Was Done

Level 5

In the past, the passive takes a preverb: დაიწერა (was written), აშენდა (was built).

How It Works

The past passive tells what was done to something. Like the future, it has the verb's preverb:

PresentPast
იწერება (is written)დაიწერა (was written)
იყიდება (is for sale)გაიყიდა (was sold)
იკეტება (closes)დაიკეტა (closed)
შენდება (is being built)აშენდა (was built)

These verbs are becoming verbs, so the subject stays in the nominative in the past too: სახლი გაიყიდა (the house was sold).

Some of them say what happened by itself, with no doer at all: კარი გაიღო (the door opened). Others name events in a life: მე ქუთაისში დავიბადე (I was born in Kutaisi).

The past passive is common in history and news: ვეფხისტყაოსანი მეთორმეტე საუკუნეში დაიწერა (The Knight in the Panther's Skin was written in the twelfth century).

Examples (5)

  1. ეს ეკლესია მეთერთმეტე საუკუნეში აშენდა.

    This church was built in the eleventh century.

    აშენდა: was built.

  2. ვეფხისტყაოსანი მეთორმეტე საუკუნეში დაიწერა.

    The Knight in the Panther's Skin was written in the twelfth century.

    დაიწერა: was written.

  3. სახლი სწრაფად გაიყიდა.

    The house sold quickly.

    სახლი stays nominative.

  4. მე ქუთაისში დავიბადე.

    I was born in Kutaisi.

    The I-form of დაიბადა.

  5. კარი თავისით გაიღო.

    The door opened by itself.

    No doer at all.

Common Mistakes

  • Giving the passive subject -მა.

    სახლმა სწრაფად გაიყიდა.
    სახლი სწრაფად გაიყიდა.

    A passive is a becoming verb, so its subject has no -მა in the past.

How It Connects

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

Was DoneLevel 5

Learn This First

The past passive is the simple past of the ი- passive.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.