Relative Marker 'yämmi-' with Imperfective
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'yämmi-' before an imperfective verb to turn a sentence into a descriptive relative clause.
- Attach 'yämmi-' directly to the start of the imperfective verb: 'yämmi- + verb'.
- The relative clause precedes the noun it describes: 'yämmi- + verb + noun'.
- For negative relative clauses, use 'yämmay-' instead of 'yämmi-'.
Formation of yämmi- Relative Clauses
| Verb (Imperfective) | Remove -l | Add yämmi- | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
|
yisärral
|
yisärra
|
yämmi-
|
yämmisärra
|
|
yibälal
|
yibäla
|
yämmi-
|
yämmibäla
|
|
yihédal
|
yihéda
|
yämmi-
|
yämmihédä
|
|
yigäzal
|
yigäza
|
yämmi-
|
yämmigäza
|
|
yit'ärral
|
yit'ärra
|
yämmi-
|
yämmit'ärra
|
|
yizäfänal
|
yizäfäna
|
yämmi-
|
yämmizäfäna
|
Meanings
The 'yämmi-' marker is used to create relative clauses that describe ongoing or habitual actions in the present or future.
Present Continuous
Describing an action happening right now.
“yämmi-bäla säw (The man who is eating)”
“yämmi-zäfän zäfäñ (The singer who is singing)”
Habitual Action
Describing a recurring action or general truth.
“yämmi-särra bét (The house that is being built)”
“yämmi-wädädäw wäddaj (The friend who loves me)”
Future Intention
Describing an action planned for the future.
“yämmi-mätta éngéda (The guest who will come)”
“yämmi-gäza mät'häf (The book that I will buy)”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
yämmi- + Verb
|
yämmisärra
|
|
Negative
|
yämmay- + Verb
|
yämmaysärra
|
|
Question
|
yämmi- + Verb + -n?
|
yämmisärra-n?
|
|
Future
|
yämmi- + Verb
|
yämmi-mätta
|
|
Habitual
|
yämmi- + Verb
|
yämmi-bäla
|
|
Present
|
yämmi- + Verb
|
yämmi-säq
|
Spectre de formalité
yämmisärra säw (Professional vs casual)
yämmisärra säw (Professional vs casual)
yämmisärra säw (Professional vs casual)
yämmisärra (Professional vs casual)
The yämmi- Universe
Time
- Present Now
- Future Later
Aspect
- Imperfective Ongoing
Exemples par niveau
yämmi-bäla säw
The man who is eating
yämmi-särra bét
The house that is being built
yämmi-mätta éngéda
The guest who is coming
yämmi-zäfän zäfäñ
The singer who is singing
yämmaysärra bét
The house that is not being built
yämmi-gäza mät'häf
The book that I am buying
yämmi-t'ärra säm
The name that will be called
yämmi-wädädäw wäddaj
The friend who loves me
yämmi-säq säw yisäqall
The person who is laughing is laughing
yämmi-t'äyq t'äyaqi
The person who is asking questions
yämmay-héd bäss
The bus that is not going
yämmi-t'äbäs bäré
The beef that is being grilled
yämmi-särra särratäñña bétu-n yisärral
The worker who is working is building the house
yämmi-t'äbäqäw éngéda mätta
The guest whom I am waiting for arrived
yämmay-t'äqäm mät'häf
The book that is not useful
yämmi-yäzäw mät'häf
The book that he is holding
yämmi-t'äqäm bét yämmay-t'äqäm bét
The house that is useful and the house that is not useful
yämmi-särra särratäñña yämmay-särra särratäñña
The worker who is working and the worker who is not working
yämmi-t'ärra säm yämmi-t'ärra säm
The name that will be called and the name that will be called
yämmi-zäfän zäfäñ yämmi-zäfän zäfäñ
The singer who is singing and the singer who is singing
yämmi-särra särratäñña yämmi-särra särratäñña
The worker who is working and the worker who is working
yämmi-t'äyq t'äyaqi yämmi-t'äyq t'äyaqi
The person who is asking and the person who is asking
yämmi-gäza mät'häf yämmi-gäza mät'häf
The book that is being bought and the book that is being bought
yämmi-wädädäw wäddaj yämmi-wädädäw wäddaj
The friend who loves me and the friend who loves me
Facile à confondre
Learners mix up imperfective and perfective markers.
Learners forget the negative marker.
yä- can also mean 'of'.
Erreurs courantes
yämmi-yisärral
yämmisärra
yämmi-särra (past)
yäsärra
yämmi-särra-l
yämmisärra
yämmi-särra (negative)
yämmaysärra
yämmi-bäla-w
yämmibäla
yämmi-héd
yämmihédä
yämmi-t'äyq
yämmit'äyq
yämmi-särra-n
yämmisärra
yämmi-yisärra
yämmisärra
yämmi-mätta (future)
yämmi-mätta
yämmi-särra-t
yämmisärra
yämmi-särra-w
yämmisärra
yämmi-särra-y
yämmisärra
Structures de phrases
___ säw yisäqall.
___ bét yisärrall.
___ mät'häf yigäzall.
___ éngéda yimättall.
Real World Usage
yämmisäq säw
yämmisärra bét
yämmi-héd bäss
yämmi-t'äbäs bäré
yämmi-t'äyq t'äyaqi
yämmi-gäza mät'häf
Drop the -l
Don't mix with past
Negative marker
Natural flow
Smart Tips
Drop the -l and add yämmi-.
Use yä- instead of yämmi-.
Use yämmay-.
Check if it's happening now or in the past.
Prononciation
yämmi-
The 'yä' is short, 'mmi' is slightly emphasized.
Rising
yämmisärra säw?
Questioning the identity of the person.
Mémorise-le
Moyen mnémotechnique
Yämmi is for the 'me' (my) present and future, while yä is for the past.
Association visuelle
Imagine a clock. The 'yämmi-' prefix is a battery powering the clock for present and future, while 'yä-' is a dusty old photo album for the past.
Rhyme
For present and future, yämmi is the key, for past actions, yä is what you see.
Story
A man named Yämmi is always busy working (present). He plans to work tomorrow (future). He never looks back at what he did yesterday (past).
Word Web
Défi
Write 5 sentences describing people around you using 'yämmi-' + verb.
Notes culturelles
Used frequently in daily business and social interactions.
Similar usage, often with slightly different verb stems.
More formal, often used in storytelling.
Derived from the Proto-Ethio-Semitic relative marker system.
Amorces de conversation
yämmi-t'äyq säw yät-näw?
yämmi-särra bét yät-näw?
yämmi-gäza mät'häf yät-näw?
yämmi-mätta éngéda mänäw?
Sujets d'écriture
Erreurs courantes
Test Yourself
___ säw yisäqall.
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
yämmi-yisärral säw
yämmi- + bäla + säw
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
yämmisärra
Which is for past?
___ bét yisärrall.
Score: /8
Exercices pratiques
8 exercises___ säw yisäqall.
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
yämmi-yisärral säw
yämmi- + bäla + säw
yämmisärra
yämmisärra
Which is for past?
___ bét yisärrall.
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
No, use yä- for past tense.
It must be removed.
No, it is gender-neutral.
Use yämmay-.
Yes, it covers future actions.
Yes, it is very common.
No, it stays the same.
Yes, with any imperfective verb.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
que + verbo
Amharic is head-final, Spanish is head-initial.
qui/que + verbe
Amharic prefix is attached to the verb.
der/die/das + verbe
Amharic prefix does not decline.
verb + noun
Japanese doesn't use a prefix marker like yämmi-.
alladhi + verb
Amharic is a prefix, Arabic is a separate word.
verb + de + noun
Amharic uses a prefix, Chinese uses a particle.
