B1 Relative Clauses 1 min read Medio

Relative Marker 'yä-' with Perfective

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Practícalo

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).
yä- + [Perfective Verb] + [Noun]

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.

1

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)”

2

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)”

3

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

Reference table for Relative Marker 'yä-' with Perfective
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)

Espectro de formalidad

Formal
yä-mätt'äw säw

yä-mätt'äw säw (General)

Neutral
yä-mätt'äw säw

yä-mätt'äw säw (General)

Informal
yä-mätt'äw säw

yä-mätt'äw säw (General)

Jerga
yä-mätt'äw

yä-mätt'äw (General)

The 'yä-' Relative Prefix Map

yä-

Aspect

  • Perfective Past

Function

  • Relative Who/Which/That

Negative

  • al- Not

Ejemplos por nivel

1

yä-mätt'äw säw

The man who came

2

yä-säbbäräw bét

The house that broke

3

yä-bällahu mïgïb

The food that I ate

4

yä-hädäw lëj

The child who went

1

yä-al-hädä säw

The man who did not go

2

yä-gäzzahut mäts'haf

The book that I bought

3

yä-t'äyyäqä tämari

The student who asked

4

yä-särra sïra

The work that was done

1

yä-däwälälïñ gwädäñña

The friend who called me

2

yä-azzäzhut mïgïb

The food that I ordered

3

yä-al-säma tämari

The student who did not hear

4

yä-t'äffäw çant'a

The bag that was lost

1

yä-gämmäggämhut sïra

The project that I evaluated

2

yä-t'äyyäqut t'ïyyaqé

The question that I asked

3

yä-al-t'äyyäqä gäbäya

The market that was not asked about

4

yä-sämmähut wäré

The news that I heard

1

yä-t'äqämhut mät'mät'äya

The tool that I utilized

2

yä-al-t'äbbäqhut lëwët

The change that I did not expect

3

yä-t'äqäqäsu wät'adär

The soldier who fought

4

yä-al-t'äyyäqut t'ïyyaqé

The question that I did not ask

1

yä-t'äqämhut mät'mät'äya yä-t'äqäqäsu wät'adär

The soldier who fought with the tool I utilized

2

yä-al-t'äbbäqhut lëwët yä-t'äyyäqut t'ïyyaqé

The question I asked about the change I didn't expect

3

yä-t'äyyäqut t'ïyyaqé yä-sämmähut wäré

The news I heard regarding the question I asked

4

yä-al-t'äyyäqä gäbäya yä-särra sïra

The work done at the market that wasn't asked about

Fácil de confundir

Relative Marker 'yä-' with Perfective vs yä- vs yäm-

Learners mix up past (yä-) and present/future (yäm-).

Relative Marker 'yä-' with Perfective vs yä- prefix vs yä- possessive

Both use 'yä-'.

Relative Marker 'yä-' with Perfective vs Object suffix omission

Learners forget the suffix in object relatives.

Errores comunes

✗

säw yä bällä

✓

yä-bällä säw

Relative marker must be a prefix.
✗

yä-bällä

✓

yä-bällä säw

Need a noun to modify.
✗

yä-al-bällä

✓

yä-al-bällä säw

Missing noun.
✗

yä-bällä-u

✓

yä-bällä

Extra suffix.
✗

al-yä-bällä

✓

yä-al-bällä

Prefix order is wrong.
✗

yä-gäzzahu

✓

yä-gäzzahut

Missing object suffix.
✗

yä-mïgïb bällä

✓

yä-bällahu mïgïb

Wrong word order.
✗

yä-yihéd säw

✓

yäm-yihéd säw

Wrong aspect marker.
✗

yä-säbbäräw bét-u

✓

yä-säbbäräw bét

Redundant definite article.
✗

yä-al-säma-hu

✓

yä-al-sämahut

Incorrect suffixation.
✗

yä-särra-ñ sïra

✓

yä-särra-h-ut sïra

Incorrect agreement.
✗

yä-al-t'äyyäqä-u

✓

yä-al-t'äyyäqä

Incorrect pluralization.
✗

yä-sämmähut-u wäré

✓

yä-sämmähut wäré

Redundant suffix.

Patrones de oraciones

yä-___ säw

yä-___ut mäts'haf

yä-al-___ säw

yä-___ut sïra

Real World Usage

Social Media very common

yä-t'äyyäqut t'ïyyaqé (The question I asked)

Texting constant

yä-mätt'äw säw (The man who came)

Job Interview common

yä-gämmäggämhut sïra (The project I evaluated)

Travel common

yä-t'äffäw çant'a (The bag that was lost)

Food Delivery common

yä-azzäzhut mïgïb (The food I ordered)

Academic Writing very common

yä-t'äqämhut mät'mät'äya (The tool I utilized)

💡

Prefix Order

Always keep the 'yä-' prefix at the very beginning of the verb. It is the anchor for the whole clause.
⚠️

Don't Forget the Suffix

When describing an object, the verb must have the object suffix. Without it, the sentence feels incomplete.
🎯

Aspect Matters

Use 'yä-' for past actions and 'yäm-' for present/future. This is the most important distinction in Amharic relative clauses.
💬

Natural Flow

In casual speech, you can often drop the noun if the context is clear. This makes your Amharic sound very native.

Smart Tips

Always check if your verb has the object suffix.

yä-gäzzahu mäts'haf → yä-gäzzahut mäts'haf

Use 'yä-' immediately.

säw-u bällä → yä-bälläw säw

Remember: yä- + al- + verb.

al-yä-bällä säw → yä-al-bällä säw

Ask yourself: did it happen? If yes, use 'yä-'.

yäm-mätt'ä säw (if it already happened) → yä-mätt'ä säw

Pronunciación

/jə/

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.

Memorízalo

Mnemotecnia

Yä- is for Yesterday. If it happened in the past, use Yä-.

Asociación visual

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

yä-bälläyä-hädäyä-särrayä-t'äyyäqäyä-gäzzäyä-al-bällä

Desafío

Write 5 sentences describing people you met yesterday using the 'yä-' prefix.

Notas culturales

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.

Inicios de conversación

“

yä-mätt'äw säw man näw?

“

yä-gäzzahut mäts'haf wädäddähut?

“

yä-särrahut sïra t'ïqïm alläw?

“

yä-al-sämmähut wäré allä?

Temas para diario

Describe a person you met yesterday.
Write about a book you bought recently.
Reflect on a project you finished at work.
Discuss a piece of news you did not hear about.

Errores comunes

Incorrect

Correcto

Incorrect

Correcto

Incorrect

Correcto

Incorrect

Correcto

Test Yourself

Fill in the blank with the correct relative form of 'bällä'.

___ säw (The man who ate)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: yä-bällä
yä- is the correct prefix for past tense.
Choose the correct form for 'The book I bought'. Opción múltiple

___ mäts'haf

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: yä-gäzzahut
Object relatives require the -ut suffix.
Correct the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

al-yä-hädä säw

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: yä-al-hädä säw
yä- must come before al-.
Transform to a relative clause. Sentence Transformation

säw-u mätt'ä (The man came)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: yä-mätt'äw säw
yä- + verb + noun.
Conjugate for 3rd person plural. Conjugation Drill

yä-bällä (he ate) -> ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: yä-bällu
The 3rd person plural suffix is -u.
Match the phrase with its meaning. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: The man who worked / The man who didn't work
al- is the negative marker.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

yä-gäzzahut / mäts'haf / näw

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: yä-gäzzahut mäts'haf näw
The relative clause modifies the noun.
Is this rule true? True False Rule

yä- is used for present tense.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
yä- is for past tense.

Score: /8

Ejercicios de practica

8 exercises
Fill in the blank with the correct relative form of 'bällä'.

___ säw (The man who ate)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: yä-bällä
yä- is the correct prefix for past tense.
Choose the correct form for 'The book I bought'. Opción múltiple

___ mäts'haf

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: yä-gäzzahut
Object relatives require the -ut suffix.
Correct the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

al-yä-hädä säw

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: yä-al-hädä säw
yä- must come before al-.
Transform to a relative clause. Sentence Transformation

säw-u mätt'ä (The man came)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: yä-mätt'äw säw
yä- + verb + noun.
Conjugate for 3rd person plural. Conjugation Drill

yä-bällä (he ate) -> ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: yä-bällu
The 3rd person plural suffix is -u.
Match the phrase with its meaning. Match Pairs

yä-särra säw / yä-al-särra säw

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: The man who worked / The man who didn't work
al- is the negative marker.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

yä-gäzzahut / mäts'haf / näw

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: yä-gäzzahut mäts'haf näw
The relative clause modifies the noun.
Is this rule true? True False Rule

yä- is used for present tense.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
yä- is for past tense.

Score: /8

Preguntas frecuentes (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

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

In Other Languages

Spanish moderate

que + verb

Amharic uses a prefix, Spanish uses a separate word.

French moderate

qui/que + verb

Amharic doesn't distinguish subject/object with different pronouns.

German low

der/die/das + verb

German has complex agreement; Amharic does not.

Japanese high

verb + noun

Japanese doesn't use a prefix; it uses the plain verb form.

Arabic moderate

alladhi + verb

Arabic has gender/number agreement; Amharic is more streamlined.

Chinese high

verb + de + noun

Chinese uses a particle 'de' after the verb; Amharic uses a prefix 'yä-' before.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Next
Relative Marker 'yämmi-' with Imperfective

Related Grammar Rules

B1

Relative Marker 'yämmi-' with Imperfective
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