Language/Tigrinya/Vocabulary/Basic-Verbs
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Tigrinya is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Eritrea and Ethiopia. In this lesson, you will learn common Tigrinya verbs, such as to be, to have, to go, and to do, as well as their conjugations and usage in sentences. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to form simple sentences using basic Tigrinya verbs.
To Be
"To be" is a fundamental verb that you will use in many Tigrinya sentences. In Tigrinya, the verb "to be" does not exist. Instead, speakers usually use the equivalent of the word "exist." Let's see some examples:
Tigrinya | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
ኣብ | ab | (I) am |
ኣብ | ab | (you, singular) are |
እዩ | eyu | (he/she/it) is |
መስመር እዩ | mesmer eyu | (we) are |
መስመር እንደገና | mesmer endegena | (you, plural) are |
መስመር እናተርዳን | mesmer enaterdan | (they) are |
Note that Tigrinya does not have separate forms for masculine and feminine.
Sample sentences:
- ኣብ መንነት እዩ (ab mennenit eyu) - "I am a student."
- ኣብ ሰው ኣኽላት እናተርዳን (ab saw akhlatt enaterdan) - "They are good people."
To Have
In Tigrinya, as in English, the verb "to have" is used to show possession. The verb "to have" is expressed in Tigrinya using the verb "to be" (ኣብ), followed by the word for "with," which is "ብርሃን" (berhan). Here are some examples:
Tigrinya | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
ብርሃን ኣብ ወንዱ | berhan ab wndu | I have a brother |
ብርሃን እዩ ኣቶም | berhan eyu atom | He has a father |
ብርሃን መስመር እናት | berhan mesmer enat | We have a sister |
Sample sentences:
- ብርሃን ኣብ መንነት ይምልከት (berhan ab mennenit yimelk'ti) - "I have a degree."
- ብርሃን መንነት እዩ ዳንስ ዓሰር (berhan mennenit eyu dances aser) - "He has a B.A. in dance."
Basic Verbs
Apart from "to be" and "to have," here are some common Tigrinya verbs you should know:
Tigrinya | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
መጽሔት | mestshet | to eat |
ተንኮል | tenk'el | to drink |
ኣብዚ | abzi | to come |
ንምብር | nmbir | to go |
ምስ | ms | to hear |
ድሕሬ | dheheare | to see |
ምርጫ | mrcha | to do/make |
ከነው | keneaw | to want |
እራስ | eres | to say |
ነፍስ | nefes | to understand |
Sample sentences:
- መጽሔት እቲ ገበያ ነዚ መንነት (mestshet eti gebeya neza mennenit) - "I eat this food."
- ኣብዚ እቲ ማንነት (abzi eti mannenit) - "You come here."
- ተንኮል እቲ ነገር (tenk'el eti nager) - "He drinks water."
Conjugation of Basic Verbs
The conjugation of some basic Tigrinya verbs changes according to the subject. Here's how to conjugate some basic verbs in the present tense:
ኣ- | እ- | ይ- | |
---|---|---|---|
Subject | abizena | izena | ikeal |
I | መጽሔት ኣብዚ | መጽሔት እቲ | መጽሔት ይከዓል |
You (sing.) | መጽሔት እቲ። | መጽሔት እቲ | መጽሔት እንደገና |
He/She/It | መጽሔት እዩ። | መጽሔት እዩ | መጽሔት ይውል |
We | መጽሔት መስመር ኣት | መጽሔት መስመር ንደገና | መጽሔት መስመር ይከዓል |
You (pl.) | መጽሔት መስመር እንደገና | መጽሔት መስመር ንደገና | መጽሔት መስመር ይከዓል |
They | መጽሔት እናተርዳን። | መጽሔት እናተርዳን | መጽሔት ይውል |
Sample sentences:
- ምርጫ ለውጥ ተጠቀምቲ ወዲ ከነው (mrcha lewet ttek'emi wedi keneaw) - "I'm doing my homework because I want to."
- መጽሔት መምህር ኣብዚ (mestshet m'amhr abzi) - "You eat meat."
- ንምብር ኣብዚ (nmbir abzi) - "He is leaving."
Congratulations on completing this lesson! You are well on your way to gaining proficiency in Tigrinya. In the next lesson, we will learn vocabulary for everyday actions, such as eating, drinking, working, and sleeping, as well as their corresponding verbs.
Other Lessons
- Feelings and Emotions
- Days of the Week
- Dining Phrases
- Basic Greetings
- Animals
- Everyday Actions
- Education
- Travel Phrases
- Greetings
- How to say Good Bye?
Sources
- Tigrinya – English Picture Dictionary እንግሊዝኛ፡ ስእላዊ፡ መዝገ ...
- Tigrinya Vocabulary
- Tigrinya Verb Conjugation: Dimstekal, Kokeb, Tadross, Andrew ...
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