Signification
Telling a male to be quick.
Contexte culturel
In Addis Ababa, 'Tolo bel' is often shouted by minibus taxi conductors (weyala) to passengers. It's not considered rude in this context; it's just the rhythm of the city. In rural areas, time is often measured by the sun. 'Tolo bel' might be used when bringing cattle back before sunset or before a rainstorm. During religious festivals, 'Tolo bel' is rarely used. The atmosphere is one of 'Tigist' (patience) and slow, rhythmic movement. In the growing tech scene in Ethiopia, 'Tolo' is a popular name for delivery and logistics companies, emphasizing speed.
The '-inna' trick
Add '-inna' to 'bel' to say 'Hurry up AND...'. For example: 'Tolo belinna na' (Hurry up and come).
Gender Matters
Always check the gender of the person you are talking to. Using 'bel' for a woman is a very common beginner mistake.
Signification
Telling a male to be quick.
The '-inna' trick
Add '-inna' to 'bel' to say 'Hurry up AND...'. For example: 'Tolo belinna na' (Hurry up and come).
Gender Matters
Always check the gender of the person you are talking to. Using 'bel' for a woman is a very common beginner mistake.
Politeness
When in doubt, use 'Tolo belu'. It is safer and more respectful.
Teste-toi
You are talking to your brother. Which phrase should you use to tell him to hurry up?
______, ትምህርት ቤት ዘግይተሃል።
Since you are talking to a brother (male), 'ቶሎ በል' is the correct masculine singular form.
Complete the sentence with the correct form of the verb for a group of friends.
ጓደኞቼ፣ ቶሎ ______!
When addressing a group (plural), you must use 'በሉ'.
Complete the dialogue between a mother and her daughter.
Mother: ሳራ፣ ______! Sara: እሺ እማዬ፣ መጣሁ።
Sara is a female name, so the mother must use the feminine form 'ቶሎ በይ'.
Match the phrase to the correct person.
1. To a grandfather 2. To a male friend 3. To a sister
Grandfather (polite/elder) = ቶሎ ይበሉ; Male friend = ቶሎ በል; Sister = ቶሎ በይ.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Gender and Number Agreement
Male
- • ቶሎ በል (Tolo bel)
Female
- • ቶሎ በይ (Tolo bey)
Plural/Polite
- • ቶሎ በሉ (Tolo belu)
Banque d exercices
4 exercices______, ትምህርት ቤት ዘግይተሃል።
Since you are talking to a brother (male), 'ቶሎ በል' is the correct masculine singular form.
ጓደኞቼ፣ ቶሎ ______!
When addressing a group (plural), you must use 'በሉ'.
Mother: ሳራ፣ ______! Sara: እሺ እማዬ፣ መጣሁ።
Sara is a female name, so the mother must use the feminine form 'ቶሎ በይ'.
1. To a grandfather 2. To a male friend 3. To a sister
Grandfather (polite/elder) = ቶሎ ይበሉ; Male friend = ቶሎ በል; Sister = ቶሎ በይ.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsNo, you must use 'Tolo bey' for a woman.
It can be if used with elders. With friends, it is perfectly normal.
'Tolo' is an adverb (quickly), 'Fiten' is a verb (be fast).
Use 'ቶሎ ቢጨርሱልኝ' (If you could finish quickly for me) or 'ቶሎ ይበሉ'.
It means 'Very fast' or 'Hurry, hurry!'
Yes, 'ቶሎ ይበሉ' (Tolo yibelu).
Yes, it is very common in texting.
Literally yes, but here it acts as a light verb meaning 'do'.
You say 'አትቸኩል' (At-chekul).
Yes, like 'Tolo na' (Come quickly) or 'Tolo hid' (Go quickly).
Expressions liées
ቶሎ በይ
similarHurry up (female)
ቶሎ በሉ
similarHurry up (plural/polite)
ፍጠን
synonymBe fast
አትቸኩል
contrastDon't rush
ቶሎ ቶሎ
builds onVery quickly
አፍጥነው
specialized formSpeed it up
