ვემალები v-e-malebi - I am hiding myself from him/her

Suffixal passives:
ვწითლდები vc'itldebi - I am turning red
ვბერდები vberdebi - I am growing old

”Markerless” passives:
ვთბები vtb-eb-i - I am warming myself, I get warmed
შრება shr-eb-a - it is drying

All these groups can also express the category of version.

Markerless passive
So-called markerless passive can express the neutral varsion. It can also express the object version by adding the vowel prefix უ- u. Cf.:

Neutral version:    შრება shr-eb-a - something is drying (e.g. k'aba mzeze shreba - a dress is drying in the sun)
Object version:    უშრება u-shr-eb-a - something that belongs to a 3rd person (an indirect person) is drying (e.g. თინას მზეზე კაბა უშრება Tinas mzeze k'aba ushreba - Tina's dress is drying in the sun)
Object version:    მიშრება m-i-shr-eb-a - something that belongs to me (an indirect person) is drying (e.g. მზეზე კაბა მიშრება mzeze k'aba mishreba - My dress is drying in the sun)

Prefixal passive:
The prefixal passive formed by means of the vowel prefix ი- i- has the same meaning as the neutral version, while the prefixal passive formed by means of the vowel prefix ე- e- can express the object version.

Neutral version: იწერება i-c'er-eb-a it is being written - Neutral version
Object version: ეწერება e-c'er-eb-a it is being written for smb. - Object version

Suffixal passives are formed with the suffix დ- d-:
Neutral version of the suffixal passive does not have a vowel prefix (e.g. k'etdeba). The object version of the suffixal passive is formed by adding the vowel prefix უ- u- (u-k'etdeba):

Neutral version: კეთდება k'et-d-eb-a It is being done
Object version: უკეთდება u-k'et-d-eb-a It is being done for him/her.
Object version: მიკეთდება m-i-k'et-d-eb-a It is being done for me.

Class 3 verbs

Version of the the middle voice (middle-active) (Class 3, subgroup 1)
The subgroup formed by the thmatic marker -ob (cxovr-ob-s, tamash-ob-s, lap'arak'-ob-s...) cannot take the vowel prefixes without changíng the tense form or verb class.

Certain verbs belonging to the subgroup formed by the thmatic markers -eb or -av (k'ank'al-eb-s, coc-av-s...) can take the vowel prefixe u- (and -i after the m-set markers) and form the object version (u-k'ank'al-eb-s, m-i-k'ank'al-eb-s, u-coc-av-s...)

Version of the the middle voice (middle-active) (Class 3, subgroup 2)

They can form the object version by adding the vowel prefixes:
მღერის mgheris S/he is singing - Neutral version
უმღერის - u-mgheris S/he is singing for him - Object version
მიმღერის - m-i-mgheris S/he is singing for me - Object version

Version of the the middle voice (middle-active) (Class 3, subgroup 3)

დუღს dugs It is boiling - Neutral version
უდუღს - u-dugs It is boiling for him / something that belongs to him is boiling - Object version
მიდუღს - m-i-dugs It is boiling for me / something that belongs to me is boiling - Object version

Class 4

Version of the stative-passive (Class 4)
სწერია s-c'er-ia it is written Neutral version
აწერია a-c'er-ia It is written on smth. Neutral version, Superessive /situation/
უწერია u-c'er-ia It is written for smb. - Object version

The middle voice (middle-passive) (Class 4)

დგას dgas It is standing - Neutral version
ადგას a-dgas It is standing on smth. - Neutral version, Superessive /situation/
უდგას u-dga-s It is standing for him / something, that belongs to him/her, is standing - Object version

The forms of the passive and the middle voice verbs, formed by means of the vowel prefix ა- a-, usually express the superessive situation.

Prefixes and a root

Thus, a verb can contain the following prefixes in front of the root:

Preverb-Person marker-Vowel prefix-ROOT.
A root can be followed by a passive suffix. thematic marker, screeve marker, person marker. The roots are marked with bold below:

მივუტან mi-v-u-t'an - I will bring it to him/her
Preverb (mi-), person marker (v-), version marker (u-), the root (t'an) (მიტანა - to bring an inanimate object)

მივუყვან mi-v-u-q'van - I will take him/her (or other animate object) to him/her
Preverb (mi-), person marker (v-), version marker (u-), the root (q'van) (მიყვანა - to bring an animate object)

შეიკერავს she-i-k'er-av-s
He will sew it for himself
Preverb (she-), version marker (-i-), the root (k'er), thematic marker (-av), person marker (-s).

გამიშრება ga-m-i-shr-eb-a - Something that belongs to me will dry
Preverb (ga-), person marker (m-), version marker (i-), the root (shr), thematic marker (-eb), person marker -a.

ვაშენებ	v-a-shen-eb	I build it	Neutral version (without a nuance of superessive situation)
ვიშენებ	v-i-shen-eb	I build it for myself	Subject version
ვუშენებ	v-u-shen-eb	I build it for him/her	Object version
მიშენებ	m-i-shen-eb	you build it for me	Object version