Extended Dialogue Practice (III)

Extended Dialogue Practice (III) — Consolidation of Units 31–37

Unit 38 is a review unit that consolidates the grammar and vocabulary from Units 31–37. It features extended dialogues and cumulative practice covering prepositional phrases, the suffix /-ge/, negative constructions, frequentative and reciprocal verbs, concessive constructions, impersonal relatives, and the gerund with /maweK/.

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Review Dialogue 1 — Planning a Trip

Speaker	Romanized Amharic	English
A:	wädä Gondär mähedu new?	Are you (pl.) supposed to go to Gondar?
B:	awon, gïn bämäkina indehon bäbus indehon aläwKum.	Yes, but I don’t know whether by car or by bus.
A:	mäkina nïdo taweKalläh?	Do you know how to drive?
B:	awon, gïn mäkinayen bïccañ new yämïnädaw.	Yes, but I’m the only one who drives my car.
A:	yämïhäd yimässïlal nägä?	Does it seem like someone else is going tomorrow?
B:	ato Tässäma yimäTTa yiKriTma, aydäwïlïm ïnQa.	Let alone come, Ato Tessema didn’t even call.
A:	mäTToge näggrïw.	When he comes, tell him.
B:	ïshi, mäTToge ïnäggïräwalähut.	Okay, when he comes I’ll tell him.

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Review Dialogue 2 — At the Market

Speaker	Romanized Amharic	English
A:	yämmigäzzaw mïn allä zare?	What is there to buy today?
B:	inkwan sïga, aTïkïlt ïnKa yälläm.	Let alone meat, there aren’t even vegetables.
A:	yämmibällaw mïnïm yälläm?	There’s nothing to eat?
B:	ïnjera bïcca allä. wäT Täbbïso aläwKum.	There is only injera. I don’t know how to make stew.
A:	ïne Täbbïso aweKalähut.	I know how to cook.
B:	ïnkwan wäT, bunna ïnQa mäTbäs taweKalläh?	Let alone stew, do you even know how to make coffee?
A:	attïKalïd! ïne bïccañ ayidälähum, ïssua ïnQa tïraddañalläčč.	Don’t joke! I’m not alone, she helps me too.

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Review Dialogue 3 — At the Office

Speaker	Romanized Amharic	English
A:	yähïn sïra särto taweKalläh?	Do you know how to do this work?
B:	hedku ïnQa, mïnïm alaKähum.	Even though I went, I found nothing.
A:	mäshafun aKnïbäw?	Did you read the book?
B:	mäshafun bïcca sayhon, wäräKätunim aKnäbkut.	Not only the book, I also read the paper.
A:	sïra massäroge, näggrïñ.	When you finish work, tell me.
B:	ïshi, sïra massäroge ïdäwwïlïhalähut.	Okay, when I finish I’ll call you.

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Cumulative Practice

Practice 1 — Mixed constructions

Translate into Amharic using the constructions from Units 31–37:

English	Expected Response
Only she came.	ïssua bïccawa mäTTačč.
When he arrives, tell him.	mäTToge näggrïw.
He didn’t come.	almäTTam.
They help each other.	täraddalu.
Let alone work, he doesn’t even eat.	yisära yiKriTma, ayibällam ïnQa.
It seems possible.	yämmičïl yimässïlal.
She knows how to cook.	Täbbïso taweKalläčč.

Practice 2 — Grammar identification

Identify the grammar point in each sentence:

Sentence	Grammar Point
bämäkinaw hedä.	Prepositional phrase with /b(e)-/ (Unit 31)
mäTToge ïnäggïräw.	Suffix /-ge/ temporal clause (Unit 32)
almäTTahum.	Negative past /al-…-m/ (Unit 33)
tänagäru.	Reciprocal form (Unit 34)
inkwan mäkina, ïgïr ïnKa ayičïlïm.	Concessive /inkwan/ (Unit 35)
yämmibällaw mïn allä?	Impersonal relative (Unit 36)
nïdo yaweKal.	Gerund + /maweK/ (Unit 37)

Practice 3 — Dialogue completion

Complete the missing responses:

Speaker	Line
A:	yihed indehon aläwKum. (I don’t know whether he’ll go.)
B:	___? (Answer: mäTToge TäyyïKäw — When he comes, ask him.)
A:	yämmišäTTaw mïn allä? (What is there to sell?)
B:	___. (Answer: yämmišäTTaw mïnïm yälläm — There is nothing to sell.)
A:	mäkina nïdo taweKïyalläš? (Do you know how to drive?)
B:	___. (Answer: ayi, nïdo aläwKum — No, I don’t know how to drive.)

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Narrative

ato Kébädä ïna wäyzäro Hirut sïlä guzo tänagäru. “bämäkina ïnnïhïd” alä ato Kébädä. gïn wäyzäro Hirut “inkwan mäkina, bus ïnKa maKnät ayičïlïm” alläčč. yihed indehon ayihedïm indehon mäwässän alačälum. mäTToge ato Tässäma “ïne nïdo aweKalähut, mäkina allä” alä. ïnässu tänagäru ïna täraddu. bämeČärräša hulaččäwïm bämäkinaw bïcca hedu. yämmiKäru mïnïm alnäbbäräm — yämmičïl yimässïl näbbär.

Translation: Ato Kebede and Mrs. Hirut talked to each other about the trip. “Let’s go by car,” said Ato Kebede. But Mrs. Hirut said, “Let alone a car, it’s not even possible to find a bus.” They couldn’t decide whether to go or not. When Ato Tessema came, he said, “I know how to drive, there is a car.” They talked and helped each other. In the end, all of them went by car only. There was nothing left — it had seemed possible.