This interactive table presents the conjugation of the Amharic past tense verb “to be” (ነበር) across different pronouns. It includes positive, negative, and interrogative forms with side-by-side English translations. Perfect for learners who want to master how to express “was” and “were” in Amharic clearly and accurately. The table is fully responsive and mobile-friendly for easy study on any device.
Amharic Past Tense ‘To Be’ – Examples
| Pronoun | Positive (አወንታዊ) | English Positive | Negative (አሉታዊ) | English Negative | Interrogative (ጥያቄ) | English Interrogative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| እኔ (I) | እኔ ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ ነበርኩ። | I was Ethiopian. | እኔ ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ አልነበርኩም። | I was not Ethiopian. | እኔ ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ ነበርኩ? | Was I Ethiopian? |
| አንተ (You, masc.) | አንተ ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ ነበርክ። | You were Ethiopian. | አንተ ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ አልነበርክም። | You were not Ethiopian. | አንተ ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ ነበርክ? | Were you Ethiopian? |
| አንቺ (You, fem.) | አንቺ ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ ነበርሽ። | You were Ethiopian. | አንቺ ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ አልነበርሽም። | You were not Ethiopian. | አንቺ ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ ነበርሽ? | Were you Ethiopian? |
| እርስዎ (You, formal) | እርስዎ ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ ነበሩ። | You were Ethiopian. | እርስዎ ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ አልነበሩም። | You were not Ethiopian. | እርስዎ ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ ነበሩ? | Were you Ethiopian? |
| እሱ (He) | እሱ ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ ነበር። | He was Ethiopian. | እሱ ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ አልነበረም። | He was not Ethiopian. | እሱ ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ ነበር? | Was he Ethiopian? |
| እርሷ/እሷ (She) | እርሷ ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ ነበረች። | She was Ethiopian. | እርሷ ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ አልነበረችም። | She was not Ethiopian. | እርሷ ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ ነበረች? | Was she Ethiopian? |
| እኛ (We) | እኛ ኢትዮጵያውያን ውስጥ ነበርን። | We were Ethiopians. | እኛ ኢትዮጵያውያን ውስጥ አልነበርንም። | We were not Ethiopians. | እኛ ኢትዮጵያውያን ውስጥ ነበርን? | Were we Ethiopians? |
| እናንተ (You, plural) | እናንተ ኢትዮጵያውያን ውስጥ ነበራችሁ። | You were Ethiopians. | እናንተ ኢትዮጵያውያን ውስጥ አልነበራችሁም። | You were not Ethiopians. | እናንተ ኢትዮጵያውያን ውስጥ ነበራችሁ? | Were you Ethiopians? |
| እነሱ/እነርሱ (They) | እነሱ ኢትዮጵያውያን ውስጥ ነበሩ። | They were Ethiopians. | እነሱ ኢትዮጵያውያን ውስጥ አልነበሩም። | They were not Ethiopians. | እነሱ ኢትዮጵያውያን ውስጥ ነበሩ? | Were they Ethiopians? |
