Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use the prefix 'yä-' before a perfective verb to turn it into a descriptive relative clause.
- Attach 'yä-' to the start of a perfective verb: 'yä-säbbärä' (the one that broke).
- The relative marker 'yä-' replaces the need for 'who' or 'which' in English.
- For negative verbs, keep the 'al-' prefix: 'yä-al-säbbärä' (the one that did not break).
Perfective Relative Formation
| Person | Verb (Root) | Relative (Affirmative) | Relative (Negative) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1st Sing
|
bällä
|
yä-bällahu
|
yä-al-bällahu
|
|
2nd M Sing
|
bällä
|
yä-bälläh
|
yä-al-bälläh
|
|
2nd F Sing
|
bällä
|
yä-bälläsh
|
yä-al-bälläsh
|
|
3rd M Sing
|
bällä
|
yä-bällä
|
yä-al-bällä
|
|
3rd F Sing
|
bällä
|
yä-bälläch
|
yä-al-bälläch
|
|
1st Pl
|
bällä
|
yä-bällän
|
yä-al-bällän
|
|
2nd Pl
|
bällä
|
yä-bällachihu
|
yä-al-bällachihu
|
|
3rd Pl
|
bällä
|
yä-bällu
|
yä-al-bällu
|
Meanings
The 'yä-' prefix acts as a relative pronoun (who, which, that) when attached to a verb in the perfective aspect.
Subject Relative
Describing the subject of an action that happened in the past.
“yä-särra säw (The person who worked)”
“yä-t'äyyäqä tämari (The student who asked)”
Object Relative
Describing the object of an action that happened in the past.
“yä-gäzzahut mäts'haf (The book that I bought)”
“yä-bällahu wät (The stew that I ate)”
Negative Relative
Describing a noun with a negative past action.
“yä-al-hädä säw (The man who did not go)”
“yä-al-säma tämari (The student who did not hear)”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
yä- + Perfective Verb
|
yä-bällä (who ate)
|
|
Negative
|
yä- + al- + Perfective Verb
|
yä-al-bällä (who didn't eat)
|
|
Object (1st)
|
yä- + Verb + -ut
|
yä-gäzzahut (that I bought)
|
|
Object (3rd M)
|
yä- + Verb + -äw
|
yä-gäzzäw (that he bought)
|
|
Question
|
yä- + Verb + ? (Intonation)
|
yä-bälläw? (The one who ate?)
|
|
Plural
|
yä- + Verb + -u
|
yä-bällu (those who ate)
|
격식 수준 스펙트럼
yä-mätt'äw säw (General)
yä-mätt'äw säw (General)
yä-mätt'äw säw (General)
yä-mätt'äw (General)
The 'yä-' Relative Prefix Map
Aspect
- Perfective Past
Function
- Relative Who/Which/That
Negative
- al- Not
수준별 예문
yä-mätt'äw säw
The man who came
yä-säbbäräw bét
The house that broke
yä-bällahu mïgïb
The food that I ate
yä-hädäw lëj
The child who went
yä-al-hädä säw
The man who did not go
yä-gäzzahut mäts'haf
The book that I bought
yä-t'äyyäqä tämari
The student who asked
yä-särra sïra
The work that was done
yä-däwälälïñ gwädäñña
The friend who called me
yä-azzäzhut mïgïb
The food that I ordered
yä-al-säma tämari
The student who did not hear
yä-t'äffäw çant'a
The bag that was lost
yä-gämmäggämhut sïra
The project that I evaluated
yä-t'äyyäqut t'ïyyaqé
The question that I asked
yä-al-t'äyyäqä gäbäya
The market that was not asked about
yä-sämmähut wäré
The news that I heard
yä-t'äqämhut mät'mät'äya
The tool that I utilized
yä-al-t'äbbäqhut lëwët
The change that I did not expect
yä-t'äqäqäsu wät'adär
The soldier who fought
yä-al-t'äyyäqut t'ïyyaqé
The question that I did not ask
yä-t'äqämhut mät'mät'äya yä-t'äqäqäsu wät'adär
The soldier who fought with the tool I utilized
yä-al-t'äbbäqhut lëwët yä-t'äyyäqut t'ïyyaqé
The question I asked about the change I didn't expect
yä-t'äyyäqut t'ïyyaqé yä-sämmähut wäré
The news I heard regarding the question I asked
yä-al-t'äyyäqä gäbäya yä-särra sïra
The work done at the market that wasn't asked about
혼동하기 쉬운
Learners mix up past (yä-) and present/future (yäm-).
Both use 'yä-'.
Learners forget the suffix in object relatives.
자주 하는 실수
säw yä bällä
yä-bällä säw
yä-bällä
yä-bällä säw
yä-al-bällä
yä-al-bällä säw
yä-bällä-u
yä-bällä
al-yä-bällä
yä-al-bällä
yä-gäzzahu
yä-gäzzahut
yä-mïgïb bällä
yä-bällahu mïgïb
yä-yihéd säw
yäm-yihéd säw
yä-säbbäräw bét-u
yä-säbbäräw bét
yä-al-säma-hu
yä-al-sämahut
yä-särra-ñ sïra
yä-särra-h-ut sïra
yä-al-t'äyyäqä-u
yä-al-t'äyyäqä
yä-sämmähut-u wäré
yä-sämmähut wäré
문장 패턴
yä-___ säw
yä-___ut mäts'haf
yä-al-___ säw
yä-___ut sïra
Real World Usage
yä-t'äyyäqut t'ïyyaqé (The question I asked)
yä-mätt'äw säw (The man who came)
yä-gämmäggämhut sïra (The project I evaluated)
yä-t'äffäw çant'a (The bag that was lost)
yä-azzäzhut mïgïb (The food I ordered)
yä-t'äqämhut mät'mät'äya (The tool I utilized)
Prefix Order
Don't Forget the Suffix
Aspect Matters
Natural Flow
Smart Tips
Always check if your verb has the object suffix.
Use 'yä-' immediately.
Remember: yä- + al- + verb.
Ask yourself: did it happen? If yes, use 'yä-'.
발음
yä- prefix
The 'yä-' is pronounced as a single syllable with a short 'ä' sound.
Statement
yä-mätt'äw säw ↘
Neutral declarative statement.
Question
yä-mätt'äw säw ↗
Asking for confirmation.
암기하기
기억법
Yä- is for Yesterday. If it happened in the past, use Yä-.
시각적 연상
Imagine a 'Y' shaped hook (yä-) pulling a past action out of a box labeled 'Yesterday'.
Rhyme
For the past, use yä-, it's the best way to say.
Story
Yesterday, I saw a man. He was the man who ate (yä-bällä säw). He was also the man who did not pay (yä-al-këffälä säw). I remembered him because he was the man who came (yä-mätt'ä säw).
Word Web
챌린지
Write 5 sentences describing people you met yesterday using the 'yä-' prefix.
문화 노트
In the capital, this structure is used rapidly in casual speech, often dropping the noun if the context is clear.
More formal usage often retains the full noun for clarity in storytelling.
Usage is very consistent, though some dialects may vary the vowel quality of the prefix.
The 'yä-' prefix is a Proto-Ethiosemitic relative marker that evolved into a prefix in Amharic.
대화 시작하기
yä-mätt'äw säw man näw?
yä-gäzzahut mäts'haf wädäddähut?
yä-särrahut sïra t'ïqïm alläw?
yä-al-sämmähut wäré allä?
일기 주제
자주 하는 실수
Test Yourself
___ säw (The man who ate)
___ mäts'haf
Find and fix the mistake:
al-yä-hädä säw
säw-u mätt'ä (The man came)
yä-bällä (he ate) -> ?
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
yä-gäzzahut / mäts'haf / näw
yä- is used for present tense.
Score: /8
연습 문제
8 exercises___ säw (The man who ate)
___ mäts'haf
Find and fix the mistake:
al-yä-hädä säw
säw-u mätt'ä (The man came)
yä-bällä (he ate) -> ?
yä-särra säw / yä-al-särra säw
yä-gäzzahut / mäts'haf / näw
yä- is used for present tense.
Score: /8
자주 묻는 질문 (8)
No, 'yä-' is strictly for the perfective (past) aspect. Use 'yäm-' for present or future.
You place 'yä-' before the negative 'al-' prefix. For example, 'yä-al-bällä'.
Not always. In casual speech, you can omit the noun if the context is clear.
The '-ut' suffix is an object marker. It is mandatory when the relative clause describes an object.
They share the same form, but their function is different. One is a relative marker, the other indicates possession.
You pluralize the verb itself. For example, 'yä-bällu säwoch' (the men who ate).
Yes, it is standard in both formal and informal Amharic.
Forgetting the object suffix in object-relative clauses.
Scaffolded Practice
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Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
que + verb
Amharic uses a prefix, Spanish uses a separate word.
qui/que + verb
Amharic doesn't distinguish subject/object with different pronouns.
der/die/das + verb
German has complex agreement; Amharic does not.
verb + noun
Japanese doesn't use a prefix; it uses the plain verb form.
alladhi + verb
Arabic has gender/number agreement; Amharic is more streamlined.
verb + de + noun
Chinese uses a particle 'de' after the verb; Amharic uses a prefix 'yä-' before.
