Language/Amharic/Grammar/Using-the-Future-Tense

Amharic → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Using the Future Tense

Welcome to this lesson on using the future tense in Amharic! Understanding how to express future actions is crucial for effective communication. Whether you're making plans, giving invitations, or expressing hopes and dreams, mastering the future tense will significantly enhance your Amharic language skills.

In this lesson, we’ll explore the future tense in detail, including its formation, usage, and nuances. We will cover:

• The structure of the future tense in Amharic.

• How to conjugate regular verbs into the future tense.

• Examples of sentences using the future tense.

• Practice exercises to solidify your understanding.

Let’s dive in!

Understanding the Future Tense

The future tense in Amharic is used to describe actions that will happen after the present moment. It conveys a sense of intention, prediction, or promise. The formation of the future tense involves modifying the root of the verb, typically by adding specific suffixes.

Structure of the Future Tense

In Amharic, the future tense is primarily formed by adding the suffix -ይ (yi) or -ን (n) to the verb root. The choice of suffix depends on the subject of the verb. Below are some key points regarding the structure:

• For singular subjects, the suffix -ይ is commonly used.

• For plural subjects, the suffix -ን is typically added.

Let’s look at the following examples:

Amharic	Pronunciation	English
እኔ እገኛለሁ (I will go)	ʔɨne ʔɨgɛɲalɨhu	I will go
እሱ ይሄዳል (He will go)	ʔɨsu yɨhɛdal	He will go
እኛ እንደምንም (We will go)	ʔɨɲa ʔɨndɛmɨn	We will go
እናቱ ይሄዳል (She will go)	ʔɨnatu yɨhɛdal	She will go
እናት ይሄዳሉ (They will go)	ʔɨnat yɨhɛdalu	They will go

Regular Verb Conjugation

To conjugate regular verbs into the future tense, follow these steps:

1. Identify the root of the verb.

2. Add the appropriate suffix based on the subject.

For example, let’s take the verb መሄድ (to go).

• Root: ሄድ (Hed)

• Future tense forms:

• እኔ እሄዳለሁ (I will go) → እኔ + ሄድ + ይ

• እሱ ይሄዳል (He will go) → እሱ + ሄድ + ይ

• እኛ እንደምንም (We will go) → እኛ + ሄድ + ን

Let’s illustrate this further with more verbs:

Amharic	Pronunciation	English
እኔ እምጣለሁ (I will come)	ʔɨne ʔɨmṭalɨhu	I will come
እሱ ይምጣል (He will come)	ʔɨsu yɨmṭal	He will come
እኛ እንምጣ (We will come)	ʔɨɲa ʔɨnmṭa	We will come
እናቱ ይምጣል (She will come)	ʔɨnatu yɨmṭal	She will come
እናት ይምጣሉ (They will come)	ʔɨnat yɨmṭalu	They will come

Using the Future Tense in Context

Now that you know how to form the future tense, let’s look at how to use it in sentences. The future tense allows you to express intentions, plans, and predictions.

Expressing Intentions

When you want to express what you plan to do, you can use the future tense. Here are some examples:

Amharic	Pronunciation	English
እኔ እዚህ እሄዳለሁ (I will go there)	ʔɨne ʔɨzih ʔɨhɛdalɨhu	I will go there
እሱ አንደኛ ይሄዳል (He will go first)	ʔɨsu ʔandɛɲa yɨhɛdal	He will go first
እኛ መርምር እንምጣ (We will come to visit)	ʔɨɲa mɛrmɨr ʔɨnmṭa	We will come to visit
እናቱ ወደ ቤተሰቡ ይሄዳሉ (She will go to the family)	ʔɨnatu wɨdɛ bɛtɛsɨb yɨhɛdalu	She will go to the family
እናት ወደ ድምፅ ይምጣሉ (They will come to the church)	ʔɨnat wɨdɛ dɨmɨt yɨmṭalu	They will come to the church

Making Predictions

The future tense is also used to predict future events. Here’s how you can express predictions:

Amharic	Pronunciation	English
በዓለም ይምጣ (He will come to the world)	bɛʔalem yɨmṭa	He will come to the world
ወቅታዊ አንድ ይሄዳል (It will rain tomorrow)	wɛk'əta wi ʔand yɨhɛdal	It will rain tomorrow
ማለዳ ይምጣ (It will come in the morning)	mɛlɛda yɨmṭa	It will come in the morning
ዕለታዊ ይሄዳል (It will be a sunny day)	ʔɨlɛta wi yɨhɛdal	It will be a sunny day
ወደ ቀደም ይምጣ (They will come early)	wɨdɛ k'ɛdɛm yɨmṭa	They will come early

Practice Exercises

Now it's time to put your knowledge of the future tense into practice! Below are some exercises to help you apply what you've learned.

Exercise 1: Conjugate the Verbs

Conjugate the following verbs into the future tense based on the person indicated.

1. ሄድ (to go) - እኔ

2. መጣ (to come) - እሱ

3. ይህ እንወዳድ (to eat) - እኛ

4. ዕለት (to play) - እናቱ

5. ወደ እንቁላል (to sleep) - እናት

Solutions

1. እኔ እሄዳለሁ (I will go)

2. እሱ ይምጣል (He will come)

3. እኛ እንወዳድ (We will eat)

4. እናቱ ይዕለት (She will play)

5. እናት ይወደ (They will sleep)

Exercise 2: Fill in the Blanks

Translate the following sentences into Amharic using the future tense.

1. I will eat breakfast.

2. He will go to school.

3. We will visit our friends.

4. She will read a book.

5. They will watch a movie.

Solutions

1. እኔ እንደዝመል (I will eat breakfast).

2. እሱ ይሄዳል ወደ ትምህርት (He will go to school).

3. እኛ እንደወዳጅ (We will visit our friends).

4. እናቱ ይንዮች (She will read a book).

5. እናት ይዳሰር (They will watch a movie).

Exercise 3: Sentence Formation

Create sentences using the following subjects and verbs in the future tense.

1. እኔ (I) + መጣ (to come)

2. እሱ (He) + ወይም (to play)

3. እኛ (We) + መርምር (to visit)

4. እናቱ (She) + መሄድ (to go)

5. እናት (They) + ተመለስ (to come back)

Solutions

1. እኔ እንደገኛለሁ (I will come).

2. እሱ ይወይም (He will play).

3. እኛ እንመርምር (We will visit).

4. እናቱ ይሄዳል (She will go).

5. እናት ይመለስ (They will come back).

Exercise 4: Translation Challenge

Translate the following sentences from English to Amharic using the future tense.

1. I will travel tomorrow.

2. He will call his friend.

3. We will learn Amharic.

4. She will cook dinner.

5. They will play football.

Solutions

1. እኔ በነገ እመርገም (I will travel tomorrow).

2. እሱ ይወድድለዋ (He will call his friend).

3. እኛ እንወዳድ አማርኛ (We will learn Amharic).

4. እናቱ ይነቃ (She will cook dinner).

5. እናት ይጨው (They will play football).

Exercise 5: Create a Future Plan

Write a short paragraph about your plans for tomorrow using the future tense.

Example Solution

እኔ በነገ ወደ ቤተሰቡ እሄዳለሁ። ከዚያ ወደ ስራ እመርምር። እንደወዳድ እሆናለሁ እናቱ የምርምር አለዎት ወይም እንደ ዋይዝና እንደው ይምጣለሁ።

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have now learned how to use the future tense in Amharic. With practice, you will become more comfortable expressing future actions, making plans, and predicting events. Remember, consistent practice will help solidify your understanding and enhance your communication skills.

Keep practicing, and don't hesitate to refer back to this lesson whenever you need a refresher. Happy learning!

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 Verb Conjugation: Present/Future Tense - avagu press

Other Lessons

• Future Tense
• Using Prepositional Phrases
• Simple Gerundive
• Stem verbs
• “to be” and “to have”
• Indirect Object Pronouns
• Amharic Slang and Colloquialisms
• Amharic Alphabets
• Noun Gender and Articles
• Pluralizing