Latest / Learn Amharic with Fexingo / Asking 'Who' in Amharic - ማን
Transcript
- Lucas: Hey there, and welcome back to Learn Amharic with Fexingo. I'm Lucas, and as always, I've got my favorite co-host, Luna, with me. Luna: Hi everyone! So excited to be here again. You know, last episode we were talking about family, and I was thinking—how do we ask who someone is in Amharic? Like, who is that person? Lucas: That's a perfect question, Luna. And it's a great follow-up to our family words. So today, we're going to learn how to ask 'who' in Amharic. It's a small word but super useful. Luna: Let's do it. What's the word for 'who'? Lucas: The word for 'who' is 'ማን'. Let's say it together: ማን. Luna: ማን. Hmm, that sounds kind of like 'man' but with a softer 'n' at the end. Lucas: Exactly. And to ask 'Who is it?' you just add 'ነው' at the end. So 'ማን ነው?' Luna: ማን ነው? Lucas: Perfect. So if someone knocks on the door, you can call out 'ማን ነው?' Luna: Oh, that's handy. So when I hear a knock, I say 'ማን ነው?' Lucas: Exactly. And if you see someone across the street, you might ask 'ማን ነው ያ?' meaning 'Who is that?' Luna: ማን ነው ያ? Let me try that. ማን ነው ያ? Lucas: You've got it. Now, let's put it in a little scene. Imagine you're at a party with Luna, and you see someone you don't recognize. You lean over and ask Luna, 'ማን ነው ያ?' Luna: And I would answer, 'That's my cousin.' But we haven't learned 'cousin' yet. Oh well. Lucas: Right, we'll get to that someday. For now, let's focus on the question. So 'ማን ነው ያ?' is a great way to start a conversation or just satisfy your curiosity. Luna: And what if I want to ask about a specific person, like 'Who came?' Lucas: Good question. You can say 'ማን ነው የመጣው?' That means 'Who came?' Literally, it's 'Who is the one who came?' Luna: ማን ነው የመጣው? That's a bit longer. Let me try: ማን ነው የመጣው? Lucas: Perfect. And if you don't know who someone is, you might say 'ማን እንደሆነ አላውቅም' which means 'I don't know who he/she is.' Luna: ማን እንደሆነ አላውቅም. That's useful. So if someone asks me 'ማን ነው?' I can respond with that. Lucas: Exactly. And speaking of not knowing who someone is, it reminds me of something. You know, we have a lot of listeners who are learning with us, and we're really grateful for that. A few of them even support the show directly through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That's what keeps this podcast going without any ads. Luna: Yeah, it's pretty amazing. Knowing that a small group of listeners chip in means we can keep making these lessons for everyone. Thanks to those who do. Lucas: Absolutely. Now, let's get back to our phrases. We've learned 'ማን ነው?' 'ማን ነው ያ?' and 'ማን ነው የመጣው?' Let's practice them one more time. Repeat after me: ማን ነው? Luna: ማን ነው? Lucas: ማን ነው ያ? Luna: ማን ነው ያ? Lucas: ማን ነው የመጣው? Luna: ማን ነው የመጣው? Lucas: And finally, 'ማን እንደሆነ አላውቅም' Luna: ማን እንደሆነ አላውቅም. Lucas: You're picking these up so quickly. Let's do a tiny role play. I'll knock on the door, and you ask 'ማን ነው?' Luna: Okay. I mean, you knock. Lucas: Knock knock. Luna: ማን ነው? Lucas: It's me, Lucas. Luna: Oh, okay. I was expecting someone else. Lucas: See how easy that is? Now, if you're at a café and you spot a friend but you're not sure, you could ask the waiter 'ማን ነው ያ?' pointing at the person. Luna: That's a good trick. I'll remember that for my next trip to Ethiopia. Lucas: And if you hear a knock on your hotel room door, you know what to say: 'ማን ነው?' Luna: Perfect. Now, let's review all five phrases one more time. ማን, ማን ነው?, ማን ነው ያ?, ማን ነው የመጣው?, ማን እንደሆነ አላውቅም. Lucas: You did amazing, Luna. And to all our listeners, practice these and you'll be asking 'ማን ነው?' like a pro in no time. That's all for today. We'll see you next episode. Keep practicing!