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Asmara (Asmera)
Agordat (Akordat)
Assab (Asseb)
Barentu
Dahlak islands
Dekemhare (Decemhare)
Ghinda (Ginda)
Keren (Cheren)
Massawa (Massauwa)
Mendefera (Adi Ugri)
Nakfa (Nacfa)
Semenawi Bahri (Filfil)
Tessenei (Teseney)

 

Languages in Eritrea

 

There are nine languages in Eritrea. Tigrinya (50%) and Arabic are the working languages. The other languages are Tigre (40%), Afar (4%), Saho (3%), Bega (Beja), Bilen, Nara and Kunama. English and Italian are also widely understood.

 

 

There is no official language, though Tigrinya, Arabic and English predominate in commerce and national business. The use and development of all nine of Eritrea's languages are encouraged at the local level, and children attend primary school through the fifth grade in their mother tongue.

Toward the end of the nineteenth century, hundreds of thousands of Italian peasants settled in Eritrea. Some 70.000 remained in Eritrea at the end of the Italian colonial rule in 1941. Many, mainly older Eritreans therefore speak Italian.

Under the British administration, there were in effect two official languages, Tigrinya and Arabic.

During the years of the Ethiopian occupation, Amharic, the language of the ruling Ethiopian regime, was made the official language, and Eritrean languages were banned. But most Eritreans refused to speak Amharic. Instead, they continued to teach their native languages to their children.

English is now the language of instruction in secondary schools and in the University of Asmara and is fast becoming the foreign language of choice.

The policy of the Eritrean government is for all elementary education to be carried out in the language of the area.

 

Tigrinya

 

The Tigrinya characters

Tigrinya, spoken by at least half the population, has its own script derived from the ancient language Gee ’ez, now only used in the Orthodox Church. The script has over 200 characters, each representing a different sound (see below). While our alphabet states a, b, c and so on, Tigrinya has its own character for ba, be, bi, bo and so on, which are mutants of the basic character. Tigrinya word endings vary according to the gender of the person you are speaking to. It is by any standards a very difficult language to learn.

If you know a few words of Tigrinya, you'll amaze and delight the Eritreans and quickly win friends.

 

 

Tigrinya - cardinal numbers
0	Bado
1	Hade
2	Kilite
3	Seleste
4	Arba'ate
5	Hamushte
6	Shedushte
7	Show'ate
8	Shomonte
9	Tishe'ate
10	Aserte
11	Aserte hade
12	Aserte kilite
13	Aserte seleste
.....	.....
20	Esra
21	Esran haden
22	Esran keleten
.....	.....
30	Selasa
31	Selasan haden
32	Selasan kiliten
.....	.....
40	Arba'a
41	Arba'a haden
42	Arba'a keleten
.....	.....
50	Hamsa
60	Shisa
70	Seb'a
80	Semania
90	Tese'a
100	Mi'ti
200	Kilite mi'ti
300	Seleste mi'ti
.....
1000	Shih
Tigrinya - days of the week
Monday	Senuy
Tuesday	Selus
Wednesday	Rebu 'a
Thursday	Hamus
Friday	Arbi
Saturday	Kadam
Sunday	Senbet
Yesterday	Timali
Tomorrow	Tsibah
Tigrinya - months of the year
January	Turee
February	Lekatit
March	Megabit
April	Miazia
May	Ghinbot
June	Sene
July	Hamle
August	Nehase
September	Meskerem
October	Tekemti
November	Hedar
December	Tahsas
Tigrinya - useful words & phrases
Yes	U'weh
No	Aykonen
Fine, ok, beautiful	Tsebuk
Hello	Selam
Goodbey	Selamat
Welcome	Merhaba
Thank you	Yekeniyeley
I am happy	Hagus iny
I am sorry	Aytehazeley
Where is . . . .	Abey alo . . . .
Bus station	Maerefi autobus
Bus stop	Autobus tetew tiblelu
Train	Babur
Railway station	Ferovia
Left	Tsegam
Right	Yeman
Good day	Bruch me 'altee
Good evening	Bruch me'shet
Good night	Bruch leti
I am tired	Anay degimay
I am thirsty	Temiay
Wait (a minute)	Hansab (or Tshana)
Delicious	Te'um
Tigrinya - foods and drinks
Breakfast	Kursee
Lunch	Misah
Supper	Derar
Bread	Bani
Beef	Sga Kebtee
Cheese	Formajo
Chicken	Derho
Fish	Assa
Butter	Tesmi
Pepper	Berbere
Beans	Baldengua (or Adagua)
Vegetables	Hamlee
Onions	Shigurtee
Patato	Dinish
Salad	Selatta
hot	Woo 'uy
Cold	Zehool
Dry	Nikoots
Delicious	Tu 'um
Fresh	Haddish
Spicy	Merir zibele
Sweet	Muhkor
One beer	Hanti biera
Coffee	Boon
Tea	Sha'hee
Milk	Tsaba
Water	Mai
Mineral water	Mai gaz
Coca Cola	Ko ka - Ko la
Tigrinya - miscellaneous questions and respons
If speaking to a	male	female
How are you?	Kemey alogha	Kemey aloghi
Not bad	Dehan aloghu
Very well thank you. And you?	Sennay, neshighum ke?	Sennay, neshighi ke?
What is your name?	Men shimka?	men shimki?
Where are you from?	Weddi ayenay kebabi ikha?	Gwai ayenay kebaqbi ikhi?
What is your address?	Adrashakha abey'yu?	Adrashakhi abey'yu?
What is your telephone number?	Qu'zri telephonekha kendey'yu?	Quzri shilkekhi kendey'yu?
When were you born?	Me'as tewelidka?	Me'as tewelidki?
What nationality are you?	Zyeginetka intay iyu	Zyeginetki intay iyu
Where were you born?	Abey tewelidka?	Abey tewelidki?
Where do you live?	Abey tinebir?	Abey tinebiri?
Where do you live?	Abey tigimet?	Abey tigimetti?
Do you speak English?	Ingliz fuzarebdo?
I don't understand	Ayterede'anin
Where are you from?	Kabey mezi'ka	Kabey mezi'ki
May I take your photograph?	Kese alekado?
Do you have an ID?	Senedat alokado?	Senedat alokidi?
Do you understand?	Terrediika?	Terredi iki?
Excuse me!	Yigreta!
Im sorry	Aytiha zeley
Thank you	Yegeniyeley
You're welcome	Genzebka	Genzebki
Good morning	Dehando hadirkum
Good evening	Bruch mishet
Good night	Luwam leyti
Good bye!	Dehan kunu
Good luck!	tsubuk e'dl!
How do you do?	Kemey teghewun?	Kemey teghewuni?
Pleased to meat you	Tsubuk  menelaye
What is your father's name?	Abbogha men yibihal?	Abboghi men yibihal?
What is your mother's name?	Addegha men tibihal?	Addeghi men tibihal?
What is your son's name?	Weddikha men yibihal?	Weddikhi men yibihal?
What is your daughter's name?	Gwalka men tibihal?	Gwalki men tibihal?
Can I give you a hand?	Selam kiblekadoh?	Selam kiblekidoh?
Can I be of any help?	Kite hagagezdo?
Are you hungry?	Temika aleka?	temiki aleki?
Are you thirsty?	tsemika aleka?	tsemiki aleki?
Where is the toilet?	Shiqaq abey iyu?
Here it is!	Inehe!
Do you need anything?	Zedliyeka neger allo diyu?	Zedliyeki neger allo diyu?
May I come in?	Ki'atudo?
Come in	Ito	Itewi
Sit down	Kof bel!	Kof belli!

 

Tigrigna for beginners - by Amanuel Haileselassie - Helsinki Finland
Tigrigna for beginners contains Tigrinya elementary tutorials. The CD includes a variety of teaching material which would help for those who would like to learn the Tigrinya language, either from the beginner or to somebody with a very limited knowledge of the language. No previous knowledge is required since Tigrigna for beginners starts from the very basic like the alphabet, pronunciation etc. Additionally this CD-ROM was designed in a clever manner that teaches Tigrinya as well entertain at the same time. The CD is made with very rich multimedia techniques and user-friendly interfaces. Ordering information: http://www.enddana.com

 

Merhaba Tigrinia Language Tutorial CD-ROM

Merhaba Tutorial was created to serve as a starting point for those seeking to learn Tigrinya but who have been hindered by the lack of good instructional materials.  The purpose of Merhaba tutorial is to give the student the means to easily learn and practice what is necessary to speak, read, and write what best can be called conversational Tigrinya.  While basic elements of grammar are covered in this tutorial, this package is not intended to provide an in-depth or academic study of Tigrinya.  It will however help you learn the basic alphabet and structure of the language, along with hundreds of commonly used words, all in a self-paced and (we hope) fun environment. This program is prepared in such a way that it can be used by all types of people who want to learn Tigrinya. Some of the users could be: Eritrean kids who are born in Diaspora Eritrean youth who grew in Diaspora and can read English  Foreigners (parents/children) who want to learn Tigrinya Adult Eritreans who want to explore and learn their own Tigrinya. Ordering information: http://www.ertra.com/merhaba.htm

 

Tigrinya the EZ way

Learning Tigrinya is both easy and fun with this multimedia program featuring point and click native speaker's sound with the ability to record your own and compare to a native speaker. This program contains over 2,000 Tigrinya phrases, words, and colorful images to make learning Tigrinya fun and easy (or EZ). Ordering information: http://www.africanlanguage.com