Time Clauses: rotsa, sanam, rogorts k'i
The temporal connectors rotsa (when), sanam (while/until), rogorts k'i (as soon as) and their natural tense pairings.
I can build when/while/as-soon-as sentences across past, present, and future.
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
როცა თბილისში ჩამოვედი, ქართული არ ვიცოდი.
When I arrived in Tbilisi, I didn't know Georgian.
სანამ ხინკალს ელოდები, ღვინო დალიე.
While you wait for the khinkali, drink some wine.
როგორც კი მარშრუტკა მოვა, დაგირეკავ.
As soon as the marshrutka comes, I'll call you.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
When, while, as soon as
Three connectors carry most B1 time-talk: როცა/როდესაც (when), სანამ (while; with negation: until), როგორც კი (as soon as). Tenses pair naturally: past+past for stories, present+imperative for advice, future+future for plans - no special sequence-of-tense rules to memorize.
Using rodis (the question word) as a connector (*rodis movedi... for 'when I came') - the clause connector is rotsa/rodesats.
Common Error Patterns
Wrong tense pairing across rotsa/sanam clauses
Two-clause matching drills: pick the tense pair for each connector.
როცა თბილისში ჩამოვედი, ქართული არ ვიცოდი.
When I arrived in Tbilisi, I didn't know Georgian.
rotsa opens a past time-frame; the comma marks the clause boundary.
სანამ ხინკალს ელოდები, ღვინო დალიე.
While you wait for the khinkali, drink some wine.
sanam + present = 'while'; the main clause may be an imperative.
როგორც კი მარშრუტკა მოვა, დაგირეკავ.
As soon as the marshrutka comes, I'll call you.
rogorts k'i + future verb chains two future events in order.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in B1 course exercises