አማርኛ(Amharic)

/selam/

The universal Amharic greeting, literally meaning peace.

/tena yistilign/

A formal greeting, literally may He give you health on my behalf.

/endemen neh/

Asking a man how he is; to a woman say endemen nesh.

/dehna negn/

The standard reply to how are you.

/dehna hun/

A farewell to a man, literally be well; to a woman, dehna hugni.

/chaw/

A casual goodbye borrowed from Italian ciao, very common in Ethiopia.

/ameseginalehu/

The standard expression of gratitude.

/minim aydelem/

The reply to thanks, literally it is nothing.

/yikirta/

An apology, also used to get someone's attention politely.

/awo/

An affirmative answer.

/aydelem/

A negative answer.

/ishi/

The all-purpose Ethiopian word for okay, agreed, fine.

/simie ... new/

Used to introduce yourself by name.

/des bilognal/

Said when meeting someone, literally it has pleased me.

/enkuan dehna metah/

Welcoming a man; to a woman, enkuan dehna metash.

/melkam edil/

A wish for success, literally good fortune.

/letenachin/

A toast, literally to our health.

/algebagnem/

A useful phrase for learners when something is unclear.

/and/

The number one.

/hulet/

The number two.

/sost/

The number three.

/arat/

The number four.

/amist/

The number five.

/sidist/

The number six.

/sebat/

The number seven.

/simint/

The number eight.

/zetegn/

The number nine.

/asir/

The number ten.

/meto/

The number one hundred.

/shi/

The number one thousand.

/zare/

The present day.

/nege/

The day after today.

/tilant/

The day before today.

/ahun/

At the present moment.

/se'at/

An hour or clock; Ethiopian time counts from sunrise, six hours apart from Western time.

/dekika/

A period of sixty seconds.

/samint/

A period of seven days.

/amet/

A period of twelve months; the Ethiopian calendar has thirteen months.

/beteseb/

A group of people related by blood or marriage.

/inat/

A female parent.

/abat/

A male parent.

/wendim/

A male sibling.

/ihit/

A female sibling.

/wend lij/

A male child.

/set lij/

A female child.

/ayat/

A grandfather or grandmother; gender is added when needed.

/bal/

The man a woman is married to.

/mist/

The woman a man is married to.

/lij/

A young person; plural lijoch.

/gwadegna/

A person you know well and like.

/wend/

An adult male person.

/set/

An adult female person.

/astemari/

A person who teaches.

/temari/

A person who studies at school or university.

/gorebet/

A person who lives next to or near you.

/sew/

A human being; plural sewoch.

/wiha/

The clear liquid essential for life.

/shay/

A hot drink made from tea leaves, often spiced.

/buna/

Coffee — born in Ethiopia; the coffee ceremony is the heart of hospitality.

/injera/

The spongy teff flatbread that is Ethiopia's staple, plate, and cutlery in one.

/dabo/

A baked food made from flour and water.

/ruz/

A grain eaten as food.

/siga/

The flesh of animals; kitfo and tibs are famous meat dishes.

/doro/

A chicken; doro wat, spicy chicken stew, is the festive national dish.

/asa/

An animal that lives in water, eaten as food.

/inkulal/

An egg laid by a hen.

/atkilt/

Plants grown for food; fasting days make Ethiopia rich in vegetable dishes.

/frafre/

Sweet plant foods such as mangoes and bananas.

/mango/

A sweet tropical fruit.

/wetet/

A white drink produced by cows.

/chimaki/

A drink made from pressed fruit; layered avocado juice is a treat.

/sikuar/

A sweet substance added to food and drinks.

/chew/

A white substance used to season food.

/kurs/

The first meal of the day.

/misa/

The meal eaten in the middle of the day.

/irat/

The meal eaten in the evening.

/tej/

Ethiopia's golden honey wine, served in round flasks called berele.

/ayer marefia/

A place where airplanes take off and land.

/awroplan/

A flying vehicle with wings and engines.

/babur/

A connected line of carriages; Addis Ababa has Africa's first light rail.

/tabiya/

A place where trains or buses stop for passengers.

/awtobus/

A large road vehicle; blue-and-white minibuses rule Addis streets.

/taksi/

A car you pay to be driven somewhere in.

/hotel/

A place where travelers pay to stay overnight.

/migib bet/

A place where you pay to eat, literally food house.

/ketema/

A large town where many people live and work.

/geter/

Rural areas outside the city.

/menged/

A way for vehicles and people.

/pasport/

An official document needed for traveling abroad.

/tiket/

A piece of paper that allows you to travel or enter a place.

/karta/

A drawing showing streets, cities, or countries.

/bank/

A place where people keep and borrow money.

/gebeya/

A place where goods are sold; Merkato in Addis is Africa's largest open market.

/guzo/

The act of traveling to a place.

/tsehay/

The star that gives Earth light and warmth.

/chereka/

The bright object seen in the sky at night.

/kokeb/

A point of light visible in the night sky.

/semay/

The space above the earth where clouds and stars appear.

/baher/

A large body of water; Bahir Dar means sea shore, on Lake Tana.

/wenz/

A large natural stream; the Blue Nile springs from Ethiopia.

/terara/

A very high hill; the Simien Mountains are a world heritage site.

/den/

A large area covered with trees.

/zaf/

A tall plant with a trunk, branches, and leaves.

/abeba/

The colorful blossom of a plant; Addis Ababa means new flower.

/zinab/

Water that falls from clouds; the big rains come June to September.

/beredo/

Frozen water; hail and ice share the same word in Amharic.

/nefas/

Moving air that you can feel.

/ayer/

The condition of the air, or the air itself.

/insisa/

A living creature; Ethiopia has unique wildlife like the gelada and walia ibex.

/anbessa/

The lion, a national symbol of Ethiopia.

/sewinet/

The whole physical structure of a person.

/ras/

The top part of the body; also a historic noble title.

/ayn/

The part of the body used for seeing.

/joro/

The part of the body used for hearing.

/afincha/

The part of the face used for smelling and breathing.

/af/

The part of the face used for eating and speaking.

/ij/

The upper limb; eating injera by hand makes this word essential.

/igir/

The lower limb; Ethiopia is famous for its long-distance runners.

/lib/

The organ that pumps blood, also used for feelings and courage.

/tsegur/

The hair on a person's head.

/hod/

The front part of the body below the chest.

/hakim/

A person trained to treat sick people.

/hospital/

A place where sick people are treated.

/medhanit/

Something you take to treat an illness.

/tena/

The condition of the body and mind; it greets you inside tena yistilign.

/beshitegna/

An ill person; amognal means I feel sick.

/sira/

A job, or the activity of working.

/dirijit/

A business or organization.

/biro/

A room or building where people work at desks.

/aleka/

The person in charge at work.

/yesira balderaba/

A person you work with.

/sibseba/

An occasion when people come together to discuss something.

/genzeb/

Coins and banknotes; the Ethiopian currency is the birr.

/demoz/

The money you receive regularly for your work.

/computer/

An electronic machine used for work and entertainment.

/silk/

A device used for calling and messaging people.

/muya/

The type of work a person is trained to do.

/project/

A planned piece of work with a clear goal.

/denbegna/

A person who buys goods or services; also a loyal regular.

/wul/

A formal written agreement.

/astedadari/

The person who leads a company, office, or team.

/fabrika/

A building where goods are made with machines.

/bahil/

The art, customs, and traditions of a society.

/tarik/

The study of past events; Ethiopia's recorded history spans 3,000 years.

/kwankwa/

A system of words; Ethiopia has more than 80 languages.

/metsihaf/

Written pages bound together; Ge'ez manuscripts are centuries old.

/muzika/

Sounds arranged in a pleasing way; Ethio-jazz is loved worldwide.

/film/

A story shown in moving pictures.

/tibeb/

Creative work; the same word means wisdom.

/bete mezekir/

A building where important objects are shown; Lucy lives in the National Museum.

/be'al/

A special day of celebration; Timkat and Meskel draw huge crowds.

/haymanot/

Belief in and worship of a god or gods.

/mengist/

The group of people who rule a country.

/zena/

Reports about recent events.

/hibreteseb/

People living together in an organized community.

/limad/

A custom passed down through generations.

/mehon/

To exist or to become something.

/alegn/

Expresses possession; literally it exists to me.

/mehed/

To move from one place to another.

/memtat/

To move toward the speaker or a place.

/meblat/

To put food in your mouth; sharing from one plate is gursha culture.

/metetat/

To take liquid into your mouth and swallow it.

/mayet/

To notice something with your eyes.

/mesmat/

To notice sounds with your ears.

/menager/

To say words, to talk.

/manbeb/

To look at words and understand them.

/metsaf/

To form letters and words; Amharic uses its own fidel script.

/megzat/

To get something by paying money.

/meshet/

To give something in exchange for money.

/madreg/

To perform an action or create something.

/mesrat/

To do a job, or to make something.

/masseb/

To use your mind to form ideas or opinions.

/mefeleg/

To desire something, or to search for it — one verb for both.

/mewded/

To feel deep affection for someone or enjoy something.

/memar/

To gain knowledge or skill.

/maweq/

To have information or skill in your mind.

/mestet/

To hand something to someone.

/mewsed/

To pick something up or accept it.

/maginyet/

To find something or obtain it.

/merdat/

To make something easier for someone.

/mejemer/

To start doing something.

/mecheres/

To bring something to an end.

/metegnat/

To rest with your eyes closed at night.

/mekemet/

To rest on a seat, or to stay somewhere.

/tiru/

Of high quality or pleasant.

/metfo/

Of poor quality or unpleasant.

/tilik/

Of great size.

/tinish/

Of little size; also means a little bit.

/addis/

Recently made; Addis Ababa means new flower.

/arogit/

Having existed for a long time; an old person is shimagile.

/wetat/

Not old; also a noun meaning a youth.

/rejim/

Of great height or length.

/achir/

Of little height or length.

/muk/

Having a high temperature.

/kezkaza/

Having a low temperature; Addis nights are surprisingly cold.

/fetan/

Moving or happening quickly — like Ethiopia's marathon champions.

/zegemtegna/

Moving or happening without speed.

/wid/

Costing a lot; also means beloved in letters.

/rikash/

Costing little money.

/konjo/

Very pleasing to look at — one of Amharic's favorite words.

/kelal/

Not difficult, or not heavy.

/kebad/

Hard to do, or weighing a lot.

/asfelagi/

Having great value or significance.

/nitsuh/

Free from dirt.

/tafach/

Having a pleasant taste.

/tenkara/

Having great strength, or hard-working.

/min/

Used to ask about things.

/man/

Used to ask about people.

/yet/

Used to ask about places.

/meche/

Used to ask about time.

/lemin/

Used to ask about reasons, literally for what.

/indet/

Used to ask about manner; also part of greetings.

/sint/

Used to ask about quantity or price.

/yetinyaw/

Used to ask about a choice between things.

/yeman/

Used to ask about ownership.

/ende/

Expresses surprise or asks for confirmation.

/bet/

A building where people live; appears in many compounds like migib bet.

/kifil/

A room in a building, or a classroom.

/wet bet/

The room where food is prepared, literally stew house.

/metatebia bet/

The room for washing, literally washing house.

/megnta kifil/

The room where you sleep.

/ber/

The entrance to a room or building.

/meskot/

An opening in a wall with glass that lets in light.

/terepeza/

A piece of furniture with a flat top.

/wenber/

A seat with a back for one person.

/alga/

A piece of furniture for sleeping.

/libs/

Things you wear; the white shamma is traditional dress.

/chama/

Footwear.

/kulf/

A metal object used to open locks.

/televizhin/

A device for watching programmes and films.

/mebrat/

A device that gives light; also electricity in everyday talk.

/borsa/

A container with handles for carrying things.

/mestawet/

A mirror, or glass as a material.

/mabsel/

To prepare food by heating it.

/gizha/

The activity of buying things.

/yesamint mecheresha/

The end of the week, Saturday and Sunday.

/destegna/

Feeling pleasure and joy.

/desta/

The feeling of being happy; also a popular name.

/hazen/

The feeling of being unhappy.

/nidet/

The feeling of strong displeasure.

/firhat/

The feeling of being afraid.

/dikam/

The state of needing rest; dekmognal means I am tired.

/rehab/

The need to eat; rabegn means I am hungry.

/tim/

The need to drink; temagn means I am thirsty.

/chinket/

The feeling of being anxious.

/meselchet/

The feeling that something is not interesting.

/gugut/

The feeling of eager anticipation.

/megerem/

The feeling of wonder at something unexpected.

/fikir/

A deep feeling of affection; fikir eskemekabir means love unto the grave.

/tesfa/

The feeling that something good will happen; also a common name.