Medium–Hard: new script + ejectives + templatic verbs; once Fidel & patterns click, fluency ramps up.
Ejectives (k’ t’ p’ q’)Pharyngeals ʕ ħ
Quick Overview
Amharic is a Semitic language with root–pattern morphology: roots (usually 3 consonants) slot into vocalic
templates to form verbs and nouns. Fidel is an abugida: each symbol encodes a consonant + vowel order. Nouns mark
definiteness and plural via suffixes, verbs agree with the subject and track aspect/tense with prefixes/suffixes.
Sound & Spelling Tips
Seven vowel orders: ä (1) • u (2) • i (3) • a (4) • e (5) • ï (6, central) • o (7).
Gemination: double consonants change meaning; not always marked separately in Fidel.
Ejectives: k’, t’, p’, q’ are voiceless and glottalized; practice with minimal pairs.
Word divisions: prepositions like በ/ከ/ወደ often attach to the following word in writing.
Grammar Snapshot
Nouns: plural commonly -och (orth. ች/ዎች by context); definite often -u (simplified).
Object marker: definite objects take -n (orthographic rules apply).
Verbs: person/gender/number agreement; aspectual opposition (perfective vs imperfective), auxiliaries for future/progressive.
The standard is Addis-based; northern varieties (Gondar/Gojjam) show pronunciation and lexical differences. Orthography is relatively unified by print and media norms.
History (Very Short)
Geʽez (classical liturgical language) → early Amharic texts → modern standard with Italian/English influence in vocabulary.
Fidel traces back to Geʽez; Amharic adapted the seven vowel orders to represent its phonology.
Paste a single Fidel syllable to identify base + order, or type a noun to get a simplified plural -och and definite -u.
This is a lightweight, SEO-friendly model; spelling alternations are simplified.
Plural heuristic: words ending in vowels/semivowels often use ዎች; others ች. We show a safe teaching form with -och.
Definite marker is simplified as -u; actual forms vary by gender/ending in formal writing.
Preposition Helper (bä-/kä-/wäde-)
Type a place noun to get common prepositional phrases for “in/with,” “from,” and “to.”
Orthography often attaches the preposition: በ + ቤት → ቤትን? (context matters). We keep clear spaced forms for learners.
Learning Tips
Memorize Fidel by rows (orders). Reading speed multiplies once you see the seven-pattern grid everywhere.
Shadow 30–60s of news or radio daily; focus on ejectives and geminates.
Build mini-phrases: በ + place (in), ከ + place (from), ወደ + place (to), noun + -n (def. object).