Nouns and Definite Suffixes

This unit introduces Amharic nouns and the definite suffixes that attach to them. You will learn how the masculine definite suffix /-u ~ -w/ works, and how to join nouns using the conjunction /-(i)nna/ meaning “and.” By the end of this unit you will be able to name common objects, describe them with simple adjectives, and link nouns in phrases.

Basic Sentences (መሠረታዊ ዓረፍተ ነገሮች)

Amharic	English
yih bet new	This is a house
betu tilliK new	The house is big
yih mekina new	This is a car
mekinaw addis new	The car is new
yih wəmbər new	This is a chair
wəmbəru Tiru new	The chair is good
yih Terəppeza new	This is a table
Terəppezaw tənnıš new	The table is small
bet-inna mekina	a house and a car
wəmbər-inna Terəppeza	a chair and a table
məsahıf-inna ıskrıbto	a book and a pen
temari-inna astəmari	a student and a teacher
bəru kəfft new	The door is open

Key Vocabulary

Amharic	English
bet	house
mekina	car
wəmbər	chair
Terəppeza	table
məsahıf	book
ıskrıbto	pen
bər	door
məskot	window
kıfıl	room
temari	student
astəmari	teacher
tilliK	big
tənnıš	small, little
addis	new
arogit	old (for objects)
Tiru	good
new	is (masc. copula)

Grammar Notes

Masculine Definite Suffix /-u ~ -w/

Amharic does not use a separate word for “the.” Instead a suffix attaches directly to the noun:

• After a final consonant: -u → bet → betu (the house)
• After a final vowel: -w → mekina → mekinaw (the car)

Indefinite	Definite	English
bet	betu	the house
wəmbər	wəmbəru	the chair
məsahıf	məsahıfu	the book
bər	bəru	the door
mekina	mekinaw	the car
Terəppeza	Terəppezaw	the table
ıskrıbto	ıskrıbtow	the pen

The Conjunction /-(i)nna/ — “and”

The word “and” in Amharic is the suffix -(i)nna attached to the first noun:

• bet + inna → bet-inna mekina (a house and a car)
• After vowel-final nouns the linking vowel /i/ is dropped: mekina-nna

Amharic	English
bet-inna kıfıl	a house and a room
temari-inna astəmari	a student and a teacher
bər-inna məskot	a door and a window
wəmbər-inna Terəppeza	a chair and a table

Predication with /new/

The word new acts as the copula (“is”) for masculine singular nouns:

• yih bet new — This is a house
• betu tilliK new — The house is big

Drills (ልምምዶች)

Drill 1: Add the Definite Suffix

Convert each noun to its definite form:

Indefinite	Definite
bet	betu
bər	?
kıfıl	?
mekina	?
Terəppeza	?
məskot	?

Drill 2: Join with -(i)nna

Combine the following noun pairs:

Noun 1	Noun 2	Combined
bet	mekina	bet-inna mekina
wəmbər	Terəppeza	?
temari	astəmari	?
məsahıf	ıskrıbto	?
bər	məskot	?

Drill 3: Substitution

Replace the noun in yih bet new with each word and say the new sentence:

mekina, wəmbər, Terəppeza, məsahıf, ıskrıbto, bər, məskot

Drill 4: Describe with Adjective

Use the pattern “definite noun + adjective + new”:

Cue	Sentence
bet / tilliK	betu tilliK new
mekina / addis	?
wəmbər / tənnıš	?
məsahıf / Tiru	?

Narrative

yih betu new. betu tilliK new. betu addis new. bet wəsT wəmbər-inna Terəppeza allə. wəmbəru tənnıš new. Terəppezaw tilliK new. bər-inna məskot allə. bəru tilliK new. məskotu tənnıš new. bet-inna mekina allu. mekinaw arogit new.

This is the house. The house is big. The house is new. Inside the house there is a chair and a table. The chair is small. The table is big. There is a door and a window. The door is big. The window is small. There is a house and a car. The car is old.