Are you a traveler planning to visit Ethiopia? You might want to learn a few Amharic phrases before you go. After all, it’s always appreciated when visitors speak at least a few words in the local language.
Amharic is one of Ethiopia’s most widely spoken languages and a working language of its federal government. Today, we’ll learn 3 essential Amharic greetings to help you be polite and connect with locals, then more greetings for other contexts and a few cultural tips. Let’s start!
What Are The Essential Amharic Greetings?
The most common way to say hello in Amharic is selam (ሰላም), which literally means peace. For a more formal hello, Ethiopians say tena yistilign (ጤና ይስጥልኝ).
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To ask how someone is doing, they say endemin neh? (እንደምን ነህ?) to a man or endemin nesh? (እንደምን ነሽ?) to a woman. Let’s look at each of these ways of greeting someone in Amharic.
1. Hello – Selam (ሰላም)
This is the most frequent greeting in Amharic. It’s like saying hello or hi in English, but it’s interesting to note that you’re actually wishing peace to the other person, because that’s what the word means.
You can use selam (ሰላም) to greet friends and people you know, but it’s also good for strangers in casual settings. It also works at any time of day, so it’s quite practical.
An interesting fact: Perhaps you noticed that this word is very similar to the Arabic greeting salam (سَلَام), which also means “peace”. That’s because Amharic and Arabic (along with other languages like Hebrew or Tigrinya) evolved from a common ancient language. They all belong to the Semitic language family, so they share many word roots, sounds, and even grammatical structures.
2. Good Health – Tena yistilign (ጤና ይስጥልኝ)
Tena yistilign (ጤና ይስጥልኝ) is another greeting that encompasses good wishes, as it translates as “may you have good health” or “may God give you health.” This is a very common Amharic greeting, and you’ll probably hear it often on your trip.
This phrase works in formal and casual contexts and throughout the day, so along with selam (ሰላም), it might be the best choice if you’ll only learn a few phrases. It’s useful in formal settings and with strangers or elders, but it’s also used affectionately between family and close friends, like saying “bless you.”
To respond, you can just say the phrase back, or use amesegnalehu (አመሰግናለሁ።), which means “thank you.”
3. How Are You? – Endemin Nesh? (እንደምን ነሽ?) / Endemin Neh? (እንደምን ነህ?)
If you want to ask “How are you” in Amharic, you have to know that it’s a gendered language, especially when it comes to pronouns and verbs. In this case, you use the verb form nesh (ነሽ) when speaking to a woman, and neh (ነህ) for a man.
So, to ask someone how they’re doing, you can use Endemin nesh? (እንደምን ነሽ?) if you’re talking to a woman, and Endemin neh? (እንደምን ነህ?) if you’re speaking to a man.
Keep in mind this is an informal question. If you’re talking to an elder or a stranger, use Endemin nachihu? (እንደምን አላችሁ) instead.
And if someone asks you this question, you can reply with “I’m fine” – Ene dehna negn (እኔ ደህና ነኝ።)
What Other Phrases Can You Use To Greet Someone In Amharic?
Now that we’ve gone over the most common Amharic greetings, here’s a few more you can use in specific contexts. And remember, you can learn greetings, introductions, and much more on the Ling app!
| English Translation | Amharic | Transliteration | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Did you wake up well? | ደህና አደርክ? | Dehna aderk? | Used in the morning (until ~12 PM) to a man |
| Did you wake up well? | ደህና አደርሽ? | Dehna adersh? | Used in the morning (until ~12 PM) to a woman |
| Did you all wake up well? (formal) | ደህና አደራችሁ? | dehna aderachihu? | Used in the morning to elders/groups |
| How did you spend the day? | እንደምን አደርክ? | Endemin walk? | Used in the afternoon to a man, casual |
| How did you spend the day? | እንደምን ዋልሽ? | Endemin walsh? | Used in the afternoon to a woman, casual |
| Hello (formal) | ጤና ይስጥልኝ | Tena yistilign | Plural/formal greeting for elders or group |
| Welcome | እንኳን ደህና መጡ | Enkuan dehna metu | Used to greet guests when they enter homes, shops, or offices (formal) |
| You come with peaceful intentions | ለሰላም መጡ | Leselam metu | Used when welcoming arrivals, formal |
| What’s new? | ምን አዲስ ነገር አለ? | Min adis neger ale? | Used as a casual check-in |
| Nice to meet you | ስለተዋወቅን ደስ ብሎኛል። | Sletewawekin des bilognal | Used with new people or in professional settings |
| How’s your work? | ስራዎ እንዴት ነው? | Sirawo endet new? | Used as a polite workplace inquiry, formal |
Tips For Using Amharic Greetings: Cultural Considerations
Need some cultural guidance? Here are a few things to keep in mind when using Amharic greetings:
- The Amharic language has formal and informal pronouns, so when asking questions like “How are you?”, make sure you’re using the one that’s appropriate for that context.
- Since it’s a gendered language, make sure to adjust if you’re talking to a woman or a man. Some phrases, like formal greetings, avoid gender by using plural forms.
- Respecting elders is very important in Ethiopian culture, so make sure to use formal phrases when talking to someone older.
- Social hierarchy is also important in Ethiopia, so use formal greetings in work settings and with people of higher status as well.
- When greeting someone, also address them by their title, such as ato (አቶ) for Mr. and w/ro (ወ/ሮ, short for weyzero) for Mrs. People in Ethiopia tend to address each other more formally.
Frequently Asked Questions About Amharic Greetings
How Do They Greet Each Other In Ethiopia?
Handshakes are a common way to greet people in Ethiopia, and cheek kisses are frequent among close friends and family. Additionally, a slight bow is a good way to show respect to elders or people of higher social status, as is using someone’s title (Mr., Mrs., Ms.) when greeting them.
As for what to say, that depends on the language! Some common greetings are: Selam (ሰላም) in Amharic, Akkam (አከም) in Oromo, Kemey alekha? (ከመይ አለኸ?) in Tigrinya, Iska warran? (እስካ ወራን?) in Somali, and Iyyi! (ኢይይ!) in Afar.
How Do You Say Morning Greetings In Amharic?
To say “good morning” in Amharic, you can use dehna adersh? (ደህና አደርሽ?) if talking to a woman, or dehna aderk? (ደህና አደርክ?) if you’re speaking to a man. These phrases are used until around 12 PM.
Do Ethiopians Say Salam?
Yes, Ethiopians do say “salam,” although it’s pronounced slightly differently from what you might be familiar with if you speak Arabic. In Amharic, selam (ሰላም) also means “peace,” and it’s used as a way to say “hello” in communities that speak this language, even though people in other regions will also understand it.
Amharic Greetings Recap: What To Remember
We’ve reached the end of our essential Amharic greetings list. Hopefully, you’ll now know enough to at least be able to say hello in Amharic to the locals. I’m sure you’ll get a few smiles and praise along the way!
To recap, you can use selam (ሰላም) throughout the day in most situations, but if you’re in a more formal context, it’s best to go with tena yistilign (ጤና ይስጥልኝ). Also, to ask someone how they’re doing, you can say Endemin nesh? (እንደምን ነሽ?) when speaking to a woman, and Endemin neh? (እንደምን ነህ?) when talking to a man.
Discover The Amharic Language With Ling!
You’re ready to greet Ethiopia with a warm selam! If you’d like to keep going, the Ling app turns learning into something fun and interactive. Its short lessons, native speaker audio, flashcards and Dialog for real conversation practice help you build your Amharic a little every day, and you can start with a 7-day free trial.
Start learning Amharic with Ling today, and enjoy every new tena yistilign on your trip!
