Language/Tigrinya/Grammar/Plurals

Tigrinya Grammar - Plurals

Hi Tigrinya learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will be exploring the plural form of Tigrinya nouns. As you delve deeper into the Tigrinya language, you will find that a lot of words have irregular plural forms. We will also touch on the cultural context of plurals in Tigrinya.
Make sure to read the entire article and take notes so you can fully understand this concept. Don't forget to practice what you learn and find someone to converse with using Tigrinya. You may also ask any questions on the Polyglot Club website.

Let's get started!

Plurals in Tigrinya

In Tigrinya, most of the time, the plural is indicated by adding the suffix "-at" or "-ot" to the singular form of the noun. For example:

Tigrinya	Pronunciation	English
hab	hahb	friend
hab-at	hahb-aht	friends
saho	s-aaw-hoh	student
saho-ot	s-aaw-hoh-oht	students
tselam	ts-eh-lahm	bird
tselam-at	ts-eh-lahm-aht	birds

As you can see in the examples above, the plural of the nouns "hab", "saho", and "tselam" are formed by adding the suffix "-at."

However, some nouns have irregular plurals. Here are a few examples:

Tigrinya	Pronunciation	English
ab	ahb	father
ab-aw	ahb-aw	fathers
imber	im-ber	finger
imb-sot	im-aws-oht	fingers

In the examples above, the noun "ab" has an irregular plural form "ab-aw." Similarly, the noun "imber" has an irregular plural form "imb-sot."

It is essential to remember the irregular plurals as they will be commonly used in Tigrinya.

Cultural Context

Plurals in Tigrinya can convey different contexts in different circumstances. For example, if you are invited to a Tigrinya house and you are offered one single cup of coffee, you can say "sebzi key iyu" which translates to "I want a second cup." The plural form is used instead of the singular form in this case. The usage of plurals conveys respect and politeness in this scenario.

Similarly, the Tigrinya people can use generic plurals in speech to convey plurality. For example, when speaking of a herd of cattle, the Tigrinya people do not use the plural for cattle but use the word "deki" which means "livestock."

Examples

Here is a dialogue so you can see the plural form in context:

• Person 1: ሓበት ኣያ? (habet ay-ya?) (How are your friends?)
• Person 2: ሓበታት ምንታይት ብማዕረጽ ኣሎ (habet-at m-ntae-it b-ma-ers al-lo) (My friends are always good)

Conclusion

Now that you understand how to form the plural in Tigrinya, you can practice using them in daily conversation. Remember, plurals convey different contexts in Tigrinya culture, so use them correctly to avoid misunderstandings. To improve your Tigrinya Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Sources

• Tigrinya grammar - Wikipedia
• Tigrinya/Grammar - LING073

Related Lessons

• Adjectives
• How to Use Have
• Questions
• Future Tense
• Pronouns
• Negation
• Conditional Mood
• How to Use Be