Language/Tigrinya/Vocabulary/Drinks
Hi Tigrinya learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn some vocabulary related to drinks in Tigrinya.
Consider broadening your understanding by checking out these related lessons: How to greet someone in the Tigrinya language, Days of the Week, Count to 10 & Food.
Basic vocabulary[edit | edit source]
Here are some essential words and phrases to help you navigate your way around Tigrinya drink menus:
| Tigrinya | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ዳቦ (dabo) | dah-bo | Bread |
| ማርኽት (marḵat) | mar-khat | Milk |
| ቅንጮት (qinčhot) | kin-choht | Juice |
| ሓርነት (ḥarnet) | har-net | Wine |
| ባሕሪ (baḥri) | bah-hree | Beer |
| ቢያ (biya) | bee-ya | Water |
| ብርቱካን (britukan) | bri-too-kahn | Soft drink/soda/pop |
Tea and Coffee[edit | edit source]
Tea and Coffee are an essential part of Tigrinya culture. Whether you are visiting friends or family, attending a meeting or just enjoying a day out, you will hear the question "Would you like some tea or coffee?". Here are some words/phrases related to tea and coffee:
Tea in Tigrinya[edit | edit source]
| Tigrinya | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ሻዕ (sha’e) | sha-ay | Tea |
| ቀማማ (kemama) | keh-mah-mah | Black tea |
| ጸቃጥ (s’qaṭ) | skat | Milk tea |
| ሻሸ (shasha) | sha-shah | Sugar |
| ክብረ ቡና (ḵeber buna) | keh-ber boo-nah | Coffee beans |
| ቡና (buna) | boo-nah | Coffee |
| የባንና መንጎ (yebanna mengo) | yeh-bahn-nah men-goh | Coffee ceremony |
Coffee Ceremony[edit | edit source]
In Tigrinya culture, coffee is often served during a special ceremony. Here is a dialogue between two friends attending a coffee ceremony:
- Person 1:ሰላም! ሕድሩ ምርኣይ ኩሉ ኣብ ክቡር? (Selam! Hḕḍiruy mr'ay kulū abu kebur?) (Hello! How are you all? Are the coffee beans roasted yet?)
- Person 2: እንታይ ፍስሓ፥ ብቐሊል ዘይኮነኒ ነዚ ኮፈ ኣይኮኑ ፣ ኣድሓኖም ቐረብ ዘይኮነናልና ምስ ባንኩ ኣለኹ ኣብ ውሽጢ ኣብዚ ግን ሓደ ዝፍቀደሉ ፣ ኣምሓራ ሓደ ዝስሕርሉ ከምዝያዳ ዘርሞ ይሽሕበታሉ፣ እቲ ግን ንህዝብካ ናብ ምክትል ቀደም ኣብ ሽሕ ትፈልጦ። (Entay fiša, bẖkīl zeykonne nēz kofe ayk’onu, aḍḥanno ḵerreb zeykonne-nallanna, ms ban’ku allaḵu ab ḥmes qum yefqadelu, amḥara ḥde zesḥṛelu k’mez’yada ẓormo yšȧḥrulu, eti kğnṣbeka nābbi mikt’il ḵadam ab šiḥ tefelǧo.) (Not yet my friend. They are still roasting the coffee beans. We also have different snacks to go along with it. In the meanwhile, let's chat and catch up!)
Coffee in Tigrinya Culture[edit | edit source]
Coffee has been an important part of Tigrinya culture for centuries. The traditional Tigrinya Coffee ceremony is an important cultural experience that is often shared with friends and family. During the coffee ceremony, freshly roasted coffee beans are ground and brewed, and the coffee is served in small cups. The ceremony is also an opportunity to socialize, and it is customary to ask guests to share their news and stories, creating a bond between the host and guests.
Alcoholic Drinks[edit | edit source]
In Tigrinya culture, the consumption of alcoholic beverages is relatively low. However, beer and wine are still enjoyed in social gatherings. Here are some words/phrases related to alcoholic drinks:
| Tigrinya | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ናይ ሓርነይ (nay ḥarney) | nye har-nay | Glass of wine |
| ራብዖ (rabio) | rah-bee-oh | Red wine |
| ኢትዮ ሓርነይ (’ityo ḥarney) | ee-tyoh har-nay | Ethiopian beer |
| ባሕሪ ጥራሕ (baḥri traḥ) | bah-hree trah | Cold beer |
Mocktails and Cocktails[edit | edit source]
Not everyone drinks alcohol, and it's always good to have non-alcoholic options available. Whether you're looking for something fruity or fizzy, mocktails are the perfect way to enjoy a delicious drink without the buzz. Here are some words/phrases related to mocktails:
| Tigrinya | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ቅኔት ስትስ (qinnet stes) | kin-net sṭes | Virgin Mojito |
| ቅኔት ቡዳ (qinnet buda) | kin-net boo-da | Virgin Margarita |
| ቅንጮት ዩጋንዳ (qinčhot yuganda) | kin-choht yoo-gan-dah | Fruit Punch |
Ordering in a Tigrinya Restaurant[edit | edit source]
When you visit a Tigrinya-speaking restaurant, you might not be familiar with the items on the menu. But don't worry, asking for help is always a good idea. Here is a dialogue between a customer and a server:
- Customer: ሰላም ባህላዊ ባሕሪ እንተማሕቲ ምዝገባ እቲ ጌታ እዩ ሓደ እዩ ኩሎ? (Selam bahlawi bahri enta'mahti mzgebah eiti gjta eyu ḥde eyu kulō?) (Hello, can I please have the house beer and the special dish?)
- Server: እቲ ፍሉጀሩ ዘተሓቢሩ ባሕር ብብርቱካን ቡዝን ክትርኸብ ኢዩ ኣብ ንመንጎ ምድረት ምስ ኢና ምድረት የቕሲ (eti f'leururu zet'habiru bahri bibrutukan buzn ketr'hkb iyu ab naman'go mdhrt ms ina mdhrt yeks'ii) (Here is our famous beer served in a soft drink glass to keep it cool and our special starter dish of seasoned injera bread with a choice of meat)
- Customer: እዚ እቲ ጌታ ተደእብቲ ኣብ እንታይ በሕዝቲ ኣገልግሎትን ኢልራ ከም ኣርእስታ ምድረት ክትርኸብ ኢና ጌታ ነዛ በቕድሚ ፍልልይ ክጥበባ ክፍል ኣሎ። (Eze eti gjta tedebiti ab entay bhezti agglgolotin Elra km arʿistay mdhrt ketrhkb ina gjta neza bekdimi flellie ktbba kfla'alu.) (This looks great! I am excited to try this special dish and thank you for your recommendations!)
Conclusion[edit | edit source]
That's all for now. To improve your Tigrinya Vocabulary, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions! Don't forget to check out other Tigrinya vocabulary lessons on the website.
➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎
Sources[edit | edit source]
Impressive work on finishing this lesson! Explore these additional pages to enhance your understanding: Fruits, Express Surprise, Feelings & Health.
Videos[edit | edit source]
መለማመዲ ቃላት መስተ - 10 Tigrinya Words On Drinks - YouTube[edit | edit source]
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]
- Count to 10
- Greetings
- Feelings
- Feelings and Emotions
- Months of the year
- Express Surprise
- Geography
- How to say Good Bye?
- Education