Ultimate Trans Africa Expedition
38 weeks From GBP 4850 More about this trip
Cairo to Cape Town Nile Trans
16 weeks From GBP 2395 More about this trip
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Enquire nowEthiopia Local Phrases
It is a good idea to learn a few Ethiopia local phrases on your OverlandingAfrica.com trip. This will help you make friends and navigate through the country more easily.
As the national language, Amharic is spoken the most widely of all languages. English is spoken to a fair extent but Amharic is understood in almost all areas.
Some of the most useful phrases to learn include a basic greeting of ‘how are you?’ which will be asked by saying ‘dehna neh?’. If your friend is female, you will ask ‘dehna nesh?’ and if you are addressing a group, then you can say ‘dehna nachu?’. The most common reply to this will be ‘dehna’, which means ‘I am fine’.
Other useful phrases include ‘aznallo'’ which means ‘sorry’ and ‘yikerta’ which means ‘excuse me’. You can also tell people you do not understand them by saying ‘algebanye’m’.
When you are eating at a restaurant, some handy phrases could include ‘le mazez tezegajiyalehu’ which means you would like to order, and ‘Hisab bakih’ (if your waiter is male) or ‘Hisab bakish’ if you are being served by a female.
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Frequently Asked Questions