Language/Amharic/Grammar/Adjectives-and-Adverbs

Amharic → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Basic Sentence Structure → Adjectives and Adverbs

Introduction to Adjectives and Adverbs in Amharic

Welcome to the “Complete 0 to A1 Amharic Course”. In this lesson, you will learn about two essential components of speech in Amharic: adjectives and adverbs. Adjectives and adverbs are words that modify other words. Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns, while adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Understanding how to use adjectives and adverbs correctly will help you to express yourself more precisely in Amharic.

Adjectives in Amharic

Formation of Adjectives

Adjectives in Amharic are formed by adding suffixes to the stem of the noun they modify. There are two types of suffixes: one for masculine nouns and one for feminine nouns. Here are the suffixes:

Gender	Suffix
Male	-u
Female	-et

Here are some examples of adjectives in Amharic:

Amharic	Pronunciation	English
ገብስ-ስም	Gebis-sim	Tall tree
እልፍ-አንድ	Ilif-And	One leaf
የብሩክ-በር	Yiburuk-ber	White goat
በሬ-ነሽ	Bere-nashi	My house

Position of Adjectives in Amharic Sentences

In Amharic, adjectives usually come after the noun they modify. Here are some examples:

• እንደ ስምኝ ቤት (Ende simenye bet) - Beautiful house
• እንደ ጥናት ቆልጦ መስራት (Ende tinit qoljo mesrat) - Difficult task

However, in some cases, the adjective can come before the noun:

• የጠማማ ወንድማማ ልጅ (Yete'mama wendimama lij) - Tallest boy
• በከፍተኛው ወንድ (Bekifetegnaw wend) - Oldest child

Comparison of Adjectives in Amharic

Like many other languages, in Amharic, you can compare adjectives using comparative and superlative forms. To form the comparative, you use the word “ብዛት” (bizat), which means “more than”. To form the superlative, you use the word “በዙሪያው” (bezuriyaw), which means “the most”. Here are examples:

• ቀለበት ብዛት በእንቅልፍ ላይ (qelebiba bizat benqilif lay) - Taller than a palm tree
• ጠቅላይ ብዛት በማንነት መስዋዕት (teqlay bizat benanet mesweat) - More difficult than science
• ብዛት በዙሪያው ጥልቅ ቀለበት (bizat bezuriyaw t'ilk qulebiba) - The tallest mountain

Adverbs in Amharic

Formation of Adverbs

Adverbs in Amharic are usually formed by adding the suffix “-n” or “-en” to the stem of the adjective they modify. In some cases, however, the adverb form is identical to the adjective form.

Here are some examples of adverbs in Amharic:

Amharic Adverb	Amharic Adjective	English
ጠብሳም	ጠብስ	Quickly
አልባሳም	አልባስ	Slowly
ማህበረሰብ	ማህበረት	Cleverly
መሃረም	መሃረ	Long ago

Position of Adverbs in Amharic Sentences

In Amharic, adverbs can be placed in various positions within a sentence. Here are some examples:

• ስምኝ ብቻ ተደረገ ጥንቃቄ ጠብሳም ያለበት ስታደርገው ድርጅቶችን ምን እንደሚሰማ (Simenye bicha tederege tenqaqi qibsam yalebet setadergaw dirijitochnen min ende misa) - Beautifully singing birds are hard to find.
• ሀበሻው ቁጥሩን ለብቻው ማሳየት አለበት (Habeshaw k'ut'uru lencha'aw masayet alebat) - Habesha speaks fluently

Comparison of Adverbs in Amharic

Adverbs in Amharic can be compared using similar structures used to compare adjectives. Here are some examples:

• ብዙም ጠብሳም የበለጸጉ ጥንቃቄ ነው (Bezum tebsam yebletsugu tenqaqi new) - Working quickly is always beneficial
• በተሰማ ጋራ በዙሪያው መንሳፈር ላይ ተደሰተ (Beteseuma gara bezuriyaw mennasafar lay t'edesit) - She travels the fastest in the universe.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have learned about adjectives and adverbs in Amharic. You now understand how to modify nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. You have also learned about the formation, position, and comparison of adjectives and adverbs. Keep practicing your Amharic, and stay tuned for the next lesson!

Table of Contents - Amharic Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Introduction to Amharic Alphabet

• Fidel and Syllables
• Pronunciation and Phonetics

  ---

Basic Vocabulary

• Greetings and Introductions
• Numbers and Counting
• Days of the Week and Months
• Colors and Shapes
• Family and Relationships

  ---

Basic Sentence Structure

• Nouns and Pronouns
• Verbs and Tenses
• Adjectives and Adverbs
• Prepositions and Conjunctions

  ---

Everyday Vocabulary

• Food and Drinks
• Clothing and Accessories
• Weather and Seasons
• Travel and Transportation
• Hobbies and Leisure

  ---

Intermediate Sentence Structure

• Negation and Questions
• Imperatives and Requests
• Expressing Possession
• Comparatives and Superlatives

  ---

Advanced Vocabulary

• Professions and Work
• Health and Body
• Education and Learning
• Nature and Environment
• Technology and Communication

  ---

Ethiopian Culture and Traditions

• Ethiopian Holidays and Festivals
• Ethiopian Cuisine
• Ethiopian Music and Dance
• Ethiopian History and Heritage

Related Lessons

• The Past Perfect Tense
• Fidel and Syllables
• Definite Direct Objects in the Simple Past
• Stem verbs
• Personal pronouns
• Time Phrases
• Using the Past Tense
• Time Adverbs
• Simple Past Tense Forms of Other Verbs (Negative)