Polite Imperatives with 'ibakkih'
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'ibakkih' (masculine) or 'ibakkish' (feminine) to turn any command into a polite request.
- Use 'ibakkih' for males: 'ibakkih, wada bet hid' (Please, go home).
- Use 'ibakkish' for females: 'ibakkish, wada bet hidi' (Please, go home).
- The verb must match the gender of the person you are addressing.
Polite Imperative Formation
| Addressee | Particle | Verb (Affirmative) | Verb (Negative) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Male
|
ibakkih
|
hid
|
atihid
|
|
Female
|
ibakkish
|
hidi
|
atihidi
|
|
Male
|
ibakkih
|
amchi
|
atiamchi
|
|
Female
|
ibakkish
|
amchi
|
atiamchi
|
|
Male
|
ibakkih
|
t'erag
|
atit'erag
|
|
Female
|
ibakkish
|
t'eragi
|
atit'eragi
|
Meanings
The particle 'ibakkih' acts as the Amharic equivalent of 'please', derived from the verb 'to be kind'. It softens commands into requests.
Polite Request
Softening a direct command to a peer or subordinate.
“ibakkih, mits'haf ayu.”
“ibakkish, buna amchi.”
Service Interaction
Used when ordering food or asking for help in a shop.
“ibakkih, k'urs amchi.”
“ibakkish, k'al'am sitign.”
Urgent Request
Adding emphasis to a request.
“ibakkih, atihid!”
“ibakkish, atinagari!”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative (M)
|
ibakkih + Verb
|
ibakkih, hid
|
|
Affirmative (F)
|
ibakkish + Verb
|
ibakkish, hidi
|
|
Negative (M)
|
ibakkih + Neg-Verb
|
ibakkih, atihid
|
|
Negative (F)
|
ibakkish + Neg-Verb
|
ibakkish, atihidi
|
|
Question (M)
|
ibakkih + Verb?
|
ibakkih, hid?
|
|
Question (F)
|
ibakkish + Verb?
|
ibakkish, hidi?
|
Espectro de formalidad
ibakwo, wuhha yastagn. (Restaurant)
ibakkih, wuhha astagn. (Restaurant)
wuhha amchi. (Restaurant)
wuhha. (Restaurant)
Polite Request Structure
Male
- ibakkih Please (to male)
Female
- ibakkish Please (to female)
Ejemplos por nivel
ibakkih, buna amchi.
Please, bring coffee.
ibakkish, wuhha sitign.
Please, give me water.
ibakkih, hid.
Please, go.
ibakkish, t'erag.
Please, clean.
ibakkih, atihid.
Please, don't go.
ibakkish, atinagari.
Please, don't talk.
ibakkih, mits'haf ayu.
Please, look at the book.
ibakkish, buna atit'eti.
Please, don't drink coffee.
ibakkih, yihini mits'haf sitign.
Please, give me this book.
ibakkish, betu wust atigebi.
Please, don't enter the house.
ibakkih, k'al'am astagn.
Please, help me find a pen.
ibakkish, buna atizigaji.
Please, don't prepare coffee.
ibakkih, yihini waraqet f'erim.
Please, sign this paper.
ibakkish, yihini t'iyake atimelesi.
Please, don't answer this question.
ibakkih, t'erag-ew.
Please, clean it.
ibakkish, yihini mits'haf atinibi.
Please, don't read this book.
ibakkih, yihini hulu atidrig.
Please, don't do all of this.
ibakkish, yihini mits'haf atigiz.
Please, don't buy this book.
ibakkih, yihini t'iyake atik'erib.
Please, don't present this question.
ibakkish, yihini buna atit'eti.
Please, don't drink this coffee.
ibakkih, yihini hulu atit'ek'im.
Please, don't use all of this.
ibakkish, yihini mits'haf atit'ek'im.
Please, don't use this book.
ibakkih, yihini t'iyake atimeles.
Please, don't answer this question.
ibakkish, yihini buna atizigaji.
Please, don't prepare this coffee.
Fácil de confundir
Learners mix up singular/informal and plural/formal.
Learners use the wrong verb form.
Learners forget to change the verb ending.
Errores comunes
ibakkih, hidi
ibakkih, hid
ibakkish, hid
ibakkish, hidi
ibakkih, hidign
ibakkih, hid
ibakkih, atihidi
ibakkih, atihid
ibakkih, buna amchi
ibakkih, buna amchi (masc)
ibakkish, buna amchi
ibakkish, buna amchi (fem)
ibakkih, atinagari
ibakkih, atinagar
ibakkih, t'erag-ew
ibakkih, t'erag-ew
ibakkish, t'erag-ew
ibakkish, t'erag-ew
ibakkih, atibla
ibakkih, atibla
ibakkih, yihini atidrig
ibakkih, yihini atidrig
ibakkish, yihini atidrigi
ibakkish, yihini atidrigi
ibakkih, yihini atigiz
ibakkih, yihini atigiz
Patrones de oraciones
ibakkih, ___ amchi.
ibakkish, ___ hidi.
ibakkih, ___ atidrig.
ibakkish, ___ atinagari.
Real World Usage
ibakkih, buna amchi.
ibakkih, hid.
ibakkih, agizegn.
ibakkish, k'al'am sitign.
ibakkih, t'erag.
ibakkih, yihini f'erim.
Gender Check
Don't Overuse
Intonation
Respect
Smart Tips
Always add 'ibakkih' or 'ibakkish'.
Use 'ibakkish'.
Use 'ibakwo'.
Use 'ibakwo'.
Pronunciación
ibakkih
Pronounced ee-bah-kee-h. The 'h' at the end is soft.
ibakkish
Pronounced ee-bah-kee-sh. The 'sh' is like 'shoe'.
Rising intonation
ibakkih? ↗
Polite question/request
Memorízalo
Mnemotecnia
Think of 'ibakkih' as 'I-buck-he' (a man) and 'ibakkish' as 'I-buck-she' (a woman).
Asociación visual
Imagine a gentleman bowing (ibakkih) and a lady curtsying (ibakkish) while offering a gift.
Rhyme
For a guy say ibakkih, for a girl say ibakkish.
Story
A traveler arrives in Addis Ababa. He asks a man for directions using 'ibakkih'. The man smiles and helps. Then he asks a woman for the bus station using 'ibakkish'. She also helps. He realizes politeness is the key to the city.
Word Web
Desafío
Go to a mirror and practice saying 'ibakkih' and 'ibakkish' with 5 different verbs.
Notas culturales
Politeness is highly valued. Using 'ibakkih' is a sign of good upbringing.
Similar usage, though some dialectal variations exist.
Often used to maintain cultural identity.
Derived from the verb 'to be kind'.
Inicios de conversación
ibakkih, buna amchi?
ibakkish, mits'haf sitign?
ibakkih, agizegn?
ibakkish, yihini atinagari?
Temas para diario
Errores comunes
Test Yourself
___, hid.
Which is correct for a female?
Find and fix the mistake:
ibakkih, hidi.
ibakkih, hid.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
___, atinagari.
Which is correct for a male?
Find and fix the mistake:
ibakkish, atinagar.
Score: /8
Ejercicios de practica
8 exercises___, hid.
Which is correct for a female?
Find and fix the mistake:
ibakkih, hidi.
ibakkih, hid.
Male?
___, atinagari.
Which is correct for a male?
Find and fix the mistake:
ibakkish, atinagar.
Score: /8
Preguntas frecuentes (8)
It means 'if you are kind'.
When talking to a female.
Yes, with imperatives.
It is neutral/polite.
People will understand, but it sounds odd.
'ibakwo' is for groups/elders.
Yes, it is very common.
Use 'ibakwo' instead.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
por favor
Amharic particle is gendered.
s'il vous plaît
Amharic is more concise.
bitte
German 'bitte' is not gendered.
onegaishimasu
Amharic is simpler.
min fadlak
Very similar structure.
qing
No gender in Chinese.
