Amharic
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Fact corner
- Language: Amharic
- Alternate names: Abyssinian, Ethiopian, Amarinya, Amarigna
- SIL-code: Ethnologue:amh
- Language family: Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, South, Ethiopian, South, Transversal, Amharic-Argobba
- Number of speakers: 17,417,913
- Script: Ethiopic script
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As in other Semitic languages (such as Hebrew, for example), Amharic verb forms are derived by applying various templates (vowel and affix patterns) to a set of roots consisting of between three to five consonants. Verbs inflect for person, number, gender, aspect (perfect/imperfect � n.b. tense and complex/compound tenses are expressed by means of auxiliary verbs), mood (indicative/imperative/interrogative/optative), voice (active/passive), and polarity (positive/negative). Verbs agree with their subjects and optionally with their objects.
The verb
- An Amharic verb root usually consists of a set of three to five consonants. Verb forms are derived by applying vowels and suffixes to the roots. A verb form normally has one or more suffixes and prefixes. Sometimes, consonants are geminated (doubled).
- Verbs are marked for person, number, and gender.
- There are two aspects: imperfect and perfect.
- Compound tenses are expressed by means of auxiliary verbs.
- There are four moods: indicative, imperative, interrogative, and optative.
- Verbs are marked for voice: active and passive.
- Verbs are marked for positive and negative.
- Verbs agree with their subject and sometimes with the direct or indirect object.
- There are at least ten different classes of verbs, each modifying its stem in a number of different ways.
Sample verb: məlbəs
(Regular three-radical verb)
| Infinitive | Perfective | Imperfective | ||
| Underived | 'A' | məlbəs | ləbbəsə | yıləbsal |
| 'B' | məKəTTəl | KəTTələ | yıKəTTılal | |
| Passive | məlləbəs | tələbbəsə | yılləbbəsal | |
| Causative | in /-a/ 'A' | malbəs | aləbbəsə | yaləbsal |
| in /-a/ 'B' | maKəTTəl | aKəTTələ | yaKəTTılal | |
| in /-as/ | masləbbəs | asləbbəsə | yasləbbısal | |
| Frequentative | Simple | mələbəbəs | ləbabbəsə | yıləbabbısal |
| Causative in /-a/ | maləbabəs | aləbabbəsə | yaləbabbısal | |
| Causative in /-as/ | masləbabəs | asləbabbəsə | yasləbabbısal | |
| Reciprocal | Simple | məlləbəs | təlabbəsu | yıllabbəsallu |
| Reduplicated | məlləbabes | tələbabbəsu | yılləbabbəsallu | |
| Benefactive | Simple | mallabəs | allabəsə | yallabbısal |
| Reduplicated | malləbabes | alləbabbəsə | yallebabbısal | |
External links
- FSI Language Courses: Amharic
- FSI - Amharic Basic Course, vol.1 (FSI-AmharicBasicCourse-Volume1-StudentText.pdf)
- FSI - Amharic Basic Course, vol.2 (FSI-AmharicBasicCourse-Volume2-StudentText.pdf)