Buna Break Amharic

In this week’s episode we’ll give grammar and technicalities a break to have a look at some of the unique phrases or expressions in Amharic that have no translation in English, and which give the language so much character. While I learned some of these just by listening and understanding context, many were actually new to me when I started this episode. Now that I know them, though, I can’t stop hearing them used everywhere. I hope this episode helps to make you feel more at home with colloquial Amharic.

Today we’ll look at how to construct compound sentences using a verb form called The Gerund. We introduced the Gerund and how it is used to make past perfect conjugations in Episode 6 of Season 2, so if you’re struggling with this episode, I’d recommend going back for a recap. Now we’re going to go a step further and look at how the gerund is used in conjunction with other verbs to build compound sentences in which more than one action is taking place.

In this episode we return to the second half of Ato Andreas’s story, narrated by the wonderful Selamawit Geleta. As always, if you like her teaching style and would like to find out more about taking classes in Addis Ababa or online, please reach out. You can contact Selam on WhatsApp or Telegram at +251 91 355 4896 or find her on Facebook at Selam Amharic Language and Cultural Teaching. As with last episode, you can find the illustrated story, as well as comprehension questions, suggested activities and a list of vocabulary in the transcript. If you would like to comment on the story series or other aspects of the podcast, please send me an email. The address is luana.deborst@fulbrightmail.org. In the meantime, enjoy!

Today we’re lucky to be back with another episode in our stories series with the fabulous Selamawit Geleta. If you’re interested in taking Amharic classes in person or online (which I’d really recommend for language learning), you can contact Selam on WhatsApp or Telegram at +251 91 355 4896 or find her on Facebook at Selam Amharic Language and Cultural Teaching. As with the last two story series episodes, you’ll find the picture book images and a list of vocabulary in the transcript at the link in the bio. I’d recommend following along to test your comprehension and learn new vocabulary.

In this episode we’ll look at some of the most often used, but also most complex, verbs in the Amharic language. That is, uses of the verb አለ “Ale”. If you’ve made it this far in your language learning you’re likely to have come across the following verbs fairly regularly: አለ, አለው, አለሁ, አልኩ, አለኝ, etc. These variations on አለ are often written and even sound almost exactly the same, but they have different meanings and origins. This episode is designed to help you Identify them from one another and know which to use in any given context. The episode ends with an “appendix” wherein full verb conjugations are found. As always, the full conjugations can be found in the episode transcript.

In this week’s episode we’ll look at the Imperative and the Jussive, which are related forms of command or request. The Imperative is the name given to a direct command: i.e. go, come, listen, stop, etc. The Jussive can be thought of as an indirect command, more along the lines of “let him eat”, “let her take”, etc. It is often phrased as a question or request: “shall we?”, “may I?”, “could you?”, etc. In Amharic, as with all verb conjugations, these command forms vary according to the person being addressed.

Today we’ll continue from where we left off last week with our object modifiers, this time adding two important preposition that can completely change the meaning of the object-modified verb. These are the prepositions ለ and በ, the addition of which adds a layer of differing meaning to the word. In this episode, travel through full verb conjugation examples followed by sample sentences for practice.

In this episode we’ll get into some challenging but very important elements of the Amharic language. That is, how to incorporate the person who is doing the action (the subject) and the person who is receiving the action, or whom the action is being done upon (the object) in a sentence. Learning this means that we can build and understand more complex and specific sentences. Due to the complexity of these conjugations, I highly recommend following along with the episode transcript (link in the show bio).

Welcome back to another Season of Buna Break Amharic. In these next ten episodes we’ll continue to solidify your language and cultural learning by expanding on your vocabulary, knowledge of grammar, and familiarity with spoken and narrative Amharic. As with previous seasons you will have practice exercises, dialogue, and stories to help you deep-dive into the language. Let’s kick off the season by looking at some elements of Amharic culture and language that are quite unique to Ethiopia: the telling of time, the Ethiopian Calendar and holidays.

This episode reviews material covered in the second Season of Buna Break Amharic, using extensive practice activities to refresh your knowledge of elements covered so far, get you practicing, and test your comprehension. View the transcript (link listed in the show bio)for the practice activities, including amharic fidel.

For this episode we are lucky to be joined again by Selamawit Geleta as she narrates a wordless picture book in Amharic. Follow along with the transcript (linked in the show bio) to see the illustrations and a list of new vocabulary.

In this first Story Series episode we are joined by the wonderful Selamawit Geleta whose animated narration of a wordless picture book provides learners with new vocabulary, and a practical journey through sentences construction in Amharic. Follow along with the illustrations a full list of vocabulary in the transcript.

In this episode we explore vocabulary used to express emotion. In Amharic, emotion is expressed most often as a verb rather than an adjective, which is common in English. These emotive emotive verbs are often irregular, so they're useful to review on their own in order to start empathising with and expressing emotion.

This episode explains how to conjugate present and past perfect verb forms, using extensive verb charts and practice exercises. The present and past perfect are used to make sentences like "I have eaten" or "I had gone". They rely heavily on the verb construction called The Gerund, which has many uses unique to Amharic and will be essential for building compound sentences later on.

This episode compiles a useful spread of common phrases and questions in Amharic that you'd be likely to encounter on a regular basis. From asking for and offering clarification or help to expressing (mis)understanding, this episode is a practical one for early learners of Amharic.

In this episode we pick up where we left off last week, using the contingent and various conjunctions to make conditional or dependent sentences like “if I were to X” and “when we do/did Y”. Using several verb examples and practice sentences the episode will help you come away formulating more complex thoughts.

In this episode we break down how to build more complex sentences using "used to" and "going to" verb equivalents in Amharic. The episode introduces a form called the Contingent that is also the basis for various other verb conjugations addressed in later episodes.

This episode breaks down essential Amharic Prepositions through dialogue and examples. Prepositions are important to learn early on in order to start putting together simple sentences and understanding the gist of the conversation.

Welcome to Season 2 of Buna Break Amharic. In this season we dive into some more complicated Amharic language vocabulary and grammar, including practical dialogue and sample exercises. In this episode we look at introductory language around ordering food at a restaurant and meeting someone for the first time.

This is the final episode of Season 1. In it we go over a series of practice exercises designed to help consolidate what you've learned so far.

In this session we go over a few core irregular verbs in past and present tense, including negatives. These verbs are used very often and in many contexts so they’re essential to learn early on, but can be tricky to wrap ones mind around. This should serve as a useful introduction.

This episode details how verbs are negated in Amharic using several examples and some practices exercises.

This episode examines the Amharic past tense (I went, you went, they went...) as well as conjugations in the present and past continuous (i am going, you are seeing, we were eating...) with examples and practice exercises.

This episode takes a look at Amharic verbs in the infinitive (to eat, to go, to take, etc) and how to conjugate these in the present tense (I eat, you go, we take, etc) using some essential verb examples.

This episode covers some questions and phrases that are essential to know at the early stages of Amharic learning. Follow along by repeating the phrases and then practice on a friend.

This episode is designed for vocabulary learning. In it we simply go over lists of common vocabulary related to the house and objects in it as well as a few key food and drink names you'll inevitably use to start being conversational in Amharic

This episode covers a range of basic greetings in Amharic to get you conversational in the basics.

This episode reviews core vocabulary about people and kinship in Amharic.

In this episode we start with the basics, looking at gender, pronouns and the possessive in Amharic using the verb example "to be".

This episode is an introduction to Buna Break Amharic, its host and the aims of the podcast.