Frequentative and Reciprocal Forms

This unit introduces two important verb derivation patterns: the frequentative form (Chart VIII) expressing repeated or habitual actions, and the reciprocal form (Chart IX) expressing mutual or joint actions.

Basic Sentences

Romanized Amharic	English
issu bäyyä Kän yiKäläKKilal.	He jokes around every day.
lijočču yičäfäČČifalu.	The children run around.
wädä bet yimällässal.	He keeps going back home.
inätänagäralän.	We talk to each other.
inätäräraddalän.	We help each other.
tägabbäzu.	They met each other.
Kän Kän yisäbbäribbiral.	He breaks things repeatedly.
ato Kébädä inna ato Tässäma tätäyayäKu.	Ato Kebede and Ato Tessema asked each other.
lijočču yiräraKKäTalu.	The children jump around repeatedly.
inätäsassamän.	We kissed each other.
gibbuñ likk alä.	The invited guest appeared.
bäsilk tädäwwälu.	They called each other by phone.

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Key Vocabulary

Romanized Amharic	English
KäläKKälä	he joked around (frequentative)
čäfäČČäfä	he ran around (frequentative)
sibbäribbärä	he broke repeatedly (frequentative)
räKKäKKäTä	he jumped around (frequentative)
tänagärä	they talked to each other (reciprocal)
täradda	they helped each other (reciprocal)
tägabbäzä	they met each other (reciprocal)
tätäyayäKä	they asked each other (reciprocal)
tässassamä	they kissed each other (reciprocal)
tädäwwälä	they called each other (reciprocal)
lij / lijočč	child / children
Kän Kän	every day, daily
bäyyä Kän	every day
gibbuñ	invited guest

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Grammar Notes

1. The Frequentative Form (Chart VIII)

The frequentative indicates repeated, intensive, or habitual action. It is formed by reduplicating part of the verb root:

Base Verb	Frequentative	Meaning
Källäd	KäläKKälä	to joke around
čäffärä	čäfäČČäfä	to run about
säbbärä	sibbäribbärä	to break repeatedly
räKKäTä	räKKäKKäTä	to jump around repeatedly
mälläsä	mälläsällässä	to keep returning

The common feature across root types is consonant or syllable reduplication.

2. The Reciprocal Form (Chart IX)

The reciprocal prefix /tä-/ (with vowel modifications) indicates a mutual action:

Base Verb	Reciprocal	Meaning
nägärä (he told)	tänagärä	they told each other
rädda (he helped)	täradda	they helped each other
gäbbäzä (he invited)	tägabbäzä	they met each other
TäyyäKä (he asked)	tätäyayäKä	they asked each other
samä (he kissed)	tässasamä	they kissed each other
däwwälä (he called)	tädäwwälä	they called each other

Reciprocal verbs typically take plural subjects and follow standard /tä-/ conjugation.

3. Combining Frequentative and Reciprocal

Some verbs can appear in both forms simultaneously:

tänagäraggeru — They kept talking to each other (back and forth).

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Drills

Drill 1 — Transformation: Base verb to frequentative

Base Form	Frequentative
säbbärä	sibbäribbärä (he broke things repeatedly)
Källäd	KäläKKälä (he joked around)
čäffärä	čäfäČČäfä (he ran around)
räKKäTä	räKKäKKäTä (he jumped around)
mälläsä	mälläsällässä (he kept returning)

Drill 2 — Transformation: Base verb to reciprocal

Base Form	Reciprocal
nägärä (he told)	tänagärä (they told each other)
rädda (he helped)	täradda (they helped each other)
gäbbäzä (he invited)	tägabbäzä (they met each other)
TäyyäKä (he asked)	tätäyayäKä (they asked each other)
samä (he kissed)	tässasamä (they kissed each other)

Drill 3 — Sentence completion

Cue	Response
lijočču bäyyä Kän … (čäffärä)	lijočču bäyyä Kän yičäfäČČifalu. (The children run around every day.)
ato Kébädä inna ato Tässäma … (nägärä)	ato Kébädä inna ato Tässäma tänagäru. (They talked to each other.)
wändimočču … (rädda)	wändimočču täraddu. (The brothers helped each other.)
issu Kän Kän bärčukko … (säbbärä)	issu Kän Kän bärčukko yisibbäribiral. (He breaks glasses every day.)

Drill 4 — Translation

1. The children run around every day. — /lijočču bäyyä Kän yičäfäČČifalu./
2. They talked to each other. — /tänagäru./
3. He breaks things repeatedly. — /Kän Kän yisibbäribbiral./
4. They called each other by phone. — /bäsilk tädäwwälu./

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Narrative

ato Kébädä inna ato Tässäma bätam yitänagäralu. bäyyä Kän bäsilk tädäwwälu. silä sira inna silä bet yitätäyayäKalu. lijoččaččäw inäsu yičäfäČČifalu bäyyä Kän bämeda lay. ainid gize lijočču yisibbäribbïralu näggerun. issu ginn yiKäläKKilal bicca — “lijočč naččäw, yiräraKKäTalu” yilal. inätänagäru inna inätäraddu — yämilla bet ayidälläm.

Translation: Ato Kebede and Ato Tessema talk to each other a lot. Every day they call each other by phone. They ask each other about work and about home. Their children also run around every day in the field. Sometimes the children break things. But he just jokes around — “They are children, they jump around,” he says. They talk to each other and help each other — a better household does not exist.