Person A: አውቶበሱ በሰዓቱ ይመጣል? (Awtobesu beseatu ymetal?) Is the bus usually on time?

Person B: ኧረ በሰዓቱ አይመጣም፣ ብዙ ጊዜ ዘግይቶ ነው የሚመጣው። (Ere beseatu aymetam, bizu gize zegiyto new yemimetaw.) Not really, it’s often late.

Person A: ምን ያህል ጊዜ መጠበቅ አለብን? (Min yahil gize met’ebeq alebin?) How long do we have to wait?

Person B: ተጨማሪ 10 ደቂቃ መጠበቅ ያለብን ይመስለኛል። (Techemari asr deqiqa metebeq yalebn yimislegñal.) About 10 more minutes, I think.

Person A: አውቶበሱ ምን ያህል ጊዜ ይወስዳል? (Awtobesu min yahil gize yewesdal?) How long does the bus take?

Person B: ብዙውን ጊዜ ከ30 ደቂቃ እስከ 1 ሰዓት ይወስዳል። (Bzuwn gizie ke-selasä deqiqa eska and säat yewesdal.) It usually takes between 30 minutes and 1 hour.

Person A: እንደዛ ከሆነ፣ ሌላ አማራጭ አለ? (Endeza kehone, lela amarach ale?) If that’s the case, is there another option?

Person B: አዎ፣ ብስክሌት መንዳት ወይም ታክሲ መያዝ እንችላለን። (Awo, biskilet mendat weym taxi meyaz enichalalen.) Yes, we can ride a bike or take a taxi.

Person A: ታክሲ የሚያስከፍለን ምን ያህል ነው? (Taxi yemiyaskefelen min yahil new?) How much will the taxi cost us?

Person B: በግምት 200 ብር ያህል ነው። (Be-gemit hulet meto birr yahil new.) Approximately, it’s around 200 birr.

Person A: እሺ፣ ታክሲ እንያዝ። (Ishi, taxi enyaz.) Okay, let’s take a taxi.

Key Phrases:

1. አማራጭ (amarach) option
2. ሌላ አማራጭ አለ? (Lela amarach ale?) Is there another option?
3. አውቶበሱ በሰዓቱ ይመጣል? (Awtobesu beseatu ymetal?) – Is the bus usually on time?
4. ኧረ አይመጣም፣ (Ere aymetam) – Not really.
5. ይዘገያል (Yizegeyali) It lates
6. 10 ደቂቃ (Aser deqiqa) – 10 minutes.
7. ከ30 ደቂቃ እስከ 1 ሰዓት (Ke-selasä deqiqa eska and säat) – from 30 minutes to 1 hour.
8. ሌላ አማራጭ (Lela amarach) – Another option.
9. ብስክሌት መንዳት (Biskilet mendat) – Ride a bike.
10. ታክሲ መያዝ (Taxi meyaz) – Take a taxi.
11. 200 ብር (Hulet meto birr) – 200 birr.

Cultural Notes:

• In Ethiopia, public transportation like buses (አውቶበስ, Awtobes) is widely used, but it’s not always punctual. Delays are common due to traffic or other factors.
• Taxis (ታክሲ, Taxi) are a popular alternative, especially in cities like Addis Ababa. They are relatively affordable but can vary in price depending on the distance.
• Biking (ብስክሌት, Biskilet) is becoming more common, especially among younger people and in areas with less traffic.
• When discussing costs, Ethiopians often use birr (ብር), the local currency.