Language/Amharic/Grammar/Amharic-Alphabets

Amharic → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Amharic Alphabets

Welcome to our lesson on the Amharic Alphabet! This is an exciting step in your journey to mastering the Amharic language. The Amharic alphabet, known as Fidel, is unique and fascinating, made up of a set of characters that represent syllables rather than individual letters, which is different from what you may be used to in English.

Understanding the Amharic alphabet is crucial because it will serve as your foundation for reading, writing, and pronunciation in the language. In this lesson, we will explore the structure of the alphabet, how to pronounce each character, and provide you with practical examples to enhance your learning.

We will also incorporate various exercises to help you practice what you’ve learned. By the end of this lesson, you will have a solid grasp of the basics of the Amharic alphabet, preparing you for more complex aspects of the language.

The Structure of the Amharic Alphabet

The Amharic alphabet consists of 33 basic consonants and each consonant has 7 forms that represent different vowel sounds. This means you will learn a total of 231 characters! The basic structure can be broken down as follows:

• Consonants: Each consonant can be modified to reflect different vowels.

• Vowels: Amharic has 7 distinct vowel sounds that correspond to each consonant.

Here’s a quick overview of how the consonants and vowels work together:

1. Ba (ባ) - Ba

2. Be (ቤ) - Be

3. Bi (ቢ) - Bi

4. Bo (ቦ) - Bo

5. Bu (ቡ) - Bu

6. Bä (በ) - Ba (with a schwa sound)

7. Bä (በ) - Be (with a schwa sound)

This pattern continues for each consonant in the alphabet.

Pronunciation Guide

Pronunciation in Amharic can be quite different from English, as certain sounds do not exist in English. Below is a table that provides examples of some consonants and their pronunciations:

Amharic	Pronunciation	English
በ	bä	ba
ቡ	bu	bu
ቢ	bi	bi
ቤ	be	be
ቦ	bo	bo
ታ	tä	ta
ቱ	tu	tu
ቲ	ti	ti
ቤ	be	be
ቦ	bo	bo

This table provides a glimpse into how the consonants change with the addition of vowel sounds.

Examples of the Amharic Alphabet

Now let’s delve deeper into the Amharic alphabet with some additional examples. Below are more characters and their corresponding pronunciations:

Amharic	Pronunciation	English
አ	ʔä	a
ኡ	u	u
ኢ	i	i
ኤ	e	e
ኦ	o	o
ሀ	hä	ha
ሁ	hu	hu
ሂ	hi	hi
ሄ	he	he
ሆ	ho	ho

As you can see, each character corresponds to a specific sound, which is essential for building your vocabulary and sentence structure in Amharic.

Practice Scenarios

Now that you have a solid understanding of the Amharic alphabet and its pronunciation, let's put your knowledge to the test! Here are some practice exercises:

Exercise 1: Identify the Character

Match the Amharic character to its pronunciation.

1. በ

2. ሀ

3. አ

4. ታ

Answers:

1. bä

2. hä

3. ʔä

4. tä

Exercise 2: Fill in the Blanks

Complete the following words with the appropriate vowel sound:

1. ባ___ (Ba)

2. ቤ___ (Be)

Answers:

1. ባለ (bälä - to be)

2. ቤተ (bête - house)

Exercise 3: Pronunciation Practice

Practice pronouncing the following characters:

1. ሁ

2. ቲ

3. ኦ

Solutions:

1. hu

2. ti

3. o

Exercise 4: Write the Character

Write the following characters in Amharic:

1. Ba

2. Hu

Answers:

1. ባ

2. ሁ

Exercise 5: Translate the Words

Translate the following Amharic words to English:

1. ቤተ

2. አርበኛ

Answers:

1. bête - house

2. ärbäñña - farmer

Exercise 6: Fill in the Correct Vowel

Identify the correct vowel to complete the word:

1. አ__ (A)

2. ወ__ (We)

Answers:

1. አር (är - to be)

2. ወይ (wey - or)

Exercise 7: Identify the Consonant

What is the consonant for the following vowels?

1. ኡ

2. ወ

Answers:

1. ሁ (hu)

2. ወ (we)

Exercise 8: Write the Vowels

Write the vowels that correspond to the following consonants:

1. ት

2. ይ

Answers:

1. ታ, ቲ, ቤ, ቦ, ቡ

2. ይ, ዩ, ይ, ይ

Exercise 9: Practice Sounds

Practice the following sounds and write them down:

1. ለ

2. ተ

Answers:

1. lä

2. tä

Exercise 10: Match Words with Translation

Match the following Amharic words with their English translations:

1. ታማ - a. tree

2. ዳር - b. tomato

Answers:

1. ታማ - b. tomato

2. ዳር - a. tree

Conclusion

In this lesson, we’ve covered the basics of the Amharic alphabet, focusing on pronunciation and the structure of consonants and vowels. Mastering these elements is essential as you progress in your Amharic learning journey. Remember, practice is key!

Keep revisiting these characters and their sounds regularly to solidify your understanding. In the next lesson, we will explore basic vocabulary, which will allow you to start building sentences and communicating in Amharic.

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

Sources

• Amharic - Wikipedia
• Amharic Global Live Virtual Course
• Basic Amharic A Teaching Amharic Edition (Download Only ...

Other Lessons

• Using the Conditional
• Asking If and Saying Whether It Is “Suitable” or Not
• “to be” and “to have”
• Expressing Obligation or Necessity
• The Possessive Adjectives
• Complex Sentence
• How to Use Have
• Using the Subjunctive
• Basic Prepositions and Adverbs