Verbs of Conjugation Class II

In the Georgian verb system, Class II includes all verbs which in present indicative as well as in aorist indicative have their subject in nominative: ის იჭრება - he is cutting himself (present) and ის დაიჭრა - he cut himself (simple past).

The conjugations in Class-II depend on the verb ending on -ება, -ევა or the static verbs ending on -ია. Check it out on this page.

Page Content

  1. Indirect Objects
  2. Marking Objects and Subjects with Class-II Verbs
    • Examples for the Present Group
    • Examples for Aorist and Optative
    • Examples for the Perfect

Indirect Objects

Type-II verbs can relate to an indirect object via the prefix ე-, e.g. წერილი წერება ბავშვებს - a letter is written for the children, ცეცხლი მოეკიდება ხეს - the wood catches fire (literally the fire starts catching onto the wood). Tschenkeli (2007) calls this the "Relatives Passiv mit Personalzeichen ე-" marked as RP1. Hewitt (2005, Lesson 10) calls this a "marker ე of the indirect object of intransitive verbs". Abuladze & Ludden (2006, § 36) it is the "Relationsvokal ე der intransitiven Verben".

Some Georgian grammars call the verbs in Class II 'passive verbs' or 'intransitive verbs' but there are many verbs in Class II which are neither passive nor intransitive, see Tschenkeli (1958: 254-256). Abuladze & Ludden (2006): § 44, p. 204.

Marking Objects and Subjects with Class-II Verbs

In Verbs of Class II the marking of subject and objects is quite straightforward and the same in all moods & tenses. However, in the often passive sentence constructions in class-II verbs, one can get easily confused as to what really is the subject and the object (see discussion of grammatical and semantic/logical subject in passive sentences elsewhere).

An indirect objects is often expressed in class-II verbs by the use of the ე- marker with the verb in combination with dative marking the indirect object. Or a paraphrase with a preposition with -ისთვის is used.

Below is a quick reference for how to set up the subject and objects. Note that due to the often passive nature of sentences with Class-II verbs, the syntactic subject is now the enduring part of the verb's action (patient), whereas the originator of the action (agent) is a syntactical object.

Moods & Tenses Prepositional Object
(Agent)
Verb Subject
(Patient)
Indirect Object
(Recipient)
Present Group* genitive + მიერ - Nominative Dative or
preposition + -ისთვის
Aorist, Optative genitive + მიერ - Nominative Dative or
preposition + -ისთვის
Perfect, PluPerfect genitive + მიერ - Nominative Dative or
preposition + -ისთვის

*Present Indicative, Future Indicative, Imperfect Indicative, Conditional Mood and the Subjunctive Mood

Read more here: Abuladze & Ludden (2006): § 95, p. 232. Note that authors use grammatical subject not semantic subject.

Examples for the Present Group using the verbs იწერება, ეწერება and ეთანხმება:

Present Indicative

Prepositional Object
(Agent)
Verb Subject
(Patient)
Indirect Object
(Recipient)
genitive + მიერ - Nominative preposition + -ისთვის
ბიჭის მიერ იწერება წერილი დედისთვის
by the boy is written the letter for mother

Present Indicative

Prepositional Object
(Agent)
Verb Subject
(Patient)
Indirect Object
(Recipient)
genitive + მიერ - Nominative Dative
ბიჭის მიერ ეწერება წერილი დედას
by the boy is written (for) the letter mother

Present Indicative

Prepositional Object
(Agent)
Verb Subject
(Patient)
Indirect Object
(Recipient)
genitive + მიერ - Nominative Dative
-- ეთანხმება კაცი პირობას
-- is agreeing (to) the man the condition

Very rarely, Class-II verbs with ე- have a direct object:

Present Indicative

Prepositional Object
(Agent)
Verb Subject
(Patient)
Indirect Object
(Recipient)
Direct Object
genitive + მიერ - Nominative Dative Dative
-- შეევედრება ბიჭი მამას დახმარებას
-- is begging (to) the boy father for help

Two other examples with a direct object are შეეხვეწება and შეემუდარება, see Tschenkeli (2007: 410) and about Class-II ე- Verbs in general, see Tschenkeli (2007: 402-417).


Examples for Aorist and Optative:

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