Language lesson
πͺπΉ Amharic
Amharic is Ethiopia's working language and one of the few African languages with its own indigenous script, the Ge'ez fidel, where each character is a syllable.
- Spoken in
- Ethiopia
- Speakers
- About 35 million speakers
- Language family
- Afro-Asiatic Β· Semitic branch
Lesson one
How it sounds.
Not tonal. It has 'ejective' consonants (p', t', k') made with a small pop of air.
Say it out loud
Seven phrases to start with.
- α°αα Β· SelamHello / peacesay it: seh-LAM
- α₯αα°αα α α°α© Β· Endemin aderuGood morning (formal)say it: en-deh-min a-DEH-roo
- α°α α αα Β· Dehna naΓ±I am finesay it: DEH-na naΓ±
- α αα°αααα Β· AmeseginalehuThank yousay it: a-meh-seg-na-LEH-hu
- α₯α£αα Β· EbakihPleasesay it: eh-BA-kih
- α΅α β¦ αα Β· Sime β¦ newMy name isβ¦say it: SEE-meh β¦ new
- α»α Β· ChawByesay it: chow
Behind the words
Culture notes.
- The Ethiopian calendar has 13 months and runs about seven years behind the Gregorian one.
- Coffee was first cultivated here; the buna ceremony can last hours and is an invitation, not a drink order.
- Ge'ez script is also used for Tigrinya and for church liturgy.
Practise today: Say 'Selam' on arrival and 'Ameseginalehu' when you are served coffee.