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
|
フォーマル度スペクトル
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
レベル別の例文
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
間違えやすい
Learners mix up imperfective and perfective markers.
Learners forget the negative marker.
yä- can also mean 'of'.
よくある間違い
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
文型パターン
___ 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.
発音
yämmi-
The 'yä' is short, 'mmi' is slightly emphasized.
Rising
yämmisärra säw?
Questioning the identity of the person.
暗記しよう
記憶術
Yämmi is for the 'me' (my) present and future, while yä is for the past.
視覚的連想
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
チャレンジ
Write 5 sentences describing people around you using 'yämmi-' + verb.
文化メモ
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.
会話のきっかけ
yämmi-t'äyq säw yät-näw?
yämmi-särra bét yät-näw?
yämmi-gäza mät'häf yät-näw?
yämmi-mätta éngéda mänäw?
日記のテーマ
よくある間違い
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
練習問題
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
よくある質問 (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.
