Translate English to Amharic
Amharic is spoken by over 50 million people and serves as the working language of the Ethiopian federal government. Ethiopia is Africa's second most populous country and a growing economic force. Whether you are communicating with Ethiopian colleagues, reading Amharic news, or connecting with the Ethiopian diaspora, paste your English text above.
Common English to Amharic translations
| English | Amharic | Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hello | ሰላም | seh-LAHM | ||
| Good morning | እንዴምን አዴርካል | en-deh-MIN ah-dehr-KAHL | ||
| Thank you | አመሰግናለቹ | ah-meh-seh-gun-AH-leh-hoo | ||
| Please | እባክኾ | eh-BAH-koh | ||
| How much is this? | ይሄ ስንት ነዉ? | yih SINT now | ||
| Where is the bathroom? | የመታጤቢያ ብት የት ነዉ? | yeh-meh-tah-teh-BEE-yah bet YET now | ||
| I do not understand | አልገባኝም | ahl-geh-BAH-nyim | ||
| Can you help me? | ልትርዳኝ ትችላለህ? | lit-reh-DAHN-yee tih-chee-LAH-leh | ||
| I would like tea | ሻይ እፈልጋለቹ | shy eh-feh-lee-GAH-leh-hoo | ||
| The bill, please | ሄሳብ, እባክኾ | hee-SAHB eh-BAH-koh | ||
| Nice to meet you | ስለታወቅን ደስ ብሎኛል | sih-leh-tah-weh-KUN des bih-LOH-nyahl | ||
| Goodbye | ዴህና ያን | deh-nah YUHN | ||
| I need a doctor | ሃክም እፈልጋለቹ | hah-KEEM eh-feh-lee-GAH-leh-hoo | ||
| Excuse me | ይቅርታ | yih-keer-TAH |
Tips for English to Amharic translation
Amharic uses the Ge'ez script (also called Ethiopic or Fidel), one of the few indigenous African writing systems still in active use. It is a syllabary: each character represents a consonant-vowel combination. There are about 230 base characters organized in a systematic grid of consonants and vowel modifications.
Amharic word order is SOV (subject-object-verb), similar to Hindi and Turkish. Verbs come at the end of the sentence and carry extensive information about tense, person, number, and gender through complex conjugation patterns.
Amharic has a unique counting system and calendar. The Ethiopian calendar is 7-8 years behind the Gregorian calendar (the year 2023 Gregorian is 2015-2016 Ethiopian). When translating dates, be aware that the calendar system may need conversion.
Amharic verbs are highly inflected, with each form encoding subject person, number, gender, tense, and mood. A single Amharic verb form can carry information that English spreads across several words. This makes Amharic translations often shorter than their English equivalents.
About the Amharic language
Amharic belongs to the Semitic language family, making it a distant relative of Arabic and Hebrew. It is the most widely spoken Semitic language in Africa and the working language of the Ethiopian federal government. The Ge'ez script dates back to at least the 5th century BC, making it one of the oldest writing systems in continuous use.
Ethiopia is the only African country that was never fully colonized (Italy occupied it briefly from 1936-1941). This independence preserved Amharic's status as a language of government and culture without the displacement that colonial languages caused elsewhere in Africa. The Ethiopian diaspora, especially in Washington D.C. (the largest Ethiopian community outside Africa), maintains active Amharic language media and cultural institutions.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. No registration needed.
Yes. Proper Amharic Ethiopic characters.
Yes. Click the speaker icon.
Both are Semitic languages, but they are not mutually intelligible. The scripts are completely different.
Good for everyday use. Professional review for official texts.
Yes. The Ethiopian calendar is 7-8 years behind the Gregorian calendar. Date translations may need manual conversion.
Visit our Amharic to English page.
Yes.
There are about 230 characters, but they follow a systematic pattern. Most learners can read basic Amharic in 2-3 weeks.
Over 60 pairs including Arabic, Swahili, French, and more.
Need the reverse? Try Amharic to English translation.
