30 Essential Amharic Phrases for Travelers to Ethiopia

Addis Ababa, Lalibela, Gondar, the Simien Mountains: in all of these places, a handful of Amharic words changes how people treat you. Not as a curiosity who managed a scripted phrase, but as someone who bothered. Ethiopians have a specific word for foreigners, ፈረንጅ (ferenj), and there's nothing unkind in it, but step outside it by speaking even basic Amharic and the dynamic shifts immediately. These 30 phrases cover what you actually need: greetings, buying things, asking directions, genuine emergencies, and a few phrases that Ethiopians find unexpectedly touching from a visitor.

Greetings and Farewells

The basics

Amharic has a formal and an informal register, and it also marks the gender of the person being addressed. Getting this right is a sign of real effort, so it's worth the two minutes it takes to sort out.

Phrase	Ge'ez Script	Romanization	Use
Hello	ሰላም	Selam	Informal, any age peer
Hello (formal)	ጤና ይስጥልኝ	Tena Yistilign	Formal, elders, first meeting
How are you? (to a man)	ደህና ነህ?	Dehna neh?	Informal, addressing a man
How are you? (to a woman)	ደህና ነሽ?	Dehna nesh?	Informal, addressing a woman
I'm fine	ደህና ነኝ	Dehna negn	Your response
Goodbye	ቻው	Chaw	Informal farewell
Goodbye (formal)	ደህና ሁን	Dehna hun	Formal, wishing someone well

ጤና ይስጥልኝ (Tena Yistilign) translates roughly as "May [God] grant you health." It is the greeting to use with anyone older than you, in any business context, or when meeting someone for the first time. Using ሰላም (Selam) with an elder is not offensive, but switching to Tena Yistilign will earn a visible reaction — a slight brightening, a more attentive response.

The ደህና ነህ / ደህና ነሽ (Dehna neh / Dehna nesh) split trips up almost every learner initially. Amharic marks gender on the second-person address, not just on third-person references. ነህ (neh) is for a man; ነሽ (nesh) is for a woman. Using the wrong one is a minor grammatical slip, not an insult, but getting it right signals that you know something about how the language actually works.

For deeper context on greetings and how register choices play out socially, the essential Amharic greetings guide covers the full range of situations.

Transactions: Price, Bargaining, and Paying

Asking the price

At a market or a small shop, these four phrases cover most of what you need:

Phrase	Ge'ez Script	Romanization
How much is it?	ስንት ነው?	Sint new?
That's too expensive	ውድ ነው	Wid new
Can you lower the price?	ዋጋ ይቀንሱ?	Waga yiqensu?
I'll take it	እወስደዋለሁ	Iwesdewalehu

ስንት ነው? (Sint new?) is the single most useful phrase in any market setting. Use it on everything. Vendors at Merkato — the massive open market in Addis that claims to be the largest in Africa — expect it. Prices are often not fixed, and asking is never rude.

If a vendor quotes you a price in what sounds like a number you don't recognize, they may be using old currency references — Ethiopians sometimes quote prices in the old Ethiopian dollar equivalent, which multiplies the birr amount by two. When in doubt, ask them to write the birr amount down.

For the numbers behind the prices, the Amharic numbers guide has the full 1–100 set with romanization and IPA, which is worth reviewing before a market visit.

Paying

Phrase	Ge'ez Script	Romanization
The bill, please	ሂሳቤን ያምጡ	Hisaben yamtu
Do you accept card?	ካርድ ይቀበላሉ?	Kard yiqebelalu?
Keep the change	ለውጥ አያስፈልግም	Lewt ayasfeligm

Tipping is not obligatory in Ethiopia, but it is appreciated, particularly at mid-range restaurants and for guides. Saying ለውጥ አያስፈልግም (Lewt ayasfeligm, "keep the change") is the standard way to tip without making it a separate transaction.

Directions and Getting Around

Asking where things are

Amharic puts the question word at or near the end of the sentence — the opposite of English. የት (yet) means "where," and the standard pattern is [destination] + yet + new + ?

Phrase	Ge'ez Script	Romanization
Where is...?	...የት ነው?	...yet new?
How do I get to...?	...እንዴት እሄዳለሁ?	...endet ihedalehu?
Left	ግራ	Gira
Right	ቀኝ	Qeny
Straight ahead	ቀጥታ	Qeta
Near / Far	ቅርብ / ሩቅ	Qirb / Ruq

In practice, when asking for directions in Addis: ask the first person, get an answer, walk thirty seconds, ask someone else to confirm. Ethiopians are almost always willing to help, and combining ...የት ነው? (...yet new?) with the name of your destination gets you most of the way there.

አስተናጋጅ, ሆቴሉ የት ነው?
(Astenagaj, hotelu yet new?)
"Excuse me, where is the hotel?"

ቀኝ (Qeny, "right") has the ejective q sound — a sharply released consonant that English doesn't have. It sounds like k but with extra air pressure at the release. For now, approximating it as k gets you understood.

Emergency Phrases

If things go wrong

These are phrases you hope not to use. Knowing them anyway is basic trip preparation.

Phrase	Ge'ez Script	Romanization
Help!	እርዱኝ!	Erdugn!
Stop!	ቁም!	Qum!
I need a doctor	ሐኪም ይፈልጋሉ	Hakim yifelgalu
Call the police	ፖሊስ ይደውሉ	Polis yidewlu
Where is the hospital?	ሆስፒታል የት ነው?	Hospital yet new?
I've lost my passport	ፓስፖርቴ ጠፋ	Pasporte tefa
My hotel is...	ሆቴሌ ... ነው	Hotele ... new

እርዱኝ! (Erdugn!) is the word for help in an urgent situation. It is direct and unambiguous. If you say it in a crowded place in Ethiopia, people will respond.

ሆስፒታል (Hospital) is borrowed directly from English — the loan word is widely understood. The landmark hospital in Addis most travelers would use is St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College; international medical care is also available at private facilities like Korean Hospital or Yekatit 12.

Phrases Ethiopians Appreciate from Foreigners

These don't fit neatly into a category, but they matter more than any single phrase above.

Asking after family

Ethiopians traditionally open conversations by asking after each other's families before getting to business. Attempting this as a foreigner is noticed.

Phrase	Ge'ez Script	Romanization
How is your family?	ቤተሰቦ ደህና ናቸው?	Betesebo dehna nachew?
How are your children?	ልጆቹ ደህና ናቸው?	Lijoch dehna nachew?
Thank you (formal)	አመሰግናለሁ	Ameseginalehu

አመሰግናለሁ (Ameseginalehu) is long — seven syllables — and most foreigners either shorten it or avoid it. Don't shorten it. The full form is correct and expected in a formal context. The casual acknowledgment እሺ (Ishi, roughly "okay/got it") is appropriate between friends but not as thanks to a stranger who helped you.

The phrase that surprises people most

እንኳን ደህና መጡ (Enkwan dehna metu, "welcome" or literally "you arrived well") is what Ethiopians say to welcome a guest. You won't need to say it yourself often — but knowing it means you understand what you're hearing when someone greets you at their home or business. Responding with አመሰግናለሁ (Ameseginalehu) is correct.

A religious phrase worth knowing

Ethiopia is majority Ethiopian Orthodox Christian, and religious phrases appear in ordinary conversation. እግዚአብሔር ይስጥልኝ (Egziabher yistilign, "may God reward you") is used to thank someone deeply — for hospitality, for a significant favor. You'll hear it frequently, and knowing what it means changes how you receive it.

At the Coffee Ceremony

If you are invited to an Ethiopian coffee ceremony — and you may well be, since invitations to foreigners who show cultural interest are common — a few phrases go a long way.

Phrase	Ge'ez Script	Romanization
It's delicious	ጣፋጭ ነው	Tafach new
The coffee is wonderful	ቡናው ጣፋጭ ነው	Bunaw tafach new
I'm full / I've had enough	ጠገብኩ	Tegabku
May God reward you	እግዚአብሔር ይስጥልኝ	Egziabher yistilign

The ceremony typically runs three rounds — Abol (first, strongest), Tona (second), and Bereka (third, lightest, "blessing"). Refusing the third cup is perfectly acceptable, but refusing the first is considered impolite. Saying ቡናው ጣፋጭ ነው (Bunaw tafach new, "the coffee is wonderful") after the first cup is one of the simplest ways to honor your host.

Getting Around Addis

Addis Ababa has three main ground transport options for visitors: minibus taxis (ታክሲ, taksi), the bajajs or three-wheeled auto-rickshaws (ባጃጅ, bajaj), and the light rail (ባቡር, babur). Negotiations with bajaj drivers happen in Amharic, and knowing a few phrases changes the transaction significantly.

Phrase	Ge'ez Script	Romanization
I want to go to...	...መሄድ እፈልጋለሁ	...mehed ifelgalehu
How much to [place]?	...[ቦታ] ስንት ነው?	...[place] sint new?
That's too much	ይበዛል	Yibezal
Okay, let's go	እሺ እሄዳለሁ	Ishi ihedalehu
Stop here	ቁም	Qum

ቁም (Qum, "stop") is the single most useful word in any moving vehicle. Drivers expect it and respond to it immediately. The light rail has fixed-price electronic ticketing at stations, so no negotiation needed there — but knowing the station names in Amharic helps you confirm you're boarding in the right direction.

Reading the Script While You Travel

You don't need to read Ge'ez script fluently to travel Ethiopia, but recognizing a few key signs helps — bus destinations, shop names, the word for pharmacy (ፋርማሲ, farmasi). If you want to build that recognition before your trip, the beginner's guide to Ge'ez script covers how the characters are structured and gives you a working framework for sounding out words even when you don't know them.

The visual logic of the script — each consonant modified by seven vowel forms — is systematic once you see the pattern. An hour with the basics gets you further than you'd expect.

A Note on Pronunciation Before You Arrive

A few sounds in Amharic have no English equivalent, and they appear in common phrases you'll use daily. Knowing what you're hearing helps.

Ejective consonants. The q in ቀኝ (Qeny, "right") and the t in ቁም (Qum, "stop") are ejective — produced with a burst of air from the glottis rather than from the lungs. English speakers hear them as slightly "popped" versions of k and t. You'll be understood with an English approximation, but the ejective versions are what native speakers produce.

Gemination. Doubled consonants in Amharic change meaning. አለ (ale) means "there is"; አለለ (allele) means something different. This matters most in phrases you're reading rather than hearing — if a transcription shows a doubled consonant, hold the sound slightly longer.

The sixth-order schwa. Many Amharic words end in a vowel that's written but barely pronounced — a schwa sound /ə/ that can reduce to near-silence. ብር (birr, "currency") is often heard as just "brrr" at speed. Don't stress over this initially; your ear catches it after a few days in-country.

These pronunciation features become clearer once you've spent some time with the Ge'ez script — the ejective characters like ጠ, ጨ, ቀ, and ጰ are visually distinct, which gives you a memory hook for the sounds they represent.

Before You Land

A week before your trip is enough time to get these 30 phrases into active memory. Focus first on ሰላም / ጤና ይስጥልኝ (Selam / Tena Yistilign), ስንት ነው? (Sint new?), and አመሰግናለሁ (Ameseginalehu) — greet, ask prices, express thanks. Those three carry most of your daily interactions. Add the emergency set for the safety net, and then layer in the family questions if you have time.

One more thing worth knowing: Ethiopians are accustomed to foreigners who speak no Amharic at all. When you attempt even a phrase or two, the response is genuine warmth rather than polite tolerance. The effort signals something real, and people respond to it.

The Brightwood Apps Learn Amharic app has native-speaker audio for all of these phrases, which matters more than any romanization system — hearing the actual stress patterns and consonant clusters from a fluent speaker is what makes them usable under pressure, not just recognizable on a page.