Signification
Asking a male about his current activity.
Contexte culturel
In Ethiopia, it is common to ask 'What are you doing?' even if it's obvious. It's a way of acknowledging the person's effort and opening a door for conversation. On Telegram, young Ethiopians often shorten the phrase to 'ምን እየሰራህ?' or even just 'ምን?' in very close friendships. Because Amharic is so gendered, using the wrong form can sometimes be taken as a joke or a tease among very close friends, but it's generally seen as a sign of poor language skills. If you ask someone what they are doing and they are eating, they will almost always respond with 'Inibla!' (Let's eat!), inviting you to join them.
The 'Iye' Rule
Whenever you want to say '-ing' in Amharic, reach for the 'እየ' (iye-) prefix. It's your best friend for describing current actions.
Gender Matters
Amharic speakers are very sensitive to gendered grammar. Using 'serah' for a girl is like calling a girl 'he' in English—it's very noticeable!
Signification
Asking a male about his current activity.
The 'Iye' Rule
Whenever you want to say '-ing' in Amharic, reach for the 'እየ' (iye-) prefix. It's your best friend for describing current actions.
Gender Matters
Amharic speakers are very sensitive to gendered grammar. Using 'serah' for a girl is like calling a girl 'he' in English—it's very noticeable!
Add 'አሁን'
Add 'አሁን' (Ahun - Now) to the start of the sentence to sound more natural: 'አሁን ምን እየሰራህ ነው?'
Teste-toi
Fill in the missing part to ask a male friend what he is doing.
ምን ____ሰራህ ነው?
The prefix 'እየ' (iye-) is required to show the action is currently happening.
Which of these is the correct way to ask a WOMAN what she is doing?
Select the correct form:
The suffix '-sh' is used for the second-person feminine singular.
Complete the dialogue between two friends.
A: ሄሎ ዮናስ! B: ሄሎ! A: ________?
After a greeting, 'What are you doing?' is the most natural follow-up question.
Match the phrase to the correct person.
Who would you say 'ምን እያደረጉ ነው?' to?
The formal 'eyadergu' is used for elders to show respect.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesምን ____ሰራህ ነው?
The prefix 'እየ' (iye-) is required to show the action is currently happening.
Select the correct form:
The suffix '-sh' is used for the second-person feminine singular.
A: ሄሎ ዮናስ! B: ሄሎ! A: ________?
After a greeting, 'What are you doing?' is the most natural follow-up question.
Who would you say 'ምን እያደረጉ ነው?' to?
The formal 'eyadergu' is used for elders to show respect.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
4 questionsNo. For that, you would ask 'ስራህ ምንድን ነው?' (Sirah mindin naw?). 'ምን እየሰራህ ነው?' is only for what is happening right now.
It's better to use the formal version 'ምን እያደረጉ ነው?' to be safe, unless you have a very close, casual relationship.
'Serra' literally means 'to work' or 'to make,' while 'aderge' means 'to do.' In casual speech, 'serra' is more common for 'What are you doing?'
You use the same 'iye-' prefix. For example: 'እየበላሁ ነው' (Iye-bellahu naw - I am eating).
Expressions liées
ምን አዲስ ነገር አለ?
similarWhat's new?
እንዴት ነህ?
similarHow are you?
ምን እያደረግክ ነው?
synonymWhat are you doing?
ዝም ብለህ ነው?
contrastAre you just doing nothing?
