Word Order and Focus: The Pre-Verb Spotlight
SOV as default, the pre-verb focus slot, topic fronting, and answering questions in the spotlight position.
I can use word order to highlight what matters and structure information naturally.
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
ხინკალი დათომ მოამზადა - არა ნინომ!
It was Dato who made the khinkali - not Nino!
სად მუშაობ? - ბანკში ვმუშაობ.
Where do you work? - I work at a bank.
ღვინო კახეთიდან ჩამოვიტანე, ყველი კი - სვანეთიდან.
The wine I brought from Kakheti, and the cheese - from Svaneti.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
The spotlight slot
Georgian's neutral order is SOV, but the real rule is simpler: the position right BEFORE the verb is the spotlight. Whatever answers the current question goes there - ხინკალი დათომ მოამზადა (it was DATO who made it). Old information drifts left, the verb anchors the end.
Rigid SVO from English and burying the answer to a question far from the verb.
Common Error Patterns
Focus stranded after the verb or rigid English SVO throughout
Question-answer drills: place the answer in the pre-verb slot.
ხინკალი დათომ მოამზადა - არა ნინომ!
It was Dato who made the khinkali - not Nino!
The pre-verb slot carries the focus: Datom right before moamzada answers 'who?'.
სად მუშაობ? - ბანკში ვმუშაობ.
Where do you work? - I work at a bank.
The answer to a question word sits in the same pre-verb slot the question word used.
ღვინო კახეთიდან ჩამოვიტანე, ყველი კი - სვანეთიდან.
The wine I brought from Kakheti, and the cheese - from Svaneti.
Topic fronting + k'i: known things first, the news before the verb.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in B2 course exercises