Language/Tigrinya/Grammar/How-to-Use-Have

Tigrinya Grammar - How to Use "Have"

Hi Tigrinya learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn how to use "have" in Tigrinya. "Have" is a very important verb in English as well as in Tigrinya, and it is used in various contexts. Therefore, it is crucial to understand its correct usage. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to use "have" correctly in your daily conversations. So, let's get started!

Consider exploring these related pages after completing this lesson: Future Tense & Adjectives.

The Verb "Have"

Before we start using "have", it is important to understand its meaning. In Tigrinya, the verb "have" can be translated as "ኣለዋ" (aléwa), "ምስልን" (məslən) or "እቲ ምንቅስቓስ ኣለዉ" (iti mink'səkas alu). As in English, "have" is an auxiliary verb, which helps to form many verb tenses in Tigrinya, such as the present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect. Therefore, it is a very important verb to master.

Using "Have" in the Present Perfect Tense

In Tigrinya, the present perfect tense is formed using the auxiliary verb "have" plus the past participle of the main verb. The past participle of regular verbs is formed by adding the suffix "-en" to their infinitive form. Here are some examples:

Tigrinya	Pronunciation	English
ማእኩ'ሞ ውደይ ኣሎዎ	ma'akʷumo wed'ye aləwo	I have eaten breakfast
ምግባር ጉዳይ ኣለዎ	migibar guday aləwo	He/she has written a report
ምእመካካ ተግደል ኣለኻ	mə'mekaka tagdəl aləka	You (plural) have learned the lesson

As you can see, in the above examples, the auxiliary verb "have" is followed by the past participle of the main verb, which means that the action has been completed in the past, but it has an effect on the present. In other words, the present perfect tense is used when there is a connection between the past and the present.

Using "Have" in the Past and Future Perfect Tense

Similar to the present perfect tense, the past and future perfect tense also require the auxiliary verb "have" followed by the past participle of the main verb. The only difference is that the past perfect uses the past participle, whereas the future perfect uses the future participle. Here are some examples:

Past Perfect Tense

The past perfect tense is used to describe completed actions in the past before another action in the past. For example:

Dialogue:

• Person 1: ኣሎዎ ካብ ቀይር ዝኽርካ ስለ መስራት ጌጋ መስሪያ ገብረእየን ስለ ኣይተላከብም። (aləwo kabi k'yerə zixrik'a səlla məsrat gega mesriya gebrehayn səlla ay'telakabəm.) I had eaten before going to the gym, so I didn't feel hungry.
• Person 2: እታ'ይ እንተስዓት ደይግበርኩም እንዲጠላ ተወሊድኩም ነበርኩም ስለ ስራ ምክንያት. (ətayi entəs'at deygiberəkum enditəla tewlidi'k'um nebarək'um səlla srə məkina.) You had already exercised by the time I arrived, and you were tired because of work.

From the above dialogue, we can see how the past perfect tense is used to convey that one action was completed before another action in the past.

Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect tense is used to describe an action that will be completed by a certain point in the future. For example:

Dialogue:

• Person 1: መውካእ ኣብ ልዕለት ዝኽርኩ ትኸድዱዋ? (mewk'ae ab le'eleth zikrik'u tikhed'duwa?) Will you have finished your work by evening?
• Person 2: እንተስዓት ስራ'ዶ ትኸድዶም ኣይተረሳምን። (entəs'at srado tikhedodm ayteresamən.) I will have finished my work by then.

From the above dialogue, we can see how the future perfect tense is used to describe completed actions at a certain point in the future.

Conclusion

In this lesson, we learned how to use "have" in Tigrinya. Remember, it is important to distinguish between the present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect tenses, as they convey different meanings. To improve your Tigrinya grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions! Don't forget to check out our Grammar section for more lessons.

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➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Having concluded this lesson, consider checking out these related pages: How to Use Be & Plurals.

Other Lessons

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

Sources

• Tigrinya grammar - Wikipedia
• Tigrinya Grammar (English and Tigrinya Edition ... - Amazon.com
• Tigrinya Grammar