Language/Amharic/Grammar/Using-the-Past-Tense

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Amharic → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Using the Past Tense

Welcome to today's lesson on Using the Past Tense in Amharic! This is an exciting step in our journey to mastering the Amharic language. Understanding how to express actions that have already occurred is essential, as it allows us to share our experiences and tell stories from the past. In this lesson, we will break down the past tense in Amharic, explore its conjugation rules, and practice using it in sentences.

Outline of the Lesson:

1. Introduction to the Past Tense

2. Conjugation Rules for Regular Verbs

3. Examples of Regular Verbs

4. Conjugation Rules for Irregular Verbs

5. Examples of Irregular Verbs

6. Practical Exercises

7. Conclusion

Introduction to the Past Tense

The past tense in Amharic is used to describe actions that have already taken place. It is crucial in storytelling, discussing previous events, and sharing personal experiences. In Amharic, the verb forms change significantly based on the subject pronoun, which makes understanding these conjugations vital for effective communication.

Conjugation Rules for Regular Verbs

In Amharic, regular verbs typically follow a standard pattern when conjugating into the past tense. The root of the verb is modified by adding specific suffixes depending on the subject pronoun.

1. For masculine singular subjects: Add -ነው (new) to the root.

2. For feminine singular subjects: Add -ነች (nech) to the root.

3. For plural subjects: Add -ነን (nen) for the first person, -ነሽ (nesh) for the second person, and -ነሉ (nalu) for the third person.

Let's take a closer look with some examples:

Amharic	Pronunciation	English
እኔ ተመልሻለሁ	ʔɨne t'ɛmälɨšalɨhu	I returned
አንቺ ተመልሻሽ	ʔančɨ t'ɛmälɨšäš	You (feminine) returned
እኛ ተመልሻን	ʔɨnǝ t'ɛmälɨšan	We returned
እናንተ ተመልሻች	ʔɨnānɨtʰä t'ɛmälɨšatʃ	You (plural) returned
እነ ተመልሻሉ	ʔɨnɨ t'ɛmälɨšalu	They returned

Examples of Regular Verbs

Let’s look at more examples of common regular verbs in the past tense:

Amharic	Pronunciation	English
እኔ አመሰግናለሁ	ʔɨne ʔämasägnalɨhu	I thanked
አንቺ አመሰግናለሽ	ʔančɨ ʔämasägnalɨš	You (feminine) thanked
እኛ አመሰግናለን	ʔɨnǝ ʔämasägnalɨn	We thanked
እናንተ አመሰግናች	ʔɨnānɨtʰä ʔämasägnatʃ	You (plural) thanked
እነ አመሰግኑ	ʔɨnɨ ʔämasägnu	They thanked

Conjugation Rules for Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs in Amharic do not follow the regular patterns we discussed earlier. Each irregular verb can have unique conjugation forms, and it’s important to memorize these. Here are a couple of common irregular verbs:

1. To go (መሄድ): The past tense forms change significantly.

እኔ መሄድ || ʔɨne mähäd || I went

አንቺ መሄደሽ || ʔančɨ mähädäš || You (feminine) went

እኛ መሄድን || ʔɨnǝ mähädan || We went

እናንተ መሄዳች || ʔɨnānɨtʰä mähädäč || You (plural) went

እነ መሄዱ || ʔɨnɨ mähädu || They went

2. To eat (መብላት): This verb also has its own irregular forms.

እኔ አበላለሁ || ʔɨne ʔäbalalɨhu || I ate

አንቺ አበላለሽ || ʔančɨ ʔäbalalɨš || You (feminine) ate

እኛ አበላለን || ʔɨnǝ ʔäbalalɨn || We ate

እናንተ አበላላች || ʔɨnānɨtʰä ʔäbalalātʃ || You (plural) ate

እነ አበላሉ || ʔɨnɨ ʔäbalalu || They ate

Examples of Irregular Verbs

Here are additional examples of irregular verbs in the past tense:

Amharic	Pronunciation	English
እኔ አደርግኩ	ʔɨne ʔädärgɨku	I did
አንቺ አደርግኪ	ʔančɨ ʔädärgɨkɨ	You (feminine) did
እኛ አደርግን	ʔɨnǝ ʔädärgɨn	We did
እናንተ አደርግን	ʔɨnānɨtʰä ʔädärgɨn	You (plural) did
እነ አደርጉ	ʔɨnɨ ʔädärgu	They did

Practical Exercises

Now that we have covered the conjugation rules and examples, it's time to put your knowledge to the test! Below are some exercises to practice what you have learned.

1. Conjugate the following verbs into the past tense for all subject pronouns:

To play (መጫወት)

To write (መጻፍ)

2. Translate the following sentences into Amharic:

I traveled to Addis Ababa.

You (feminine) listened to music.

3. Change the following sentences from present to past tense:

እኔ አደርግአለሁ (I do)

እነ ይገኛሉ (They are here)

4. Fill in the blanks with the correct past tense form of the verb given in parentheses:

እኔ አመሰግነሁ || (መሰግን)

እናንተ ገና ይቀመጣሉ || (መቀመጥ)

5. Match the following verbs with their past tense forms:

To see (መረዳት)

To sleep (መተኛ)

To run (መራ)

6. Create sentences using the past tense for the following subjects:

I

You (plural)

7. Write a short paragraph (3-5 sentences) about something you did last weekend using past tense verbs.

8. Identify the correct past tense form for the following subject pronouns:

እኔ (I)

እንተ (You, masculine)

9. Rewrite the following incorrect sentences using the correct past tense form:

እናንተ ያልተኛው ነው (You (plural) sleep)

እኔ መግባት ነው (I enter)

10. Translate the following into English:

እኔ በዚህ ሳምንት ወደ አዲስ አበባ አመርቻለሁ

Solutions and Explanations

1.

To play (መጫወት):

እኔ መጫወትኩ

አንቺ መጫወትኪ

እኛ መጫወትን

እናንተ መጫወትን

እነ መጫወቱ

To write (መጻፍ):

እኔ መጻፍኩ

አንቺ መጻፍኪ

እኛ መጻፍን

እናንተ መጻፍን

እነ መጻፉ

2.

I traveled to Addis Ababa: እኔ ወደ አዲስ አበባ አልተመለስኩ

You (feminine) listened to music: አንቺ ሙዚቃ አድርገሽ

3.

እኔ አደርግን ነበር (I did)

እነ ይገኛሉ ነበር (They were here)

4.

እኔ አመሰግነሁ || እኔ መሰግን

እናንተ ገና ይቀመጣሉ || ገና መቀመጥ

5.

To see (መረዳት) - አረዳ

To sleep (መተኛ) - አነበብ

To run (መራ) - አራ

6.

I played soccer yesterday.

You (plural) danced at the party.

7.

Last weekend, I went to the market. I bought some fruits. I also met with friends.

8.

እኔ (I) - መሄድ (went)

እንተ (You, masculine) - መሄድ (went)

9.

እናንተ ያልተኛው ነው -> እናንተ ተኛሉ

እኔ መግባት ነው -> እኔ መግባት ነው

10.

I entered Addis Ababa this week: እኔ በዚህ ሳምንት ወደ አዲስ አበባ አመርቻለሁ

Conclusion

Congratulations! You've now learned how to use the past tense in Amharic. This skill will enhance your ability to communicate about past experiences, making your conversations richer and more engaging. Practice regularly, and you'll find it becomes second nature. Keep up the great work, and stay tuned for our next lesson in the Complete 0 to A1 Amharic Course!

Table of Contents - Amharic Course - 0 to A1

Course Presentation

Introduction to Amharic Alphabet

Basic Vocabulary

Basic Sentence Structure

Everyday Vocabulary

Intermediate Sentence Structure

Advanced Vocabulary

Ethiopian Culture and Traditions

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