Language/Amharic/Grammar/How-to-Use-Have
Hi Amharic learners! π
In this lesson, we will learn how to use the verb "have" in Amharic.
Finish this lesson and explore these related pages: Using the Subjunctive & Personal pronouns.
The Verb "Have"[edit | edit source]
In Amharic, the verb "have" is translated as "α₯αα°αα αα" (endizihe new). It is often used to express possession, ownership or affiliation.
Examples:
| Amharic | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| "α¨α ααα«α αα α" | "yenΓ© melkam meten" | "I have a nice car" |
| "αααα α α΅ααα αααα¨α΅ α ααα»ααΉα αα" | "hulunm bemetekikil memalket alematchalachu new" | "You all have the ability to learn quickly" |
| "α₯αα΅α α¨ααα¨α³α ααα₯αα" | "enatihum yenimerasaw honobinishagnal" | "Your mother has a beautiful garden" |
Note that in Amharic, the verb "have" does not change according to the subject. It is always "α₯αα°αα αα" (endizihe new).
How to Express "Have Not"[edit | edit source]
To express "have not" in Amharic, we add the negation particle "α α" (ayi) before "αα" (new).
Examples:
| Amharic | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| "α³α²α«α α΅ααΎα₯α" | "tadiyan dimijot'bign" | "Tadiyan doesn't have a pen" |
| "α₯αα α΅αα£α α ααα°α" | "buzhum sil'etan ayinot'etam" | "We don't have many options" |
Note that the negation particle "α α" (ayi) can also be used to express negation with other verbs.
How to Ask if Someone Has Something[edit | edit source]
To ask if someone has something, we can use the question word "α₯α΅α«αα?" (esekahun) before the verb "αα" (new).
Examples:
| Amharic | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| "α³α²α«α αα₯α» α αα΅?" | "tadiyan gebicha alut?" | "Does Tadiyan have a camera?" |
| "α αΆ ααα₯ α αα°αα α₯αα α°α α«α α₯α α α°αα αα" | "ato hayib ayitahal belwe tete'yaki' timkem tetkebe'len" | "We asked Mr. Haib if he had any good news" |
Practice Dialogue[edit | edit source]
- Person 1: "αα α α΅α¨α₯αααα" (kula askibr'halehu) - I have a cat
- Person 2: "αα ααα¨α₯α αααα¨α΅ ααααα?" (kula lemekibr' memalket yifeligalhu?) - Can you train the cat?
- Person 1: "α α α ααα α αα΅ αα°αα" (awo bekalalu t'elat yisemal) - Yes, it can be trained with treats.
Conclusion[edit | edit source]
That's all for using the verb "have" in Amharic! Practice and enjoy using it in your conversations. To improve your Amharic Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!
β‘ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
β‘ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. π
Great work on completing this lesson! Take a moment to investigate these connected pages: Basic Prepositions and Adverbs & Expressing βLet meβ or βMay Iβ βShall Iβ.
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]
- The Past Perfect Tense
- Simple Sentence
- βto beβ and βto haveβ
- Conditional Mood
- Expressing βLet meβ or βMay Iβ βShall Iβ
- Negation
- Definite direct objects in the present and future tense
- The Present Perfect Tense
- The Past and Present Continuous Tenses
- Compound sentence
Sources[edit | edit source]
- Amharic - Wikipedia
- Development of Amharic Grammar Checker Using Morphological ...
- Amharic Global Live Virtual Course