Telling Time and Suffixes

This unit teaches you how to tell time in Amharic and introduces two important suffixes: /-(i)m/ (“also, even, too”) and /-(i)ss/ (“also, as for”). These suffixes are attached to nouns and pronouns to add nuances of emphasis, inclusion, or topic-shifting in conversation.

Basic Sentences (መሠረታዊ ዓረፍተ ነገሮች)

Amharic	English
sint saat new?	What time is it?
and saat new	It is one o’clock
hullətt saat new	It is two o’clock
sıddıst saat-inna gərma new	It is 6:30 (half past six)
Kebede-m meTTa	Kebede also came
ıne-m hedallehu	I will go too
Almaz-ıss meTTaččin?	As for Almaz, did she come?
ıssu-m alməTTam	He didn’t come either
ınnessu-ss alu?	And what about them?
kə-sıddıst saat bəhwala	after six o’clock
kə-hullətt saat bəfit	before two o’clock

Key Vocabulary

Amharic	English
saat	hour, o’clock
gərma	half
rub	quarter
dəKiKa	minute
Tıwat	morning
kə-səat bəhwala	afternoon
mata	evening
lelit	night
zare	today
nəgə	tomorrow
təñña	yesterday
-m	also, too, even
-ss	as for, and (topic)
sint?	how much? how many?
saat sint new?	What time is it?

Grammar Notes

Telling Time

Time in Amharic uses saat (hour/o’clock) and cardinal numbers. Note that Amharic traditional time starts at dawn (6:00 AM = 12 saat), but the modern system also uses the Western clock:

Amharic	English
and saat	one o’clock
hullətt saat	two o’clock
sost saat-inna gərma	three-thirty
aratt saat-inna rub	quarter past four
ammıst saat-inna assır dəKiKa	5:10

To ask the time: sint saat new? or saat sint new? (What time is it?)

For “before” and “after” with time, use bəfit and bəhwala:

• kə-sost saat bəfit — before three o’clock
• kə-aratt saat bəhwala — after four o’clock

Suffix /-(i)m/ — “also, too, even”

The suffix -(i)m attaches to nouns, pronouns, or verbs to express “also,” “too,” or “even”:

Amharic	English
ıne-m	I too / me too
Kebede-m	Kebede also
ıssu-m	he also
hedku-m	I also went

In negative sentences, -(i)m gives the meaning “not … either”:

• ıssu-m alməTTam — He didn’t come either

Suffix /-(i)ss/ — “as for, and what about”

The suffix -(i)ss marks a topic shift or contrast, meaning “as for” or “and what about”:

Amharic	English
ıne-ss	as for me
anta-ss?	and what about you?
Almaz-ıss?	as for Almaz?
ınnessu-ss	and them?

Drills (ልምምዶች)

Drill 1: Tell the Time

Say the following times in Amharic:

English	Amharic
3:00	sost saat
7:30	?
1:15	?
10:00	?
5:45	?

Drill 2: Add -(i)m

Add the suffix -(i)m to express “also”:

Base	With -(i)m	English
ıne	ıne-m	I also
Kebede	?	?
ısswa	?	?
təmarku	?	?

Drill 3: Add -(i)ss

Add the suffix -(i)ss for topic-shifting:

Base	With -(i)ss	English
anta	anta-ss	as for you
ısswa	?	?
ınnessu	?	?
Almaz	?	?

Narrative

zare Tıwat kə-sıddıst saat Tımhırt betu hedku. kə-sıddıst saat iskə-hullətt saat təmarku. kə-hullətt saat bəhwala ınjəra bəllahu. Kebede-m kə-ıne gar bəlla. kə-sost saat bəhwala wədə sıra hedku. ıssu-ss wədə sıra hedə. kə-ammıst saat bəhwala wədə bet təməlləsku.

Today morning I went to school at six o’clock. From six o’clock until two o’clock I studied. After two o’clock I ate injera. Kebede also ate with me. After three o’clock I went to work. He also went to work. After five o’clock I returned home.