Language/Amharic/Grammar/Adjectives-and-Adverbs

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Amharic → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Adjectives and Adverbs

Welcome to this exciting lesson on Amharic grammar, where we will dive into the colorful world of adjectives and adverbs! Understanding these two parts of speech is essential for expressing yourself clearly and vividly in Amharic. Adjectives help us describe nouns, while adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, giving us the ability to add detail and nuance to our sentences.

In this lesson, we will explore:

• The definitions and functions of adjectives and adverbs in Amharic

• How adjectives and adverbs are formed and used in sentences

• A variety of examples to illustrate their usage

• Practice exercises to help solidify your understanding

By the end of this lesson, you will not only grasp the concepts of adjectives and adverbs in Amharic but also feel confident when using them in conversation. Let's embark on this journey together!

What are Adjectives?

Adjectives are words that describe nouns. They provide information about qualities, quantities, or states of the nouns they modify. In Amharic, adjectives typically come after the noun they describe, which is different from English, where adjectives usually precede the noun.

Examples of Adjectives

Here are some examples of adjectives in Amharic, showing how they modify nouns:

Amharic	Pronunciation	English
ደኅን	dähin	safe
ግሩም	gɨrum	beautiful
ድንጋይ	dɨngäy	hard
ዕድሜ	ʕədmä	old
አዳዲስ	ʔadadis	new
አስተዋይ	ʔastäwayi	smart
ታላቅ	talak	big
ትንሽ	tɨnɨsh	small
ምርጥ	mɨrɨt	best
ቀይ	k'äy	red

As you can see, adjectives in Amharic provide various qualities to the nouns they describe. Now, let’s explore how to use these adjectives in sentences!

Using Adjectives in Sentences

In Amharic, adjectives follow the nouns they modify. Here are some sentence examples:

Amharic	Pronunciation	English
የደኅን ቤት	yädähin bät	a safe house
አስተዋይ ሴት	ʔastäwayi sät	a smart woman
ውብ ቤተሰብ	wɨb bätäsäb	a beautiful family
ታላቅ መኪና	talak mäk'ina	a big car
ዕድሜ ድንጋይ	ʕədmä dɨngäy	an old wall

Now that we've covered adjectives, let's move on to adverbs!

What are Adverbs?

Adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They often provide information about how, when, where, or to what extent something is done. In Amharic, adverbs can come before or after the verbs they modify.

Examples of Adverbs

Here are some examples of adverbs in Amharic:

Amharic	Pronunciation	English
በጣም	bät'äm	very
ወቅታዊ	wäk'äṭawi	temporarily
አዝናለሁ	ʔäzänalɨhu	sadly
እዚህ	ʔɨzɨh	here
ወደ ፊት	wädä fɨt	forward
አስተዋይ	ʔastäwayi	wisely
ዝምድ	zɨmɨd	quietly
አንዳንድ	ʔänänɨd	sometimes
ቀደመ	k'ädäme	earlier
በተመለከተ	bät'ämäläk'ät	regarding

Like adjectives, adverbs also add depth to our expressions. Let’s see how these adverbs work in sentences.

Using Adverbs in Sentences

In Amharic, adverbs can be placed both before and after the verb. Here are some examples:

Amharic	Pronunciation	English
እኔ በጣም አዝናለሁ	ʔɨne bät'äm ʔäzänalɨhu	I am very sad
እርስዎ አስተዋይ ተግባር ነው	ʔɨrswo ʔastäwayi tägbar new	You act wisely
እሱ ወቅታዊ ነው	ʔɨsu wäq'tawi new	He is temporary
ወንድሜ እዚህ አደርጋለሁ	wändämé ʔɨzɨh ʔädrɨgalɨhu	I do it here
እንደ ምርጥ ይወልዳሉ	ʔɨndä mɨrɨt yɨwäldalu	They will do it best

Summary

• Adjectives describe nouns and typically follow them in Amharic.

• Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs and can appear before or after the verbs they modify.

Now that we've covered the key concepts of adjectives and adverbs, let's put your knowledge to the test with some exercises!

Practice Exercises

1. Translate the following sentences into Amharic:

• The beautiful girl is singing.

• He is very happy.

• I have a big house.

Answers:

• አስተዋይ ሴት እንባላለሁ || ʔastäwayi sät ʔɨnbalälu

• እሱ በጣም ደስ ይበላል || ʔɨsu bät'äm däs yɨbälal

• እኔ ታላቅ ቤት አለኝ || ʔɨne talak bät ʔaläñ

2. Identify the adjectives and adverbs in the following sentences:

• እሱ በጣም ደስ ይበላል

• ሴት አስተዋይ ናት

Answers:

• Adjectives: (none); Adverbs: በጣም

• Adjectives: አስተዋይ; Adverbs: (none)

3. Fill in the blanks with appropriate adjectives or adverbs:

• ይቀይሩ እንደ ታላቅ ዕድሜ ቤት

• አስተዋይ መልክ ነው እንዲህ በዝምድ እውነት

Answers:

• ይቀይሩ እንደ ታላቅ ዕድሜ ቤት || yɨk'äyɨru ʔɨndä talak ʕədmä bät

• አስተዋይ መልክ ነው እንዲህ በዝምድ እውነት || ʔastäwayi mälɨk' new ʔɨndɨh bəzɨmɨd ʔɨwänät

4. Match the Amharic adjectives with their English meanings:

• አዳዲስ

• ደኅን

• ድንጋይ

• ትንሽ

• ውብ

Answers:

• አዳዲስ - new

• ደኅን - safe

• ድንጋይ - hard

• ትንሽ - small

• ውብ - beautiful

5. Create sentences using the following adjectives and adverbs:

• ታላቅ (big)

• መነሻ (starting)

• በተመለከተ (regarding)

Sample Answers:

• ታላቅ መኪና አለኝ || talak mäk'ina ʔaläñ (I have a big car)

• መነሻ እቅድ ነው || mänäsha ʔɨq'ɨd new (It is a starting plan)

• በተመለከተ ምንጭ ነው || bät'ämäläk'ät mɨnɨch new (It is a source regarding)

6. Rearrange the words to form correct sentences:

• ቤት ውብ እኔ አለኝ

• ቀይ ድንጋይ ይኖር ይገኙ

Answers:

• እኔ አለኝ ውብ ቤት || ʔɨne ʔaläñ wɨb bät (I have a beautiful house)

• ይኖር ቀይ ድንጋይ ይገኙ || yɨnɨr k'äy dɨngäy yɨgänu (There will be a red wall)

7. Choose the correct adjective or adverb to complete the sentence:

• እሱ በጣም/ታላቅ ነው || ʔɨsu bät'äm/talak new

Answer:

• እሱ በጣም ነው || ʔɨsu bät'äm new (He is very)

8. Translate the following amharic sentences to English:

• ውብ ቤተሰብ አለኝ

• እናቱ አስተዋይ ናት

Answers:

• I have a beautiful family.

• She is a smart woman.

9. Identify the verbs in the sentence: "በጣም እተዋይ እንባላለሁ"

Answer:

• ይበላል (is sad)

10. Write a short paragraph describing your family using at least three adjectives and two adverbs.

By practicing these exercises, you'll reinforce your understanding of adjectives and adverbs in Amharic. Remember, the more you use them, the more natural it will feel!

Congratulations! You've made it through this lesson on adjectives and adverbs in Amharic. Keep practicing, and soon you'll be using these parts of speech with confidence in your conversations.

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
• Introductory Grammar of Amharic - Wolf Leslau - Google Books
• Development of Amharic Grammar Checker Using Morphological ...

Other 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)

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