Prepositional Phrases and Restrictions

This unit introduces prepositional phrases with /b(e)-/ combined with /bekirul/, the restrictive particle /bicca/ with noun suffix pronouns, and the direct object suffix /-(i)n/.

Basic Sentences

Romanized Amharic	English
betun bekirul gäbba.	He entered close to the house.
bämäkinaw hedä.	He went by car.
bäbäriru wädäKä.	He fell by the door.
issuan bicca ayyähut.	I saw only her.
innän bicca yäwKänal.	He knows only us.
issu biccawn näw yämiyawKäw.	He is the only one who knows.
mäshafun aKäbbälähut.	I handed him the book.
wushan ayyähut.	I saw the dog.
bunnan fällägu.	They wanted the coffee.
yähinn mäshafin aKäbbiliñ.	Hand me this book.
inä biccañ mäTTahut.	Only I came.
bämängädu hedä.	He went by the road.

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Key Vocabulary

Romanized Amharic	English
b(e)-	by, with, in (preposition)
bekirul	close by, near
bicca	only, alone
-(i)n	direct object suffix
mäkina	car, vehicle
bär	door, gate
mäshaf	book
mängäd	road, way
aKäbbälä	he handed over
gäbba	he entered
wädäKä	he fell
fällägä	he wanted
biccañ	only me
biccaw	only him
biccahin	only you (m.)
biccashin	only you (f.)
biccaññaw	only us

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Grammar Notes

1. Prepositional Phrases with /b(e)-/

The prefix /b(e)-/ attaches to nouns to form prepositional phrases expressing means, manner, or location:

Pattern	Example	Meaning
b(e)- + noun	bämäkina	by car
b(e)- + noun	bäbäriru	by the door
b(e)- + noun + bekirul	betun bekirul	close to the house

Before a consonant cluster the full vowel form /bä-/ is used. Before a vowel /b-/ alone may appear.

2. /bicca/ with Noun Suffix Pronouns

The restrictive particle /bicca/ (“only”) takes suffix pronouns to specify the restricted element:

Form	Meaning
inä biccañ	only I
antä biccah	only you (m.)
anči biccaš	only you (f.)
issu biccaw	only he
issua biccawa	only she
iñña biccaññ	only we
innässu biccaččäw	only they

3. Direct Object Suffix /-(i)n/

Definite direct objects in Amharic take the suffix /-(i)n/:

Without /-n/	With /-n/	English
mäshaf	mäshafun	the book (object)
bunna	bunnan	the coffee (object)
wusha	wushan	the dog (object)

The vowel /i/ appears when needed for phonological bridging: /mäshafin/ (indefinite object) vs. /mäshafun/ (with definite article).

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Drills

Drill 1 — Substitution: /b(e)-/ phrases

Cue	Response
mäkina	bämäkina (by car)
igir	bäigir (on foot)
awiroplan	bäawiroplan (by airplane)
bäriru	bäbäriru (by the door)
mängädu	bämängädu (by the road)

Drill 2 — Substitution: /bicca/ with pronouns

Cue	Response
inä	inä biccañ mäTTahut. (Only I came.)
issu	issu biccaw mäTTa. (Only he came.)
issua	issua biccawa mäTTačč. (Only she came.)
iñña	iñña biccaññ mäTTan. (Only we came.)
innässu	innässu biccaččäw mäTTu. (Only they came.)

Drill 3 — Transformation: Add direct object suffix /-(i)n/

Cue	Response
mäshaf ayyähut	mäshafun ayyähut (I saw the book.)
bet gäzza	betun gäzza (He bought the house.)
bunna fällägu	bunnan fällägu (They wanted the coffee.)
wusha ayyä	wushan ayyä (He saw the dog.)
mäkina šäTTä	mäkinawn šäTTä (He sold the car.)

Drill 4 — Translation

1. He went by car. — /bämäkinaw hedä./
2. Only I came. — /inä biccañ mäTTahut./
3. I saw the dog. — /wushan ayyähut./
4. He entered close to the house. — /betun bekirul gäbba./
5. They wanted the coffee. — /bunnan fällägu./
6. He is the only one who knows. — /issu biccawn näw yämiyawKäw./

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Narrative

ato Kébädä zare bämäkinaw wädä sira hedä. bämängädu lay mäkina bizuh näbbär. issu biccaw Kiddim därräsä. sira betun bekirul mäkinawn aKomä. käiya mäshafun inna wäräKätun yizo wädä bet gäbba. yähinn sira issu biccaw näw yämisäraw. bämäšinäw näw yämisäraw. gina issu biccaw sayhon, birtuam tïraddañalläčč.

Translation: Ato Kebede went to work by car today. There were many cars on the road. Only he arrived early. He parked the car close to the office. Then he took the book and the papers and entered the building. He is the only one who does this work. He does it by machine. But he is not alone — his wife also helps him.