Language/Tigrinya/Vocabulary/Basic-Verbs

Tigrinya → Vocabulary → 0 to A1 Course → Common Verbs and Actions → Basic Verbs

Tigrinya is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Eritrea and Ethiopia. In this lesson, you will learn common Tigrinya verbs, such as to be, to have, to go, and to do, as well as their conjugations and usage in sentences. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to form simple sentences using basic Tigrinya verbs.

To Be

"To be" is a fundamental verb that you will use in many Tigrinya sentences. In Tigrinya, the verb "to be" does not exist. Instead, speakers usually use the equivalent of the word "exist." Let's see some examples:

Tigrinya	Pronunciation	English
ኣብ	ab	(I) am
ኣብ	ab	(you, singular) are
እዩ	eyu	(he/she/it) is
መስመር እዩ	mesmer eyu	(we) are
መስመር እንደገና	mesmer endegena	(you, plural) are
መስመር እናተርዳን	mesmer enaterdan	(they) are

Note that Tigrinya does not have separate forms for masculine and feminine.

Sample sentences:

• ኣብ መንነት እዩ (ab mennenit eyu) - "I am a student."
• ኣብ ሰው ኣኽላት እናተርዳን (ab saw akhlatt enaterdan) - "They are good people."

To Have

In Tigrinya, as in English, the verb "to have" is used to show possession. The verb "to have" is expressed in Tigrinya using the verb "to be" (ኣብ), followed by the word for "with," which is "ብርሃን" (berhan). Here are some examples:

Tigrinya	Pronunciation	English
ብርሃን ኣብ ወንዱ	berhan ab wndu	I have a brother
ብርሃን እዩ ኣቶም	berhan eyu atom	He has a father
ብርሃን መስመር እናት	berhan mesmer enat	We have a sister

Sample sentences:

• ብርሃን ኣብ መንነት ይምልከት (berhan ab mennenit yimelk'ti) - "I have a degree."
• ብርሃን መንነት እዩ ዳንስ ዓሰር (berhan mennenit eyu dances aser) - "He has a B.A. in dance."

Basic Verbs

Apart from "to be" and "to have," here are some common Tigrinya verbs you should know:

Tigrinya	Pronunciation	English
መጽሔት	mestshet	to eat
ተንኮል	tenk'el	to drink
ኣብዚ	abzi	to come
ንምብር	nmbir	to go
ምስ	ms	to hear
ድሕሬ	dheheare	to see
ምርጫ	mrcha	to do/make
ከነው	keneaw	to want
እራስ	eres	to say
ነፍስ	nefes	to understand

Sample sentences:

• መጽሔት እቲ ገበያ ነዚ መንነት (mestshet eti gebeya neza mennenit) - "I eat this food."
• ኣብዚ እቲ ማንነት (abzi eti mannenit) - "You come here."
• ተንኮል እቲ ነገር (tenk'el eti nager) - "He drinks water."

Conjugation of Basic Verbs

The conjugation of some basic Tigrinya verbs changes according to the subject. Here's how to conjugate some basic verbs in the present tense:

	ኣ-	እ-	ይ-
Subject	abizena	izena	ikeal
I	መጽሔት ኣብዚ	መጽሔት እቲ	መጽሔት ይከዓል
You (sing.)	መጽሔት እቲ።	መጽሔት እቲ	መጽሔት እንደገና
He/She/It	መጽሔት እዩ።	መጽሔት እዩ	መጽሔት ይውል
We	መጽሔት መስመር ኣት	መጽሔት መስመር ንደገና	መጽሔት መስመር ይከዓል
You (pl.)	መጽሔት መስመር እንደገና	መጽሔት መስመር ንደገና	መጽሔት መስመር ይከዓል
They	መጽሔት እናተርዳን።	መጽሔት እናተርዳን	መጽሔት ይውል

Sample sentences:

• ምርጫ ለውጥ ተጠቀምቲ ወዲ ከነው (mrcha lewet ttek'emi wedi keneaw) - "I'm doing my homework because I want to."
• መጽሔት መምህር ኣብዚ (mestshet m'amhr abzi) - "You eat meat."
• ንምብር ኣብዚ (nmbir abzi) - "He is leaving."

Congratulations on completing this lesson! You are well on your way to gaining proficiency in Tigrinya. In the next lesson, we will learn vocabulary for everyday actions, such as eating, drinking, working, and sleeping, as well as their corresponding verbs.

Table of Contents - Tigrinya Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

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Greetings and Introductions

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Alphabet and Pronunciation

• Tigrinya Alphabet
• Pronunciation Rules

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-10
• Telling Time

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Basic Sentence Structure

• Subject-Verb-Object
• Negation

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Common Verbs and Actions

• Basic Verbs
• Everyday Actions

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Asking Questions

• Question Words
• Yes/No Questions

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Food and Dining

• Common Foods
• Dining Phrases

  ---

Tigrinya Culture and Traditions

• Important Holidays
• Traditional Clothing

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Nouns and Pronouns

• Noun Gender and Plurality
• Personal Pronouns

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Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationship Terms

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Adjectives and Adverbs

• Descriptive Adjectives
• Adverbs of Time, Place, and Manner

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Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Travel Phrases

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Geography and History

• Geography of Eritrea and Ethiopia
• Historical Overview

Other Lessons

• Feelings and Emotions
• Days of the Week
• Dining Phrases
• Basic Greetings
• Animals
• Everyday Actions
• Education
• Travel Phrases
• Greetings
• How to say Good Bye?