Martial Arts

18 phrases · Amharic with romanization, English and audio

  1. ለአንድ ቀን እዚህ መለማመድ እችላለሁ?

    Le-and qen ezih melemamed ichilalehu?

    Can I train here just for one day?

    Usage

    Ethiopia has no tradition of permanent martial arts halls; combat sport exists in modern clubs for taekwondo, karate and boxing. Most are attached to gymnasiums or youth centres in Addis Ababa, and some will take a short-term visitor for a single session

    Grammar Note

    Amharic is verb-final (SOV); "ichilalehu" is the first-person present of "to be able"

  2. መጀመሪያ ልምምዱን ማየት እችላለሁ?

    Mejemeriya limimdun mayet ichilalehu?

    May I watch the training first?

    Usage

    Use this to size up the coach and the atmosphere before committing. Clubs are relaxed about spectators and will normally let you watch for free; the evening slot is the busiest

    Grammar Note

    Definite objects take "-n": "limimd" (training) plus the definite "-u" plus the object marker "-n" gives "limimdun"

  3. የቦክስ ጓንት ታከራያላችሁ?

    Ye-boks guant takerayalachihu?

    Do you rent out boxing gloves?

    Usage

    Shared club gloves are limited and you may have to wait your turn. Hand wraps and a mouthguard are normally your own, so bring them if you plan to keep training

    Grammar Note

    The prefix "ye-" marks possession ("of"), and the verb ending "-alachihu" agrees with a plural "you"

  4. እኔ ጀማሪ ነኝ።

    Ine jemari negn.

    I am a beginner.

    Usage

    Few clubs post skill levels, so unless you say it you may be dropped into the experienced group. Announce it up front and they will start you on basics

    Grammar Note

    "Negn" is the first-person copula; the pronoun "ine" is optional because person is already marked on the verb

  5. እባክህ ቀስ ብለህ አድርግ።

    Ibakih qes bileh adirig.

    Please go easy on me.

    Usage

    Ask for lower intensity in pad work or sparring. If you are speaking to a woman, switch to the feminine forms: "ibakish qes bilesh adirgi"

    Grammar Note

    Amharic marks the addressee's gender in requests and commands: masculine takes "-h / -g" endings, feminine "-sh / -gi"

  6. ጉልበቴ ያመኛል፣ በእግር መምታት አልችልም።

    Gulbete yamegnal, be-igir memtat alichilim.

    My knee hurts, so I cannot kick.

    Usage

    Say this before you start — there is no intake form, so speaking up is the only way to flag an injury. Swap "gulbete" (my knee) for "tikeshaye" (my shoulder) or "jerbaye" (my back)

    Grammar Note

    Negation wraps the verb in "al-" and "-m": the negative of "ichilalehu" (I can) is "alichilim"

  7. የወሩ ክፍያ ስንት ነው?

    Ye-weru kifiya sint new?

    How much is the monthly fee?

    Usage

    For a stay of a few weeks the monthly rate is usually better value. Neighbourhood clubs are very cheap, while hotel and fitness-centre gyms sit in a completely different price band

    Grammar Note

    "Sint new?" is the basic price question; simply put the noun in front to ask "how much is X?"

  8. ለአንድ ጊዜ ስንት ነው?

    Le-and gize sint new?

    How much is it for a single session?

    Usage

    Asks the drop-in rate. Some clubs have no single-session price and will say "give what you can" — offer a fair amount anyway

    Grammar Note

    The prefix "le-" means "for / per": "le-and wer" is "per month"

  9. ለሴቶች የተለየ ክፍል አለ?

    Le-setoch yeteleye kifil ale?

    Is there a separate class for women?

    Usage

    Taekwondo and karate clubs in Addis Ababa have plenty of female members and some female instructors, whereas an upcountry boxing gym may be all-male. Worth checking in advance

    Grammar Note

    "Ale?" alone asks whether something exists; as in Japanese, the noun simply comes first

  10. ልምምዱ ስንት ሰዓት ይጀምራል?

    Limimdu sint se'at yijemiral?

    What time does the training start?

    Usage

    Ethiopia counts hours from sunrise in daily speech, so "hulet se'at" means 08:00 in local reckoning. Always confirm whether a time is local or international clock

    Grammar Note

    The prefix "yi-" marks a third-person masculine subject, giving "yijemiral" (it starts)

  11. እባክህ ይህን ዘዴ አስተምረኝ።

    Ibakih yihin zede astemregn.

    Please teach me this technique.

    Usage

    Use it when you want a move repeated slowly. Coaching often mixes in English, and taekwondo clubs keep the Korean technique names as they are

    Grammar Note

    The suffix "-gn" adds a first-person object: "astemir" (teach!) plus "-gn" becomes "teach me"

  12. መቼ ከሌላ ሰው ጋር መለማመድ እችላለሁ?

    Meche kelela sew gar melemamed ichilalehu?

    When can I start training with a partner?

    Usage

    Partner work is gated behind the instructor's approval because of injury risk; usually you must first settle your stance and guard. On a short stay you may never get past pads and shadow drills

    Grammar Note

    "Ke ... gar" is a circumposition meaning "together with", wrapping the noun on both sides

  13. እዚህ ሻወር አለ?

    Ezih shawer ale?

    Is there a shower here?

    Usage

    Neighbourhood clubs often have no shower, and where one exists it is cold water only. Addis Ababa sits at 2,300 m and cools off sharply in the evening, so bring dry clothes and a jacket

    Grammar Note

    "Shawer" is an English loanword written in Ethiopic script; vocabulary for modern facilities is heavily borrowed

  14. የቦክስ ውድድር የት ማየት እችላለሁ?

    Ye-boks widdir yet mayet ichilalehu?

    Where can I watch a boxing match?

    Usage

    Ethiopian sport revolves overwhelmingly around distance running, and combat sport promotions are sparse. Bouts are staged irregularly at gymnasiums and youth centres, announced mainly by word of mouth and social media, so ask at a club

    Grammar Note

    The question word "yet" sits just before the verb rather than moving to the front, so the word order matches a statement

  15. እጅህን አንሳ፣ ዓይኑን ተመልከት።

    Ijihin ansa, aynun temelket.

    Get your hands up, watch his eyes.

    Usage

    Said by the instructor. The most frequent cue in pad work and partner drills. It comes out short and sharp because it is an imperative — no rudeness intended

    Grammar Note

    Possession and object marking stack onto one word: "ij" (hand) + "-ih" (your) + "-n" (object) gives "ijihin"

  16. በኃይል ምታ፣ አትፍራ።

    Behayl mita, atifra.

    Hit hard, do not be afraid.

    Usage

    Said by the instructor. The standard call when the pad holder wants full power. Half-hearted punches are harder on your wrist, so take it as permission to commit

    Grammar Note

    Negative commands prefix "at-" to the verb: "fra" (fear!) becomes "atifra" (do not fear)

  17. አምስት ደቂቃ አረፍ በል፣ ውሃ ጠጣ።

    Amist deqiqa aref bel, wuha teta.

    Take five minutes' rest and drink water.

    Usage

    Said by the instructor. At Addis Ababa's altitude you run out of breath quickly, so frequent rest and water breaks are built into a session — go gently in your first few days

    Grammar Note

    "Aref bel" is a compound verb pairing a nominal element with "say / do" — an extremely common Amharic pattern

  18. ለዛሬ ይበቃል። በጣም ጥሩ ሠርተሃል።

    Lezare yibekal. Betam tiru sertehal.

    That is enough for today. You did very well.

    Usage

    Said by the instructor to close the session; "ameseginalehu" (thank you) is all you need in reply. A handshake usually follows, and tipping is not customary

    Grammar Note

    "Sertehal" is a perfect form meaning "you have done"; the ending "-hal" agrees with a masculine "you"

More Amharic phrases

Browse all TravelPhrases languages