Amharic phrases – Here you will find the most common phrases in Amharic with translation. | Free & useful
Amharic phrases are short expressions or idioms often used in speech to be polite, express gratitude, greet or say goodbye or simply to have a pleasant conversation.
They are an important part of Amharic culture and can be useful in different situations, both in private and business life.
Amharic phrases you should know
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Greet someone in Amharic
If you want to greet someone in Amharic, it’s actually quite easy:
| English | Amharic | Pronunciation (IPA) |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome! in Amharic | እንኳን ደህና መጣህ (m) / መጣሽ (f) | /ɨnˈkwan dɛhɨˈna mɛtʼa(h)/ |
| Good day to you! in Amharic | መልካም ቀን! | /mɛlkam kʼɛn/ |
| Good morning to you! in Amharic | እንደምን አደርክ (m) / አደርሽ (f)? | /ɨndamin adɛɾkʼ/ (m), /adɛɾʃ/ (f) |
| Good evening! in Amharic | እንደምን መሸም? | /ɨndamin mɛʃɛm/ |
| Good to see you. in Amharic | ማየት ደስ ይላል። | /ma.jɛt dɛs jilal/ |
| I’m glad to see you. in Amharic | ማየትህ ደስ አሰኘኝ። | /ma.jɛtɨh dɛs asɛɲɲɨɲ/ |
If you are greeted in Amharic, the best way to respond is as follows:
| English | Amharic | Pronunciation (IPA) |
|---|---|---|
| Have a nice day too! in Amharic | አንተም መልካም ቀን አሳካህ! | /antɛm mɛlkam kʼɛn asaka(h)/ |
| Thanks, it’s nice to see you too. in Amharic | አመሰግናለሁ፣ አንተንም ማየት ደስ ይላል። | /aməsɛɡɨnaləhu, antɛnɨm majɛt dɛs jilal/ |
How is my dialogue partner?
As in any other country, it is polite to start by asking where the person you are talking to is located. Here’s how you do it:
| English | Amharic | Pronunciation (IPA) |
|---|---|---|
| How are you doing? in Amharic | እንዴት ነህ? (m) / ነሽ? (f) | /ɨndɛt nɛh/ (m), /nɛʃ/ (f) |
| Are you doing well? in Amharic | ደህና ነህ? (m) / ነሽ? (f) | /dɛhɨna nɛh/ (m), /dɛhɨna nɛʃ/ (f) |
If you are asked how you feel, you can answer with the following phrases:
| English | Amharic | Pronunciation (IPA) |
|---|---|---|
| Thank you for asking, I am fine. | ስለሰየመክህ አመሰግናለሁ፣ ደህና ነኝ። | /sɨlɛ səjjamɛkʼɨh aməsɛɡɨnalɨhu, dɛhɨna nɛɲ/ |
| Thank you, I am fine. | አመሰግናለሁ፣ ደህና ነኝ። | /aməsɛɡɨnalɨhu, dɛhɨna nɛɲ/ |
| Thank you, I am not doing so well. | አመሰግናለሁ፣ በጣም ደህና አይደለሁም። | /aməsɛɡɨnalɨhu, bɛtʼam dɛhɨna ajdɛlɛhum/ |
| Thanks, I’m fine. How are you doing? | አመሰግናለሁ፣ ደህና ነኝ። አንተ እንዴት ነህ? | /aməsɛɡɨnalɨhu, dɛhɨna nɛɲ. antɛ ɨndɛt nɛh/ |
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How do I say goodbye to someone in Amharic?
Saying goodbye to a friend or stranger in Amharic is not that difficult. Just use the following phrases:
| English | Amharic | Pronunciation (IPA) |
|---|---|---|
| Goodbye! in Amharic | ደህና ሁን! (m) / ደህና ሁኚ! (f) | /dɛhɨna hun/ (m), /dɛhɨna huɲɲi/ (f) |
| Take care of yourself! in Amharic | እራስህን ተጠንቀቅ! (m) / እራስሽን ተጠንቀቂ! (f) | /ɨrasɨhɨn tʼatʼɛnʼkʼʼɨkʼ/ (m), /ɨrasɨʃʃɨn tʼatʼɛnʼkʼʼi/ (f) |
| Goodbye in Amharic | ቻው | /tʃaw/ |
| See you tomorrow in Amharic | ነገ እንገናኛለን | /naɡa ɨnɡɛnanɲalɛn/ |
| See you soon in Amharic | በቅርቡ እንገናኛለን | /bakʼɨɾbu ɨnɡɛnanɲalɛn/ |
| See you later in Amharic | ኋላ እንገናኛለን | /hʷala ɨnɡɛnanɲalɛn/ |
| Good night in Amharic | መልካም ሌሊት | /mɛlkam lelit/ |
| Sleep well in Amharic | ጤና ይሰጥህ! (m) / ጤና ትስጪ! (f) | /tʼena jisɛtʼɨh/ (m), /tʼena tɨsɨtʃʼi/ (f) |
| Talk to you later. in Amharic | ኋላ እንነጋገራለን | /hʷala ɨnnaɡaɡɛralɛn/ |
| Nice to have met you! in Amharic | መገናኘት ደስ ያሰኘኝ | /mɛɡɛnanɲɛt dɛs jasɛɲɲɨɲ/ |
How do I introduce myself in Amharic?
When travelling in Ethopia, sooner or later you will come into contact with local people. Naturally, you’ll want to introduce yourself in Amharic and know who you’re talking to.
| English | Amharic | Pronunciation (IPA) |
|---|---|---|
| My name is Jonas. | ስሜ ጆናስ ነው። | /sɨme dʒonas nəw/ |
| What is your name? | ስምህ ማን ነው? (m) / ስምሽ ማን ነው? (f) | /sɨmh man nəw/ (m), /sɨmʃ man nəw/ (f) |
| What is your surname? | የአባትህ ስም ማን ነው? (m) / የአባትሽ ስም ማን ነው? (f) | /ja abatɨh sɨm man nəw/ (m), /ja abatʃ sɨm man nəw/ (f) |
| What is your first name? | የመጀመሪያ ስምህ ማን ነው? (m) / ስምሽ (f) | /jɛ mɛdʒamɛɾija sɨmh man nəw/ (m), /sɨmʃ/ (f) |
| What is your surname? | የአባትህ ስም ማን ነው? (m) / የአባትሽ ስም ማን ነው? (f) | /ja abatɨh sɨm man nəw/ (m), /ja abatʃ sɨm man nəw/ (f) |
If you want to tell people where you come from, the following sentences are useful:
| English | Amharic | Pronunciation (IPA) |
|---|---|---|
| Where do you come from? | ከየት ነህ? (m) / ነሽ? (f) | /kəjɛt nɛh/ (m), /kəjɛt nɛʃ/ (f) |
| I am from London. | ከሎንዶን ነኝ። | /kɛ lɔndɔn nɛɲ/ |
| Are you from Birmingham? | ከቢርሚንግሃም ነህ? (m) / ነሽ? (f) | /kɛ bɨrmɨnɡɨham nɛh/ (m), /nɛʃ/ (f) |
| No, I’m from Madrid. | አይ፣ ከማድሪድ ነኝ። | /aj, kɛ madɾid nɛɲ/ |
| Great, I’m from Madrid too. | በጣም ጥሩ ነው፣ እኔም ከማድሪድ ነኝ። | /bɛtʼam tʼɨɾu nəw, ɨnɛm kɛ madɾid nɛɲ/ |
| Where do you live? | የት ነት ትኖራለህ? (m) / ትኖሪኛለሽ? (f) | /jɛt nɛt tɨnoɾalɛh/ (m), /tɨnoɾɨɲalɛʃ/ (f) |
| I live in Berlin. | በቤርሊን እኖራለሁ። | /bɛbɛrlin ɨnoɾalɛhu/ |
If you have problems with your Amharic, it is good to know which languages are still spoken:
| English | Amharic | Pronunciation (IPA) |
|---|---|---|
| Do you speak English? | እንግሊዝኛ ትናገራለህ? (m) / ትናገሪኛለሽ? (f) | /ɨnɡɨlizɲa tɨnaɡɛralɛh/ (m), /tɨnaɡɛɾɨɲalɛʃ/ (f) |
| Yes, I speak English. | አዎን፣ እንግሊዝኛ እናገራለሁ። | /awɔn, ɨnɡɨlizɲa ɨnaɡɛralɛhu/ |
| Yes, I speak some English. | አዎን፣ ትንሽ እንግሊዝኛ እናገራለሁ። | /awɔn, tɨnɨʃ ɨnɡɨlizɲa ɨnaɡɛralɛhu/ |
| No, I do not speak any English. | አይ፣ እንግሊዝኛ አልናገርኩም። | /aj, ɨnɡɨlizɲa alnaɡɛɾkum/ |
| I only speak English. | ብቻዬ እንግሊዝኛ ነው የማናገረው። | /bɨtʃːaje ɨnɡɨlizɲa nəw jɛmanagɛɾəw/ |
| I understand some Amharic. | ትንሽ አማርኛ እገባኛለሁ። | /tɨnɨʃ amarɲa ɨɡɛbaɲalɛhu/ |
Useful sentences with ‘I am…’
The following sentences will help you orientate yourself in Amharic and express your wishes and concerns:
<tdአሰቃቂ ነኝ።/asɛkʼakʼi nɛɲ/
| English | Amharic | Pronunciation (IPA) |
|---|---|---|
| I am English. in Amharic | እኔ እንግሊዝኛ ነኝ። | /ɨne ɨnɡɨlizɲa nɛɲ/ |
| I am injured. in Amharic | ተጎድቻለሁ። | /tɛɡɔdɨtʃʼalɛhu/ |
| I am here. in Amharic | እኔ እዚህ ነኝ። | /ɨne ɨzih nɛɲ/ |
| I am hungry. in Amharic | ተራብቻለሁ። | /tɛɾabtʃʼalɛhu/ |
| I am thirsty. in Amharic | ጠማትኝ። | /tʼamatiɲ/ |
| I am a single person. in Amharic | ያላገባሁ ነኝ። (m) / ያላገባሁት ነኝ። (f) | /jalagɛbaw nɛɲ/ (m), /jalagɛbawɨt nɛɲ/ (f) |
| I need help! in Amharic | እርዳታ እፈልጋለሁ! | /ɨrdata ɨfɛldʒalɛhu/ |
| I am tired. in Amharic | እድሜ ተሰናክሏል። | /ɨdmɛ tɛsɛnakʼluwal/ |
| I am happy. in Amharic | ደስ ብሎኛል። | /dɛs bɨloɲal/ |
| I am sad. in Amharic | እኔ አሳዛኝ ነኝ። | /ɨne asaˈzanɲ nɛɲ/ |
| I am in love. in Amharic | በፍቅር ውሏል። | /bəfɨkʼɨɾ wɨlal/ |
| I am ill. in Amharic | ሕመምተኛ ነኝ። | /hɨmɛmtaɲa nɛɲ/ |
| I am ready. in Amharic | ዝግጁ ነኝ። | /zɨɡɨdʒu nɛɲ/ |
| I am busy. in Amharic | ስራ በዝቶ ነኝ። | /sɨra bəzɨto nɛɲ/ |
| I am lost. in Amharic | ተሳስቻለሁ። | /tɛsasɨtʃʼalɛhu/ |
| I am a tourist. in Amharic | ቱሪስት ነኝ። | /tuɾist nɛɲ/ |
| I am new here. in Amharic | እዚህ አዲስ ነኝ። | /ɨzih adis nɛɲ/ |
| I am confident. in Amharic | እራሴን እምነት አለኝ። | /ɨrasɛn ɨmɨnɛtʼ alɛɲ/ |
| I am proud. in Amharic | እትም ነኝ። | /ɨtɨm nɛɲ/ |
| I am a teacher. in Amharic | መምህር ነኝ። | /mɛmhɨɾ nɛɲ/ |
| I am late. in Amharic | አልፌ መጣሁ። | /alfɛ mɛtʼahu/ |
| I am 30 years old. in Amharic | አሰላሳ ዓመት አለኝ። | /asalasa ʔamɛtʼ alɛɲ/ |
| I am in a hurry. in Amharic | ቸኵላ ነኝ። | /tʃʼɛkʼula nɛɲ/ |
| I am happy. in Amharic | ደስ ብሎኛል። | /dɛs bɨloɲal/ |
| I am surprised. in Amharic | እንደማልፋ ደንቄኛለሁ። | /ɨndamalɨfa dɛnɨkʼɛɲalɛhu/ |
| I am angry. in Amharic |
Apologising in Amharic
Here’s how to apologise to a Amharic speaker:
| English | Amharic | Pronunciation (IPA) |
|---|---|---|
| I apologise. | ይቅርታ እጠይቃለሁ። | /jɨkʼɨɾta ɨtʼajɨkʼalɛhu/ |
| Sorry, that was not the intention. | ይቅርታ፣ እርስዎን ማታሰብ አልነበረም። | /jɨkʼɨɾta, ɨrsɨwo̞n matʼasɛb alnɛbɛɾɛm/ |
| Sorry, I did not do it on purpose. | ይቅርታ፣ በቀጥታ አልሰራሁትም። | /jɨkʼɨɾta, bɛkʼatʼta alsɛɾahutɨm/ |
| Sorry, that was very clumsy of me. | ይቅርታ፣ በጣም አሳፋሪ ነበር ከእኔ በተነሳ። | /jɨkʼɨɾta, bɛtʼam asafaɾi nabɛɾ kaɨne bɛtɛnɛsa/ |
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Useful signs and notices in Amharic
Useful signs and messages in Amharic that you will often see.
| English | Amharic | Pronunciation (IPA) |
|---|---|---|
| Entrance in Amharic | መግቢያ | /mɛɡbija/ |
| Toilet in Amharic | መውጫ ቤት / መታጠቢያ ቤት | /mawɨtʃʼa bɛt/ or /mɛtatʼɛbija bɛt/ |
| Exit in Amharic | መውጫ | /mawɨtʃʼa/ |
| Attention! in Amharic | ተጠንቀቁ! | /tʼatʼɛnʼkʼɛkʼu/ |
| Police in Amharic | ፖሊስ | /polɨs/ |
| Emergency services in Amharic | ድንገተኛ አገልግሎቶች | /dɨnɡatɛɲa aɡɛlɡɨlotɔtʃ/ |
| Fire brigade in Amharic | እሳት ዳሰሳ አገልግሎት | /ɨsat dasasa aɡɛlɡɨlot/ |
| Passage forbidden. in Amharic | መሄድ አይቻልም። | /mɛhɛd ajtʃʼalm/ |
| Caution! in Amharic | ተጠንቀቁ! | /tʼatʼɛnʼkʼɛkʼu/ |
| This building is under video surveillance. in Amharic | ይህ ሕንፃ ቪዲዮ እይታ በትክክል ተቆጣጣሪ ነው። | /jɨh hɨntʼsa vidijo ɨjɨta bɛtɨkɨkɨl tʼakʼotʼatʼari nəw/ |
Numbers to 25 in Amharic
Counting in Amharic is not that difficult. Here are the numbers in Amharic from 1 to 25.
| English | Amharic | Pronunciation (IPA) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 in Amharic | አንድ | /and/ |
| 2 in Amharic | ሁለት | /hulɛt/ |
| 3 in Amharic | ሶስት | /sost/ |
| 4 in Amharic | አራት | /arat/ |
| 5 in Amharic | አምስት | /amɨst/ |
| 6 in Amharic | ስድስት | /sɨdɨst/ |
| 7 in Amharic | ሰባት | /sabat/ |
| 8 in Amharic | ስምንት | /sɨmɨnt/ |
| 9 in Amharic | ዘጠኝ | /zatʼɨɲ/ |
| 10 in Amharic | አስር | /asɨr/ |
| 11 in Amharic | አስራ አንድ | /asɨra and/ |
| 12 in Amharic | አስራ ሁለት | /asɨra hulɛt/ |
| 13 in Amharic | አስራ ሶስት | /asɨra sost/ |
| 14 in Amharic | አስራ አራት | /asɨra arat/ |
| 15 in Amharic | አስራ አምስት | /asɨra amɨst/ |
| 16 in Amharic | አስራ ስድስት | /asɨra sɨdɨst/ |
| 17 in Amharic | አስራ ሰባት | /asɨra sabat/ |
| 18 in Amharic | አስራ ስምንት | /asɨra sɨmɨnt/ |
| 19 in Amharic | አስራ ዘጠኝ | /asɨra zatʼɨɲ/ |
| 20 in Amharic | ሃያ | /haja/ |
| 21 in Amharic | ሃያ አንድ | /haja and/ |
| 22 in Amharic | ሃያ ሁለት | /haja hulɛt/ |
| 23 in Amharic | ሃያ ሶስት | /haja sost/ |
| 24 in Amharic | ሃያ አራት | /haja arat/ |
| 25 in Amharic | ሃያ አምስት | /haja amɨst/ |
The colours in Amharic
The most common colours in Amharic with phonetic transcription for pronunciation.
| English | Amharic | Pronunciation (IPA) |
|---|---|---|
| Red in Amharic | ቀይ | /kʼaj/ |
| Blue in Amharic | ሰማያዊ | /sɛmajawi/ |
| Green in Amharic | አረንጓዴ | /arɛnguade/ |
| Yellow in Amharic | ቢጫ | /bit͡ʃʼa/ |
| Black in Amharic | ጥቁር | /tʼɨkur/ |
| White in Amharic | ነጭ | /nɛt͡ʃʼ/ |
| Orange in Amharic | ብርቱካናማ | /bɨrtukanama/ |
| Purple in Amharic | ሐምራዊ | /hamrawi/ |
| Brown in Amharic | ቡናማ | /bunama/ |
| Pink in Amharic | ሮዝ | /roz/ |
Days of the week, months and seasons in Amharic
Of course, you will also need the days of the week in Amharic and the pronunciation of the months and seasons in dialogues and daily communication in Amharic.
| English | Amharic | Pronunciation (IPA) |
|---|---|---|
| Monday in Amharic | ሰኞ | /sɛɲo/ |
| Tuesday in Amharic | ማክሰኞ | /makʼsɛɲo/ |
| Wednesday in Amharic | ረቡዕ | /ɾɛbuʕ/ |
| Thursday in Amharic | ሐሙስ | /hamus/ |
| Friday in Amharic | አርብ | /arb/ |
| Saturday in Amharic | ቅዳሜ | /kʼɨdamɛ/ |
| Sunday in Amharic | እሑድ | /ɨhud/ |
| January in Amharic | ጥር | /tʼɨr/ |
| February in Amharic | የካቲት | /jakʼatit/ |
| March in Amharic | መጋቢት | /mɛgabɨt/ |
| April in Amharic | ሚያዝያ | /mijazja/ |
| May in Amharic | ግንቦት | /gɨnbot/ |
| June in Amharic | ሰኔ | /sɛnɛ/ |
| July in Amharic | ሐምሌ | /hamlɛ/ |
| August in Amharic | ነሐሴ | /nɛhasɛ/ |
| September in Amharic | መስከረም | /mɛskɛrɛm/ |
| October in Amharic | ጥቅምት | /tʼɨkʼɨmɨt/ |
| November in Amharic | ኅዳር | /hɨdar/ |
| December in Amharic | ታኅሣሥ | /tahɨsas/ |
| Spring in Amharic | በረዶ አከባቢ (እረፍተ በረዶ) | /bɛɾɛdo akɛbabɨ/ |
| Summer in Amharic | በጋ | /bɛga/ |
| Autumn in Amharic | ክረምት | /kɨɾɛmt/ |
| Winter in Amharic | ክረምት (ከፍተኛ በረዶ) | /kɨɾɛmt/ |
OUR TIP: If you want to learn these Amharic phrases interactively, we recommend the free language course demo from 17-Minute-Language, where you can learn Amharic phrases and dialogues.
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Additional links
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- Learning vocabulary successfully
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- Learning languages quickly? – Is it possible?
- The different types of learners when learning languages
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