Negation
One word before the verb — but Georgian has three of them, with a beautifully clean division of labour: არ "not", ვერ "can't", ნუ "don't!".
The default: არ
Put არ ar directly before the verb. That's the whole rule.
| affirmative | negative |
|---|---|
| ვიცი vitsi — "I know" | არ ვიცი ar vitsi — "I don't know" |
| მინდა minda — "I want" | არ მინდა ar minda — "I don't want" |
| მუშაობს mushaobs — "he/she works" | არ მუშაობს ar mushaobs — "he/she doesn't work" |
| ქართველი ვარ — "I am Georgian" | ქართველი არ ვარ kartveli ar var — "I am not Georgian" |
No auxiliary "do", no sandwich, no word-order change. არ ვიცი ar vitsi — "I don't know" — may be the most useful sentence in this course.
Inability: ვერ
ვერ ver negates ability or possibility — English "can't", without needing a verb "can":
| არ (won't / doesn't) | ვერ (can't) |
|---|---|
| არ მოვდივარ ar movdivar — "I'm not coming" (choice) | ვერ მოვდივარ ver movdivar — "I can't come" (unable) |
| არ გესმის ar gesmis — "you don't understand (won't listen)" | ვერ გესმის ver gesmis — "you can't understand" |
| ვერ ვხედავ ver vkhedav — "I can't see (it)" |
Georgians hear a real difference: არ implies you chose not to, ვერ that you tried or couldn't. Picking the right one instantly makes you sound considerate.
Prohibition: ნუ
ნუ nu + present verb = "don't (do that)":
- ნუ გეშინია! nu geshinia! — "don't be afraid!"
- ნუ წახვალ! nu ts'akhval! — "don't go!"
- ნუ ღელავ nu ghelav — "don't worry"
(For firm commands there's also არ + future — არ წახვიდე! "don't you go!" — but ნუ is the everyday, gentle "don't".)
Negative words come in matched pairs
The question words have negative twins built with these same particles, and the verb keeps its negator — double negation is correct, not sloppy:
| with არ | with ვერ | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| არავინ aravin | ვერავინ veravin | nobody / nobody-can |
| არაფერი araperi | ვერაფერი veraperi | nothing |
| არასდროს arasdros | — | never |
| არსად arsad | ვერსად versad | nowhere |
- არავინ არ მოვიდა aravin ar movida — "nobody came" (lit. "nobody not came")
- ვერაფერს ვერ ვხედავ verapers ver vkhedav — "I can't see anything"
Saying "no"
- არა ara — "no" (the standalone answer; note the extra -ა vs არ)
- მოდიხარ? — არა, არ მოვდივარ. modikhar? — ara, ar movdivar. — "Coming? — No, I'm not coming."
Takeaway
| particle | job | memory hook |
|---|---|---|
| არ | plain "not" | the default |
| ვერ | "can't" | inability |
| ნუ | "don't!" | prohibition |
Three small words, always right before the verb. Negation is a strong candidate for the easiest chapter in Georgian.
Same chapter in: English · French · Spanish · German · Italian · Mandarin Chinese · Cantonese · Malay