ცოლ-ქმარი (Pair Words)

Pairs Joined by a Hyphen

Level 5Sounds Like tsol-kmari

Two related words joined by a hyphen name both together: ცოლ-ქმარი (husband and wife).

How It Works

Georgian names some close pairs with two nouns joined by a hyphen. The pair is one word for both together:

PairPartsMeaning
ცოლ-ქმარიwife + husbandmarried couple
და-ძმაsister + brothersister and brother
დედ-მამაmother + fatherparents
ბებია-ბაბუაgrandmother + grandfathergrandparents

The first part often loses its final vowel: ცოლი becomes ცოლ-, and დედა becomes დედ-. Words such as და and ბებია keep theirs.

Only the second part takes case endings and postpositions: დედ-მამას ვურეკავ (I call my parents), ბებია-ბაბუასთან (at my grandparents').

Actions can pair up the same way: ჭამა-სმა (eating and drinking), a phrase you will hear about every feast.

In a compound noun such as დედაქალაქი, two words become one new thing. In these pairs, each word keeps its own meaning.

Examples (4)

  1. მეზობლად ახალგაზრდა ცოლ-ქმარი გვყავს.

    We have a young married couple as neighbors.

    ცოლ-ქმარი: wife and husband.

  2. დედ-მამას ყოველ კვირას ვურეკავ.

    I call my parents every week.

    The dative -ს on the second part.

  3. ზაფხულს ბებია-ბაბუასთან ვატარებთ.

    We spend the summer at our grandparents'.

    -თან on the second part.

  4. სუფრაზე ჭამა-სმა და სიმღერა იყო.

    At the feast there was eating, drinking and singing.

    ჭამა-სმა: eating and drinking.

How It Connects

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ცოლ-ქმარი (Pair Words)Level 5Pairs Joined by a Hyphen

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Pair words join two nouns with a hyphen.