Language/Tigrinya/Vocabulary/Animals
Hi Tigrinya learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will be learning about different animals in Tigrinya. Animals play an important role in Tigrayan culture as they are used for transportation, food, and even as sources of traditional medicine. Let's get started!
Basic Vocabulary
Here are some basic animal words to get you started:
| Tigrinya | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| እንቀጥቅጥ (enkeṭḳeti) | /en.ke.'t͡ʃe.ti/ | Ant |
| አበር (abär) | /a.'bər/ | Cow |
| ከንቢ (kenbi) | /k'en.bi/ | Giraffe |
| ቀስ (qes) | /k'es/ | Donkey |
| ዓምባ (ambäba) | /'am.bə.ba/ | Bee |
| እሳት (esta) | /'es.ta/ | Horse |
Don't forget to practice the pronunciation!
Advanced Vocabulary
Here are some advanced words for the animal kingdom:
Birds
Birds are an important part of Tigrinya culture. They are used for food, sport, and even communication! Here are some words to describe birds:
| Tigrinya | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ዘርእቲ (zäriti) | /'zərɨ.ti/ | Falcon |
| ቅሳን ድምንት (qesan demn'ti) | /ke'san dem.n'ti/ | Ostrich |
| ኖብልት (nobliti) | /no.'blɨ.ti/ | Eagle |
| ገና (gäna) | /'gə.na/ | Pigeon |
| ዝናብን ነበሩ (znabin neberu) | /zna.'bin ne.'be.ru/ | Nightingale |
Now let's put these words in context:
- Person 1: ቀሳን ዝተደርሶ ዘርእቲ ረሲዓ ገበያዊ ነው ። (Qesan zetidrso zäriti resi'a gebeyawi new.)
(I saw a falcon glide gracefully.)
- Person 2: እመርከብሃ በረሃዊ መድረኽ አበር ብለን ይወድብናል ። (Emrkebha berhawi mderkh abär blen ywddbnal.)
(We will ride the cows on the green pastures.)
Insects
Insects are vital to agriculture, pollination, and also as a source of food, especially in rural areas. Here are some important insect words:
| Tigrinya | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ጥረ አባባ (t'er ababa) | /t'er 'a.ba.ba/ | Butterfly |
| ፍስት (fist) | /'fɨst/ | Spider |
| አየለ (ayele) | /'a.jə.lə/ | Ant |
| ናባ (näba) | /'nə.ba/ | Mosquito |
Here are some examples:
- Person 1: በቅንያት ቤት ጥረ አባባ ወደ ምዕራብ ፍስት እንደሚገኝ ነው ። (Bek'nyat bet t'er ababa wede me'arab fist en'demi genew.)
(There is a butterfly heading towards the orchard like it needs to be pollinated.)
- Person 2: ማንኛውንም ናባ በኢትዮጵያ ላይ ሳይገኙ የዘር ዕቃዎችን አየለ ያዘው አብሮ ሕግ ነው። (Man'nawinm nabä be'ityopya layi sayinigu yäzeri eqawochin ayele ya'zew abro h'g new.)
(Insects, especially ants, are used as a traditional medicine in Ethiopia.)
Mammals
Mammals are widely used for transportation, especially camels, donkeys, and horses. Here are some words to describe mammals:
| Tigrinya | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ኣበረታ (abereta) | /'a.bə.rə.ta/ | Camel |
| መንታ (menta) | /'men.ta/ | Sheep |
| ዓረግን (ärign) | /'a.rɨŋ/ | Lion |
| ኬብሮ (kebro) | /'ke.bro/ | Monkey |
| እግረ (egger) | /'eg.gər/ | Elephant |
Let's see how to use these words in a sentence:
- Person 1: እቲ ሰዓት ጀርባ ኣበረታ ኢዩ። (Eti se'at jerba abereta iyu.)
(It's noon and I see a camel.)
- Person 2: በረኸት ይቀንሳል : በኢትዮጵያ ዓረግን ከኢህአዴግ ያሉ ዘር ቀበሩት ናቸው። (Berhket yek'nsal : be'ityopya ärign keihagedeg yalu zär qäbeirut nac'hew.)
(They are congratulating each other: lions from the Ethiopian highlands have been spotted.)
Marine Life
Tigrinya is a landlocked country; however, they have unique words to describe marine life. Tigrayans typically get their seafood from neighboring Eritrea. Here are some words for marine life:
| Tigrinya | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ናዕማ (naema) | /'na.ə.ma/ | Octopus |
| ፍልይ (fil'yi) | /fɨl.'ji/ | Sardine |
| ናሆም (nahom) | /'na.hom/ | Starfish |
Now let's create a dialogue using these words:
- Person 1: ናዕማ በሚያደርጓቸው ዜናዎች፣ ከልቤን ማዘይም አብረው፣ ተመራሚ ለመኖሪያ መጠን ገረዶች ናቸው። (Naema bemiyadrugaw zenawoch, k'leben mazeym aberew, temeramī lemionriya mtn' grdroch nac'hew.)
(I have heard that octopuses are becoming increasingly rare, causing concern for those who rely on their livelihoods for income.)
Conclusion
That's it for today's lesson! We hope you enjoyed learning about the different animals in Tigrinya. To improve your Tigrinya vocabulary, don't forget to visit the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions! Also, remember to review the Tigrinya vocabulary page for more words.
➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎