Understanding Amharic Relative Pronouns
A Complete Guide to የሚ… (Yemi…), የ… (Ye…), ያለ… (Yale…), and የማይ… (Yemay…)
What Are Relative Pronouns?
Relative pronouns connect a main clause to a descriptive clause — they help us describe or identify someone or something.
In English: “The man who came” or “The book that I read”
In Amharic: “የመጣው ሰው” (The man who came)
The Four Relative Pronouns Explained
| # | Amharic | Transliteration | Tense | English Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | የሚ… | Yemi… | Present / Future | Who, which, that (present) |
| 2 | የ… | Ye… | Past | Who, which, that (past) |
| 3 | ያለ… | Yale… | Negative Past | Who did NOT… |
| 4 | የማይ… | Yemay… | Negative Present | Who does NOT… |
Detailed Breakdown with Examples
የሚ… Yemi… Present Tense
Used for actions happening NOW or regularly.
| # | Amharic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | የሚሄድ ሰው | Yemih-ed sew | The person who goes |
| 2 | የምትመጣ ሴት | Yemti-met’a set | The woman who comes |
| 3 | የሚበላ ውሻ | Yemibela wusha | The dog that eats |
| 4 | የምትሰራ ልጅ | Yemti-sera lij | The child who works |
| 5 | የሚናገር መምህር | Yemineger memhr | The teacher who speaks |
የ… Ye… Past Tense
Used for actions that ALREADY HAPPENED.
| # | Amharic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | የሄደው ሰው | Yehed-ew sew | The person who went |
| 2 | የመጣችው ሴት | Yemet’ach-ew set | The woman who came |
| 3 | የበላው ውሻ | Yebela-w wusha | The dog that ate |
| 4 | የሰራችው ልጅ | Yesera-ch-ew lij | The child who worked |
| 5 | የነገረው መምህር | Yenegere-w memhr | The teacher who spoke |
ያለ… Yale… Negative Past
Used for actions that DID NOT happen in the past.
| # | Amharic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ያልሄደው ሰው | Yalehed-ew sew | The person who did NOT go |
| 2 | ያልመጣችው ሴት | Yale-met’ach-ew set | The woman who did NOT come |
| 3 | ያልበላው ውሻ | Yalebela-w wusha | The dog that did NOT eat |
| 4 | ያልሰራችው ልጅ | Yalesera-ch-ew lij | The child who did NOT work |
| 5 | ያልነገረው መምህር | Yalenegere-w memhr | The teacher who did NOT speak |
የማይ… Yemay… Negative Present
Used for actions that do NOT happen in the present.
| # | Amharic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | የማይሄድ ሰው | Yemayhed sew | The person who does NOT go |
| 2 | የማትመጣ ሴት | Yemat-met’a set | The woman who does NOT come |
| 3 | የማይበላ ውሻ | Yemaybela wusha | The dog that does NOT eat |
| 4 | የማትሰራ ልጅ | Yemat-sera lij | The child who does NOT work |
| 5 | የማይናገር መምህር | Yemay-ninger memhr | The teacher who does NOT speak |
Simple Comparison Table
| Verb (To Go) | Present | Past | Negative Past | Negative Present |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ሄደ (He went) | የሚሄድ | የሄደው | ያልሄደው | የማይሄድ |
| Meaning | who goes | who went | who didn’t go | who doesn’t go |
| Verb (To Eat) | Present | Past | Negative Past | Negative Present |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| በላ (He ate) | የሚበላ | የበላው | ያልበላው | የማይበላ |
| Meaning | who eats | who ate | who didn’t eat | who doesn’t eat |
Using Relative Pronouns in Complete Sentences
Example 1: Identifying People
| # | Amharic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | የሚሄደው ሰው አባቴ ነው። | Yemih-ed-ew sew abate new. | The person who is going is my father. |
| 2 | የሄደው ሰው አባቴ ነው። | Yehed-ew sew abate new. | The person who went is my father. |
| 3 | ያልሄደው ሰው አባቴ ነው። | Yalehed-ew sew abate new. | The person who did NOT go is my father. |
| 4 | የማይሄድ ሰው አባቴ ነው። | Yemayhed sew abate new. | The person who does NOT go is my father. |
Example 2: Describing Objects
| # | Amharic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | የምትበላው ምግብ ጣፋጭ ነው። | Yemti-bela-w megeb tafach new. | The food that she eats is delicious. |
| 2 | የበላችው ምግብ ጣፋጭ ነው። | Yebela-ch-ew megeb tafach new. | The food that she ate is delicious. |
| 3 | ያልበላችው ምግብ ጣፋጭ ነው። | Yale-bela-ch-ew megeb tafach new. | The food that she did NOT eat is delicious. |
| 4 | የማትበላው ምግብ ጣፋጭ ነው። | Yemat-bela-w megeb tafach new. | The food that she does NOT eat is delicious. |
📌 Quick Memory Trick
የሚ… (Yemi…)
MI = Moment (Present)
የ… (Ye…)
No extra letters = Past (already finished)
ያለ… (Yale…)
LE = Left out / didn’t happen
የማይ… (Yemay…)
MAY = maybe not (present negative)
🎯 Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: Choose the Correct Relative Pronoun
| # | English | Your Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The man who went | የሚሄድ / የሄደው / ያልሄደው / የማይሄድ |
| 2 | The woman who doesn’t come | የምትመጣ / የመጣችው / ያልመጣችው / የማትመጣ |
| 3 | The child who didn’t eat | የሚበላ / የበላው / ያልበላው / የማይበላ |
| 4 | The teacher who speaks | የሚናገር / የነገረው / ያልነገረው / የማይናገር |
✅ Click to Reveal Answer Key
- የሄደው (Past)
- የማትመጣ (Negative Present)
- ያልበላው (Negative Past)
- የሚናገር (Present)
Exercise 2: Translate into Amharic
| # | English | Your Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The person who is sleeping | _______________ |
| 2 | The book that I read | _______________ |
| 3 | The child who didn’t come | _______________ |
| 4 | The woman who doesn’t speak | _______________ |
| 5 | The man who went to the market | _______________ |
✅ Click to Reveal Answer Key
- የሚተኛው ሰው
- ያነበብኩት መጽሐፍ
- ያልመጣው ልጅ
- የማትናገረው ሴት
- ወደ ገበያ የሄደው ሰው
Exercise 3: Complete the Sentence
| # | Amharic | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | የሚሰራው ሰው _____ | The person who works is a doctor. |
| 2 | የሄደው ልጅ _____ | The child who went is my son. |
| 3 | ያልመጣው መምህር _____ | The teacher who didn’t come is sick. |
✅ Click to Reveal Answer Key
- የሚሰራው ሰው ዶክተር ነው።
- የሄደው ልጅ ልጄ ነው።
- ያልመጣው መምህር ታምሟል።
📋 Quick Reference Card
የሚ… (Yemi…)
Who/that (present)
Action happening NOW
የ… (Ye…)
Who/that (past)
Action already DONE
ያለ… (Yale…)
Who/that (neg. past)
Action DID NOT happen
የማይ… (Yemay…)
Who/that (neg. present)
Action does NOT happen
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