Meeting people in Amharic
How are you, what is your name, where are you from, I like it: the first five minutes. Play the ten Amharic words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.
All 10 Amharic phrases in this lesson
- α₯αα΄α΅ ααα΅?in-DET NE-wot
- How are you?
- α°α α ααα£ α₯ααα α₯αα ααα΅ααDEH-na negn, ig-zee-a-BHER yim-es-GEN
- I'm fine, thanks
- α₯αα΅αα΅?ir-SI-wos
- And you?
- α΅αα αα αα?SIM-wo MAN new
- What's your name?
- α΅α ... ααSI-me ... new
- My name is...
- α¨α¨α΅ ααα΅?ke-YET NE-wot
- Where are you from?
- α¨... ααke ... negn
- I'm from...
- αα΅ααααwe-di-JE-wa-le-hu
- I like it
- ααα ααKON-jo new
- It's beautiful
- α₯αα³α α°α α αα‘in-KWAN DEH-na ME-tu
- Welcome
The polite form. To a friend: "α₯αα΄α΅ αα ?" (in-DET neh) to a man, "α₯αα΄α΅ αα½?" (in-DET nesh) to a woman.
Literally "I am well, thanks be to God". Greetings in Ethiopia go back and forth several times.
The polite "and you?". To a friend: "α αα°α΅?" (AN-tes) to a man, "α ααΊα΅?" (AN-chis) to a woman.
Polite. Ethiopians use first names, even with officials, and the second name is the father's first name.
"α΅α α α αα" (SI-me A-na new), my name is Anna.
Polite form.
"α¨α«αα³ αα" (ke-KA-na-da negn), I'm from Canada.
Literally "I have loved it".
Konjo is the word for beautiful, said of places, food and people alike.
Literally "you came well". On signs and from every host.