The Screeve Map: Three Series, Three Case Frames
The three-series architecture of Georgian verbs and the case frame each series imposes (NOM/ERG/DAT).
I can classify any verb form into its series and predict the case frame of the sentence.
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
ნინო წერილს წერს - ნინომ წერილი დაწერა - ნინოს წერილი დაუწერია.
Nino writes a letter - Nino wrote a letter - Nino has apparently written a letter.
სერია რომ იცვლება, ბრუნვებიც იცვლება.
When the series changes, the cases change too.
გაკვეთილს ვამთავრებ, გავათავე? არა - დავამთავრე და დამიმთავრებია.
I finish the lesson, I finished it, and I have apparently finished it.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
The whole verb system on one page
Georgian tense-mood forms (screeves) group into three series, and each series dictates the subject's case: Series I (present, imperfect, future) - nominative; Series II (aorist, optative) - ergative for transitives; Series III (perfects) - dative. Once you classify the form, every case in the sentence follows automatically. This map turns three years of confusion into one look-up.
Treating each tense's case pattern as a separate arbitrary rule instead of reading it off the series; ergative leakage into Series I.
Common Error Patterns
Case marking that contradicts the verb's series
Series-spotting drills: classify the verb form, then check every noun's case.
ნინო წერილს წერს - ნინომ წერილი დაწერა - ნინოს წერილი დაუწერია.
Nino writes a letter - Nino wrote a letter - Nino has apparently written a letter.
One sentence through all three series: Nino (NOM) - Ninom (ERG) - Ninos (DAT).
სერია რომ იცვლება, ბრუნვებიც იცვლება.
When the series changes, the cases change too.
The master rule of Georgian morphosyntax in one line.
გაკვეთილს ვამთავრებ, გავათავე? არა - დავამთავრე და დამიმთავრებია.
I finish the lesson, I finished it, and I have apparently finished it.
Same verb wearing the uniforms of all three series - learn to spot the uniform, not just the verb.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in B2 course exercises