Blog

Understanding Subject-Verb Agreement in Amharic

In Amharic, just like in many other languages, subject-verb agreement means that a subject and its verb must match in number (singular/plural), person (first, second, or third person) and gender (male or female).

A crucial aspect of this in Amharic, especially with the ‘to be’ verb, is gender agreement for singular third-person pronouns. For instance:

• It is incorrect to say: “እሷ ነው” (Eua new / She is) – This implies “he is” or is generic.
• The correct way to say “She is” is: “እሷ ናት” or “እሷ ነች” (Esua nat / Isua nech).
• Conversely, for a male, it is incorrect to say: “እሱ ናት” (Esu nat / He is).
• The correct way to say “He is” is: “እሱ ነው” (Esu naw).

This demonstrates a core principle: the ‘to be’ verb form changes to specifically denote whether the subject is male or female in the third person singular. This is precisely what we mean by “subject and ‘to be’ verb agreement” in Amharic.

Amharic Subject Pronouns and ‘To Be’ Verbs

In the following tables, we will explore Amharic subjective pronouns and their corresponding ‘to be’ verb forms by constructing both positive and negative sentences. By observing these examples, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of how sentence structure and meaning change, enhancing your grasp of Amharic pronouns and ‘to be’ verb usage. We’ll also implicitly touch upon Amharic tenses as we go along.

Amharic Present Tense ‘To Be’ Verbs

The present tense ‘to be’ verbs in Amharic are used to express states of being in the present. Here’s how they conjugate with subjective pronouns:

Example sentences using the present tense:

• እኔ ነኝ። (Ene negn) = I am.
• እኔ አይደለሁም። (Ene aydelehūm) = I am not.
• እኔ ትክክል ነኝ? (Ene tikkikil negn?) = Am I right?
• እኔ ትክክል አይደለሁም? (Ene tikkikil aydelehūm?) = Am I not right?

Amharic Past Tense ‘To Be’ Verbs

The past tense ‘to be’ verbs express states of being that occurred in the past. Observe their forms:

Here are some examples using the past tense ‘to be’ verbs:

• እኔ እቤት ነበርኩ። (Ene e-bet neberku.) = I was at home.
• እኔ እቤት አልነበርኩም። (Ene e-bet alneberkum.) = I was not at home.
• እኔ ተማሪ አልነበርኩም። (Ene temari alneberkum.) = I was not a student.
• እኔ እዚያ ቦታ ላይ አልነበርኩም። (Ene eziya bota lay alneberkum.) = I was not at that place.

Amharic Future Tense ‘To Be’ Verbs

The future tense ‘to be’ verbs indicate states of being that will occur in the future. Pay attention to how the forms change:

Practice using these future tense forms in your conversations to build fluency!

The Amharic Pronoun for ‘It’ – እንትን (entn)

Often, the pronoun “It” is translated into Amharic as “እንትን” (Entin). This word is versatile and can be used to refer to both masculine and feminine inanimate objects or abstract concepts when a specific gendered pronoun (like `እሱ` or `እሷ`) isn’t applicable or known. It functions as a placeholder or a general reference.