Schedule & Booking

1. አውቶቡሱ ምን ሰዓት ይነሳል?

   awtobusu min seat yinessal?

   What time does the bus leave?

   Usage

   Asking the departure time of a long-distance or local bus

   Grammar Note

   Long-distance buses (like SKY Bus) are a primary transport in Ethiopia. Departures are typically in the early morning.

2. ጉብኝቱ ምን ሰዓት ይጀምራል?

   gubnitu min seat yijemral?

   What time does the tour start?

   Usage

   Asking the start time of a sightseeing tour or cultural experience

   Grammar Note

   "ጉብኝት" (tour/visit) is a noun, and the suffix "-ቱ" marks "the". Do not confuse it with "ጎብኚ", which means "visitor, tourist".

3. ዛሬ ዕረፍት ቀን ነው?

   zare irefet qen new?

   Is today a holiday?

   Usage

   Asking whether today is a public holiday that might affect opening hours

   Grammar Note

   Ethiopia has many unique holidays based on its own calendar: Timkat, Meskel, Fasika etc. These differ from Gregorian calendar holidays.

4. ወደ ዓለም አቀፍ አውሮፕላን ማረፊያ ምን ሰዓት ልሄድ?

   wede alem aqef auropilan marefiya min seat lihej?

   What time should I go to the international airport?

   Usage

   Asking what time to head to the airport before an international flight

   Grammar Note

   "ወደ" means "to". "አውሮፕላን ማረፊያ" is "airport" and "ዓለም አቀፍ" is "international". Addis Ababa's Bole International is one of Africa's major hubs.

5. ነገ ምን ፕሮግራም አለ?

   nege min program ale?

   What program is there tomorrow?

   Usage

   Asking what activities or tour events are scheduled for the next day

   Grammar Note

   "ነገ" (tomorrow) is a core time adverb; swap in "ዛሬ" (today) to ask about today. "ፕሮግራም" is a loan from English "program", meaning a schedule or event. "አለ" means "there is".

6. ምን ጊዜ ልንሄድ አለብን?

   min gize linehej aleben?

   What time do we need to leave?

   Usage

   Asking the latest time you need to depart for a tour or transport

   Grammar Note

   "አለብን" = "we must" (first-person plural necessity). Contrast "አለብኝ" (I must), "አለብህ" (you must, m).

7. ዘግይቻለሁ

   zegyichalehu

   I am late

   Usage

   Telling someone you have arrived late to a meeting or appointment

   Grammar Note

   "ዘግይቻለሁ" is the first-person perfect of "ዘገየ" (to be late): the perfect stem plus the auxiliary "አለ" in its first-person form "-ኧለሁ".

8. ዕቅዳችን ምን ሰዓት ይጀምራል?

   iqidachin min se'at yijemral?

   What time does our plan start?

   Usage

   Confirming the schedule for a group trip or tour

   Grammar Note

   "ዕቅዳችን" = "ዕቅድ" (plan) + "-አችን" (our). First-person plural possession is marked by the "-አችን" suffix.

9. ምን ያህል ጊዜ ይወስዳል?

   min yahil gize yiwesdal?

   How long will it take?

   Usage

   Asking how much time an activity or journey will take

   Grammar Note

   "ይወስዳል" is the third-person singular present of "ወሰደ" (to take). In Amharic SOV order, the verb always comes last.

10. ቦታ አስይዘናል

    bota asyiznal

    We have a reservation

    Usage

    Informing a restaurant or hotel that you have a reservation

    Grammar Note

    "ቦታ አስይዘናል" is the first-person plural perfect of "ቦታ አስያዘ" (to reserve a place): "we have reserved". The singular is "ቦታ አስይዣለሁ".

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