Language/Tigrinya/Vocabulary/Months-of-the-year

Tigrinya, a Semitic language spoken by over six million people in Ethiopia and Eritrea, features a rich vocabulary for measuring time. The months of the year are of particular significance, as they provide essential context for daily conversations and cultural events.

The Tigrinya calendar, based on the ancient Coptic calendar, offers a window into the historical traditions and cultural practices of the region.

In this lesson, we will explore the Tigrinya vocabulary for the months of the year.

Instead of relying solely on textbook learning, we will emphasize the importance of engaging with native speakers and practicing the language in real-life contexts. This approach allows learners to develop a more natural fluency and a deeper understanding of the language's cultural and historical context.

Take a moment to explore these relevant pages as you conclude this lesson: Days of the Week & Count to 10.

Months of the Year: the Tigrinya calendar

Tigrinya Month	Pronunciation	Translation	Coptic Month	Audio
ጥሪ	t’irī	January	Tobe
ለካቲት	lekatīti	February	Phamenoth
መጋቢት	megabit	March	Pharmouthi
ሚያዝያ	mīyaziya	April	Pachons
ጉንበት	gunbet	May	Payni
ሰነ	sene	June	Epip
ሓምለ	ḥamile	July	Mesori
ነሓሰ	neḥase	August	Pi Kogi Enkerem
መስከረም	meskerem	September	Tout
ጥቕምቲ	t’iḵ’imitī	October	Babah
ሕዳር	ḥidar	November	Hatur
ታሕሳስ	tahsas	December	Kiahk

Examples of Use in Sentences

These sentences provide examples of how to use the names of the months in Tigrinya in various contexts:

ጥሪ (t’irī - January)

ጥሪ ወርሒ ሰንበት እየነበረኩ። - In January, I was attending church on Sundays.

ለካቲት (lekatīti - February)

ለካቲት ወርሒ ትናንት ዘርፍ እየነበረኩ። - In February, I was preparing for planting.

መጋቢት (megabit - March)

መጋቢት ወርሒ ብዙ ዝነበረኩ ዘይን እየነበረኩ። - In March, I often went to the vineyard.

ሚያዝያ (mīyaziya - April)

ሚያዝያ ወርሒ በጃ ዝነበረኩ ተመን። - In April, I was hoping for good weather.

ጉንበት (gunbet - May)

ጉንበት ወርሒ ከይብላ እየነበረኩ። - In May, I was eating a lot of fruit.

ሰነ (sene - June)

ሰነ ወርሒ ብዙ ግዜ እየነበረኩ መንገዲ። - In June, I spent much time on the road.

ሓምለ (ḥamile - July)

ሓምለ ወርሒ ብዙ ግዜ እየነበረኩ ብሕር። - In July, I spent much time by the sea.

ነሓሰ (neḥase - August)

ነሓሰ ወርሒ ካብ ትንሽ ዝነበረኩ ዘርፍ። - In August, I did a little bit of farming.

መስከረም (meskerem - September)

መስከረም ወርሒ ብዙ ዝነበረኩ መሰላት። - In September, I spent much time in prayer.

ጥቕምቲ (t’iḵ’imitī - October)

ጥቕምቲ ወርሒ ብዙ ዝነበረኩ በዓል። - In October, I attended many festivals.

ሕዳር (ḥidar - November)

ሕዳር ወርሒ

ወርሒ ከተማ እየነበረኩ። - In November, I was in the city.

ታሕሳስ (tahsas - December)

ታሕሳስ ወርሒ ብዙ ዝነበረኩ በዓል ገና። - In December, I celebrated many Christmas festivities.

Exercises

Test your knowledge of the Tigrinya months with these exercises:

1. Translate into English: መጋቢት ወርሒ እየነበረኩ።
2. What is the Tigrinya word for "September"?
3. Translate into Tigrinya: "In December, it is cold."
4. Which month in Tigrinya means "July"?
5. Complete the sentence in Tigrinya: "____ (August) ወርሒ ነፍሳት እየነበረኩ።" (In August, I was relaxing.)

Solutions

1. In March, I was attending (something).
2. መስከረም (meskerem).
3. "ታሕሳስ ወርሒ ስቓይ እየነበረኩ።"
4. ሓምለ (ḥamile).
5. "ነሓሰ (neḥase) ወርሒ ነፍሳት እየነበረኩ።"

These exercises help reinforce your understanding of the Tigrinya names for the months of the year and improve your ability to use them in sentences.

Other Lessons

• Education
• Feelings and Emotions
• Fruits
• Food
• Greetings
• Days of the Week
• Colors
• How to Say Hello and Greetings
• Animals