Language/Amharic/Grammar/Pronouns-and-Greetings

Amharic Grammar → Basic Amharic Structure → Pronouns and Greetings

As a native speaker of Amharic and a seasoned Amharic language teacher, I am excited to teach you the basics of Amharic pronouns and greetings. In this lesson, you will learn how to introduce yourself, how to greet people in various settings, and how to identify pronouns in Amharic sentences.

Introducing Yourself

The first step in learning Amharic greetings is to be able to introduce yourself. To say "my name is" in Amharic, you would say "ismee" or "ismi" depending on your gender. For example:

• Ismee Berhanu. (My name is Berhanu for males.)
• Ismi Liya. (My name is Liya for females.)

You may also add the word "new" to the end of this phrase to make it sound more polite, especially in formal settings:

• Ismee Berhanu new.
• Ismi Liya new.

It is important to note that Amharic words have gender. Therefore, the way you introduce yourself can change based on your gender. For example, if you are a male, you would say "bekirstos" for "my house" while a female would say "bekirstosch".

Basic Greetings

Greeting people is an important part of Amharic culture. Here are some basic greetings in Amharic:

• Selam (Hello)
• Endemin aderesachu? (How are you?)
• Dehna neh? (Are you fine?)
• Ameseginalehu? (Thank you)
• Igziabher yimesgen. (God bless you)

When greeting people, it is customary to shake hands or give a slight bow. It is also common to use honorifics when addressing older people. For example, if you are greeting your grandfather or someone older than you, you should use the honorific "Ato" for males or "W/zo" for females.

Pronouns

Pronouns are an important part of any language, and Amharic is no exception. Here are the basic personal pronouns in Amharic:

Amharic	Pronunciation	English
እኔ	ene	I/me
አንተ	anta	you (singular/familiar)
እኛ	enna	we/us
እነሆ	ennehon	they/them

Notice that there are separate words for "you" depending on whether you are addressing one person (anta) or several people (antech).

There are also possessive pronouns in Amharic, such as "mine," "yours," and "theirs." Here are the basic possessive pronouns in Amharic:

Amharic	Pronunciation	English
እኔን	enen	mine
አንተን	antan	yours (singular/familiar)
እኛን	ennane	ours
እነሆን	ennehonane	theirs

Conclusion

In this lesson, you have learned how to introduce yourself, how to greet people, and how to identify pronouns in Amharic. These are the building blocks of Amharic conversation, and mastering them will help you become more confident in your language proficiency. In the next lesson, we will show you how to make basic sentences and questions using pronouns, nouns, and verbs in Amharic.

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

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Advanced Vocabulary

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

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Ethiopian Culture and Traditions

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

Related Lessons

• Pluralizing
• Compound sentence
• Question Words
• Personal pronouns
• Comparing and Contrasting
• bästä prefix
• Amharic Alphabets
• Give your Opinion
• Time Clauses
• Direct and Indirect Object Affixes

Sources

• Amharic Global Live Virtual Course
• Learn Amharic quickly - Fast, Easy & Fun
• Amharic Language Training Manual