Understanding Amharic Prepositions

Prepositions are small words like "in," "on," and "under" that show relationships between things. In Amharic, prepositions often attach to nouns or work with other grammatical elements instead of standing alone the way they often do in English. Let’s explore how prepositions work in Amharic!

How Amharic Prepositions Are Different

In English, prepositions usually come before the noun, as in "on the table." In Amharic, prepositions often appear as prefixes or as part of a larger expression, so they do not always function as separate words in the same way they do in English.

English: on the table
Amharic: በጠረጴዛ ላይ (beṭerəpeza lay)

Helpful Tip:

Think of Amharic prepositions as pieces that often work together with nouns. The noun and the prepositional element often function as a unit.

Common Amharic Prepositions

Here is a list of common prepositions in English, their Amharic equivalents, and how to say them (transliteration):

English	Amharic (Spelling)	Transliteration
In	በ- ... ውስጥ	be- ... wəsṭ
On	በ- ... ላይ	be- ... lay
Under	ከ- ... በታች	ke- ... betach
With	ከ- ... ጋር	ke- ... gar
About	ስለ	səle
Before	ከ- ... በፊት	ke- ... befīt
After	ከ- ... በኋላ	ke- ... behwala
By	በ-	be-
For	ለ-	le-
From	ከ-	ke-
To	ወደ	wede

Example Sentences

Here are some example sentences to help you understand how these prepositions are used:

English	Amharic
I am in the house.	በቤት ውስጥ ነኝ (be-bet wəsṭ neny)
The book is on the table.	መጽሐፉ በጠረጴዛው ላይ ነው (metsʼhafu beṭerəpezaw lay new)
The shoes are under the bed.	ጫማዎቹ ከአልጋው በታች ናቸው (chamawochu ke’algaw betach nachew)
She is coming with her friend.	እሷ ከጓደኛዋ ጋር ትመጣለች (esua kegwadenyawa gar timetaletch)
We are talking about the project.	እኛ ስለ ፕሮጀክቱ እናወራለን (egna səle projeqitu enaweralen)
They arrived before us.	እነሱ ከእኛ በፊት ደረሱ (enasu keegna befīt deresu)
He came after lunch.	እሱ ከምሳ በኋላ መጣ (esu kemesa behwala meta)
The homework was done by the student.	የቤት ሥራው በተማሪው ተሠራ (yebet sǝraw betemariw tesera)
This gift is for her.	ይህ ስጦታ ለእሷ ነው (yih setota leesua new)
The letter is from him.	ደብዳቤው ከእሱ ነው (debdebaw keesu new)
She is going to the market.	እሷ ወደ ገበያ ትሄዳለች (esua wede gebeya tihedalech)

Practice Activity:

Try creating your own sentences using the prepositions listed above. Start with simple nouns like "house," "table," or "friend" and combine them with prepositions to describe their relationships.