Amharic is the mother tongue of the inhabitants of the Amhara region, some thirty million of the country's 118 million people. But Amharic was for a long time the country's official language when it was ruled by the DERG, until 1991. It lost this status with the new constitution of 1994, but Amharic remained the official working language of the federal government. Amharic is therefore spoken by almost all Ethiopians, either as their mother tongue or as a second language. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like Arabic, Amharic is a Semitic language. This is why Amharic is so difficult to learn in writing for a Westerner who uses a language of Latin origin. It takes considerable effort to write and read! So there's still the spoken word to try and become a speaker of this beautiful language!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For visitors to a country, there are many advantages to making the effort to learn a few words of your hosts' language. Firstly, it's an excellent way of developing good relations with the locals, who will appreciate your desire to get to know them better through their language. It's also a way of immersing yourself further in the travel experience, enriching it culturally. Last but not least, it's also a great way of exercising the mind, exercising both memory and attention. We could also highlight the comical situations that necessarily arise from our efforts to memorise or pronounce a difficult word. There's nothing like it for breaking the ice and forging solid friendships!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Branu has been part of the Foundation's team in Ethiopia since the early days of our first trip in 2015. He has been working for many years welcoming tourists to Ethiopia. He has a solid foundation in English and even speaks a few words of French! His ease and charisma make him a valuable and appreciated member of our team. He is also the ideal man to teach you the first rudiments of Amharic, his native language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We took advantage of the October 2022 trip<\/a> to record a few short videos on learning Amharic. Here they are, compiled for you. They are also available on our Youtube channel<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\nHello in Amharic<\/h3>\n\n\n\n