Convenience Store

1. ሱቁ ስንት ሰዓት ይከፈታል?

   Suqu sint se'at yikefetal?

   What time does the shop open?

   Usage

   An Ethiopian "suq" is the small shop on a residential lane selling oil, sugar, bread and soap in small quantities. Most open around 7am and close about 8pm — but the answer will come back in Ethiopian time

   Grammar Note

   Ethiopian time counts from sunrise, so it runs six hours off the international clock: "and se'at" (one o'clock) is 7am and "hulet se'at" is 8am. Adding "be-ferenj se'at?" (in foreign time?) avoids misunderstandings

2. ቀዝቃዛ ውሃ አለ?

   Qezqaza wuha ale?

   Is there any cold water?

   Usage

   Addis Ababa sits at 2,400 metres and stays cool, but the southern and eastern lowlands are hot. A small suq may have no fridge, or one that has been off during a power cut, so ask first. Stick to bottled water in Ethiopia; the naturally sparkling "Ambo" is sold everywhere

   Grammar Note

   "Ale" is the existential verb and the simplest way to ask whether something is available; its negative is "yelem" (there isn't). Amharic places adjectives before the noun, so "qezqaza wuha" follows the same order as English

3. ዳቦ አለ?

   Dabo ale?

   Do you have bread?

   Usage

   "Dabo" is the small round loaf sold daily in a suq for breakfast or a snack. It is quite distinct from "injera", the fermented flatbread that is Ethiopia's staple and is bought at markets or dedicated stalls. Bread of this kind spread partly through the Italian occupation period

   Grammar Note

   Amharic has no question ending: the same statement said with rising intonation becomes a question. "Dabo ale" is "there is bread"; with rising pitch it asks "is there bread?". The script is Ge'ez, a syllabary in which each character fuses a consonant with a vowel

4. ግማሽ ኪሎ ብቻ ይበቃኛል

   Gimash kilo bicha yibeqagnal

   Half a kilo is enough for me

   Usage

   Sugar, rice, beans and pasta are sold loose in a suq, with the owner scooping the amount you name onto the scale. Households buy day by day, so a small quantity is perfectly normal. It also works when you want just a little Ethiopian coffee ("buna")

   Grammar Note

   "Yibeqagnal" packs the verb "beqa" (to suffice) together with the first-person object suffix "-gn" and the present ending "-al", saying "it is enough for me" in a single word. Amharic routinely folds objects into the verb this way

5. ቴሌብር ትቀበላላችሁ?

   Telebirr tiqebelalachihu?

   Do you accept telebirr?

   Usage

   Telebirr is the mobile-money service run by state-owned Ethio Telecom; it has spread fast and many small suqs now take it. Registration requires a local number and identity verification, so short-term visitors usually cannot sign up and end up paying cash

   Grammar Note

   "Tiqebelalachihu" is the second-person plural present of "teqebele" (to receive). Amharic verbs are built on a consonantal root — here q-b-l — with vowels and affixes marking person and tense, the classic Semitic pattern. "Telebirr" itself blends "tele" (telecom) with "birr", the currency

6. የሞባይል ካርድ አለ?

   Ye-mobayl kard ale?

   Do you have mobile top-up cards?

   Usage

   Ethio Telecom holds a near monopoly on mobile service, and prepaid top-ups are still commonly done with scratch cards sold by suqs and street vendors. Tourist SIMs are bought at the airport or an Ethio Telecom branch on presentation of a passport

   Grammar Note

   The prefix "ye-" marks possession and attaches to the first noun in an "A's B" phrase: "ye-Ityopya" (of Ethiopia), "ye-ine" (mine). The possessor comes first, the reverse of the English "of" construction

7. ዝርዝር ብር አለዎት?

   Zirzir birr alewot?

   Do you have small change?

   Usage

   Inflation has made 100 and 200 birr notes the norm, yet a suq deals in single-digit sums and often cannot give change. Breaking notes at a bank or hotel keeps you covered for markets and taxis alike

   Grammar Note

   "Alewot" is "ale" (there is) with the honorific second-person suffix, the form to use with strangers and elders. The casual equivalents are "alleh" to a man and "allesh" to a woman. "Birr" originally means silver

8. ፌስታል አለ?

   Festal ale?

   Do you have a plastic bag?

   Usage

   "Festal" is the distinctly Ethiopian word for a plastic carrier bag, quite separate from "borsa" (a bag or briefcase). A suq will usually give you a thin one free, though environmental rules are being debated and more people now bring a cloth bag

   Grammar Note

   "Festal" is thought to come from Italian and is a local coinage that Amharic speakers outside Ethiopia may not recognise. Many Ethiopian words entered from Italian during the occupation, among them "makina" (car, from macchina) and "pasta"

9. የመጠቀሚያ ጊዜው መቼ ያልቃል?

   Yemeteqemiya gizew meche yalqal?

   When does the use-by date run out?

   Usage

   Stock can move slowly in a suq, so it is worth checking dairy and processed foods. Ethiopia uses its own calendar, running seven to eight years behind the Gregorian one — 2026 CE is around 2018 in the Ethiopian calendar. Imports are usually dated Gregorian, but local products may not be

   Grammar Note

   The "-w" ending on "gizew" is the definite article suffix, marking "the period" as specific. Amharic attaches its article to the end of the noun: "-w" for masculine nouns and "-wa" for feminine ones

10. ውሃው የት ነው?

    Wuhaw yet new?

    Where is the water?

    Usage

    Ethiopian suqs are narrow, with goods stacked high on shelves behind the counter and out of customers' reach. Rather than browsing, you tell the owner what you want and he fetches it — that is simply how the shopping works

    Grammar Note

    "New" is the copula and always sits at the end of the clause. Amharic word order is subject-object-verb, so even the question word "yet" comes just before the verb. With a feminine subject the copula becomes "nat"

11. በካርድ መክፈል ይቻላል?

    Bekard mekfel yichalal?

    Is it possible to pay by card?

    Usage

    Ethiopia runs on cash and a neighbourhood suq will not have a card terminal. Foreign cards work only at upmarket hotels in the capital, a few supermarkets and travel agents, and ATMs are concentrated in cities. Draw enough cash before heading to the regions

    Grammar Note

    Infinitives take the prefix "me-": "mekfel" (to pay), "mebilat" (to eat), "metetat" (to drink). Adding "yichalal" (it is possible) turns any of them into a question about permission or feasibility

12. ሌላ ምን ልጨምርልዎ?

    Lela min lichemirilwo?

    What else shall I add for you?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Since goods are handed over the counter one at a time, you will hear this after each item. When you are done, answer "beqagn, ameseginalehu" (that's enough for me, thank you)

    Grammar Note

    "Lichemirilwo" builds on "chemere" (to add) with the prefix "li-" for an offer and the honorific benefactive suffix "-lwo" meaning "for you" — a polite offer packed into one word

13. ዝርዝር የለኝም

    Zirzir yelegnim

    I have no change

    Usage

    Said by staff. Change shortages are routine: the owner may dash next door to break a note, hand back the difference as gum or sweets, or tell you to settle it next time. If you do have small notes, reply "zirzir alegn" (I have change)

    Grammar Note

    "Yelegnim" inserts the first-person suffix "-gn" into the negative existential "yelem" (there isn't), giving "I don't have"; the positive is "alegn". Amharic marks negation with the prefix "ay-" and the ending "-m"

14. ጥሬ ገንዘብ ብቻ ነው

    Tire genzeb bicha new

    It's cash only

    Usage

    Said by staff. Card terminals are all but absent from suqs and many do not take telebirr either, leaving cash as the only real option. The further from the cities you go the truer this becomes, so stock up — small notes included — before leaving town

    Grammar Note

    "Tire genzeb" compounds "tire" (raw, unprocessed) with "genzeb" (money) to mean money in its raw form, i.e. cash. "Tire" also appears in "tire siga" (raw meat), a well-known Ethiopian dish

15. የቴሌብር ቁጥሬ ይህ ነው

    Ye-telebirr qutire yih new

    This is my telebirr number

    Usage

    Said by staff. Say you will pay by telebirr and the owner shows you a slip with his mobile number or reads it out. Transfers usually go to a personal number, and both sides get a confirmation message afterwards. Repeat the number back before sending

    Grammar Note

    "Qutire" is "qutir" (number) plus the first-person possessive suffix, giving "my number"; possession is suffixed, as in "qutirih" (your number) and "qutiru" (his number). "Yih" is the demonstrative for something close at hand

16. ነገ ብትከፍሉ ችግር የለም

    Nege bitkeflu chigir yelem

    It's no problem if you pay tomorrow

    Usage

    Said by staff. A suq runs on neighbourly relationships, and regulars' purchases are commonly written in a book and settled later. Travellers rarely receive the offer, but on a long stay in one neighbourhood you might. It is a mark of trust, so respond warmly

    Grammar Note

    The prefix "bi-" marks a conditional — "bitkeflu" means "if you pay". "Chigir yelem" (there is no problem) is an everyday set phrase, also the standard reply when someone apologises

17. አልቋል

    Alqwal

    It's sold out

    Usage

    Said by staff. A suq restocks in small batches, so popular lines and imports often run out during the day, and import restrictions or foreign-currency shortages can keep certain goods off the shelves for long stretches. The owner may point you elsewhere, so try asking "yet agegnalehu?" (where can I find it?)

    Grammar Note

    "Alqwal" is the perfect of "aleqe" (to be finished, to run out), describing a state that began earlier and still holds. A single word forming a complete sentence is typical of Amharic, with subject and object woven into the verb form

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