Language/Amharic/Grammar/Word-Order-in-Complex-Sentences
As a seasoned Amharic language teacher, I have seen my fair share of complex sentences that students struggle to form. In this lesson on word order in complex sentences, you will learn how to properly order words and phrases in Amharic sentences to make them more clear and concise.
When to Use Complex Sentences
Before diving into the specifics of word order, it is important to understand when to use complex sentences in Amharic. Complex sentences are used to combine multiple ideas into a single sentence. They consist of a main clause (an independent clause that can stand alone as a sentence) and one or more subordinate clauses (dependent clauses that cannot stand alone as a sentence).
Here are a few examples of complex sentences in Amharic:
- እኔ ፍቅር መስራት አለመቻሉን ተጠበቃለሁ (I will help those who love me)
- በሁሉም ስራው ላይ የሚቀርብ ቦታ የለም (The place where we can learn from every job is missing)
Complex sentences are commonly used in Amharic to:
- Express cause and effect
- Convey time or sequence
- Indicate contrast or comparison
Word Order in Complex Sentences
The proper word order in Amharic complex sentences is determined by the type of subordinate clause being used. There are three types of subordinate clauses in Amharic: adverbial, nominal, and relative.
Adverbial Clauses
Adverbial clauses modify the verb in the main clause of a complex sentence. The word order in an Amharic adverbial clause is as follows:
Subordinating conjunction + subject + verb
Note that the subject and verb are reversed in an adverbial clause compared to a main clause in Amharic.
Here are a few examples of adverbial clauses in Amharic:
| Amharic | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| እባክህ በምን አትደርሰውም? | "Ebakih " be'min 'atdersesuwm? | "Why don't you trust them?" |
| አዲስ መስመር አብሮ ከታች የሚያወራ ነው | Adese mesemir abro ketach yemiaweran new | "The new way of thinking is progressive" |
As you can see in the examples, the subordinating conjunction (such as በምን or አብሮ) comes at the beginning of the subordinate adverbial clause, followed by the subject and verb.
Nominal Clauses
Nominal clauses function as the subject or object of the main clause in a complex sentence. The word order in an Amharic nominal clause is as follows:
Subordinating conjunction + subject + verb
Similar to adverbial clauses, the subject and verb are reversed in a nominal clause compared to a main clause in Amharic.
Here are a few examples of nominal clauses in Amharic:
| Amharic | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ሀገር ስጠኝ ሁሉን ለመሥራት የሚቀርብ ሰው ነኝ | Hager setegna hulun lemesarit yemiakerib sew nay | "I am a person who learns from everything in life" |
| ማንኛውም ስም ሳይቀጥል ልናይ አይደለም | Manawmemo sem sakiqitil lainaay 'aydelem? | "Is it useful to have a name without understanding?" |
In the examples, you can see that the subordinate conjunction (such as ስም or ስጠኝ) precedes the noun or pronoun subject, followed by the verb.
Relative Clauses
Relative clauses modify a noun or pronoun in the main clause. In Amharic, the word order in a relative clause is as follows:
Subordinating conjunction + subject + verb
Here are a few examples of relative clauses in Amharic:
| Amharic | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| የተደረጀ መስመር ከአምስት መንገዳቸው በፊት ተከፍሎ የተደረገ ነው | Yetederaj mesemir ke'amist menegedeachw befyt tekafalo yetederage new | "The interesting concept was developed from their five ideas" |
| አማረኛ ይሄ ነው ማለት ነው በእርስዎ የዘር ፍትሕ እና የባህል ማየትን ተሳስተዋል | Amaregy yih her new maleit new behiweres joro fith `anaw yahiwej woy masayateten | "It's a shame that Amharic is not spoken in your country with fluency and pronunciation" |
As you can see in the examples above, the subordinating conjunction (such as ከ or ይሄ) is placed at the beginning of the subordinate relative clause, followed by the subject and verb.
Conclusion
In conclusion, understanding the proper word order in complex sentences is essential to becoming fluent in Amharic. By mastering adverbial, nominal, and relative clauses, you will be able to combine multiple ideas into a single sentence and communicate more effectively in Amharic.