Language/Amharic/Vocabulary/Time-and-Numbers

Amharic → Vocabulary → 0 to A1 Course → Time and Numbers

Welcome to this exciting lesson on Time and Numbers in Amharic! Understanding how to tell time and count is essential for everyday communication, whether you're shopping, scheduling a meeting, or simply conversing with friends. Amharic, with its rich history and beautiful script, offers unique ways to express these concepts, and I'm thrilled to guide you through them.

In this lesson, we will cover the following topics:

Importance of Time and Numbers in Amharic

Understanding how to tell time and count in Amharic not only helps in daily conversations but also opens a window into Ethiopian culture and societal norms. Timekeeping is an integral part of life, and numbers form the foundation of many aspects of communication. From scheduling events to discussing prices, mastering these topics will enhance your conversational skills and give you confidence as you interact in Amharic.

Structure of the Lesson

1. Telling Time in Amharic

• Vocabulary related to time

• How to ask and answer questions about time

• Examples of telling time

2. Numbers in Amharic

• Basic numbers (1-10)

• Tens, hundreds, and thousands

• How to ask and answer questions involving numbers

• Examples of counting

3. Practice Exercises

• Engaging exercises to reinforce learning

• Detailed solutions and explanations

Telling Time in Amharic

Vocabulary Related to Time

To start off, let's familiarize ourselves with some essential vocabulary related to time. Here are key terms you'll need:

Amharic	Pronunciation	English
ሰአት	sä'at	hour
ወቅት	wäq't	time
እንደምን ነው?	endemïn new?	What time is it?
አስር	asïr	ten
በዓለም	bä'äläm	world (used in context of time)
ምሽት	mïšit	evening
ጠዋት	täwät	morning
ሌሊት	lélït	night
ወቅታዊ	wäq'tawi	current
ገና	gänä	still (as in time still remaining)

How to Ask and Answer Questions About Time

Now that you know some vocabulary, let’s explore how to ask and answer questions regarding time.

• Asking the Time:

• Question: እንደምን ነው? (Endemïn new?) - What time is it?

• Answering the Time:

• Answer: አሁን ሰአት ስምንት ነው (Ahuñ sä'at sïmïnt new) - It is eight o'clock now.

Examples of Telling Time

Here are some more examples to illustrate how to express time in Amharic:

Amharic	Pronunciation	English
በምሽት ሰአት ስምንት ነው	bämïšit sä'at sïmïnt new	It is eight in the evening.
ጠዋት ሰአት አምስት ነው	täwät sä'at amïst new	It is five in the morning.
ምሽት ሰአት አስር ነው	mïšit sä'at asïr new	It is ten in the evening.
ወቅት ምርቃት ነው	wäq't mïrq'at new	It is currently late.
ሁለት ሰአት እንደምን ነው?	hulät sä'at endemïn new?	What time is it? (It's two o'clock.)

Numbers in Amharic

Basic Numbers (1-10)

Let's dive into numbers! Knowing how to count is fundamental in any language. Here are the numbers from 1 to 10 in Amharic:

Amharic	Pronunciation	English
አንድ	and	one
ሁለት	hulät	two
ሶስት	sos't	three
አራት	arat	four
አምስት	amïst	five
ስድስት	sïdïst	six
ሰባት	säbat	seven
ስምንት	sïmïnt	eight
ዘጠኝ	zät'äñ	nine
ዐስር	asïr	ten

Tens, Hundreds, and Thousands

Once you have mastered the basics, you can easily move on to larger numbers. Here’s how to express tens, hundreds, and thousands in Amharic:

Amharic	Pronunciation	English
አስር	asïr	ten
ዐስር አንድ	asïr and	eleven
ዐስር ሁለት	asïr hulät	twelve
ሃያ	haya	twenty
ሰላሳ	sälasä	thirty
አርባ	arba	forty
አምስት ዐሥር	amïst asïr	fifty
ስድስት ዐሥር	sïdïst asïr	sixty
መቶ	mät'ö	hundred
አምስት መቶ	amïst mät'ö	five hundred
አምስት ሺ	amïst shi	five thousand

How to Ask and Answer Questions Involving Numbers

Just like with time, you will need to ask and answer questions involving numbers. Here are some examples:

• Asking About Quantity:

• Question: ከምን ይልቅ አለ? (Këmïn yïlïq ale?) - How many are there?

• Answering Quantity:

• Answer: አምስት ነኝ (Amïst nën) - There are five.

Examples of Counting

Here are some examples of how to express numbers in various contexts:

Amharic	Pronunciation	English
እንዴት ነው ስምንት ነው?	endät new sïmïnt new?	How many are there? (It's eight.)
እዚህ ዐሥር ይኖራል	ɨzih asïr yïnoral	There are ten here.
አምስት ሺ ነው	amïst shi new	It's five thousand.
ምን ይጠይቃል?	mïn yït'äyqal?	How much is this? (It's five.)
እንዴት ነው ዘጠኝ ይልቅ?	endät new zät'äñ yïlïq?	How many are there? (It's nine.)

Practice Exercises

Now it’s time to put what you’ve learned into practice! Here are some exercises to help you solidify your understanding.

Exercise 1: Telling Time

Translate the following sentences into Amharic:

1. It is three o'clock.

2. What time is it?

3. It is seven in the evening.

Solutions for Exercise 1

1. ሶስት ሰአት ነው (Sos't sä'at new.)

2. እንደምን ነው? (Endemïn new?)

3. ሰባት ምሽት ነው (Säbat mïšit new.)

Exercise 2: Counting

Write the Amharic numbers for the following numbers:

1. 4

2. 11

3. 1000

Solutions for Exercise 2

1. አራት (Arat)

2. ዐስር አንድ (Asïr and)

3. ሺ (Shi)

Exercise 3: Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks with the correct time or number:

1. እንደምን ነው? አሁን ሰአት ______ ነው (____).

2. ወቅት ______ ነው (____).

Solutions for Exercise 3

1. ስምንት (Sïmïnt)

2. ምርቃት (Mïrq'at)

Exercise 4: Matching Exercise

Match the Amharic numbers with their English equivalents:

1. ሃያ

2. አምስት

3. ግምት

a. Five

b. Twenty

c. Guess

Solutions for Exercise 4

1. b. Twenty

2. a. Five

3. c. Guess

Exercise 5: Create Your Own Sentences

Using the vocabulary you've learned, create your own sentences about time and numbers.

Solutions for Exercise 5

Example Sentences:

1. የምሽት ሰአት ነው እንደምን ነው? (It's evening, what time is it?)

2. ሰባት ይኖራል (There are seven.)

Additional Exercises

Feel free to create additional exercises based on your learning pace, and try to use both time and numbers in your conversations with classmates or friends.

Conclusion

Congratulations on completing this lesson on Time and Numbers in Amharic! By mastering these essential vocabulary and practice exercises, you're well on your way to becoming more fluent in your conversations. Remember that practice makes perfect, so keep using these phrases in your daily interactions. Until next time, happy learning!

Table of Contents - Amharic Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Introduction to Amharic Alphabet

• Fidel and Syllables
• Pronunciation and Phonetics

  ---

Basic Vocabulary

• Greetings and Introductions
• Numbers and Counting
• Days of the Week and Months
• Colors and Shapes
• Family and Relationships

  ---

Basic Sentence Structure

• Nouns and Pronouns
• Verbs and Tenses
• Adjectives and Adverbs
• Prepositions and Conjunctions

  ---

Everyday Vocabulary

• Food and Drinks
• Clothing and Accessories
• Weather and Seasons
• Travel and Transportation
• Hobbies and Leisure

  ---

Intermediate Sentence Structure

• Negation and Questions
• Imperatives and Requests
• Expressing Possession
• Comparatives and Superlatives

  ---

Advanced Vocabulary

• Professions and Work
• Health and Body
• Education and Learning
• Nature and Environment
• Technology and Communication

  ---

Ethiopian Culture and Traditions

• Ethiopian Holidays and Festivals
• Ethiopian Cuisine
• Ethiopian Music and Dance
• Ethiopian History and Heritage

Sources

• Amharic - Wikipedia
• LEARNING AMHARIC: English to Amharic, Alphabet tracing, Colors ...
• Pin auf My First Book of Amharic words

Other Lessons

• Education
• Asking Someone Who is Sick or Injured What is Wrong
• Sports
• Vegetables
• Asking for Help
• Numbers
• How to Say Hello and Greetings
• Phrases to Reject Sexual Advance
• Idiomatic Expressions
• Telephone Conversations