Language/Amharic/Vocabulary/Telephone-Conversations

Amharic → Vocabulary → Telephone Conversations

As a language teacher who has been teaching Amharic for twenty years, it is my pleasure to accompany you through this lesson. In this module, you will learn how to make and receive phone calls in Amharic. This lesson is part of the larger "Complete 0 to A1 Amharic Course" where you will learn Amharic from scratch and reach the level of an independent user.

Take a moment to explore these relevant pages as you conclude this lesson: Asking Someone Who is Sick or Injured What is Wrong & Greetings and Introductions.

Vocabulary

Before diving into telephone conversations, let's start by learning some essential vocabulary:

Amharic	Pronunciation	English Translation
ስልክ	səlləkə	telephone
ስልክ ቁጥር	səllək qutər	phone number
መልዕክት	mäla’əkət	operator
መልዕክት ክፍል	mäla’əkət kifələ	customer service
ግንኙነት	ɡənənəyat	answering machine
መታየት	mätäyət	message
ግልጽ አድራሻ	ɡələts adərəsha	voice mail

Now that you know some basic vocabulary words, let's move on to some useful phrases.

- When answering the phone, you can say: እንደ ሰላም ይጠብቅ (’əndä selam yitəbak’ə) which means "Hello".

- When calling someone, you can say: ስምህ ላይ ነህ ፡፡ (simih läy näh) which means "You are on the line".

- To ask if you can speak to someone, you can say: የሚያንቀላጥቅ ምንድን ነዎት ? (yəmiyank’əlat’ək’ə məndən näwot?) which means "May I speak to...?"

- To take a message you can say: መልካም ያስገምግም እፈልጋለሁ (mälkam yasəɡämgəmä fälɡaləɡäluh) which means "I will let them know you called".

- To schedule a meeting or a call for a later time, you can say: ለአስተዳደር ቀን/ጊዜ/ሰዓት ፡፡ (lä’ästadadär qän/ɡize/sä’at) which means "for a (specific) date/time".

Useful Tips

- When making calls, make sure you have the correct phone number before dialing it.

- Speak clearly and slowly. If you are unsure about how to pronounce some words, you can always ask the person you are speaking to for help.

- Consider the time differences between your location and the location of the person you are calling.

- When using a mobile phone, make sure you have good network coverage to avoid discontinuity of communication.

- Don't be afraid to ask the person on the other end of the line to repeat themselves or clarify what they have said. It is better to take your time and understand the conversation fully than to make assumptions and misunderstand what is being discussed.

Practice Sentences

To help you practice your phone conversation skills, here are some example sentences:

- ስምህ ላይ ነህ ፡፡ (simih läy näh) - "You are on the line."

- ማስተዳደር ይስጥልኝ (mastadader yist’ələɡənə) - "Please call me back."

- ምንድን ነዎት ? (məndən näwot?) - "Who am I speaking to?"

- መጪው ፍሪካዎች በተመለከተ ቀን / ጊዜ / ሰዓታት ነው ፡፡ (mäch’iw frikawoch bätemäläkkätä qän/ɡize/sä’atat näw) - "Our interviews are scheduled for the (specific) date/time."

- የእርስዎን አስተዳደር አይደለም ፡፡ (yä’ərsiwon astadader aydeläm) - "We cannot reach you."

- የእርስዎ ፊደል ጠቀስልኝ (yä’ərsiw fidel təkkisələɡənə) - "I received your email."

- የእርስዎ ስልክ ቁጥር ምርጥ ነው (yä’ərsiw səllək’ qutər märət’ənəw) - "Your phone number is incorrect."

- ስምህ / ሃላፊነት / መማር / ቴሌቪዥን ? (simih/halafinät/mamar/televisyin?) - "What is your name / profession / address / television?"

- በፊት ቀኑ ይሆን ? (bəfit qänu yihon?) - "Can I speak to him/her later?"

- የተፈጥሮ ስልክ ቁጥራችን በማስገባት ፡፡ (yätäfət’ro səllək qut’äratchən bämasəɡäbat) - "Please update our phone number in your system."

I hope this lesson was helpful to you. Feel free to use these phrases in your next phone conversation. Stay tuned for more exciting lessons that will bring you closer to mastering the Amharic language.

Other Lessons

• Clinic
• Utensils
• Geometry
• Clothes
• Diseases
• How to Say Hello and Greetings
• Days of the week
• Family Members
• Dairy Products
• Sexual Advances (to a female)

Sources

• English to Amharic Meaning of conversation - ንግግር
• Basic Amharic Dictionary: Amharic-English, English-Amharic. Final ...
• English to Amharic Meaning of conversational