Latest / Learn Amharic with Fexingo / Amharic Kitchen: Spices & Herbs Basics
Transcript
- Lucas: Hey there. Welcome back to Learn Amharic with Fexingo. I’m Lucas. Luna: And I’m Luna. It is so good to be back with you all. Lucas: We have been doing a lot of kitchen talk lately. Last episode was salt and pepper. Luna: Right. ጨው and ምሳራ. But today we are going deeper into the flavor. Lucas: Exactly. We are going to the market section for spices and herbs. Specifically the big three. Luna: I am ready. My mouth is already watering a little bit. Lucas: Let’s start with the most famous one. The red powder. Berbere. Luna: Yes. Berbere. How do I ask if a shop has it? Lucas: You say: በርበሬ አለህ? It means 'Do you have berbere?' Let me say it slowly. Lucas: በርበሬ.... በርበሬ. Now put it together. በርበሬ አለህ? Luna: Okay. በርበሬ አለህ? Like asking for ingredients. Lucas: Perfect. That is your first phrase. Let’s move to the second item. Luna: The yellow powder. Shiro. I love shiro. Lucas: It is delicious. To ask for it, we use a slightly different structure. Lucas: You say: ሽሮ ይዘው ነው? It means 'Do you have shiro?' Listen closely. Lucas: ሽሮ.... ሽሮ. Then the full phrase: ሽሮ ይዘው ነው? Luna: ሽሮ ይዘው ነው? It sounds very polite. And useful. Lucas: It is very common in the market. Now for the third item. Fresh herbs. Luna: Mint! I always want mint tea when I go to Ethiopia. Lucas: Yes. Mint. The word is ሚንጢማ. To say you need it, we say: ሚንጢማ ያስፈልገኛል. Luna: Wait, let me check that spelling. ሚንጢማ ያስፈልገኛል. Lucas: Correct. It literally means 'I need mint.' Say it with me. Lucas: ሚንጢማ.... ሚንጢማ. Then the full sentence: ሚንጢማ ያስፈልገኛል. Luna: ሚንጢማ ያስፈልገኛል. I can feel the fresh leaves already. Lucas: Now we have three items. But what if you don't know how much to buy? Luna: Oh right. Small amounts. I never want to buy too much spice at once. Lucas: So we use this phrase: እባክህ ትንሽ ስጠኝ. It means 'Please give me a little.' Luna: That is so helpful. እባክህ ትንሽ ስጠኝ. Let me try that rhythm. Lucas: Say it slowly. እባክህ. ትንሽ. ስጠኝ. Good. Put it together: እባክህ ትንሽ ስጠኝ. Luna: እባክህ ትንሽ ስጠኝ. Perfect. It sounds very natural. Lucas: Finally, the price question. You have used this before, but let’s reinforce it. Luna: How much is this? Yes. ይህ ስንት ነው? Lucas: Exactly. ይህ ስንት ነው? This is our fifth phrase. Let's review the set. Luna: One: በርበሬ አለህ? Two: ሽሮ ይዘው ነው? Lucas: Three: ሚንጢማ ያስፈልገኛል. Four: እባክህ ትንሽ ስጠኝ. Five: ይህ ስንት ነው? Luna: That is a great toolkit for any market stall. Lucas: Let’s put it in a scene. You walk up to a spice seller. Luna: Okay. I approach the stall. Hello. በርበሬ አለህ? Lucas: The seller nods. You continue. ሽሮ ይዘው ነው? Luna: He says yes. So I add: እና ሚንጢማ ያስፈልገኛል. Lucas: Smart. He brings out small bags. You ask: እባክህ ትንሽ ስጠኝ. For each one. Luna: And then I look at the total. ይህ ስንት ነው? Lucas: Exactly. Simple, effective, and respectful. You sound like a local. Luna: I feel like I could cook a whole stew now just with these words. Lucas: You would be surprised how far a few words get you. Luna: Speaking of support, if Fexingo has been helping you make actual progress with this language... Lucas: A couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these going. Luna: If you want to help us keep making these episodes ad-free... Lucas: You can visit buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Thank you for listening to us today. Lucas: Practice those five phrases until next time. Luna: See you in the next episode. Bye for now.