Benefactive and Causative Reciprocal Verbs

Benefactive and Causative Reciprocal Verbs

Unit 43 introduces benefactive verb forms (Chart X), which indicate that an action is done for the benefit of someone. This unit also covers causative reciprocal patterns for expressing mutual causation.

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Basic Sentences

Romanized Amharic	English
mäshafun aKnäbbälläñ.	He read (it) for me.
ïnjera Täbbäsäččïllïñ.	She cooked injera for me.
bet sällälläw.	He built a house for him.
birr käffälällät.	He paid money for her.
mäkina gäzzalläñ.	He bought a car for me.
dïbdabbe sTälläñ.	He wrote a letter for me.
sïra sährrällähut.	I worked for him.
mïgïb šäTTälläčč.	He sold food for her.
ïnätäsassärälän.	We caused each other to do (something).
ïnätämahharälän.	We taught each other.
tägaffafällu.	They pushed each other.
ïssu lïjun asmähharällät.	He had (someone) teach the child for her.

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Key Vocabulary

Romanized Amharic	English
-llä-	benefactive suffix (for someone)
aKnäbbälläñ	he read for me
Täbbäsäččïllïñ	she cooked for me
sällälläw	he built for him
käffälällät	he paid for her
gäzzalläñ	he bought for me
sTälläñ	he wrote for me
sährrällähut	I worked for him
šäTTälläčč	he sold for her
tämahharä	they taught each other (reciprocal)
tägaffafä	they pushed each other (causative reciprocal)
tässasärä	they caused each other to do
asmähharä	he caused to teach
dïbdabbe	letter
käffälä	he paid

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Grammar Notes

1. The Benefactive Form (Chart X)

The benefactive indicates an action done for someone’s benefit. It is formed by inserting the suffix /-llä-/ (with pronoun endings) between the verb stem and the person markers:

Base Verb	Benefactive	Meaning
aKnäbbä (he read)	aKnäbbälläñ	he read for me
Täbbäsä (he cooked)	Täbbäsälläñ	he cooked for me
sällä (he built)	sällälläw	he built for him
käffälä (he paid)	käffälällät	he paid for her
gäzza (he bought)	gäzzalläñ	he bought for me
sTä (he wrote)	sTälläñ	he wrote for me
šäTTä (he sold)	šäTTälläčč	he sold for her

2. Benefactive Pronoun Suffixes

The benefactive /-llä-/ takes pronoun suffixes to indicate the beneficiary:

Suffix	Beneficiary	Example
-lläñ	for me	gäzzalläñ (he bought for me)
-llïh	for you (m.)	gäzzallïh (he bought for you)
-llïš	for you (f.)	gäzzallïš (he bought for you)
-lläw	for him	gäzzalläw (he bought for him)
-llat	for her	gäzzallat (he bought for her)
-llän	for us	gäzzallän (he bought for us)
-llaččäw	for them	gäzzallaččäw (he bought for them)

3. Causative Reciprocal Verbs

Causative reciprocal forms combine the causative /a-/ or /as-/ prefix with the reciprocal /tä-/ pattern:

Base	Causative Reciprocal	Meaning
mähharä (he learned)	tämahharä	they taught each other
gäffä (he pushed)	tägaffafä	they pushed each other
sära (he did)	tässasärä	they caused each other to do
awwäKä (he knew)	tässaweKä	they informed each other

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Drills

Drill 1 — Benefactive construction

Cue	Response
aKnäbbä / ïne	mäshafun aKnäbbälläñ. (He read the book for me.)
Täbbäsä / ïne	ïnjera Täbbäsälläñ. (He cooked injera for me.)
gäzza / ïssu	mäkina gäzzalläw. (He bought a car for him.)
käffälä / ïssua	birr käffälällat. (He paid money for her.)
sT / ïñña	dïbdabbe sTällän. (He wrote a letter for us.)

Drill 2 — Change the beneficiary

Base Sentence	New Beneficiary	Response
gäzzalläñ (bought for me)	for him	gäzzalläw (he bought for him)
gäzzalläñ (bought for me)	for her	gäzzallat (he bought for her)
gäzzalläñ (bought for me)	for us	gäzzallän (he bought for us)
gäzzalläñ (bought for me)	for you (m.)	gäzzallïh (he bought for you)
gäzzalläñ (bought for me)	for them	gäzzallaččäw (he bought for them)

Drill 3 — Causative reciprocal forms

Cue	Response
mähharä (learned)	tämahharällu. (They taught each other.)
gäffä (pushed)	tägaffafällu. (They pushed each other.)
sära (did)	tässasärällu. (They made each other do it.)
awwäKä (knew)	tässaweKällu. (They informed each other.)

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Narrative

wäyzäro Hirut ïna wäyzäro Almaz bätam yitäraddalu. wäyzäro Hirut ïnjera Täbbäsäččïllat — wäyzäro Almaz gïn mäshaf aKnäbbällaččïllat. yäïssua lïj mäshaf ayawKïm näbbär, sïlä’ïzih wäyzäro Almaz mäshaf aKnäbbällaččïllat lïjun. ïnätämahharallu — wäyzäro Hirut mïgïb mäTbäs asTämärällaččïllat, wäyzäro Almaz gïn maKnäb. aïnïd Kän wäyzäro Hirut gäbäya hedäčč mïgïb gäzzallaččïllat. wäyzäro Almaz gïn lïjoččuwa sïra sährrällaččïllat. ïnde’ïh tässasäru ïna tämahharallu.

Translation: Mrs. Hirut and Mrs. Almaz help each other a lot. Mrs. Hirut cooks injera for her — Mrs. Almaz reads books for her. Her child didn’t know books, so Mrs. Almaz read books for the child for her. They taught each other — Mrs. Hirut taught her how to cook, Mrs. Almaz taught reading. One day Mrs. Hirut went to the market and bought food for her. Mrs. Almaz did work for the children for her. In this way they caused each other to do things and taught each other.