User:Paine Ellsworth/Amharic
Learned to speak Amharic while in the Peace Corps in 1973–75. Some memories for posterity:
- Amharic → English
- Words remembered
- !tenayistaleyn[1] (!ten-aye-stah-leen) → greeting, hello
- alocum. (ah-lo-koom) → Don't know.
- Inay alocum. → I don't know.
- amasiganalew (ah-mah-sig-ah-nahl-oh) → thank you (everyday common usage)
- see also: exeristaleyn (ex-air-stal-leen), betam exeristaleyn
- anchi (ahn-chee) → you (fem.)
- anti (ahn-tee) → you (masc.)
- bet (bate) → house
- betam → very much
- betam exeristaleyn (ex-air-stal-leen) → thank you very much
- conjo (kone-joe) → beautiful
- Anchi conjo nesh. → You are beautiful.
- efalegalew (eh-fahl-ay-gah-lo) → want
- Ina cijara efalegalew. → I want a cigarette. (Ina can be absent/understood, as in "Cijara efalegalew.")
- ehun (uh-hoon) → now (present moment)
- enjera → very large pancake-like pattie
- tear off a piece of enjera and roll it up in a sauce
- enjera ena wot → staple food[2]
- exeristaleyn (ex-air-stal-leen) → thank you (higher level)
- see also: amasiganalew (ah-mah-sig-ah-nal-loh)
- feker (fay-care) → love
- Inay feker nesh (or "neh" to a man) → I love you
- gorsha – gesture of friendship, tear off a piece of enjera, roll it in sauce, then put it in friend's mouth
- the bigger the gorsha, the more they like you!
- women like to include lots of fat in their gorshas they give to men – I guess one is not a real man unless he eats lots of fat!
- ina (in-nay) → I
- ishi (ish-ee) → okay
- min albot → perhaps, maybe
- nesh → you (fem.)
- neh → you (masc.)
- new (no) → is/are (masc. & neut.)
- owo → yes
- yillem → no
- !Puagme[1] (!poo-ahg-may) → calendar's 13th month (of Sunshine) that has only five days, and in leap year it has six days
- sherite (share-eet) → men's wear - wrapped from waist to feet
- shintobet → bathroom/restroom
- sijara (see-jah-rah) → cigarette
- sijaroch (see-jah-roach) → cigarettes (plural) - "och" makes a noun the plural form
- tamare (tah-mah-ree) → student
- tamarebet (tah-mah-ree-bate) → school (student house)
- tefelegalesh (teh-fel-ay-gah-lesh)? → (you) want? (fem.)
- tefelegale (teh-fel-ay-gah-lay)? → (you) want? (masc.)
- !tej[1] → honey wine
- tella → beer
- wede (weh-day) → go
- woha (woh-hah) → water
- wot (waht) → sauce - wots are various sauces spread on enjera[2]
- yi (yih) → this
- Phrases/sentences
- Ina wede tamarebet efalegalew. → I want to go to school.
- salam guad abal → peace corps volunteer
- salam guad abaloch → peace corps volunteers (pl.)
- Yi nebber new. → This is ?
- "Thirteen Months of Sunshine" (in tourist brochures)