26 PHRASES FOR YOUR ONLINE LESSON

Frequently
used phrases

A few words can open up a conversation. Get comfortable with practical Amharic for meeting your tutor, asking for help, and learning together.

Hover over or tap an Amharic word for its English meaning. Tap a speaker to listen, then try saying the phrase yourself.

Audio, video & connection

Check that you and your tutor can hear and see each other.

ይሰሙኛል?

yəsämuññal?

Can you hear me?
አዎ፣ ድምፅዎ ይሰማኛል።

awo, dəmts’wo yəsämmaññal.

Yes, I can hear you.
ድምፅዎ በደንብ አይሰማኝም።

dəmts’wo bädänb aysämaññəm.

I can’t hear you very well.
ያዩኛል?

yayuññal?

Can you see me?
የማይክሮፎንዎ ድምፅ የጠፋ ይመስለኛል።

yämaykrofonwo dəmts’ yät’äffa yəməsläññal.

I think you’re muted.

Literally, “I think your microphone’s sound is off.”
ድምፁ እየተቆራረጠ ነው።

dəmts’u əyyätäqorarät’ä näw.

The sound is cutting out.
ቪዲዮው ቆሟል።

vidiyow qomwal.

The video has frozen.
እንደገና ለመገናኘት እሞክራለሁ።

əndägäna lämäggänaññät əmokkərallähu.

I’ll try reconnecting.

Share your work and follow along on your tutor’s screen.

Ask for a pause, a repetition, or a little more explanation.

እባክዎ ትንሽ ይጠብቁ።

əbakwo tənnəsh yət’äbbəqu.

Please wait a moment.
እባክዎ ይድገሙልኝ።

əbakwo yədgämulləññ.

Could you say that again?
እባክዎ ትንሽ ቀስ ብለው ይናገሩ።

əbakwo tənnəsh qäs bəläw yənagäru.

Could you speak a little more slowly?
እባክዎ በቻት ይፃፉልኝ።

əbakwo bächat yəts’afulləññ.

Could you write it in the chat?
አልገባኝም።

algäbbaññəm.

I don’t understand.
አሁን ገባኝ።

ahun gäbbaññ.

I understand now.
ይህ ቃል ምን ማለት ነው?

yəh qal mən malät näw?

What does this word mean?

For “What does … mean?”, replace ይህ ቃል (yəh qal, “this word”) with the word you want to ask about.

Ask about words, practise pronunciation, and thank your tutor.

ይህ በአማርኛ ምን ይባላል?

yəh bamarəñña mən yəbbalal?

How do you say this in Amharic?

For “How do you say … in Amharic?”, point to the item or replace ይህ (yəh, “this”) with the word you want to translate.
ይህ እንዴት ይነበባል?

yəh əndet yənäbbäbal?

How do you read this?
ይህ አጠራር ትክክል ነው?

yəh at’ärar təkkəll näw?

Is this pronunciation correct?
እባክዎ ምሳሌ ይስጡኝ።

əbakwo məsale yəst’uññ.

Could you give me an example?
ጥያቄ ልጠይቅ?

t’əyaqe lət’äyəq?

May I ask a question?
ከተሳሳትኩ እባክዎ ያርሙኝ።

kätäsassatku əbakwo yarmuññ.

Please correct me if I make a mistake.
ስለዛሬው ትምህርት አመሰግናለሁ።

səläzarew təmhərt amäsäggənallähu.

Thank you for today’s lesson.

Language references

Foreign Service Institute — Amharic Basic Course, Volume 1 — Units 1, 4, and 6 support the pronunciation guide, respectful repetition request, asking how to say something in Amharic, and polite request grammar. The online-lesson sentences are adaptations, not quotations of a complete source phrase list.
Peace Corps Ethiopia — Amharic Language Manual — Used to check the sound system, respectful address and object forms, and first-person permission questions. The pronunciation guide uses ə for the manual’s ï, ñ for its ñ/ň, and q for its k’.
Omniglot — Useful Amharic phrases — Cross-checks the basic understanding expressions and the formal request to speak slowly. It does not validate all 26 adapted sentences.
Google YouTube Help — Create a live stream via webcam (Amharic) — Confirms current Amharic terminology for screen (ማያ ገፅ), screen sharing (ማጋራት), and microphone (ማይክሮፎን).