The conditional as habitual past (dajdeboda - he would sit), optionally reinforced with kholme, vs its unreal reading.
I can narrate recurring past scenes with the habitual conditional.
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
პაპა საღამოობით დაჯდებოდა აივანზე და ძველ ამბებს გვიამბობდა.
In the evenings grandfather would sit down on the balcony and tell us old stories.
ზამთრობით მთელი უბანი ერთ ეზოში შეიკრიბებოდა ხოლმე.
In winters the whole neighborhood used to gather in one courtyard.
როცა წერილს მივიღებდი, ჯერ სურნელს ვყნოსავდი - ისე მენატრებოდა სახლი.
Whenever I received a letter, I would first smell it - that's how much I missed home.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
For repeated past scenes Georgian re-uses the conditional: დაჯდებოდა და გვიამბობდა (he would sit down and tell us). Layer ხოლმე on top for explicit habit. The same -დი form is unreal in if-sentences and habitual in memories - context decides, and C1 readers must hear both.
Apply this grammar in C1 course exercises
Practice ExercisesReading every -di form as unreal and flattening nostalgic scenes into aorist chains that sound like reports.
Aorist chains for habitual past scenes or misreading conditional forms as unreal
Nostalgia-narration drills: convert one-time aorist stories into habitual conditionals.
პაპა საღამოობით დაჯდებოდა აივანზე და ძველ ამბებს გვიამბობდა.
In the evenings grandfather would sit down on the balcony and tell us old stories.
dajdeboda - the conditional as habitual past: 'would sit down (each time)'.
ზამთრობით მთელი უბანი ერთ ეზოში შეიკრიბებოდა ხოლმე.
In winters the whole neighborhood used to gather in one courtyard.
Conditional + kholme doubles the habit marking - warm nostalgic narration.
როცა წერილს მივიღებდი, ჯერ სურნელს ვყნოსავდი - ისე მენატრებოდა სახლი.
Whenever I received a letter, I would first smell it - that's how much I missed home.
mivighebdi in a rotsa-clause: 'whenever I would receive' - iterated past condition.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in C1 course exercises