In this episode we’ll get into some challenging but very important elements of the Amharic language. That is, how to incorporate the person who is doing the action (the subject) and the person who is receiving the action, or whom the action is being done upon (the object) in a sentence. Learning this means that we can build and understand more complex and specific sentences. Due to the complexity of these conjugations, I highly recommend following along with the episode transcript (link in the show bio).

S3.E2 - Subject And Object, Part I

Today we’ll continue from where we left off last week with our object modifiers, this time adding two important preposition that can completely change the meaning of the object-modified verb. These are the prepositions ለ and በ, the addition of which adds a layer of differing meaning to the word. In this episode, travel through full verb conjugation examples followed by sample sentences for practice.

S3.E3 - Subject And Object, Part II

In this week’s episode we’ll look at the Imperative and the Jussive, which are related forms of command or request. The Imperative is the name given to a direct command: i.e. go, come, listen, stop, etc. The Jussive can be thought of as an indirect command, more along the lines of “let him eat”, “let her take”, etc. It is often phrased as a question or request: “shall we?”, “may I?”, “could you?”, etc. In Amharic, as with all verb conjugations, these command forms vary according to the person being addressed.

S3.E4 - The Imperative And Jussive

Today we’ll look at how to construct compound sentences using a verb form called The Gerund. We introduced the Gerund and how it is used to make past perfect conjugations in Episode 6 of Season 2, so if you’re struggling with this episode, I’d recommend going back for a recap. Now we’re going to go a step further and look at how the gerund is used in conjunction with other verbs to build compound sentences in which more than one action is taking place.

S3.E8 - Building Compound Sentences

In this week’s episode we’ll give grammar and technicalities a break to have a look at some of the unique phrases or expressions in Amharic that have no translation in English, and which give the language so much character. While I learned some of these just by listening and understanding context, many were actually new to me when I started this episode. Now that I know them, though, I can’t stop hearing them used everywhere. I hope this episode helps make you feel more at home with colloquial Amharic.

S3.E9 - Unique Amharic Expressions

Welcome back to a new Season of Bereka Buna! This episode kicks off the Season with a look at Adjectives and how to use them in a sentence. We run through several examples of adjectives and numerals and then look at the grammatical rules to bear in mind when using adjectives in Amharic, closing out with our usual list of practice sentences.

S4.E1 - Adjectives

In this episode we take a deep dive into an element of Amharic grammar known as The Causative. The Causative, as the name implies, refers to actions which wouldn’t happen of their own accord and so must be caused to occur. Amharic has both Direct and Indirect causative verbs. In this episode we look at both, running through some simple examples of causative verbs, and then deconstructing when and how these forms is used and rounding off with many more examples and practice sentences. 

S4.E2 - The Causative

Today we’ll continue on from where we left off last episode with a look at more complex aspects of the Passive form, including how to conjugate passive verbs in the Simple Past to other tenses, including the Present/Future, the Contingent, the Gerund, the Imperative, and more. If you are at the early stages of Amharic learning, we recommend going back to previous episodes where each tense is explained more in depth before continuing with this episode on how to conjugate the Passive form. It may also be helpful to pull up the transcript to follow along with conjugations for this episode and better identify subtle differences in the Fidel and pronunciation of the active and passive forms. 

S4.E4 - Conjugating the Passive

A totally sober, shrewd, surgical look at a linguistic book, Polyglot: How I learn Languages (1970) by famed interpreter Dr. Kató Lomb.  In this episode, we look at confidence, dictionaries, the intersection of fences and asses, and men's vs women's language.

Hungry for Languages channel, reaction to a Kató Lomb interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNKf1eoK9Ts

''Polyglot'' by Kató Lomb: A Shrewd Analysis, Book's End (Episode 3/három, Drunk on Language)

Today we’ll tackle a grammatical form used very frequently in Amharic, known as the Relative
Clause. In English we use the relative clause to modify a noun or noun phrase by using a relative pronoun like “which”, “that”, “who”, “whom”, “whose”, etc. With the help of such pronouns, we are able to specify and give greater detail in one sentence and connect two ideas or two separate clauses into one sentence. Follow along as we run through relative clause conjugations and how to apply them in a sentence.

S4.E8 - The Relative Clause

Welcome to Bereka Buna, a podcast series designed to support Amharic Language Learning. Episodes in the series range from a focus on vocabulary and grammar to dialogue and more conversational Amharic to get you started on learning the language and move you beyond the basics. Follow along with full transcripts (transliterated and in Amharic Fidel) to hone your reading and writing skills as you listen. The course is meant as support for learning you may already be embarking on. Join host, Luana DeBorst, and guest speakers on this journey of language learning and exploration! For more visit berekabuna.org. Accompanying videos can be found on YouTube @BerekaBuna.

We have fun with language here.  If you accidentally learn something, we're sorry.

My influences and inspirations for the Drunk on Language Book Club include: Nativlang, Xidnaf, Rick Steves, Drunk History, Langfocus, Game of Thrones Abridged, My Drunk Kitchen with Hannah Hart, and Mextalki.
The men in my life: Jim Beam, Jack Daniel, José Cuervo, Los Kunstmanns, Captain Morgan, Don Q, Pyotr Smirnoff, Mike and his ''Hard Lemonade''.      

And Brendon Urie.  -heavy breathing-

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