B1 Verb Forms 1 min read متوسط

The Benefactive Suffix (-ll-)

وضع علامة كمكتسب
تدرّب عليها

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

The -ll- suffix turns a standard verb into an action done 'for' or 'on behalf of' someone.

  • Add -ll- to the verb root to indicate benefit: 'ገዛ' (bought) becomes 'ገዛልኝ' (bought for me).
  • The suffix must agree with the person receiving the benefit: 'ገዛልሽ' (bought for you - fem).
  • It replaces the need for a separate prepositional phrase like 'ለእኔ' (for me).
Verb Root + ll + Person Suffix = Action for someone

Benefactive Conjugation (Root: ገዛ - to buy)

Person Affirmative Negative Question
1st Sing
ገዛልኝ
አልገዛልኝም
ገዛልኝ ወይ?
2nd Masc
ገዛልህ
አልገዛልህም
ገዛልህ ወይ?
2nd Fem
ገዛልሽ
አልገዛልሽም
ገዛልሽ ወይ?
3rd Masc
ገዛለት
አልገዛለትም
ገዛለት ወይ?
3rd Fem
ገዛላት
አልገዛላትም
ገዛላት ወይ?
1st Plural
ገዛልን
አልገዛልንም
ገዛልን ወይ?

Meanings

The benefactive suffix -ll- is a morphological marker attached to verbs to indicate that the action is performed for the benefit of a specific person.

1

Direct Benefaction

Doing an action for someone's benefit.

“እሷ ምግብ አበሰለችልኝ (She cooked food for me).”

“አስተማሪው ደብተር ሰጠልኝ (The teacher gave me a notebook).”

2

Relational/Emotional impact

Indicates the action affects someone's emotional state or situation.

“ሞተልኝ (He died for me/on me - implying loss).”

“ሳቀችልኝ (She smiled at me - for my benefit).”

3

Professional/Formal Representation

Acting as a proxy or representative.

“ፈረመልኝ (He signed for me).”

“ከፈለልኝ (He paid for me).”

Reference Table

Reference table for The Benefactive Suffix (-ll-)
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Root + ll + Suffix
ገዛልኝ
Negative
አ + Root + ll + Suffix + ም
አልገዛልኝም
Question
Root + ll + Suffix + ወይ
ገዛልኝ ወይ?
Polite Request
Imperative + ll + Suffix
ግዛልኝ
Future
Prefix + Root + ll + Suffix
ይገዛልኝ
Past Continuous
ነበር + Verb + ll + Suffix
ይገዛልኝ ነበር

طيف الرسمية

رسمي
እርሱ ገዛልኝ።

እርሱ ገዛልኝ። (Buying a gift)

محايد
ገዛልኝ።

ገዛልኝ። (Buying a gift)

غير رسمي
ገዛልኝ እኮ።

ገዛልኝ እኮ። (Buying a gift)

عامية
ገዛልኝማ።

ገዛልኝማ። (Buying a gift)

Benefactive Concept Map

Benefactive -ll-

Action

  • ገዛልኝ Bought for me

Emotion

  • ሳቀችልኝ Smiled at me

Service

  • ፈረመልኝ Signed for me
سجّل مجاناً لقراءة الشرح الكامل

أمثلة حسب المستوى

1

ውሃ ስጠኝ

Give me water

2

ቡና አፍላልኝ

Brew coffee for me

3

ይህንን ጻፍልኝ

Write this for me

4

እርዳኝ

Help me

1

እባክህ ፎቶ አንሳልኝ

Please take a photo for me

2

ለእኔ አትግዛልኝ

Don't buy for me

3

እሱ መጣችልኝ

She came for me

4

ይህንን አብራራልኝ

Explain this to me

1

እሱ በስብሰባው ላይ ተናገረልኝ

He spoke on my behalf at the meeting

2

እባክህ ይህንን ሰነድ ፈረምልኝ

Please sign this document for me

3

እሷ የቤት ስራዬን ሰራልኝ

She did my homework for me

4

እሱ ገንዘብ ከፈለልኝ

He paid the money for me

1

በጣም አዘንኩለት፣ ሞተልኝ

I felt so sad for him, he died on me

2

እባክህ ይህንን ችግር ፈታልኝ

Please solve this problem for me

3

እሷ በደስታ ሳቀችልኝ

She smiled at me with joy

4

እሱ የጠፋውን ቁልፍ አገኘልኝ

He found the lost key for me

1

እሱ በታላቅ ክብር አቀረበልኝ

He presented it to me with great honor

2

እሷ የድሮ ታሪኬን አወሳችልኝ

She recalled my old story for me

3

እሱ የህይወቴን መንገድ አሳየልኝ

He showed me the path of my life

4

እሷ በችግሬ ጊዜ ደረሰችልኝ

She arrived for me in my time of need

1

እሱ የህዝቡን ድምጽ አስተጋባችልኝ

He echoed the voice of the people for me

2

እሷ የጥበብን ምስጢር ገለጠችልኝ

She revealed the secret of wisdom to me

3

እሱ የነገን ተስፋ ሰበከልኝ

He preached the hope of tomorrow for me

4

እሷ የልቤን ስሜት ተረጎመልኝ

She interpreted the feelings of my heart for me

سهل الخلط

The Benefactive Suffix (-ll-) مقابل Object Suffix vs Benefactive

Learners mix up 'hit me' (መታኝ) and 'hit for me' (መታልኝ).

The Benefactive Suffix (-ll-) مقابل Preposition 'ለ' vs Suffix -ll-

Using both together is redundant.

The Benefactive Suffix (-ll-) مقابل Causative vs Benefactive

Both add suffixes to the verb.

أخطاء شائعة

✗

ለእኔ ገዛልኝ

✓

ገዛልኝ

Redundant use of 'ለ' (for) when -ll- is present.
✗

ገዛልኝም

✓

አልገዛልኝም

Missing the 'አ' prefix for negation.
✗

ገዛልኝ ወይ

✓

ገዛልኝ ወይ?

Missing the question mark or question particle.
✗

ገዛልኝ እሱ

✓

እሱ ገዛልኝ

Incorrect word order; subject usually comes first.
✗

ገዛልህ (to a female)

✓

ገዛልሽ

Wrong gender suffix for the recipient.
✗

ገዛልኝ (past)

✓

ይገዛልኝ (future)

Tense mismatch.
✗

አደረገኝልኝ

✓

አደረገልኝ

Double suffix error.
✗

ተናገረልኝ (for a group)

✓

ተናገረልን

Wrong number/person suffix.
✗

ፈረምልኝ (imperative)

✓

ፈርምልኝ

Incorrect stem form for imperative.
✗

አልገዛልኝ

✓

አልገዛልኝም

Missing the final 'ም' in negation.
✗

አቀረበልኝ (passive)

✓

ቀረበልኝ

Confusing causative/benefactive with passive.
✗

አወሳችልኝ (archaic)

✓

አወሳችልኝ (modern)

Incorrect usage of archaic forms.
✗

ሰበከልኝ (incorrect root)

✓

ሰበከልኝ (correct)

Root vowel error.

أنماط الجُمل

እባክህ ___ልኝ

እሱ ___ልኝ

እሷ ___ልኝ ነበር

እባክህ ___ልኝ ወይ?

Real World Usage

Ordering Food constant

ቡና አፍላልኝ።

Social Media very common

ፎቶ አንሳልኝ።

Office Work common

ፈረምልኝ።

Travel common

ቦርሳዬን ያዙልኝ።

Academic occasional

አብራራልኝ።

Texting very common

ጻፍልኝ።

سجّل مجاناً لرؤية جميع الأمثلة
💡

Listen for the 'l'

Whenever you hear a verb ending in 'l-something', it's likely a benefactive. Train your ears to catch that 'l' sound.
⚠️

Don't double up

Never use 'ለ' and '-ll-' together. It's the most common error for learners.
🎯

Practice with common verbs

Start with 'ገዛ' (buy), 'ሰጠ' (give), and 'ጻፈ' (write). They are the most frequent.
💬

Be polite

Always add 'እባክህ' (please) before using the imperative benefactive.

Smart Tips

Use the benefactive suffix instead of 'ለእኔ'.

ይህንን አድርግ ለእኔ → ይህንን አድርግልኝ

Use the benefactive for tasks you are doing for others.

እኔ እፈርማለሁ ለእሱ → እኔ እፈርምለታለሁ

Always check the recipient's gender.

ገዛልህ (to a woman) → ገዛልሽ (to a woman)

Use the imperative benefactive.

ቡና ስጠኝ → ቡና አፍላልኝ

النطق

gə-zäl-ləñ

Gemination

The 'll' in -ll- is geminated (long). Hold the 'l' sound slightly longer.

a-fə-lal-ləñ

Vowel Harmony

The vowel before 'll' often shifts to 'a' in many verbs.

Rising for questions

ገዛልኝ ወይ? ↗

Indicates a genuine question.

Falling for statements

ገዛልኝ። ↘

Indicates a factual statement.

احفظها

وسيلة تذكّر

Think of 'll' as 'L-L' for 'Love-Lending'—you are lending your action to someone you love or care about.

ربط بصري

Imagine a person holding a heavy box for someone else. The box has 'LL' written on it, representing the 'Load-Lending' action.

Rhyme

When you want to do a favor, add -ll- to the verb flavor.

Story

Abebe wanted to buy a gift. He saw a beautiful book. He thought, 'I will buy this for my friend.' He used the verb 'ገዛ' and added 'ልኝ' to make 'ገዛልኝ'. His friend was so happy.

Word Web

ገዛልኝሰጠልኝአበሰለችልኝፈረመልኝረዳኝሳቀችልኝ

تحدٍّ

For the next 5 minutes, look at 3 objects in your room and say aloud what you would do with them for a friend using the -ll- suffix.

ملاحظات ثقافية

The benefactive is often used in religious contexts, e.g., 'ጸለየልኝ' (he prayed for me).

Used heavily in social media and texting to show gratitude.

More formal and respectful forms are preferred.

The -ll- suffix derives from the preposition 'ለ' (for) combined with object pronouns.

بدايات محادثة

“

ዛሬ ምን አደረግክልኝ?

“

እባክህ ይህንን ጻፍልኝ?

“

እሷ ምን ገዛችልሽ?

“

በስብሰባው ላይ ማን ተናገረልህ?

مواضيع للكتابة اليومية

Write about a time someone did a favor for you.
Describe a professional situation where you helped a colleague.
Reflect on the importance of helping others in your culture.
Write a short story about a character who always does things for others.

أخطاء شائعة

Incorrect

صحيح

Incorrect

صحيح

Incorrect

صحيح

Incorrect

صحيح

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Test Yourself

Fill in the blank with the correct benefactive suffix.

እሱ መጽሐፍ ____ (bought for me).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ገዛልኝ
The context is 'for me', so -ኝ is needed.
Choose the correct sentence. اختيار متعدد

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ገዛልኝ
Redundancy is avoided.
Correct the error in the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

እሷ ጻፍልኝ።

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: እሷ ጻፈችልኝ
The verb must agree with the subject 'እሷ'.
Transform the sentence to benefactive. Sentence Transformation

እሱ ጻፈ (He wrote).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: እሱ ጻፈልኝ
Adding -ll- makes it benefactive.
Match the verb to its meaning. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Correct mapping.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: እባክህ ይህንን ____? B: እሺ, ፈረምኩልህ።

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ፈረምልኝ
The response matches the verb.
Is this rule true? True False Rule

The benefactive suffix -ll- can be used with all verbs.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: True
It is highly productive.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

Order: [እሱ] [ገዛልኝ] [መጽሐፍ]

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: እሱ መጽሐፍ ገዛልኝ
Standard SOV order.

Score: /8

تمارين تطبيقية

8 exercises
Fill in the blank with the correct benefactive suffix.

እሱ መጽሐፍ ____ (bought for me).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ገዛልኝ
The context is 'for me', so -ኝ is needed.
Choose the correct sentence. اختيار متعدد

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ገዛልኝ
Redundancy is avoided.
Correct the error in the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

እሷ ጻፍልኝ።

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: እሷ ጻፈችልኝ
The verb must agree with the subject 'እሷ'.
Transform the sentence to benefactive. Sentence Transformation

እሱ ጻፈ (He wrote).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: እሱ ጻፈልኝ
Adding -ll- makes it benefactive.
Match the verb to its meaning. Match Pairs

Match: 1. ገዛልኝ, 2. ሰጠልኝ, 3. ፈረመልኝ

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Correct mapping.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: እባክህ ይህንን ____? B: እሺ, ፈረምኩልህ።

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ፈረምልኝ
The response matches the verb.
Is this rule true? True False Rule

The benefactive suffix -ll- can be used with all verbs.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: True
It is highly productive.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

Order: [እሱ] [ገዛልኝ] [መጽሐፍ]

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: እሱ መጽሐፍ ገዛልኝ
Standard SOV order.

Score: /8

الأسئلة الشائعة (8)

Almost all. It is highly productive, though some verbs might have specific stem changes.

It comes from the preposition 'ለ' (for).

It is neutral and used in all registers.

Use the suffix -ላት (ገዛላት).

Yes, just add the negation markers 'አ...ም'.

Yes, avoid it to sound natural.

No, it only adds the benefactive meaning.

Add 'ወይ' at the end.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

سجّل مجاناً للتدريب

In Other Languages

Spanish partial

para mí

Amharic integrates it into the verb; Spanish keeps it separate.

French partial

pour moi

Amharic's suffix is bound to the verb.

German partial

für mich

Amharic is a synthetic language; German is analytic here.

Japanese partial

tame ni

Amharic uses a suffix; Japanese uses a postposition.

Arabic high

li-

Arabic uses a prefix; Amharic uses a suffix.

Chinese low

为我 (wèi wǒ)

Amharic is highly agglutinative.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Next
The Malefactive/Locative Suffix (-bb-)

Related Grammar Rules

B1

Subjunctive Stem Formation
A2

Formation of the Imperative
B1

Causative Prefix 'a-'
B1

The Malefactive/Locative Suffix (-bb-)
B2

Reciprocal Verb Formation
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