Questions
Georgian asks yes/no questions with intonation alone — no particle, no inversion, no "do". The statement and the question are the same words; only the melody changes.
Yes/no questions: just raise the pitch
| statement | question |
|---|---|
| ქართველი ხარ. kartveli khar. — "You are Georgian." | ქართველი ხარ? kartveli khar? — "Are you Georgian?" |
| ყავა გინდა. q'ava ginda. — "You want coffee." | ყავა გინდა? q'ava ginda? — "Do you want coffee?" |
| მოდის. modis. — "He/she is coming." | მოდის? modis? — "Is he/she coming?" |
The rise sits on the last stressed syllable and it's sharper than an English question rise — exaggerate it and you'll sound right. There is nothing else to learn: no word moves, nothing is added.
Answering: yes and no
| word | register | |
|---|---|---|
| დიახ diakh | polite yes | to strangers, elders, officials |
| კი k'i | neutral yes | everyday default |
| ჰო ho | casual yes | friends, family |
| არა ara | no | all registers |
A very natural answer repeats the verb: გინდა? — მინდა. ginda? — minda. — "Want it? — I want (it)." = "Yes."
Question words
All the wh-words, ready to use — the verb still doesn't move:
| word | meaning | example |
|---|---|---|
| რა ra | what | რა არის ეს? ra aris es? — "what is this?" |
| ვინ vin | who | ვინ არის ის? vin aris is? — "who is that?" |
| სად sad | where | სად ცხოვრობ? sad tskhovrob? — "where do you live?" |
| როდის rodis | when | როდის მოდის? rodis modis? — "when is he/she coming?" |
| როგორ rogor | how | როგორ ხარ? rogor khar? — "how are you?" |
| რატომ rat'om | why | რატომ არა? rat'om ara? — "why not?" |
| რომელი romeli | which | რომელი გინდა? romeli ginda? — "which do you want?" |
| რამდენი ramdeni | how many/much | რამდენი ღირს? ramdeni ghirs? — "how much does it cost?" |
Memory hooks: რა "what" hides inside რატომ "why" and რამდენი "how many"; როდის "when" and როგორ "how" share the რო- of რომელი "which".
Where the question word goes
Usually right before the verb (the position Georgian reserves for the newest, most important information):
- სად მუშაობ? sad mushaob? — "where do you work?"
- ეს წიგნი ვინ დაწერა? es ts'igni vin dats'era? — "who wrote this book?"
Question words take case endings like nouns when their role demands it: ვის ხედავ? vis khedav? — "whom do you see?" (ვინ → ვის, dative).
Takeaway
- Yes/no question = statement + rising melody. Done.
- დიახ/კი/ჰო are three politeness levels of "yes"; არა is "no".
- Question word goes before the verb; nothing else in the sentence moves.
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