Language/Tigrinya/Grammar/Subject-Verb-Object

Tigrinya → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Basic Sentence Structure → Subject-Verb-Object

Introduction

In this lesson you will learn the basic Tigrinya sentence structure, including the subject-verb-object order and how to form simple sentences. Understanding the basic sentence structure is essential in developing your proficiency in Tigrinya, as it lays the foundation for more complex sentences in the future.

Subject-Verb-Object Structure

The most commonly used sentence structure in Tigrinya is the subject-verb-object (SVO) order. In this structure, the subject appears at the beginning of the sentence, followed by the verb and then the object. Here is an example sentence in Tigrinya:

Tigrinya	Pronunciation	English
እያ	Eyā	I
ተመስገን	temesegen	am learning
ትግርኛ	Tigriñña	Tigrinya

Translation: I am learning Tigrinya.

As you can see from the example, the subject (I) comes first, followed by the verb (am learning), and then the object (Tigrinya). In this sentence, the verb is in the present tense, indicated by the suffix -ም (m), which is added to the root of the verb.

Here are some more example sentences in Tigrinya using the SVO structure:

• ሰላም || selām || Hello
• እንደምን ናት? || endemn nat? || How are you? (lit. What is there?)
• ኣምሓራር እምባርሃን። || Amhara embaRhan || Amhara is my friend.

Simple Sentences

A simple sentence in Tigrinya consists of a subject, a verb, and a complete thought. It expresses a single idea, and it can stand alone as a complete sentence. Here are some examples of simple sentences in Tigrinya:

• እያ መጣመር። || Eyā met’ammar || I woke up.
• ኣምሓራር ስራሕ ክልቲ እዩ። || Amhara saraH k’iliti eyu || Amhara ate breakfast.
• የብል ፈጣሪ ኣንስትዮ ሲያዝር ነይሩ። || Y’bel f’Tarī ansityo siyazir nayru || Yibel took a nap in the afternoon.

In each of these examples, there is a clear subject, a verb in the present tense, and a complete thought that expresses a single idea.

Word Order

In the SVO structure, the word order is subject-verb-object. This means that the subject comes first, followed by the verb and then the object. Here are some examples:

• እያ || Eyā || I
• ተመስገን || temesegen || am learning
• ትግርኛ || Tigriñña || Tigrinya

In this example, the subject (I) comes first, followed by the verb (am learning), and then the object (Tigrinya).

Here is another example:

• ኣምሓራር || Amhara || Amhara
• ስራሕ || saraH || ate
• ናት || nat || food

In this example, the subject (Amhara) comes first, followed by the verb (ate), and then the object (food).

In Tigrinya, the word order can be changed for emphasis or clarity. For example, you may want to emphasize the object by placing it at the beginning of the sentence:

• ትግርኛ || Tigriñña || Tigrinya
• እያ || Eyā || I
• ተመስገን || temesegen || am learning

In this example, the object (Tigrinya) comes first, followed by the subject (I), and then the verb (am learning).

Negation

Negation is the act of making a sentence negative. In Tigrinya, negation is often indicated by the use of a negation word. The most common negation word in Tigrinya is ነገር (nägär), which means "not". Here is an example:

• እያ መጣመር። || Eyā met’ammar || I woke up.
• ንኦሹ || no’ušu || didn't
• መጣመር || met’ammar || wake up

Translation: I didn't wake up.

In this example, the negation word (did not) comes after the subject (I) and before the verb (wake up).

Here is another example:

• ኣምሓራር ንምሑሩ ኣይደለው። || Amhara n’mehuru ayydellēwu || Amhara didn't come yesterday.

In this example, the negation word (didn't) comes after the subject (Amhara) and before the verb (come).

Negating verbs and other parts of speech follows different rules in Tigrinya. This will be covered in detail in a future lesson.

Conclusion

In this lesson, you learned the basic Tigrinya sentence structure, including the subject-verb-object order and how to form simple sentences. You also learned how to use negation to make sentences negative. Understanding the basic sentence structure is essential in developing your proficiency in Tigrinya, as it lays the foundation for more complex sentences in the future. So, keep practicing and studying, and soon you'll be able to speak Tigrinya with ease!

Table of Contents - Tigrinya Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Alphabet and Pronunciation

• Tigrinya Alphabet
• Pronunciation Rules

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-10
• Telling Time

  ---

Basic Sentence Structure

• Subject-Verb-Object
• Negation

  ---

Common Verbs and Actions

• Basic Verbs
• Everyday Actions

  ---

Asking Questions

• Question Words
• Yes/No Questions

  ---

Food and Dining

• Common Foods
• Dining Phrases

  ---

Tigrinya Culture and Traditions

• Important Holidays
• Traditional Clothing

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Noun Gender and Plurality
• Personal Pronouns

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationship Terms

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

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

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Travel Phrases

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Geography and History

• Geography of Eritrea and Ethiopia
• Historical Overview

Other Lessons

• Conditional Mood
• Noun Gender and Plurality
• Future Tense
• Adverbs of Time, Place, and Manner
• 0 to A1 Course
• Plurals
• Pronouns
• Adjectives
• Negation

Sources

• Tigrinya grammar - Wikipedia