Language/Amharic/Grammar/How-to-Use-Be

Amharic Grammar - How to Use "Be"

Hi Amharic learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will discuss how to use "be" in Amharic. "Be" is an important verb as it is used to indicate existence, identity, and location. It is also used to describe a person's state of being. Understanding how to use "be" is essential to speak and write Amharic fluently. Let's get started!

Take a moment to explore these relevant pages as you conclude this lesson: Using the Past Tense & Pronouns.

The Basics

In Amharic, the verb "be" is expressed by four different verbs: ነው/ nenew, ልዩ/ layu, ይሄ/ yihe, and ነው።/ nenew.

The verb ነው/ nenew is the most commonly used verb for "be," and it is used to indicate existence, identity, and location. It is also used to describe a person's state of being. The verb ልዩ/ layu is used to indicate identity and location, and the verb ይሄ/ yihe is used to describe something that is "this" or "that." Finally, the verb ነው።/ nenew is used to indicate existence and location.

To use "be" in Amharic, you need to know its forms in the present tense. Here they are:

Subject Pronouns	ነው	ልዩ	ተባረረ	ነው።
I	ነው	ልዩ	ተባረረ	ነው።
You (Singular)	ነህ	ልዩ	ተባረረ	ነው።
He/She/It	ነው	ልዩ	ተባረረ	ነው።
We	ነን	ውስጥ ልዩ ነው	ተባረረን	ነን።
You (Plural)	ነን	ውስጥ ልዩ ነው	ተባረረን	ነን።
They	ነው	ውስጥ ልዩ ነው	ተባረረን	ነው።

Here are some examples:

Amharic	Pronunciation	English
እኔ ነው	Enenew	I am
አንተ ነህ	Anteneh	You are
ትክክለኛ ነው	Tikikilignenew	He/She/It is smart
እኛ ነን	Eneen	We are
እናምንተ ነን	Enamenten	You (Plural) are
እነዚህ ናቸው	Enzehanachew	They are these

Now, let's learn how to use "be" in different contexts.

Existence

To indicate existence in Amharic, we use the verb ነው/ nenew.

Here's an example conversation:

• Person 1: መልእኽተኛ ነው? (Melakehtegnaw?) - Are you a guest?
• Person 2: ነው። (Nenew.) - Yes, I am.

Note that in Amharic, we don't use any verb or auxiliary to form questions. Instead, we change the intonation of our voice.

Here's another example:

• Person 1: እንደምን ነበር? (Endemin nenber?) - What are you?
• Person 2: ተባረረን። (Tebarreren.) - We are students.

In this example, we use the verb ነው/ nenew to indicate existence, and the pronoun ንከስና/ nekesna to mean "we" or "us."

Here are some more examples:

• አንዱ የሚታወቅ ነው። (Andu yemitaweqenew.) - One of them is missing.
• ከሚስት ጋር የተሻለ ናት። (Kemisit gare yeteshale nat.) - There is a lost-and-found in the women's restroom.

Identity

To indicate identity in Amharic, we use the verb ነው/ nenew and the verb ልዩ/ layu.

Here's an example conversation:

• Person 1: መምህር ነህ? (Mamher neh?) - Are you a teacher?
• Person 2: ልዩ ነኝ። (Layu nenjo.) - Yes, I am.

In this example, we use the verb ልዩ/ layu to confirm the identity of the subject.

Here are some more examples:

• ሕዝብ መመሪያ ይሏቸዋል። (Hzib memoriya yilachewal.) - The members have identities.
• ባየ ግን ነህ። (Baye gena neh.) - You must be Baye.

Location

To indicate location in Amharic, we use the verb ነው/ nenew, and the prepositions ከ/ke and በ/be.

Here's an example conversation:

• Person 1: የቤት ቦታ ብቻ ይሁን? (Yebetebota bicha yihun?) - Is the house location nearby?
• Person 2: ከቶም ነው/ በዚያ ነው። (Kotum nenew/ bezeya nenew.) - It's not far/ It's here.

In this example, we use the prepositions ከ/ke and በ/be to indicate the location of the house.

Here are some more examples:

• እንደቤት ቦታ ነው። (Endebetebota nenew.) - It's like a home.
• የሚሰማም ቦታ ያለው/ው ነው/ናቸው። (Yemismam bota yalewu nenew/nachew.) - The place is peaceful.

Describing a Person's State of Being

To describe a person's state of being in Amharic, we use the verb ነው/ nenew, and adjectives.

Here's an example conversation:

• Person 1: ስጋ እንደወጣ ነው/ልዩ ነው? (Saga endewetew neh/layu new?) - Is the coffee hot?
• Person 2: ጠልቆ ነው/ልዩ ነው. (Telko nenew/layu nenew.) - Yes, it is.

In this example, we use the adjective ጠልቆ/ telko to describe the state of the coffee.

Here are some more examples:

• ስህተት አልተቻለም። (Sihetit allechatelhem.) - He is not reliable.
• መደመር ነው። (Medemer nenew.) - He is funny.

Conclusion

Using "be" in Amharic is easy once you get the hang of it. Make sure you practice the examples above and create your own sentences. To improve your Amharic Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

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➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Having concluded this lesson, consider checking out these related pages: Using the Subjunctive & Using the Future Tense.

Other Lessons

• Definite direct objects in the present and future tense
• “to be” and “to have”
• Making Suggestions Using “Let”
• Pluralizing
• How to Use Have
• Stem verbs
• Indirect Object Pronouns
• Time Clauses
• Simple Sentence

Sources

• Amharic - Wikipedia
• Development of Amharic Grammar Checker Using Morphological ...
• Amharic Global Live Virtual Course