Amharic Phrases for Everyday Life: Greetings, Family Talk and Sayings

Amharic phrases for everyday life: greetings, how are you, goodbye, the words you’ll hear at every family visit, sayings and the basics, in Fidel script with easy pronunciation.

Amharic phrases are short expressions you use to greet, thank, apologise, say goodbye or simply keep a friendly conversation going. In Ethiopian culture they carry more weight than in many other languages, because a proper greeting is a sign of respect, and it’s often longer than visitors expect.

Maybe you know the situation: you’re sitting at the table with your partner’s family or your relatives, everyone laughs at a joke in Amharic, and you smile along without knowing what was said. A phrase list won’t make you fluent overnight. But the right twenty phrases change how people react to you from the first minute. In more than 20 years of learning languages, from Norwegian to Danish and French, I’ve found that the first ten seconds of a conversation decide whether people switch to English or stay in their own language with you. In Amharic, those ten seconds are the greeting.

Amharic is the working language of Ethiopia’s federal government and one of the two main languages of the country according to Britannica. It’s a Semitic language, related to Tigrinya, Ge’ez and more distantly to Arabic and Hebrew, and it’s written in its own script, the Fidel (ፊደል). Below you’ll find every phrase in Fidel plus a simple pronunciation in Latin letters, the way many Ethiopians in the diaspora write Amharic in their chats.

Amharic phrases you should know

Before the tables, two things that will save you a lot of confusion:

• Man, woman or elder? Amharic has different forms of “you”. Indet neh? is “How are you?” to a man, Indet nesh? to a woman. For older people, in-laws and anyone you want to show respect, you use the polite form, for example Indemin not?. In the tables you’ll find both forms as (m) and (f).
• The pronunciation is easier than the script looks. Most sounds exist in English. The exception are a few “popped” consonants (t’, k’, ch’, ts’), which you form by closing your throat briefly. If you say them like a normal t or k, people will still understand you.

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Greet someone in Amharic

Ethiopians rarely say just “hi”. A greeting usually comes with a question about how you are, and with family or elders it’s often repeated several times, together with a handshake, a kiss on the cheek or a slight bow. Here are the greetings you’ll need most:

English	Amharic	Say it like this
Hello! (casual)	ሰላም!	selam
Hello! (polite)	ጤና ይስጥልኝ!	tena yistilign
What’s up? (friends)	ታዲያስ?	tadias
Welcome!	እንኳን ደህና መጣህ! (m) / መጣሽ! (f)	inkwan dehna metah (m) / metash (f)
Good morning (lit. how did you spend the night?)	እንደምን አደርክ? (m) / አደርሽ? (f)	indemin aderk (m) / adersh (f)
Good afternoon (lit. how did you spend the day?)	እንደምን ዋልክ? (m) / ዋልሽ? (f)	indemin walk (m) / walsh (f)
Good evening	እንደምን አመሸህ? (m) / አመሸሽ? (f)	indemin amesheh (m) / ameshesh (f)
Have a good day!	መልካም ቀን!	melkam ken
I’m glad to see you.	ስላየሁህ ደስ ብሎኛል። (m) / ስላየሁሽ (f)	silayehuh des bilognal (m) / silayehush (f)

If you are greeted in Amharic, the best way to respond is as follows:

English	Amharic	Say it like this
Hello to you too (reply to tena yistilign)	ጤና ይስጥልኝ	tena yistilign
Have a nice day too!	ላንተም መልካም ቀን! (m) / ላንቺም (f)	lantem melkam ken (m) / lanchim (f)
Thank you, I’m glad to see you too.	አመሰግናለሁ፣ እኔም ስላየሁህ ደስ ብሎኛል። (m) / ስላየሁሽ (f)	ameseginalehu, inem silayehuh des bilognal (m) / silayehush (f)

How are you in Amharic?

After the greeting comes the question about how the other person is doing. There are two common ways to ask, and both are correct. Indet neh? is a little more casual, Indemin neh? a little more classic.

English	Amharic	Say it like this
How are you doing?	እንዴት ነህ? (m) / እንዴት ነሽ? (f)	indet neh (m) / indet nesh (f)
How are you? (classic)	እንደምን ነህ? (m) / ነሽ? (f)	indemin neh (m) / nesh (f)
How are you? (polite, to elders and in-laws)	እንደምን ኖት?	indemin not
Are you doing well?	ደህና ነህ? (m) / ደህና ነሽ? (f)	dehna neh (m) / dehna nesh (f)
What are you doing?	ምን እየሠራህ ነው? (m) / ምን እየሠራሽ ነው? (f)	min iyeserah new (m) / min iyeserash new (f)
How was your day?	ቀንህ እንዴት ነበር? (m) / ቀንሽ (f)	kenih indet neber (m) / kenish (f)

If you are asked how you feel, you can answer with the following phrases:

English	Amharic	Say it like this
I’m fine.	ደህና ነኝ።	dehna negn
I’m fine, thank God.	ደህና ነኝ፣ እግዚአብሔር ይመስገን።	dehna negn, igziabher yimesgen
Thank you for asking, I’m fine.	ስለጠየቅከኝ አመሰግናለሁ፣ ደህና ነኝ። (m) / ስለጠየቅሽኝ (f)	siletey’ekkegn ameseginalehu, dehna negn (m) / siletey’ekshign (f)
I’m fine. And you?	ደህና ነኝ። አንተስ? (m) / አንቺስ? (f)	dehna negn. antes (m) / anchis (f)
I’m not so well.	ብዙም ደህና አይደለሁም።	bizum dehna aydelehum
Everything is fine.	ሁሉም ደህና ነው።	hulum dehna new

A typical detail: Ethiopians very often answer with Igziabher yimesgen, “thank God”, even if they’re not particularly religious. If you add it to your dehna negn, you’ll sound much more natural.

Typical Amharic phrases and words you’ll hear all the time

Some Amharic words come up in almost every conversation, and many of them say a lot about Ethiopian culture: how people encourage each other, how they show respect and how much they thank God for everyday things. If you understand them, you’ll follow much more of what’s going on around you, even before you can speak yourself.

Amharic	Say it like this	Meaning in English	When people say it
ደስ ይላል	des yilal	It’s nice, that’s lovely, I like it (literally: it pleases)	When you like something: the food, a photo, a plan
ደስ ብሎኛል	des bilognal	I’m happy, I’m glad	When you’re pleased about something, often about meeting someone
እንገናኛለን	ingenagnalen	We’ll meet, see you	At every goodbye, often with nege (tomorrow) or behuala (later)
አይዞህ / አይዞሽ	ayzoh (m) / ayzosh (f)	Be strong, hang in there, don’t worry	When someone is stressed, sad or facing an exam. Hardly translatable and very Ethiopian
አቤት	abet	Yes? (I’m listening)	The polite answer when someone calls your name, especially an elder
እሺ	eshi	OK, sure, alright	Agreeing to almost anything, you’ll hear it all day
በቃ	beka	Enough, that’s it, OK then	To end a discussion, or when you’ve had enough food
እግዚአብሔር ይመስገን	igziabher yimesgen	Thank God	After I’m fine, and whenever something went well
ምንም አይደለም	minim aydelem	It’s nothing, no worries, you’re welcome	As a reply to thank you or sorry
ችግር የለም	chigir yelem	No problem	When something is easy to sort out
ጥሩ ነው	tiru new	It’s good, that works	Short approval, from food to plans
ጎበዝ	gobez	Well done, good job, clever	Praise, for children and adults alike
የኔ ቆንጆ	yene konjo	My beautiful one	A term of endearment for a partner, and also for children
ወይ ጉድ!	wey gud	Oh my goodness!	When something is shocking or surprising
ይገርማል	yigermal	Amazing, unbelievable	When a story surprises you
እንዴ!	inde	Really? What?	Short surprise, often at the start of a sentence
እረ ባክህ! / እረ ባክሽ!	ere bakih (m) / ere bakish (f)	Come on! No way!	When you can’t believe what you’re hearing
እውነት?	iwnet	Really? Is that true?	When you want to double check
አንድ ጊዜ	and gize	One moment, just a second	When someone needs to wait briefly
ቻው	chaw	Bye	Casual goodbye among friends, from the Italian ciao

If you learn only one word from this list, make it ayzoh (to a man) or ayzosh (to a woman). Say it to someone who is having a hard day, and you’ll see that it means much more than “don’t worry”.

How do I say goodbye to someone in Amharic?

The everyday “bye” in Amharic is chaw (ቻው). If it reminds you of the Italian “ciao”, you’re right: it’s one of several Italian loanwords in Amharic. Among friends, chaw is perfectly fine. With elders and in-laws, use dehna hun or the polite dehna yihunu, literally “stay well”.

English	Amharic	Say it like this
Bye! (casual)	ቻው!	chaw
Goodbye! (stay well)	ደህና ሁን! (m) / ደህና ሁኚ! (f)	dehna hun (m) / dehna hugn (f)
Goodbye! (polite, to elders)	ደህና ይሁኑ!	dehna yihunu
See you!	እንገናኛለን!	ingenagnalen
See you tomorrow!	ነገ እንገናኛለን!	nege ingenagnalen
See you soon!	በቅርቡ እንገናኛለን!	bekirbu ingenagnalen
See you later!	በኋላ እንገናኛለን!	behuala ingenagnalen
Talk to you later.	በኋላ እንነጋገራለን።	behuala innegageralen
Take care!	ራስህን ጠብቅ! (m) / ራስሽን ጠብቂ! (f)	rasihin tebik (m) / rasishin tebiki (f)
Good night (sleep well)	ደህና እደር! (m) / ደህና እደሪ! (f)	dehna eder (m) / dehna ederi (f)
Have a good day!	መልካም ቀን!	melkam ken

How do I introduce myself in Amharic?

Sooner or later, you’ll want to tell people who you are and where you’re from. Good to know: traditionally, Ethiopians don’t have a family surname. Your second name is your father’s first name, so people will usually call you by your first name, even in formal situations.

English	Amharic	Say it like this
My name is Sarah.	ስሜ ሳራ ነው።	sime Sara new
What is your name?	ስምህ ማን ነው? (m) / ስምሽ ማን ነው? (f)	simih man new (m) / simish man new (f)
Nice to meet you.	ስለተዋወቅን ደስ ብሎኛል።	siletewaweqin des bilognal
Where are you from?	ከየት ነህ? (m) / ከየት ነሽ? (f)	keyet neh (m) / keyet nesh (f)
I am from London.	ከለንደን ነኝ።	ke London negn
I am from America.	ከአሜሪካ ነኝ።	ke Amerika negn
Where do you live?	የት ትኖራለህ? (m) / የት ትኖሪያለሽ? (f)	yet tinoraleh (m) / yet tinoriyalesh (f)
I live in Toronto.	ቶሮንቶ እኖራለሁ።	Toronto inoralehu

Do you speak English? When you get stuck

These phrases help you keep the conversation going when your Amharic runs out. And it will, so learn them early.

English	Amharic	Say it like this
Do you speak English?	እንግሊዝኛ ትችላለህ? (m) / ትችያለሽ? (f)	inglizigna tichilaleh (m) / tichiyalesh (f)
I speak a little Amharic.	ትንሽ አማርኛ እችላለሁ።	tinish amarigna ichilalehu
I understand a little Amharic.	ትንሽ አማርኛ ይገባኛል።	tinish amarigna yigebagnal
I don’t understand.	አልገባኝም።	algebagnim
Please speak slowly.	እባክህ ቀስ ብለህ ተናገር። (m) / እባክሽ ቀስ ብለሽ ተናገሪ። (f)	ebakih kes bileh tenager (m) / ebakish kes bilesh tenageri (f)
What did you say?	ምን አልክ? (m) / ምን አልሽ? (f)	min alk (m) / min alsh (f)
How do you say … in Amharic?	… በአማርኛ ምን ይባላል?	… be amarigna min yibalal

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Amharic phrases for your partner and your Ethiopian family

If you’re learning Amharic because of someone you love, these are the phrases that matter most. Ethiopian families are warm, but also traditional: respect for elders shows in every greeting. Use the polite forms with your partner’s parents, and you’ll get a reaction no English sentence can give you.

English	Amharic	Say it like this
Good morning (polite, to elders)	እንደምን አደሩ?	indemin aderu
And you? (polite)	እርስዎስ?	irswos
I love you.	እወድሃለሁ። (to a man) / እወድሻለሁ። (to a woman)	iwedihalehu (to a man) / iwedishalehu (to a woman)
I miss you.	ናፍቄሃለሁ። (to a man) / ናፍቄሻለሁ። (to a woman)	nafkehalehu (to a man) / nafkeshalehu (to a woman)
My love	ፍቅሬ	fikre
I’m proud of you.	በአንተ ኮርቻለሁ። (m) / ባንቺ ኮርቻለሁ። (f)	be’ante korchalehu (m) / banchi korchalehu (f)
The food is delicious.	ምግቡ ጣፋጭ ነው።	migbu tafach new
I’m full, thank you. (to decline more food)	በቃኝ፣ አመሰግናለሁ።	bekagn, ameseginalehu
Don’t worry.	አትጨነቅ። (m) / አትጨነቂ። (f)	atchenek (m) / atcheneki (f)

Two cultural tips that no phrase list mentions: at the table, someone may feed you a bite by hand. That’s called gursha (ጉርሻ) and it’s a gesture of affection, so accept it with a smile. And if you’re full, expect to say bekagn more than once. A host who offers more food a second and third time is simply being a good host.

Congratulations, holidays and wishes

Ethiopian holidays are big family events, and the right wish is a small gesture that people remember.

English	Amharic	Say it like this
Congratulations!	እንኳን ደስ አለህ! (m) / አለሽ! (f) / አላችሁ! (all of you)	inkwan des aleh (m) / alesh (f) / alachihu (all of you)
Happy holiday! (lit. glad you’ve reached it)	እንኳን አደረሳችሁ!	inkwan aderesachihu
Happy New Year!	መልካም አዲስ ዓመት!	melkam addis amet
Happy birthday!	መልካም ልደት!	melkam lidet
Get well soon! (lit. may God heal you)	እግዚአብሔር ይማርህ! (m) / ይማርሽ! (f)	igziabher yimarih (m) / yimarish (f)
My condolences (lit. may God comfort you)	እግዚአብሔር ያጽናህ። (m) / ያጽናሽ። (f)	igziabher yatsnah (m) / yatsnash (f)

Polite phrases: please, thank you and sorry in Amharic

Politeness in Amharic works a lot through the polite form of “you” (irswo) and through repeated thanks. With older people, officials and anyone you don’t know well, the polite form is always the safe choice.

English	Amharic	Say it like this
Thank you.	አመሰግናለሁ።	ameseginalehu
Thank you very much.	በጣም አመሰግናለሁ።	betam ameseginalehu
You’re welcome. / No worries.	ምንም አይደለም።	minim aydelem
Please	እባክህ (m) / እባክሽ (f) / እባክዎ (polite)	ebakih (m) / ebakish (f) / ebakwo (polite)
Yes / No	አዎ / አይ	awo / ay
Sorry. / Excuse me.	ይቅርታ።	yikirta
Please forgive me. (polite)	ይቅርታ ያድርጉልኝ።	yikirta yadrigulign
I didn’t mean it.	አውቄ አይደለም።	awkie aydelem
Could you help me?	ልትረዳኝ ትችላለህ? (m) / ልትረጂኝ ትችያለሽ? (f)	litredagn tichilaleh (m) / litrejign tichiyalesh (f)
Thank you for your help.	ስለረዳኸኝ አመሰግናለሁ። (m) / ስለረዳሽኝ (f)	sileredahegn ameseginalehu (m) / sileredashign (f)

Useful sentences with “I am…”

These sentences help you say how you feel and what you need. Many of them are built differently than in English: “I’m hungry” in Amharic is literally “hunger has got me”.

English	Amharic	Say it like this
I’m happy.	ደስ ብሎኛል።	des bilognal
I’m tired.	ደክሞኛል።	dekmognal
I’m hungry.	ርቦኛል።	rabognal
I’m thirsty.	ጠምቶኛል።	temtognal
I’m sad.	አዝኛለሁ።	azignalehu
I’m sick.	አሞኛል።	amognal
I’m cold.	በርዶኛል።	berdognal
I’m busy.	ሥራ በዝቶብኛል።	sira beztobignal
I’m late.	አርፍጃለሁ።	arfijalehu
I’m lost.	ጠፍቻለሁ።	tefichalehu
I’m surprised.	ገርሞኛል።	germognal
I’m angry.	ተናድጃለሁ።	tenadjalehu
I’m proud.	ኮርቻለሁ።	korchalehu
I’m in love.	ፍቅር ይዞኛል።	fikir yizognal
I’m ready.	ዝግጁ ነኝ።	zigju negn
I’m new here.	እዚህ አዲስ ነኝ።	izih addis negn
I’m a tourist.	ቱሪስት ነኝ።	turist negn
I’m British.	እንግሊዛዊ ነኝ። (m) / እንግሊዛዊት ነኝ። (f)	inglizawi negn (m) / inglizawit negn (f)
I’m not married.	አላገባሁም።	alagebahum
I’m 30 years old.	ሠላሳ ዓመቴ ነው።	selasa ametie new
I need help!	እርዳታ እፈልጋለሁ!	irdata ifeligalehu

A short Amharic dialogue: visiting the family

Here’s how a typical first visit could sound. Sarah meets her partner’s mother for the first time and uses the polite forms:

Who	Amharic	English
Sarah	ጤና ይስጥልኝ! እንደምን ኖት? (tena yistilign! indemin not?)	Hello! How are you?
Mother	ደህና ነኝ፣ እግዚአብሔር ይመስገን። አንቺስ? (dehna negn, igziabher yimesgen. anchis?)	I’m fine, thank God. And you?
Sarah	ደህና ነኝ፣ አመሰግናለሁ። (dehna negn, ameseginalehu.)	I’m fine, thank you.
Mother	እንኳን ደህና መጣሽ! ቡና ጠጪ። (inkwan dehna metash! buna tetchi.)	Welcome! Have some coffee.
Sarah	አመሰግናለሁ። ደስ ይላል! (ameseginalehu. des yilal!)	Thank you. That’s lovely!

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Want to know what’s in the course? Read more about the Amharic language course.

Amharic sayings and proverbs

Proverbs are everywhere in Ethiopian conversation. Elders use them to give advice, and a well-placed proverb from a foreigner usually gets a big laugh and a lot of respect. Here are some well-known ones:

Amharic	Say it like this	Meaning
ቀስ በቀስ እንቁላል በእግሩ ይሄዳል።	kes be kes inkulal be’igru yihedal	Little by little, the egg walks on its own legs. Patience gets you there, a perfect motto for learning Amharic.
ድር ቢያብር አንበሳ ያስር።	dir biyabir anbessa yasir	When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion. Together you’re strong.
ሆድ ያባውን ብቅል ያወጣዋል።	hod yabawin bikil yawetawal	What the stomach hides, the malt brings out. A drink loosens the tongue.
ሰው ለሰው መድኃኒቱ ነው።	sew lesew medhanitu new	People are each other’s medicine.

Useful signs and notices in Amharic

Signs in Ethiopia are often bilingual in Amharic and English, but not always. These are the ones worth recognising:

English	Amharic	Say it like this
Entrance	መግቢያ	megbiya
Exit	መውጫ	mewcha
Toilet	ሽንት ቤት / መጸዳጃ ቤት	shint bet / metsedaja bet
Where is the toilet?	ሽንት ቤት የት ነው?	shint bet yet new
Open	ክፍት ነው	kift new
Closed	ዝግ ነው	zig new
No entry	መግባት ክልክል ነው	megbat kilkil new
Danger	አደጋ	adega
Police	ፖሊስ	polis
Hospital	ሆስፒታል	hospital
Pharmacy	መድኃኒት ቤት	medhanit bet
How much is it?	ስንት ነው?	sint new

Numbers in Amharic

Counting in Amharic is regular once you know 1 to 10: 11 is “ten and one” (asra and), 21 is “twenty one” (haya and). Handy for prices at the market.

Number	Amharic	Say it like this
1	አንድ	and
2	ሁለት	hulet
3	ሶስት	sost
4	አራት	arat
5	አምስት	amist
6	ስድስት	sidist
7	ሰባት	sebat
8	ስምንት	simint
9	ዘጠኝ	zetegn
10	አስር	asir
11	አስራ አንድ	asra and
12	አስራ ሁለት	asra hulet
13	አስራ ሶስት	asra sost
14	አስራ አራት	asra arat
15	አስራ አምስት	asra amist
16	አስራ ስድስት	asra sidist
17	አስራ ሰባት	asra sebat
18	አስራ ስምንት	asra simint
19	አስራ ዘጠኝ	asra zetegn
20	ሃያ	haya
21	ሃያ አንድ	haya and
22	ሃያ ሁለት	haya hulet
23	ሃያ ሶስት	haya sost
24	ሃያ አራት	haya arat
25	ሃያ አምስት	haya amist
30	ሠላሳ	selasa
50	ሃምሳ	hamsa
100	መቶ	meto
1,000	ሺህ	shih

The colours in Amharic

The most common colours in Amharic. A nice detail: brown is bunama, from buna, coffee. In a country that gave the world coffee, that’s hardly a surprise.

English	Amharic	Say it like this
Red	ቀይ	key
Blue	ሰማያዊ	semayawi
Green	አረንጓዴ	arenguade
Yellow	ቢጫ	bicha
Black	ጥቁር	tikur
White	ነጭ	nech
Orange	ብርቱካናማ	birtukanama
Purple	ሐምራዊ	hamrawi
Brown	ቡናማ	bunama
Pink	ሮዝ	roz

Days of the week, months and seasons in Amharic

Here it gets interesting, because Ethiopia has its own calendar. The Ethiopian year has 13 months, starts in September and runs about seven to eight years behind the Gregorian calendar. Ethiopian New Year, Enkutatash, is celebrated on 11 September (12 September in the year before a Gregorian leap year).

Days of the week in Amharic

English	Amharic	Say it like this
Monday	ሰኞ	segno
Tuesday	ማክሰኞ	maksegno
Wednesday	ረቡዕ	rebu
Thursday	ሐሙስ	hamus
Friday	ዓርብ	arb
Saturday	ቅዳሜ	kidame
Sunday	እሑድ	ihud

The 13 Ethiopian months

The Ethiopian months don’t match January, February and so on. Each one starts somewhere in the middle of a Gregorian month. The dates below are approximate and shift by a day around leap years:

Amharic	Say it like this	Roughly
መስከረም	meskerem	11 September to 10 October
ጥቅምት	tikimt	11 October to 9 November
ኅዳር	hidar	10 November to 9 December
ታኅሣሥ	tahsas	10 December to 8 January
ጥር	tir	9 January to 7 February
የካቲት	yekatit	8 February to 9 March
መጋቢት	megabit	10 March to 8 April
ሚያዝያ	miyazya	9 April to 8 May
ግንቦት	ginbot	9 May to 7 June
ሰኔ	sene	8 June to 7 July
ሐምሌ	hamle	8 July to 6 August
ነሐሴ	nehase	7 August to 5 September
ጳጉሜ	pagume	6 to 10 September (5 days, 6 in a leap year)

In everyday life, especially in the cities and in the diaspora, people also use the Gregorian months. When someone gives you a date, it’s worth asking which calendar they mean.

Seasons in Ethiopia

Ethiopia has no classic spring, summer, autumn and winter. The year is shaped by rain, and the timing varies by region. The green weeks right after the big rains, around Meskerem, are often called tsedey (ፀደይ), spring.

Amharic	Say it like this	Season
ክረምት	kiremt	Main rainy season, roughly June to September
በጋ	bega	Dry season, roughly October to January
በልግ	belg	Short rains, roughly February to May

Ethiopian time works differently, too: the day starts counting at sunrise, around 6 a.m. So 7 a.m. is and se’at, “hour one”. If someone in Addis Ababa says they’ll meet you at two o’clock, ask whether they mean Ethiopian time. It might be 8 a.m.

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Frequently asked questions about Amharic phrases

How do you say how are you in Amharic?

To a man you say indet neh (እንዴት ነህ), to a woman indet nesh (እንዴት ነሽ). The polite form for elders is indemin not (እንደምን ኖት). The usual answer is dehna negn (ደህና ነኝ), meaning I’m fine, often followed by igziabher yimesgen, thank God.

What does des yilal (ደስ ይላል) mean in English?

Des yilal means it’s nice, that’s lovely or I like it, literally it pleases. The related des bilognal (ደስ ብሎኛል) means I’m happy or I’m glad.

How do you say goodbye in Amharic?

Among friends, people say chaw (ቻው), which comes from the Italian ciao. The more traditional goodbye is dehna hun (ደህና ሁን) to a man and dehna hugn (ደህና ሁኚ) to a woman, meaning stay well. See you is ingenagnalen (እንገናኛለን).

How do you say I love you in Amharic?

To a man you say iwedihalehu (እወድሃለሁ), to a woman iwedishalehu (እወድሻለሁ). My love is fikre (ፍቅሬ).

Why do Amharic phrases have male and female forms?

Like Arabic and Hebrew, Amharic changes the word for you depending on whether you speak to a man, a woman or several people. There is also a polite form for elders and people you want to show respect. If you are unsure, the polite form is always safe.

Related links

• Amharic language course: learn Amharic online
• The different ways of learning languages
• Learning vocabulary successfully
• Motivated language learning
• Train your listening comprehension
• Learning languages quickly, is it possible?
• The different types of language learners

Prefer another language?

• 🇩🇪 Floskeln auf Amharisch