Latest / Learn Amharic with Fexingo / Amharic at the Market – Buying Spices
Transcript
- Lucas: Welcome back to Learn Amharic with Fexingo. I'm Lucas. Luna: And I'm Luna. Episode one thirty eight, can you believe it? Lucas: I know. And today we are heading to the market again, but this time for something special. Luna: Oh? What are we buying? Lucas: Spices. Ethiopian cuisine is famous for its rich spice blends, and knowing the names will help you shop like a local. Luna: Ooh, I love spices. Okay, give me the first one. Lucas: First up, a very common one: በርበሬ. Say it with me: በርበሬ. Luna: በርበሬ. Lucas: Good. በርበሬ is a spice blend, kind of like chili powder but more complex. You'll find it in many dishes. Luna: በርበሬ. I think I've heard of that. It's red, right? Lucas: That's right. Now, next: ካርዳሞም. That's cardamom. Try it: ካርዳሞም. Luna: ካርዳሞም. That's a bit of a mouthful. Lucas: Take it slow: ካር-ዳ-ሞም. Good. Now, another one: ቆስጣ. This is a type of dried herb, sometimes called Ethiopian sacred basil. Say it: ቆስጣ. Luna: ቆስጣ. Lucas: And last one: እንቁላል. That means 'egg', actually, but it's also a spice? No, sorry, I'm kidding. እንቁላል is egg. But we'll learn that another time. For spices, we'll stick with these three: በርበሬ, ካርዳሞም, ቆስጣ. Luna: Okay, let me practice: በርበሬ, ካርዳሞም, ቆስጣ. How was that? Lucas: Excellent. Now, how do you ask the price? Remember from earlier episodes: ስንት ነው? That means 'how much is it?' Luna: ስንት ነው? Yes, I remember that. Lucas: And if you want to buy something, you say: ልገዛ. That means 'I want to buy'. Luna: ልገዛ. So I could say: በርበሬ ልገዛ. ስንት ነው? Lucas: Perfect. You just said 'I want to buy berbere. How much is it?' Let's put it together in a little scene. Imagine you're at the spice market. Luna: Okay, I'll be the customer. Lucas: And I'll be the seller. So you walk up and say: በርበሬ ልገዛ. ስንት ነው? Luna: በርበሬ ልገዛ. ስንት ነው? Lucas: And I reply: አምስት ብር ነው. That means 'it's five birr.' Luna: Five birr? That's cheap. Okay, I'll take it. Lucas: Now let's review all the phrases one more time. First, the spices: በርበሬ, ካርዳሞም, ቆስጣ. Luna: በርበሬ, ካርዳሞም, ቆስጣ. Lucas: Then: ስንት ነው? and ልገዛ. Luna: ስንት ነው? ልገዛ. Lucas: You're doing great. You know, if you're finding these lessons useful and want to help us keep making them ad-free, you can support us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It really helps. Luna: Yeah, every little bit counts. And we appreciate it so much. Lucas: Alright, let's do one more practice. I'll say a spice, and you say the Amharic word. Ready? Luna: Ready. Lucas: Berbere. Luna: በርበሬ. Lucas: Cardamom. Luna: ካርዳሞም. Lucas: Ethiopian sacred basil. Luna: ቆስጣ. Lucas: And the question for price? Luna: ስንት ነው? Lucas: And 'I want to buy'? Luna: ልገዛ. Lucas: Wonderful. You're ready for the spice market. Keep practicing these phrases, and next time we'll learn how to order a coffee with these spices. Luna: Ooh, yes. Until then, practice with us. Thanks for listening! Lucas: See you next time on Learn Amharic with Fexingo.