Figure it out. Say it. Remember it.

Learning Amharic: a practical guide

This is a written companion to the free Amharic course on LanguagePath: what the language is like, how it sounds, the phrases you will use first, how the course is structured, and what to watch out for. Everything here comes from the same lessons you can practise interactively above.

What Amharic is like

Amharic is written in the Ge'ez script (the fidel) and read left to right. Each consonant letter carries its vowel: the seven orders of a letter — ሀ, ሁ, ሂ, ሃ, ሄ, ህ, ሆ — give the vowels ä, u, i, a, e, ə, o. There are no articles, so ቡና can mean 'coffee', 'a coffee' or 'the coffee'. The usual order is subject–object–verb. To say you want something, use እፈልጋለሁ (efelgalehu) = I want. Amharic also has a few ejectives (ጠ, ጨ, ፀ) made with a burst of air and a small catch in the throat.

Words you may already know

Pronunciation notes

Amharic is written in the Ge'ez script (the fidel), read left to right. It has seven vowel sounds, and a few "ejective" consonants — ጠ, ጨ, ፀ — that give Amharic its sharp pop. Learn these and you can sound out any new word.

• ጠ — an ejective "t" — a sharp t pushed out with a small catch in the throat, as in ጠበላ = tebela (he waited).
• ጨ — an ejective "ch" — like church but grabbed at the throat, as in ጨው = chew (salt).
• ፀ — an ejective "ts" — a sharp ts with a catch, as in ፀሀይ = tsehay (sun).
• ቀ — an ejective "k" (q) — a hard k popped deep from the throat, as in ቀን = qen (day).
• ሀ — plain "h" as in hat, as in ሀገር = hager (country).
• አ (ä) — the base "a" vowel — the first of the seven vowel orders, as in ላ = la (a cow / milk).
• በ–ቦ — one consonant carries seven vowel orders: በ (bä) ቡ (bu) ቢ (bi) ባ (ba) ቤ (be) ብ (bə) ቦ (bo), as in ቤት = bet (house).
• ኦ (o) — the long "o" vowel, as in go, as in ቡና = buna (coffee).

First phrases

The pocket phrases below are the ones learners reach for most often. Say each one out loud a few times before moving on.

How the Amharic course is structured

The course has 12 short lessons that build on each other. Each one introduces a few new pieces and then asks you to construct sentences you have never seen, before revealing the answer:

1. Greetings & being polite — ሰላም · ታደርስ? · አመሰግናለሁ · እባክህ
2. Numbers 1–10 — አንድ · ሁለት · ሶስት · አስር
3. I want" — እፈልጋለሁ — እፈልጋለሁ · ቡና · ውሃ · እባክህ
4. Food & drink — ቡና · ውሃ · ሻይ · ብር
5. Getting around — የት ነው? · ወደ ቀኝ · ወደ ግራ · ፊት ለፊት
6. Questions & "do you have…?" — አለህ? · አለ? · አለኝ
7. Family & people — ቤተሰብ · እናት · አባት · ጓደኛ
8. Time, days & weather — ዛሬ · ነገ · አየሩ · ሰኞ
9. Small talk & your name — ስሜ … ነው · ደስ ብሎኛል
10. Health & emergency — እገዛ! · ሐኪም · ፋርማሲ · አልገባኝም
11. Describing things — ጥሩ · ትልቅ · ትንሽ · በጣም
12. Tying it together — እፈልጋለሁ · የት ነው? · ስንት ነው? · ሰላም

Inside the lessons

Here is how a few of the lessons explain the language, with worked examples and the word-by-word breakdown the course uses.

Greetings & being polite

Key pieces: ሰላም · ታደርስ? · አመሰግናለሁ · እባክህ

Let's start with the very first word you'll use: ሰላም — hello (and peace). Say it out loud.

• ሰላም (selam) — hi / hello / peace
• ታደርስ? (tadese) — good morning
• አመሰግናለሁ (ameseginalehu) — thank you
• እባክህ (ebakeh) — please (to a man)
• እባክሽ (ebakesh) — please (to a woman)

To say “Hello, thank you” in Amharic: ሰላም፣ አመሰግናለሁ (selam, ameseginalehu). Built from ሰላም = hello; አመሰግናለሁ = thank you.

To ask how someone is: እንደምን አለህ? (to a man) or እንደምን አለሽ? (to a woman). The reply is ደህና ነኝ — I'm fine.

• እንደምን አለህ? (endemin aleh) — How are you? (to a man)
• እንደምን አለሽ? (endemin alesh) — How are you? (to a woman)
• ደህና ነኝ (dehna neñ) — I'm fine
• እንደምን አደርክ? (endemin aderk) — How was your night? (morning greeting)

To say “Hi, how are you?” in Amharic: ሰላም፣ እንደምን አለህ? (selam, endemin aleh?). Built from ሰላም = hi; እንደምን አለህ? = how are you?.

Numbers 1–10

Key pieces: አንድ · ሁለት · ሶስት · አስር

Numbers are the fastest win. Listen and repeat: አንድ, ሁለት, ሶስት .

• አንድ (and) — 1
• ሁለት (hulet) — 2
• ሶስት (sost) — 3
• አራት (arat) — 4
• አምስት (amist) — 5
• ስድስት (siddist) — 6
• ሰባት (sebat) — 7
• ስምንት (simint) — 8
• ዘጠኝ (zeteñ) — 9
• አስር (asir) — 10

To say “Two coffees, please” in Amharic: ሁለት ቡና፣ እባክህ (hulet buna, ebakeh). Built from ሁለት = two; ቡና = coffee; እባክህ = please.

ስንት ነው? = how much is it? A key phrase for shopping.

To say “How much is it?” in Amharic: ስንት ነው? (sint new?). Built from ስንት = how much; ነው? = is it?.

To say “It's five birr” in Amharic: አምስት ብር (amist birr). Built from አምስት = five; ብር = birr (money).

I want" — እፈልጋለሁ

Key pieces: እፈልጋለሁ · ቡና · ውሃ · እባክህ

The magic phrase to order anything: እፈልጋለሁ — I want. Say it out loud.

To make it polite, add እባክህ (please) to a man, እባክሽ to a woman, or the respectful እባክዎ to an elder.

To say “I want coffee” in Amharic: ቡና እፈልጋለሁ (buna efelgalehu). Built from ቡና = coffee; እፈልጋለሁ = I want.

To say “I want water” in Amharic: ውሃ እፈልጋለሁ (wiha efelgalehu). Built from ውሃ = water; እፈልጋለሁ = I want.

The verb መጠጣት is "to drink". Order what you want with እፈልጋለሁ and the drink.

To say “I want a water, please” in Amharic: ውሃ እፈልጋለሁ፣ እባክህ (wiha efelgalehu, ebakeh). Built from ውሃ = water; እፈልጋለሁ = I want; እባክህ = please.

Food & drink

Key pieces: ቡና · ውሃ · ሻይ · ብር

The staples: ቡና (buna, coffee), ውሃ (wiha, water), ሻይ (shay, tea).

• ቡና (buna) — coffee Memory hook: ≈ coffee — named for the Kaffa region, where the bean was born.
• ውሃ (wiha) — water
• ሻይ (shay) — tea Memory hook: ≈ chai (from Arabic, via Chinese).
• ብር (birr) — money / the birr (currency)
• ካፌ (kafe) — café Memory hook: ≈ café.

To say “Water and tea, please” in Amharic: ውሃ እና ሻይ፣ እባክህ (wiha ena shay, ebakeh). Built from ውሃ = water; እና = and; ሻይ = tea.

To say “I want coffee” in Amharic: ቡና እፈልጋለሁ (buna efelgalehu). Built from ቡና = coffee; እፈልጋለሁ = I want.

ጣፋጭ ነው = it's delicious. Say it and you'll make the cook's day.

To say “It's delicious!” in Amharic: ጣፋጭ ነው! (tafatch new!). Built from ጣፋጭ = tasty / sweet; ነው = is.

Getting around

Key pieces: የት ነው? · ወደ ቀኝ · ወደ ግራ · ፊት ለፊት

The most useful question in any city: የት ነው…? — where is…?

• የት ነው? (yet new?) — Where is...?
• ወደ ቀኝ (wede keñ) — to the right
• ወደ ግራ (wede gira) — to the left
• ፊት ለፊት (fit lefit) — straight ahead
• መቆሚያ (mekomiya) — the bus stop

To say “Where is the bus stop?” in Amharic: መቆሚያው የት ነው? (mekomiyaw yet new?). Built from መቆሚያው = the bus stop; የት ነው? = where is it?.

To say “Where is the bathroom?” in Amharic: መጸዳጃ ቤቱ የት ነው? (metsejaja betu yet new?). Built from መጸዳጃ ቤት = bathroom; የት ነው? = where is it?.

ወደ ቀኝ = to the right, ወደ ግራ = to the left. "Straight ahead" is ፊት ለፊት .

To say “Where is the café?” in Amharic: ካፌው የት ነው? (kafew yet new?). Built from ካፌው = the café; የት ነው? = where is it?.

Questions & "do you have…?"

Key pieces: አለህ? · አለ? · አለኝ

To ask if someone has something: አለህ? (to a man) or አለሽ? (to a woman).

To say “Do you have a table?” in Amharic: ጠረጴዛ አለህ? (terapeza aleh?). Built from ጠረጴዛ = table; አለህ? = do you have?.

አለ? = is there…? Very useful. The reply አለኝ = I have.

To say “Is there water?” in Amharic: ውሃ አለ? (wiha ale?). Built from ውሃ = water; አለ? = is there?.

For a polite request, ል…? = may I…? (literally "let me…").

To say “May I pay?” in Amharic: ልከፍል? (likefel?). Built from ልከፍል? = may I pay?.

Family & people

Key pieces: ቤተሰብ · እናት · አባት · ጓደኛ

Family words: ቤተሰብ (family), እናት (mother), አባት (father).

• ቤተሰብ (beteseb) — family
• እናት (enat) — mother
• አባት (abat) — father
• ወንድም (wendim) — brother
• እህት (eht) — sister
• ጓደኛ (gwadeña) — friend

To say “I have a brother” in Amharic: ወንድም አለኝ (wendim alegn). Built from ወንድም = brother; አለኝ = I have.

አለኝ = I have. It's the key verb to say what you've got.

To say “I have a family” in Amharic: ቤተሰብ አለኝ (beteseb alegn). Built from ቤተሰብ = family; አለኝ = I have.

Time, days & weather

Key pieces: ዛሬ · ነገ · አየሩ · ሰኞ

Today is ዛሬ , tomorrow is ነገ .

• ዛሬ (zare) — today
• ነገ (nege) — tomorrow
• ትናንት (tinant) — yesterday
• ሰኞ (senyo) — Monday
• አየሩ እንዴት ነው? (ayeru endet new?) — how's the weather?

To say “See you tomorrow” in Amharic: ነገ ደህና ሁን (nege dehna hun). Built from ነገ = tomorrow; ደህና ሁን = be well (goodbye).

Ask about the weather: አየሩ እንዴት ነው?

To say “It's raining” in Amharic: ዝናብ ነው (znab new). Built from ዝናብ = rain; ነው = is.

Small talk & your name

Key pieces: ስሜ … ነው · ደስ ብሎኛል

Introduce yourself: ስሜ Alex ነው — my name is Alex.

To say “My name is Alex” in Amharic: ስሜ Alex ነው (sme Alex new). Built from ስሜ = my name; ነው = is; Alex = your name.

To ask someone's name: ስምህ ማን ነው? (to a man) or ስምሽ ማን ነው? (to a woman).

To say “What's your name?” in Amharic: ስምህ ማን ነው? (smih man new?). Built from ስምህ = your name; ማን = who; ነው? = is it?.

To say “Pleased to meet you” in Amharic: ደስ ብሎኛል (des biloñal). Built from ደስ ብሎኛል = I'm pleased (to meet you).

Health & emergency

Key pieces: እገዛ! · ሐኪም · ፋርማሲ · አልገባኝም

The most important words if you need help: እገዛ! (help), ሐኪም (doctor), ፋርማሲ (pharmacy).

• እገዛ! (egza!) — Help!
• ሐኪም (hakim) — the doctor Memory hook: ≈ Arabic ḥakīm = doctor.
• ፋርማሲ (farmasi) — the pharmacy Memory hook: ≈ English pharmacy.
• ሆስፒታል (hospital) — hospital Memory hook: ≈ hospital.
• አልገባኝም (algebagnim) — I don't understand

To say “Help!” in Amharic: እገዛ! (egza!). Built from እገዛ = help.

To say “I don't understand” in Amharic: አልገባኝም (algebagnim). Built from አልገባኝም = I don't understand.

To say you need help: እርዳታ እፈልጋለሁ — I need help.

To say “I need help” in Amharic: እርዳታ እፈልጋለሁ (irdata efelgalehu). Built from እርዳታ = help / aid; እፈልጋለሁ = I want.

Describing things

Key pieces: ጥሩ · ትልቅ · ትንሽ · በጣም

Adjectives are easy: ጥሩ (good / beautiful), ትልቅ (big), ትንሽ (small).

• ጥሩ (tiru) — good / beautiful
• ትልቅ (tilik) — big
• ትንሽ (tinish) — small / little
• ውብ (wub) — beautiful
• በጣም (betam) — very / a lot

To say “Very good” in Amharic: በጣም ጥሩ (betam tiru). Built from በጣም = very; ጥሩ = good.

To say “A big coffee” in Amharic: ትልቅ ቡና (tilik buna). Built from ትልቅ = big; ቡና = coffee.

Tying it together

Key pieces: እፈልጋለሁ · የት ነው? · ስንት ነው? · ሰላም

Great — you've built a real toolbox. This capstone uses only words you've met. Build each line yourself before revealing.

To say “Hello, how are you?” in Amharic: ሰላም፣ እንደምን አለህ? (selam, endemin aleh?). Built from ሰላም = hi; እንደምን አለህ? = how are you?.

To say “I'd like a water, please” in Amharic: ውሃ እፈልጋለሁ፣ እባክህ (wiha efelgalehu, ebakeh). Built from ውሃ = water; እፈልጋለሁ = I want; እባክህ = please.

To say “Where is the café?” in Amharic: ካፌው የት ነው? (kafew yet new?). Built from ካፌው = the café; የት ነው? = where is it?.

To say “How much is it?” in Amharic: ስንት ነው? (sint new?). Built from ስንት ነው? = how much is it?.

Common mistakes and things to watch out for

• እባክህ (ebakeh): to a man.
• እባክሽ (ebakesh): to a woman.
• እንደምን አለህ? (endemin aleh): to a man.
• እንደምን አለሽ? (endemin alesh): to a woman.
• እንደምን አደርክ? (endemin aderk): morning greeting.
• ብር (birr): currency.

Culture and etiquette

Coffee is a ceremony

Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee. The coffee ceremony roasts fresh beans, grinds them by hand, and brews them three times in a clay pot (jebena). You'll be served three rounds — abol, tona and baraka. Accepting at least one cup is a sign of friendship and respect.

Injera, the national bread

Injera is the spongy sourdough flatbread eaten with almost every meal. It's made from tef, a tiny gluten-free grain. It's both the plate and the fork — you tear off a piece of injera to scoop up the stews and sauces on top.

Orthodox Christianity

Ethiopia is home to one of the world's oldest Christian churches. Orthodox fasting — abstaining from meat and dairy on many days — shapes much of the food you'll find, especially in coffee shops and on festival days like Timkat.

Gorsha, the honor of feeding

Feeding a guest by hand is called gorsha (ጎርሻ). A host will often pop a delicious bite right into your mouth as a sign of deep affection. If you feel brave, return the honor — it's a warm and playful compliment.

The Ge'ez calendar

Ethiopia uses its own Ge'ez calendar with 13 months — about 7 years behind the Gregorian one. Time is also counted differently: the day starts at 6am, so what's 7am in your watch is "1 o'clock" in Ethiopian time.

A little Amharic goes far

A 'ሰላም' (selam) and an 'አመሰግናለሁ' (ameseginalehu) open every door. Ethiopians light up when visitors try — effort matters far more than perfection.

Example dialogues

At a café

At the taxi stand

At a restaurant

Written by the LanguagePath editorial team from our own course material. Pronunciation guides are approximate English respellings; tap any phrase in the app above to hear it. Native-speaker review of every course is ongoing — tell us if you spot an error.