Language/Tigrinya/Vocabulary/Telling-Time

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Tigrinya → Vocabulary → 0 to A1 Course → Telling Time

Welcome to our lesson on Telling Time in Tigrinya! Understanding how to tell time is a vital skill in any language, and it plays a crucial role in daily life. Whether you're planning a meeting, catching a bus, or simply checking how long until dinner, knowing how to express time in Tigrinya will enhance your communication skills and deepen your understanding of the culture.

In this lesson, we'll cover:

• Basic Vocabulary: Essential words and phrases related to time.

• Asking about Time: How to ask questions about the time.

• Telling Time: How to express the time in hours and minutes.

• Practice Scenarios: Exercises to reinforce your learning.

By the end of this lesson, you'll be equipped with the vocabulary and structures needed to confidently talk about time in Tigrinya. Let’s jump in!

Basic Vocabulary

Before we can tell time, we need to learn some key vocabulary. Below is a list of essential terms related to time in Tigrinya.

Tigrinya	Pronunciation	English
ሰኣት	sä'at	hour
ዓለት	'alet	minute
ቀን	qän	day
ምሽት	mïshït	night
ጥዋት	t'wat	morning
ከረባ	k'ärba	afternoon
ወርሓ	wärha	week
ኣመት	'ämet	year
ነገር	nägär	clock
ቀደም	qädäm	before
ወይን	wäyin	after

Asking about Time

Now that we have the vocabulary, let’s learn how to ask about the time. The following phrases will be useful for inquiring about the time of day.

Tigrinya	Pronunciation	English
ሰኣት ምን እየ?	sä'at mïn 'iyey?	What time is it?
ኣብ ምሽት ተሪፉ?	ab mïshït tärifü?	What time in the evening?
ዓለት ምን እየ?	'alet mïn 'iyey?	How many minutes?
ኣብ ቀን ከመይ እየ?	ab qän kämaiy 'iyey?	What time during the day?

Telling Time

When telling time in Tigrinya, we often use a structure that combines the hour and minutes. Here’s how it's generally structured:

• For the hour: Use the word for hour (ሰኣት) followed by the numeral.

• For the minutes: Use the word for minute (ዓለት) followed by the numeral.

Let's explore some examples:

Tigrinya	Pronunciation	English
1 ሰኣት	1 sä'at	1 o'clock
2 ሰኣት እዩ	2 sä'at 'iyu	It's 2 o'clock
3 ሰኣት እንደ ዓለት 10	3 sä'at 'ända 'alet 10	It's 3:10
4 ሰኣት እንደ ዓለት 30	4 sä'at 'ända 'alet 30	It's 4:30
5 ሰኣት እንደ ዓለት 45	5 sä'at 'ända 'alet 45	It's 5:45
6 ሰኣት ወይን 15	6 sä'at wäyin 15	It's 6:15
7 ሰኣት ወይን 5	7 sä'at wäyin 5	It's 7:05
8 ሰኣት ቀደም 20	8 sä'at qädäm 20	It's 8:20
9 ሰኣት ቀደም 10	9 sä'at qädäm 10	It's 9:10
10 ሰኣት ወይን 30	10 sä'at wäyin 30	It's 10:30

Practice Scenarios

Now that you are familiar with the vocabulary and structures, let’s practice! Here are some exercises to help reinforce your learning.

Exercise 1: Translate the following sentences into Tigrinya.

1. What time is it?

2. It’s 3:15.

3. What time in the afternoon?

4. It’s 5:30.

5. It’s 7:45.

Solutions:

1. ሰኣት ምን እየ?

2. 3 ሰኣት ወይን 15.

3. ኣብ ከረባ ተሪፉ?

4. 5 ሰኣት እንደ ዓለት 30.

5. 7 ሰኣት እንደ ዓለት 45.

Exercise 2: Fill in the blanks with the correct time.

1. 4 ሰኣት ቀደም ___.

2. 10 ሰኣት ወይን ___.

3. 2 ሰኣት ___.

4. 1 ሰኣት ወይን ___.

5. 9 ሰኣት እንደ ዓለት ___.

Solutions:

1. 20

2. 10

3. 30

4. 15

5. 45

Exercise 3: Create sentences using the following times.

1. 6:00

2. 8:15

3. 11:30

4. 12:45

5. 3:05

Solutions:

1. 6 ሰኣት እዩ.

2. 8 ሰኣት ወይን 15.

3. 11 ሰኣት እንደ ዓለት 30.

4. 12 ሰኣት ቀደም 15.

5. 3 ሰኣት ወይን 5.

Exercise 4: Ask the time using Tigrinya phrases for the following situations.

1. At night.

2. In the morning.

3. In the afternoon.

4. During the day.

5. On the weekend.

Solutions:

1. ሰኣት ምን እየ? (ምሽት)

2. ሰኣት ምን እየ? (ጥዋት)

3. ሰኣት ምን እየ? (ከረባ)

4. ሰኣት ምን እየ? (ቀን)

5. ሰኣት ምን እየ? (ወርሓ)

Exercise 5: Match the Tigrinya time expressions with their English meanings.

1. ምሽት

2. ጥዋት

3. ከረባ

4. ቀን

5. ወርሓ

Solutions:

1. Night

2. Morning

3. Afternoon

4. Day

5. Week

Exercise 6: Write the time in Tigrinya for the following times.

1. 4:40

2. 1:10

3. 5:25

4. 8:50

5. 9:05

Solutions:

1. 4 ሰኣት ወይን 40.

2. 1 ሰኣት ወይን 10.

3. 5 ሰኣት እንደ ዓለት 25.

4. 8 ሰኣት ቀደም 10.

5. 9 ሰኣት ወይን 5.

Exercise 7: Listen to a native speaker (if available) and write down the time they say in Tigrinya.

Note: This exercise may require a real-time interaction with a speaker.

Exercise 8: Describe a daily routine using Tigrinya time expressions.

For example: "I wake up at 6:00."

Solutions will vary based on individual routines.

Exercise 9: Create a short dialogue asking and telling the time.

Example:

• Person A: ሰኣት ምን እየ?

• Person B: 3 ሰኣት እዩ.

Solutions will vary based on creativity.

Exercise 10: Use a clock to practice telling time in Tigrinya.

Draw a clock and label the hours and minutes in Tigrinya.

Solutions will vary based on the individual drawings.

Congratulations on completing the lesson! Practice regularly to improve your fluency in telling time in Tigrinya. Remember, the more you practice, the easier it will become.

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

  ---

Geography and History

• Geography of Eritrea and Ethiopia
• Historical Overview

Sources

• Tigrinya Vocabulary
• Tigrinya Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
• Useful phrases in Tigrinya

Other Lessons

• Numbers 1 10
• Everyday Actions
• Days of the Week
• Clothes
• Colors
• Basic Greetings
• Express Surprise
• Health
• Dining Phrases

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