The Benefactive Suffix (-ll-)
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).
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.
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).”
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).”
Professional/Formal Representation
Acting as a proxy or representative.
“ፈረመልኝ (He signed for me).”
“ከፈለልኝ (He paid for me).”
Reference Table
| 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
|
Formalitätsspektrum
እርሱ ገዛልኝ። (Buying a gift)
ገዛልኝ። (Buying a gift)
ገዛልኝ እኮ። (Buying a gift)
ገዛልኝማ። (Buying a gift)
Benefactive Concept Map
Action
- ገዛልኝ Bought for me
Emotion
- ሳቀችልኝ Smiled at me
Service
- ፈረመልኝ Signed for me
Beispiele nach Niveau
ውሃ ስጠኝ
Give me water
ቡና አፍላልኝ
Brew coffee for me
ይህንን ጻፍልኝ
Write this for me
እርዳኝ
Help me
እባክህ ፎቶ አንሳልኝ
Please take a photo for me
ለእኔ አትግዛልኝ
Don't buy for me
እሱ መጣችልኝ
She came for me
ይህንን አብራራልኝ
Explain this to me
እሱ በስብሰባው ላይ ተናገረልኝ
He spoke on my behalf at the meeting
እባክህ ይህንን ሰነድ ፈረምልኝ
Please sign this document for me
እሷ የቤት ስራዬን ሰራልኝ
She did my homework for me
እሱ ገንዘብ ከፈለልኝ
He paid the money for me
በጣም አዘንኩለት፣ ሞተልኝ
I felt so sad for him, he died on me
እባክህ ይህንን ችግር ፈታልኝ
Please solve this problem for me
እሷ በደስታ ሳቀችልኝ
She smiled at me with joy
እሱ የጠፋውን ቁልፍ አገኘልኝ
He found the lost key for me
እሱ በታላቅ ክብር አቀረበልኝ
He presented it to me with great honor
እሷ የድሮ ታሪኬን አወሳችልኝ
She recalled my old story for me
እሱ የህይወቴን መንገድ አሳየልኝ
He showed me the path of my life
እሷ በችግሬ ጊዜ ደረሰችልኝ
She arrived for me in my time of need
እሱ የህዝቡን ድምጽ አስተጋባችልኝ
He echoed the voice of the people for me
እሷ የጥበብን ምስጢር ገለጠችልኝ
She revealed the secret of wisdom to me
እሱ የነገን ተስፋ ሰበከልኝ
He preached the hope of tomorrow for me
እሷ የልቤን ስሜት ተረጎመልኝ
She interpreted the feelings of my heart for me
Leicht verwechselbar
Learners mix up 'hit me' (መታኝ) and 'hit for me' (መታልኝ).
Using both together is redundant.
Both add suffixes to the verb.
Häufige Fehler
ለእኔ ገዛልኝ
ገዛልኝ
ገዛልኝም
አልገዛልኝም
ገዛልኝ ወይ
ገዛልኝ ወይ?
ገዛልኝ እሱ
እሱ ገዛልኝ
ገዛልህ (to a female)
ገዛልሽ
ገዛልኝ (past)
ይገዛልኝ (future)
አደረገኝልኝ
አደረገልኝ
ተናገረልኝ (for a group)
ተናገረልን
ፈረምልኝ (imperative)
ፈርምልኝ
አልገዛልኝ
አልገዛልኝም
አቀረበልኝ (passive)
ቀረበልኝ
አወሳችልኝ (archaic)
አወሳችልኝ (modern)
ሰበከልኝ (incorrect root)
ሰበከልኝ (correct)
Satzmuster
እባክህ ___ልኝ
እሱ ___ልኝ
እሷ ___ልኝ ነበር
እባክህ ___ልኝ ወይ?
Real World Usage
ቡና አፍላልኝ።
ፎቶ አንሳልኝ።
ፈረምልኝ።
ቦርሳዬን ያዙልኝ።
አብራራልኝ።
ጻፍልኝ።
Listen for the 'l'
Don't double up
Practice with common verbs
Be polite
Smart Tips
Use the benefactive suffix instead of 'ለእኔ'.
Use the benefactive for tasks you are doing for others.
Always check the recipient's gender.
Use the imperative benefactive.
Aussprache
Gemination
The 'll' in -ll- is geminated (long). Hold the 'l' sound slightly longer.
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.
Einprägen
Eselsbrücke
Think of 'll' as 'L-L' for 'Love-Lending'—you are lending your action to someone you love or care about.
Visuelle Assoziation
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
Herausforderung
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.
Kulturelle Hinweise
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.
Gesprächseinstiege
ዛሬ ምን አደረግክልኝ?
እባክህ ይህንን ጻፍልኝ?
እሷ ምን ገዛችልሽ?
በስብሰባው ላይ ማን ተናገረልህ?
Tagebuch-Impulse
Häufige Fehler
Test Yourself
እሱ መጽሐፍ ____ (bought for me).
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
እሷ ጻፍልኝ።
እሱ ጻፈ (He wrote).
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
A: እባክህ ይህንን ____? B: እሺ, ፈረምኩልህ።
The benefactive suffix -ll- can be used with all verbs.
Order: [እሱ] [ገዛልኝ] [መጽሐፍ]
Score: /8
Ubungsaufgaben
8 exercisesእሱ መጽሐፍ ____ (bought for me).
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
እሷ ጻፍልኝ።
እሱ ጻፈ (He wrote).
Match: 1. ገዛልኝ, 2. ሰጠልኝ, 3. ፈረመልኝ
A: እባክህ ይህንን ____? B: እሺ, ፈረምኩልህ።
The benefactive suffix -ll- can be used with all verbs.
Order: [እሱ] [ገዛልኝ] [መጽሐፍ]
Score: /8
FAQ (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
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Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
para mí
Amharic integrates it into the verb; Spanish keeps it separate.
pour moi
Amharic's suffix is bound to the verb.
für mich
Amharic is a synthetic language; German is analytic here.
tame ni
Amharic uses a suffix; Japanese uses a postposition.
li-
Arabic uses a prefix; Amharic uses a suffix.
为我 (wèi wǒ)
Amharic is highly agglutinative.
