Gerund with /maweK/

Gerund with /maweK/

Unit 37 focuses on the use of /maweK/ (“to know how to, to be accustomed to”) combined with the gerund form of verbs. This construction expresses habitual ability, familiarity with a process, or knowing how to do something.

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Basic Sentences

Romanized Amharic	English
ïssu mäkina nïdo yaweKal.	He knows how to drive a car.
ïne ïnjera bällo aläwKum.	I don’t know how to eat injera.
amariñña tänaggïro taweKïyalläš?	Do you (f.) know how to speak Amharic?
ïssua mäshaf aKnïba taweKalläčč.	She knows how to read.
wädä ïyya hedä aymawKïm.	He doesn’t know how to get there.
ïnhïzt ïnne ïyyä Täbbäsn naweKalän.	We who are here know how to cook.
mäkina ïyyä TägagnäggähÉ bïlo aymawKïm.	He doesn’t know how to fix the car.
yähïn sïra särto yaweKal?	Does he know how to do this work?
wuha ïyyä wäTTom maTTïto yaweKal.	He knows how to bring water from the well.
ïne ïgïr hedku aläwKum.	I don’t know how to walk. (sarcastic)
ferenj mïgïb Täbbïso taweKïyalläš?	Do you (f.) know how to cook foreign food?
färäs ïyyä Täbbom yämaweK yälläm.	There is no one who knows how to ride a horse.

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Key Vocabulary

Romanized Amharic	English
maweK / yaweKal	to know how to / he knows
aymawKïm	he doesn’t know how to
aläwKum	I don’t know how to
taweKalläčč	she knows how to
taweKïyalläš	you (f.) know how to
nïdo	driving (gerund of “to drive”)
bällo	eating (gerund of “to eat”)
aKnïba	reading (gerund of “to read”)
tänaggïro	speaking (gerund of “to speak”)
Täbbïso	cooking (gerund of “to cook”)
särto	doing (gerund of “to do”)
hedä	going (gerund: hedo)
wäTTo	going out (gerund)
TägagnÉ	repairing (gerund)

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Grammar Notes

1. /maweK/ — “To Know How To”

The verb /maweK/ means “to know how to do something” or “to be accustomed to.” It conjugates like a regular verb:

Person	Form
I	aweKalähut
you (m.)	taweKalläh
you (f.)	taweKïyalläš
he	yaweKal
she	taweKalläčč
we	ïnnaweKalän
they	yaweKalu

The negative:

Person	Negative Form
I	aläwKum
he	aymawKïm
she	attawKïm
we	annaweKïm
they	aymawKum

2. Gerund + /maweK/

The gerund form of the action verb precedes /maweK/:

Infinitive	Gerund	With /maweK/
mändat (to drive)	nïdo	nïdo yaweKal (he knows how to drive)
mäbälat (to eat)	bällo	bällo yaweKal (he knows how to eat)
maKnäb (to read)	aKnïbo	aKnïbo yaweKal (he knows how to read)
mänagär (to speak)	tänaggïro	tänaggïro yaweKal (he knows how to speak)
mäTbäs (to cook)	Täbbïso	Täbbïso yaweKal (he knows how to cook)
mäsrat (to do)	särto	särto yaweKal (he knows how to do it)

3. Gerund Agreement

The gerund agrees with the subject in some contexts. When used with /maweK/, the basic (3rd person masculine) gerund form is commonly used regardless of subject, but person-marked gerunds may also appear:

ïne hedku aläwKum. — I don’t know how to go. (1st person gerund) ïssua hedä taweKalläčč. — She knows how to go. (3rd m. gerund, acceptable)

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Drills

Drill 1 — Substitution: Gerund + /yaweKal/

Cue	Response
mäkina mändat	mäkina nïdo yaweKal. (He knows how to drive a car.)
amariñña mänagär	amariñña tänaggïro yaweKal. (He knows how to speak Amharic.)
ïnjera mäbälat	ïnjera bällo yaweKal. (He knows how to eat injera.)
mäshaf maKnäb	mäshaf aKnïbo yaweKal. (He knows how to read a book.)
mïgïb mäTbäs	mïgïb Täbbïso yaweKal. (He knows how to cook food.)

Drill 2 — Negative: /aymawKïm/

Cue	Response
mäkina nïdo	mäkina nïdo aymawKïm. (He doesn’t know how to drive.)
amariñña tänaggïro	amariñña tänaggïro aymawKïm. (He doesn’t know how to speak Amharic.)
ïnjera bällo	ïnjera bällo aymawKïm. (He doesn’t know how to eat injera.)
fïdäl sïro	fïdäl sïro aymawKïm. (He doesn’t know how to write letters.)

Drill 3 — Question and answer

Question	Answer
mäkina nïdo taweKalläh?	awon, nïdo aweKalähut. (Yes, I know how to drive.)
amariñña tänaggïro taweKïyalläš?	ayi, tänaggïro aläwKum. (No, I don’t know how to speak it.)
ferenj mïgïb Täbbïso yaweKal?	awon, Täbbïso yaweKal. (Yes, he knows how to cook foreign food.)
färäs Täbbo yaweKal?	ayi, Täbbo aymawKïm. (No, he doesn’t know how to ride a horse.)

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Narrative

wäyzäro Alämitu addis mäkina gäzzačč. gïn mäkina nïdo attawKïm. bal-ïbetua nïdo yaweKal, gïn ïssu bäyyä Kän sïra yihedal. ïssua gïn “ïne mäkina nïdo maweK ïfälligalähut” alläčč. tïmhïrt bet gäbba. mämhïru “yähïn mäkina nïdo taweKïyalläš?” Tärräga. “ayi, aläwKum, gïn mämaR ïfälligalähut” alläčč. hulät samiNt bähwala mäkina nïda taweKalläčč. “ïnQa amariñña mäkina nïdo taweKalähut!” alläčč bädässïta.

Translation: Mrs. Alemitu bought a new car. But she didn’t know how to drive. Her husband knows how to drive, but he goes to work every day. She said, “I want to learn how to drive.” She entered a school. The teacher asked, “Do you know how to drive this car?” “No, I don’t, but I want to learn,” she said. Two weeks later, she knew how to drive. “Now I know how to drive in Amharic style!” she said happily.