Extended Practice (V)

This unit is a cumulative review of Units 41–46. It consolidates the grammatical structures and vocabulary introduced across those units: relative clauses with /yə-…-w/, conditional constructions with /kə-…-/, compound verbs, comparative and superlative forms, the /bə-/ instrumental prefix, and spatial expressions with /k(e)-/. Work through each section carefully, revisiting earlier units as needed.

Review: Key Structures from Units 41–46

Unit 41 — Relative Clauses with /yə-/

Relative clauses in Amharic are formed by prefixing /yə-/ to the verb and adding the definite suffix:

Amharic	English
yemeTTaw sew	the person who came
yəhedečč lij	the girl who went
yəTeTTahu meTShaf	the book I drank — (the book I read)

Unit 42 — Conditional Constructions

Conditions are expressed with verb forms using /kə-/ or /bi-/:

Amharic	English
kəmeTTa, innihidalən	if he comes, we will go
bihid, inniyizalən	if he goes, we will hold
kəbella, yiddemmal	if he eats, he will be satisfied

Unit 43 — Compound Verbs

Compound verbs combine a noun or adjective with a light verb:

Amharic	English
sira sərra	he worked (lit. work worked)
TiyaKe aderregə	he asked a question
telefon adərregə	he telephoned

Unit 44 — Comparatives and Superlatives

Comparatives use /ke-…yilK/ and superlatives use /hullu ke-…yilK/:

Amharic	English
Mark ke-John yilK rəjjim new	Mark is taller than John
Sara hullu ke-lela yilK Konjo nat	Sara is the most beautiful of all

Unit 45 — The Instrumental /bə-/

The prefix /bə-/ marks the instrument or means:

Amharic	English
bə-bıčča bəlla	he ate with a knife (by knife)
bə-awroplan hedku	I went by airplane
bə-amarıñña tənaggəru	they spoke in Amharic

Unit 46 — Spatial Expressions with /k(e)-/

The prefix /k(e)-/ with locatives expresses origin:

Amharic	English
kewedih	from here
kewediya	from there
kewedezzih	from around here
kezziya wede wedih	from there to here

Drill 1: Structure Identification

Identify the grammatical structure in each sentence (relative clause, conditional, compound verb, comparative, instrumental, or spatial):

Sentence	Structure
yəmeTTaw sew Konjo new	relative clause
kəhedə, innimeTTalən	conditional
sira sərra genzeb agenñə	compound verb
ısswa ke-ıssu yilK Tiru nat	comparative
bə-ıgru hedə	instrumental
kezzih meTTahu	spatial with /k(e)-/

Drill 2: Mixed Substitution

Complete each sentence using the cue:

Base	Cue	Response
yə___ sew Konjo new	meTTa	yəmeTTaw sew Konjo new
kə___, innihidalən	bəlla	kəbəlla, innihidalən
bə-___ hedku	awroplan	bə-awroplan hedku
ke-___ yilK rəjjim new	John	ke-John yilK rəjjim new
ke-___ meTTahu	wediya	kewediya meTTahu
telefon ___	adərregə	telefon adərregə

Drill 3: Translation Review

Translate into Amharic:

1. The man who came from there is tall. → kewediya yemeTTaw sew rəjjim new
2. If she eats, she will be satisfied. → kəbəllačč, tiddəmmalləčč
3. He telephoned by using Amharic. → bə-amarıñña telefon adərregə
4. She is more beautiful than her sister. → ke-ıhtwa yilK Konjo nat
5. I worked from here. → kewedih sira sərrahu
6. From around there it can be heard. → kewedezziya yisemmal

Drill 4: Dialogue Reconstruction

Reconstruct the following dialogue using the cues:

Cue	Amharic	English
greeting	TenayisTilliñ, indemin adderu?	Hello, how are you?
origin question	ke-yet meTTu?	Where did you come from?
spatial answer	kewediya meTTahu, ke-bahir dar	I came from there, from Bahir Dar
means of travel	bə-awroplan hedku	I went by airplane
comparison	bahir dar ke-addis abeba yilK tinniš nat	Bahir Dar is smaller than Addis Ababa
conditional	kəweddu, innasayaččəhu	If you like, I will show you
compound verb	sira ləməsrat nəñ yəmeTTahut	I came to work

Drill 5: Rapid Response

Answer each question as quickly as possible using the cue:

Question	Cue	Answer
ke-yet nəh?	wedih	kewedih nəñ
man new yəmeTTaw?	Mark	Mark new yəmeTTaw
bə-min hedəh?	awroplan	bə-awroplan hedku
man yilK rəjjim new?	ıssu	ıssu yilK rəjjim new
kəmeTTa min taddərgalləh?	meblat	kəmeTTa ıbəllallehu
ke-yet yisemmal?	wedezziya	kewedezziya yisemmal

Narrative

kezzih nəgər hullu ke-Unit 41 eska Unit 46 yalew timhirt new. yə-relative clause, yə-conditional, compound verbs, comparatives, instrumental bə-, inna spatial k(e)- — hullu abirən təmməralən. kəzzihu bəhwala amarıñña beTam Tiru innanaggəralən. bə-amarıñña mənnaggər ke-ingilizəñña yilK aSKami new, ginbar kəlemmədəh beTam Tiru yisemmal. indegena indegena innilləmmid.

All of this material is the instruction from Unit 41 through Unit 46. Relative clauses, conditionals, compound verbs, comparatives, instrumental /bə-/, and spatial /k(e)-/ — we have learned all of them together. After this we will speak Amharic very well. Speaking in Amharic is harder than English, but if you have practiced it sounds very good. Let us practice again and again.