Language/Amharic/Grammar/Indirect-Object-Pronouns

Indirect Object Pronouns in Amharic

You can see in the dialog many uses of the indirect object pronoun:

ትገዢልኛለሽ tïgäžïlïñaläš? Will you buy for me?

ልግዛልሽ lïgïzalïš? Shall I buy for you?

ግዢልኝ gïžïlïñ. Buy for me.( to ♀)

[Note: ልግዛልሽ lïgïzalïš represents what is called the “jussive” form of the verb, which we will cover in detail in the next unit.]

Indirect object pronouns indicate “for whom” or “to whom” an action is done. Therefore, indirect objects include a form of the Amharic pronoun “lä”, which becomes shortened to “lï” when combined with the pronoun marker.

ል lï + pronoun marker

Note that when the pronoun marker starts with an “a”, as in “- አችሁ -aččïhu”, “-አት -at”, and “- አቸው-aččäw”, the “a” replaces the “ï” in “lï”.

In the simple past, imperative, and jussive forms, the indirect object is attached at the end of the verb:

• ትናንት እናቷ ስልክ ደወለችላት tïnant ïnnatua sïlk däwäläčïlat. Yesterday her mother called (to) her.

• ሂሳብ አምጣልን hisab amt’alïn. Bring (to) us the bill.

• ምሳ ላምጣልህ mïsa lamt’alïh? Shall I bring (to) you lunch?

In the compound imperfect (present-future) tense, the indirect object marker (lï + pronoun marker) is inserted within the verb as follows:

• እ ï- ገዛ gäza ል l እሽ ïš -አለሁ alähu እገዛልሻለሁ ïgäzalïšalähu
• ይ yï- ሰራ sära ል l አችሁ aččïhu -አል al ይሰራላችኋል yïsäralaččïhwal
• ት tï- ደውል däwïlï ል l -አቸው aččäw -አለች aläč ትደውልላቸዋለች tïdäwïlïlaččäwaläč

እንቁላል እገዛልሻለሁ їnk’ulal ïgäzalïšalähu. I will buy (for) you (f.) eggs.

እራት ይሰራላችኋል їrat yïsäralaččïhwal. He will make (for) you all dinner.

ላስተማሪዋ ትደውልላቸዋለች lastämariwa tïdäwïlïlaččäwaläč. She will call (to) her teacher (formal).

The second and third person plural forms require the insertion of a “ኡ -u-” before the object marker, and that the ending of the third person plural form reduces to simply “አል -al”.

• ቡና ያፈሉልናል buna yafälulïnal. They will boil coffee for us.

• ምሳ ትሰሩልናላችሁ mïsa tïsärulïñalaččïhu? Will you all make me lunch?

Don't hesitate to look into these other pages after completing this lesson: “to be” and “to have”, Direct and Indirect Object Affixes, Negation & Time Adverbs.

Source

https://www.livelingua.com/peace-corps/Amharic/Amharic%20Peace%20Corps%20Language%20Manual-2015.pdf

Other Lessons

• Pluralizing
• The Present Perfect Tense
• Negative Present Future Tense
• Time Phrases
• Simple Sentence
• Definite Direct Objects in the Simple Past
• Time Adverbs
• Expressing “Let me” or “May I” “Shall I”
• The Past Perfect Tense
• Simple Gerundive