Giving to Someone

Level 3

The person who receives something is in the dative.

How It Works

Verbs like give, show, tell and send have two objects: the thing, and the person who receives it. The receiver is in the dative:

TenseReceiverThingExample
present-ს-სნინოს წიგნს ვაძლევ
past-სnominativeნინოს წიგნი მივეცი

In the past, the thing switches to the nominative as usual, but the receiver keeps -ს. So in the past, the -ს word is the receiver: დედას ყვავილები ვაჩუქე (I gave mum flowers).

When the receiver is me or you, the verb shows it with მ- or გ-: მომცა (he gave me), მითხრა (he told me). Many such verbs have a vowel before the root for the receiver, such as the უ- in ვუთხარი (I told him). Learn these with each verb.

The perfect, which comes at Level 5, works differently.

Examples (5)

  1. ნინოს წიგნი მივეცი.

    I gave Nino a book.

    ნინოს, the receiver, in the dative.

  2. დედას ყვავილები ვაჩუქე.

    I gave mum flowers.

    დედას receives, ყვავილები is the thing.

  3. მასწავლებელმა ბავშვებს სურათი აჩვენა.

    The teacher showed the children a picture.

    ბავშვებს, the receivers.

  4. ბებიას ხშირად ვურეკავ.

    I often call grandma.

    The person you call is in the dative.

  5. ჩემმა ძმამ მეგობარს წერილი მისწერა.

    My brother wrote his friend a letter.

    მეგობარს, the receiver of the letter.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving the receiver in the nominative.

    ნინო წიგნი მივეცი.
    ნინოს წიგნი მივეცი.

    The person who receives something is in the dative, even in the past.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Giving to SomeoneLevel 3

Learn This First

The person you give to is in the dative.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.