Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use the prefix 'yä-' before a verb to turn an entire action into a descriptive adjective for a noun.
- Attach 'yä-' to the start of a verb: 'yä-bälla' (the one who ate).
- Place the resulting phrase before the noun it describes: 'yä-bälla säw' (the man who ate).
- The verb must agree in gender and number with the noun it describes.
Relative Clause Formation
| Prefix | Verb | Noun | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
|
yä-
|
mättä
|
säw
|
The man who came
|
|
yä-
|
mättäch
|
set
|
The woman who came
|
|
yä-
|
bälla
|
lij
|
The boy who ate
|
|
yä-
|
bällach
|
set
|
The girl who ate
|
|
yä-
|
särra
|
säw
|
The man who worked
|
|
yä-
|
tämharä
|
tämari
|
The student who studied
|
Meanings
The 'yä-' prefix functions as a relative pronoun marker, transforming a verb phrase into an adjectival modifier.
Relative Adjective
Describing a noun based on an action it performed or underwent.
“yä-särra-w bet (the house that was built)”
“yä-tägäzza-w mäkina (the car that was bought)”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
yä- + Verb
|
yä-mättä säw
|
|
Negative
|
yä- + al- + Verb
|
yä-almättä säw
|
|
Past
|
yä- + Past Verb
|
yä-gäzzah-kut
|
|
Present
|
yä- + Present Verb
|
yä-yämmi-gäzza
|
|
Plural
|
yä- + Plural Verb
|
yä-mättu säwočč
|
|
Definite
|
yä- + Verb + -w
|
yä-mättä-w säw
|
격식 수준 스펙트럼
yä-mättä-w säw (General)
yä-mättä-w säw (General)
yä-mättä-w (General)
yä-mättä-w (General)
The yä- Relative Clause Map
Verb
- mättä came
Noun
- säw man
수준별 예문
yä-mättä-w säw
The man who came
yä-bälla-w lij
The boy who ate
yä-tägäzza-w bet
The house that was bought
yä-särra-w sra
The work that was done
yä-tänagär-äw set
The woman who spoke
yä-al-mättä-w säw
The man who did not come
yä-tämhar-äw tämari
The student who studied
yä-täsämmä-w dämts
The voice that was heard
yä-täsäkkä-w mäkina
The car that was parked
yä-täsättä-w mätsähäft
The book that was given
yä-tägäddä-w wärq
The gold that was stolen
yä-tägäzzä-w bärbäre
The pepper that was bought
yä-täsämmä-w hulum
Everything that was heard
yä-täsärra-w yä-sra gäbäya
The job market that was created
yä-tägäddä-w särratäñña
The worker who was forced
yä-täsättä-w tärä
The order that was given
yä-täsämmä-w yä-hizb dämts
The voice of the people that was heard
yä-tägäzzä-w yä-mätäbäqiya
The protection that was bought
yä-täsärra-w yä-tärätär
The suspicion that was created
yä-täsäkkä-w yä-tärä
The queue that was formed
yä-täsämmä-w yä-tärätär
The suspicion that was heard
yä-tägäddä-w yä-hizb
The people who were forced
yä-täsärra-w yä-tärä
The queue that was organized
yä-täsättä-w yä-tärätär
The doubt that was given
혼동하기 쉬운
Both use the 'yä-' prefix.
The -w suffix appears in both.
Both describe nouns.
자주 하는 실수
säw yä-mättä
yä-mättä säw
yä-mättä-w
yä-mättä-w säw
yä-mättä-ch säw
yä-mättä säw
yä-mättä-u säw
yä-mättä-w säw
yä-mättä-wa säw
yä-mättä-w säw
yä-al-mättä-w
yä-al-mättä-w säw
yä-mättä säwočč
yä-mättu säwočč
yä-gäzzah-ku-w mätsähäft
yä-gäzzah-kut mätsähäft
yä-tägäzza-w mätsähäft
yä-tägäzzä-w mätsähäft
yä-al-särra-w
yä-al-särra-w sra
문장 패턴
yä-___-w säw
yä-___-kut mätsähäft
yä-___-w sra
yä-___-w yä-hizb dämts
Real World Usage
yä-täsämmä-w hulum
yä-mättä-w säw yät-n?
yä-särrah-kut sra
yä-tägäzza-w mäkina
yä-tägäzzä-w bärbäre
yä-täsämmä-w yä-hizb dämts
Look for the verb
Don't forget gender
Use it for everything
Listen to native speakers
Smart Tips
Try adding yä- to turn it into a description.
Use a relative clause instead of a simple adjective.
Use relative clauses to connect ideas.
Use relative clauses to identify people.
발음
yä- prefix
The 'yä-' is pronounced like 'yeh' in 'yellow'.
Rising-Falling
yä-mättä-w ↗ säw ↘
Standard declarative statement.
암기하기
기억법
Yä- is like a 'hook' that catches a verb and hangs it on a noun.
시각적 연상
Imagine a fisherman (the yä- hook) catching a fish (the verb) and hanging it on a bucket (the noun).
Rhyme
Yä- at the start, makes the verb a part, of the noun you see, as clear as can be.
Story
A man named Yä- went to the market. He found a verb and hooked it. Then he hung it on a noun. Now the noun is described perfectly.
Word Web
챌린지
Write 5 sentences today using 'yä-' to describe people you see.
문화 노트
This structure is fundamental to the poetic nature of Amharic, often used in proverbs.
Used constantly in daily speech to identify people in crowds.
Often used to describe livestock or land.
The 'yä-' prefix is a common Semitic relative marker found in Ge'ez and other related languages.
대화 시작하기
yä-mättä-w säw man-n?
yä-gäzzah-kut mätsähäft yät-n?
yä-täsärra-w sra tärru-n?
yä-tägäddä-w yä-hizb dämts yät-n?
일기 주제
자주 하는 실수
Test Yourself
___ mättä säw
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
yä-mättä-ch säw
säw-u mättä
yä- prefix is only for possessives.
A: yä-mättä-w säw man-n? B: ___
yä-mättä, säw, -w
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Score: /8
연습 문제
8 exercises___ mättä säw
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
yä-mättä-ch säw
säw-u mättä
yä- prefix is only for possessives.
A: yä-mättä-w säw man-n? B: ___
yä-mättä, säw, -w
yä-mättä-w säw
Score: /8
자주 묻는 질문 (8)
It is a relative marker in Amharic.
Put it before a verb.
Yes, the verb must match the noun.
Yes, use the plural verb form.
Yes, it is very common.
No, they have different functions.
Use the -w or -wa suffix.
No, it is a consistent rule.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
que
Amharic uses a prefix on the verb, Spanish uses a separate word.
qui/que
Amharic is head-final.
der/die/das
Amharic prefix is invariant.
no
Amharic uses a prefix.
alladhi
Arabic uses a relative pronoun.
de
Amharic is prefix-based.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
Connected Grammar
Possessive yä-
SimilarBoth use the yä- prefix.
Object Markers
Builds OnObject markers attach to verbs.
Definite Articles
Builds OnUsed with relative clauses.
Verb Conjugation
PrerequisiteNeed to know verb forms.
