In the previous Amharic lesson, you learned Amharic the check-in process, baggage inquiries, and important flight information.

The next thing you’ll need is a taxi to get to your destination. In this Amharic lesson, you will learn basic Amharic words, phrases, and sample dialogues.

You will learn how to:

1. Ask for a taxi or transportation service.
2. Give directions to the driver.
3. Ask about the fare and negotiate if necessary.

So, you will feel confident in getting a taxi or a transportation option in Ethiopia.

Vocabulary: Taxi and Transportation in Amharic

1. ታክሲ (Taxi) Taxi
2. ታክሲ ተራ (Taxi tera) Taxi station
3. አሽከርካሪ (Ashkerkari)  Driver
4. ሾፌር (Shofier)  Driver
5. ክፍያ/ ዋጋ (Kefiya / waga) Fare
6. አውቶብስ (Autobs) Bus
7. ባቡር (Babur) Train
8. ተሳፋሪ (Tesafari) Passenger

Taxi station Phrases: Asking for a Taxi

• ወደ__የሚሄድ ታክሲ አለንዴ? Is there a taxi that goes to___?
• ታክሲ የት ነው የማገኘው? Where can I get a taxi?
• ታክሲ ተራው የት ነው? Where is the taxi station?
• ወደ ___ሆቴል ትወስደኛለህ? Can you take me to the___hotel?
• የት መሄድ ፈልገህ ነው? Where do you want to go?
• ወደ ጓደኛየ ቤት ነው መሄድ የምፈልገው። I want to go to my friend’s home.
• ስንት ብር ትወስደኛለህ? How much will you charge me?
• ስንት ብር ነው? How much is it?

Giving Directions for the Driver:

1. ወደ __ሆቴል ውሰደኝ። (Wede__ hotel wsedegn.) Take me to the__hotel.
2. ወደ ግራ ታጠፍ። (Wede gra tatef) Turn left.
3. ወደ ቀኝ ዙር። (Wede qegn zur.) Turn right.
4. ቀጥታ ሂድ። (Qetta hid.) Go straight.
5. ጫፍ ላይ አውርደኝ። Please drop me off up ahead.

Instructing the driver to drive safely:

• Watch out! = ኧረ እያየህ! 
• Slow down! ቀስ ብለህ አሽርከርክር! 
• No need to hurry! = መፍጠን አያስፈልግም።
• Please drive carefully. = እባክህ በጥንቃቄ አሽከርክር።
• Keep both hands on the wheel. = ሁለቱንም እጆችህን መሪው ላይ አድርግ! 

Say the following when you arrive at your destination:

1. እዚህ ታወርደኛለህ? Can you drop me here, please?
2. እዚህ እወርዳለሁ። I’ll get off here.
3. እዚህ አውርደኝ። Drop me here, please.
4. በቃ፣ ደርሻለሁ። This is fine, thanks.
5. እዚህ ቁምልኝ። You can stop here.

ሂሳብ መጠየቅ፦ Asking the price:

1. ስንት ብር ነው? How much is the fare?
2. ዋጋው ስንት ነው? How much is the fare?
3. አስተያየት አታደርግም? Can you lower the price?

Example Dialogue: Taking a Taxi

Scenario: You’ve landed at the airport and need to take a taxi to your hotel.

Passenger: ታክሲ ማግኘት እችላለሁ እባክህ? (Taksi magignet echallehu?) Can I get a taxi, please? Driver: ወዴት ልውሰድህ? (Wediet Lwsedih?) Where should I take you? Passenger: እባክህን ወደ አዲስ ሆቴል ውሰደኝ። (Ebākhn Wede Addis Hotel wsedegni.) Please take me to the Addis Hotel. Driver: ክፍያው ሁለት መቶ ብር ነው። (Kefiyaw hulet meto Bir New.) The fare will be 200 birr. Passenger: እሺ፣ እንሂድ። (Eshi, Enhid.) Okay, let’s go. Exercise 1: Fill in the Gaps

Complete the dialogue with the correct Amharic phrases:

• • Passenger: እባክህን ________ ውሰደኝ። (Take me to the hotel.)
  • Driver: ________ ልውሰድህ? (Where should I take you?)

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