Blin Language

Blin Language By Kiflemariam Hamde

Lesson 00 Blin Standard Lesson 01 Personal Pronouns: subject forms Lesson 02 Personal Pronouns: object forms. Lesson 03 Possessive Pronouns Lesson 04 Demonstrative Pronouns Lesson 05 Plural Formation (I) Lesson 06 Plural Formation (II) Lesson 07 Greetings Lesson 08 The Verb Lesson 09 The Simple Past Tense Lesson 10 Future Tense (Simple) Lesson 11 Present Continuous Tense Lesson 12 Past Continuous Tense Lesson 13 Possessive Adjectives Lesson 14 Possessives (of...). -r and -di

Lesson 15 Possessives (II) Lesson 16 Word order Lesson 17 Connectivity Lesson 18 Connectivity (II) Lesson 19 Connectivity (III) Lesson 20 Verbs of Existence (verb to be) Lesson 21 Some Adjectives Lesson 22 Numerals (Cardinals) Lesson 23 Numerals (II) [Ordinals] Lesson 24 Time ==> wekt Lesson 25 Question Words Lesson 26 Some Questions and Answers Lesson 27 Lesson 28 Family Relationships (wendnar) Lesson 29 Parts of the Human Body Lesson 30 Some comparisons: Blin, Tgre and Tgringa

Blin Alphabet (Dehai Standard) e he le He me re se she qe Qe be te Te ne ke Ke kwe Kwe we ye de ge je Che Pe nge ngwe Gw fe

u

i hu lu Hu mu ru su shu qu bu tu Tu nu ku Ku wu yu du gu ju Chu Pu nguu fu

a hi li Hi mi ri si shi qi Qi bi ti Ti ni ki Ki kwi Kwi wi yi di gi ji Chi Pi ngi ngwi Gwi fi

ie ha la Ha ma ra sa sha qa Qa ba ta Ta na ka Ka kwa Kwa wa ya da ga ja Cha Pa nga ngwa Ga fa

_

o

hie lie Hie mie rie sie shie qie Qie bie tie Tie nie kie Kie kwie Kwie wie yie die gie jie Chie Pie ngie ngwie Gwie fie

h l H m r s sh q b t T n k K kw Kw w y d g j Ch P ng ngw Gw f

ho, lo, Ho, mo, ro, so, sho, qo, Q, bo, to, To, no, ko, Ko, -, -, wo, yo, do, go, jo Cho Po ngo fo

(head) (Libya) (Haben) (man) (red) (sun) (sheet) (qal (word) (QanQ (boy) (table) (Tel) (neck) (kettle) (koKob) (kwaKw (crow) (KwaKewito) (way) (Yodit) (day) (gate) (genes) (Chena) (Paulos) (lengeta, 7) (bungwa, lier) (Gwana) (fat)

E e ze Se

U u zu Su

I i zi Si

A a za Sa

IE ie zie Sie

_ i z S

O o zo So

(Ona) (om, tree) (zereba, speech) (SeHai, sun)

Note on use of script and alphabet 1. Blin, as far as I know, is written in Geez script 2. I personally prefer to write it in Geez script and my present attempts to write in the Latin Alphabet is merely for Dehai consumption. 3. Two typical Blin sounds should be added to the dehai (Latin) standard: the velar nasal nge and its labilised form ngwe. In the Geez script they are written as the way g and G are written except that there is a dash above every letter. Both sounds never come at the beginning of a word. The sound for nge is similar to the English sound of the word going as in lenga = two, lengeta = seveen. ngwe appears in bungwa = lier, sungwera = a kind of tree. 4. ze and Se do not appear in Blin but are used to pronounce loan words from Semitic language surrounding Blin, as in Selot (prayer), neSanet (freedom), Zeru (proper name).

Lesson 1 Personal Pronouns: subject forms

The second person does not have separate male(m) and female(f) forms for both Singular(S) and Plural (P). The third person singular has different forms. Person 1 I 2.You (m,f) 3.(m) he 3 (f) she

Singular an enti ni nri

Plural yn ent'n naw naw

A polite form does not usually exist, but to some people use the plural form of the second person - ent'n. For all persons, the verb gn is the form of the verb to be: gn = am, is, are. Examples 1. 1 Person I am You are (m) You are (f) He is She is

an = I Singular

Plural

an gn enti gn etni gn ni gn nri gn

yn gn ent'n gn ent'n gn naw gn naw gn

Example 1.2 an an an an an

kudan gn kushani gn grwa shiraKw gn iKwina gn qura gn

I am your brother (ku + dan) I am your sister (ku + shani) I am a tall man I am a woman I am a boy

an iKr gn an gena gn an blina gn Examples 1.3

I am a father I am a mother I am a Blin (-speaker) enti

= you, singular (for both sexes)

enti yidan gn enti yshani gn ni yidan gn nri yishani gn

you are my brother you are my sister he is my brother she is my sister

Example 1.4 yn yn yn yn yn ni

kushan gn kushan gn shan gn qraqur gn ertriqur gn beKr gn

we we we we we he

are your brothers are your sisters are brothers (sisters) are boys are Ertireans is first-born

Lesson 2 Personal Pronouns: object forms.

me, you, him, her, us, you, them The second person does not have separate masculine (m) and feminine(f) forms for both Singular(S) and Plural (P). The third person plural also has the same form for both masculine and feminine genders. Third person singular has different form Person 1. 2 (m) 2 (f) 3(m) 3 (f) Example 2.1 yt yt yt yt yt

Singular yt = me kut = you kut = you nit = him nrti = her

Plural ynet = us entet = you entet = you nat = them nat = them

yt = me

enti enkeldekule = you love me (Singular, m & f) ni enkelekule = he loves me nri enkeletile = she loves me ent'n enkeldenekule = you love me (Plural) naw enkelenekule = they love me

You can also drop the object (yt) and the meaning does not change, as in the following sentence: enkeletile = nri enkeletile = yt nri enkeletile = Example 2.2

she loves me

kut = you, as an object with the verb enkeli (love, like)

kut (an) enkelekunka

= I love you (m)

kut (an) enkelekunki kut (ni) enkelekuki kut (nri) enkeletiki

= I love you (f) = he loves you (f) = she loves you (f)

Usually the subject in the brackets doe not appear in spoken Blin, as in enkelekunki = I love you (you is for a feminine) or enkelekunka, I love you (m). The typical marker for the feminine second person is -ki, while -ka is for masculine second person. Example 2.3. nit = him nit nit nit nit

enkelekunlu enkelekulu enkeldekulu enkeletilu

= = = =

NEW VOCABULARY enkelna enkeli

I love him. he loves him you love him. she loves him

= to love; = love

Lesson 3 Possessive Pronouns

mine - ours, yours - yours, his/hers - theirs A possessive pronoun expresses who owns what, or who is related with whom. The possessive pronouns are used instead of the personal pronouns we learned in Lesson 1. The form, however, changes with the gender of the noun possessed or person (related to).

3.1 Possessive Pronouns for Masculine Singular Nouns The following are used for masculine singular nouns or neutral nouns expressed as masculine (it). Person

Singular

1

yuKw = (he is) mine

2 (m)

kuKw = yours

entaKw = yours

2 (f)

kuKw = yours

entaKw = yours

3 (m)

niKw

naKw = theirs

3 (f)

nruKw = hers

= his

Plural

ynaKw = (he is) ours

naKw = theirs

Example 3.1 When the possessive pronoun mine, yours, etc. stands for a father, a brother, and a friend: yuKw gn

=

He (It) is mine

( father, brother, friend or thing)

kuKw gn niKw gn entaKw gn

= = =

He is yours He is his It is yours

3.2 Possessive Pronouns for Feminine Singular Nouns The following are used when the possessive pronoun stands for a feminine, singular noun (you, she, they as in gena = mother, shani = sister) or stands for a neutral noun expressed as a feminine (it) (Ili = an eye, erqui = a tooth, arba = the moon, kwara = the sun). Person

Singular

= (she is) mine

Plural

1

yri

yneri

= ours

2 (m)

kuri = yours

enteri = yours

2 (f)

kuri = yours

enteri = yours

3 (m)

niri = his

3 (f)

nrdi = hers

nari nari

= theirs = theirs

Example 3.2 The possessive pronoun mine, yours, his etc. stands for a feminine person such as a mother, a sister, or a friend enti yri gn = you (feminine) are mine. The same can be said of the third person feminine she (nri). nri yri gn = she is mine. In both 3.1 and 3.2 the noun referred to is singular (3.1 it is of masculine gander while tin 3.2 it is of a feminine gender). We have different possessive pronouns for plural nouns ( 3.3 below).

3.3 Possessive Pronouns for Plural Nouns The possessive pronoun is the same for feminine and masculine plural nouns. Person

Singular

Plural

1

yu

= mine (they, you)

2 (m)

ku

= yours

entew = yours

2 (f)

ku

= yours

entew = yours

3 (m)

niw = his (they are)

naw

= theirs

3 (f)

nru = hers

naw

= theirs

Examples. 3.3 naw nru gn yn ku gn mal ynew gn kew yu gn

= they are hers. = we are yours = The cattle are ours = the (people) are mine

ynew

= ours (they, you)

New Vocabulary arba kwara Ili mal kew erqui

= = = = = =

the moon the sun eye cattle, property, money people tooth

Lesson 4 Demonstrative Pronouns

This-that, these-those Singular demonstrative pronouns (this-that) are gender specific. Plurals (these and those) are the same in both the masculine and feminine genders. Singular, Masc

This =

nin, ena nin

Singular, Fem Plural

This = nini, ena nini These = nen, ena nen

That

That = enChadini Those = enChaden

Example 4.1. nin, or ena nin, this, (masc) nin qura gn = This is a boy. ena nin qura gn nin grwa gn = This is a man nin shiraKw gn = He is tall; it is long

Example 4.2. nini, this (fem) nini anqi gn

= This is a girl

nini arba gn

= This is a moon

nini iKwina gn

= This is a woman

Example 4.3. enChadin, that (masc) enChadin qura gn

= That is a boy

enChadin gira gn

= That is a mountain

Example 4.4.

enChandini, that (fem)

= enChadin

enCadini anqi gn

= That is a girl

enCadini Ikwina gn

= That is a woman

Example 4.5

nen, these; ena nen can also be used.

nen qur (quraqur)

gn

= These are boys. ena nen qur gn.

nen gr'w gn

= these are men

nen shirew gn

= These are tall

nen enqaq gn

= These are girls.

ena nen enqaq gn

= These are girls

Example 4.6. enChaden, Those enChaden enqaq gn

= Those are girls

enChaden quraqur gn

= Those are boys

New vocabulary. anqi enqaq gr'w ikwin

= = = =

girl girls men women

Lesson 5 Plural Formation (I) Most Blin nouns end in a, the fourth order in the Geez syllabery. In forming plurals, drop a to form the plural. Although most nouns end in a, there are also few nouns that end in some other sound. For the sake of reference late on in our lessons, some simple rules are provided here. Rule 5.1. Drop a to form plural (the most common) Singular ara bega gemena

Plural ar beg gemen

Meaning grain sheep lion

gena grwa jana kana kr'nga mrawa

gen gr'w jan kan kr'ng mraw

mother man elephant tree stone snake

Rule 5.2, Drop a and change the last consonant to form the plural. Singular aba bira gira beKla dira

Plural af bil git bekl dit

Meaning water, well, ox , mountain, mule, baobab,

b--->f r-->l r-->t K --> k d -->t

Rule 5.3 In some nouns which end in a, drop a and add t't to form plurals as. Singular sna bra dula

Plural snt't brt't dult't

Meaning butter land, earth club, stick

Rule 5.4 But t't is added also to nouns that end in consonants, especially in n to form plurals as: Singular nan fin jen yew

Plural nant't fint't jent't yewt't

Meaning hand unprocessed butter jar, pot back, shoulder

But observe that the plural of dan (brother) is not dant't; it is shan. Rule 5.5 In some nouns, a is dropped and replaced by i in the plural, with or without changes in the last consonant. Singular an'gwa bamba qansha gunfa shinsha

Plural Meaning angwi palm leave bambi (fi) a kind of tree qanshi hey gunfi cold, cough shinshi fly

Lesson 6 Plural Formation (II) We continue illustrating the behaviour of nouns in forming plurals. There a re not many nouns which belong to the following sections (given here as Rules) but we shall see examples in each group. In all of them, there is a change in either the middle or the last consonant. Rule 6.1 Some nouns become plural by adding ti to the singular, with or without any consonant change. Singular gun'na werena l'ng'n

Plural gur'nti werenti l'ng'nti

Meaning pot threshing ground* house

Rule 6.2 Many nouns that end in b or a syllable of b (ba, bi) drop the b or the syllable and add f, or f'f. Compare this with aba, af (water ditch, or well) in Rule 5.2. Singular wereba gib qumba der'b atuba ar'b Areb bamba

Plural Meaning weref river gif'f shield qumf'f nose derf'f road, way tuf churn arf'f grave Aref blind bamfi (bi), a kind of tree

Rule 6.3 Changes in middle or last consonant. Singular Awed leKen e'Kr shab'r

Plural Awes leken e'kl shaf't

Meaning foolish wound father leather rope

Rule 6.4 Some nouns reduplicate the last syllable to form plurals. This applies especially to the parts of the body. Singular an gesh I'l qaf seg j'l luk f'k nash ungui kes s'r sanqi bskwi

Plural Meaning an'n grandfather gesh'sh face Il'l eye qaf'f bark seg'g plateau jl'l intestine lukuk leg f'k'k joints nash'sh bone ungug(k) breast kes's shoulder sr'r, sl'l root, veins sanq'q liver bskukw kidney

Irregulars. There are also irregular nouns whose plurals do not have any relationship with the form of the singular noun. Singular l'wi adam

Plural wes kew

Meaning cow person

Most adjectives also follow the pattern of Rule 5.1 in forming plurals, as in bel'nga, bel'ng (some, part). In Lessons 5 and 6, we have tried to illustrate how nouns form the plural. Before looking on sentence patterns, we shall turn to a different topic in Lesson 7, Greetings. • (Awdi in tgrinya, wedna in tgre)

Lesson 7 Greetings Daily greetings consist of introductory greeting, general enquiry about the well-being, and greetings of good wishes in concluding the greeting. Both introductory greeting and concluding greeting are very important and their exact form depends upon the time of the day, that is, whether it is morning afternoon, or evening.

Usually, general greeting applies to all times of the day, or period, and comes between the introductory greeting and the concluding greeting. The entire greeting is concerned with the past (introductory greeting), present (general), and future conditions (best wishes, or saluting), about health and/or the situation (bri jar). A simplified form follows, which does not include details about relatives, the situation (political, economic, social) etc. Introduction ------>General------------>Closing We start with general greeting between two individuals, A and B.

General Greeting Regardless of the time during the day or period of time, the following form of greeting is common. The suffix ma is a question tag. A. B. A. B. A. B. A.

werkema? werka gn. debanma? deban gn, enti werkama. werka gn, Hamda jar'd aK'ni. bri jar daHnama. daHna gn.

Are you fine? (werk'ma, plural) Yes, I am fine Are you in good condition? (All right) Yes, I am OK; are you fine yourself? I am all right, thanks God. Is the situation OK? It is all right.

Morning, Afternoon and Evening Greetings. Morning Greetings A. B. A. B. A. B. A.

aja kruKwma? Good morning (literally,did you enjoy the night) merHaba, aja kruKwma. Ok (or accepted), good morning werka kruKwma? Did you enjoy the night? werka gn, enti werka kruKwma? I am fine, are you fine? deban gn. I am all right. aja ergi. Have a nice day merHaba, aja ergi. Ok (or accepted), the same to you

Afternoon Greetings A. B. A. B. A. B. A.

aja ergruKw'ma? merHaba aja ergruKw'ma. werkema? werka gn, enti deban ergruKw'ma. deban gn. aja kuni. merHaba, aja kuni.

Good day All right, good day Are you fine? OK, are you fine yourself? Fine Have a nice evening Ok (or accepted), the same to you.

Evening Greetings A. B. A. B. A. B.

aja kunduKw'ma? merHaba aja kunduKw'ma. werkama? werka gn, enti werkama? deban gn. aja ki.

Good eveeneing? Ok (or accepted) good evening Are you all right? OK, are you fine yourself? Fine Have a nice night (enjoy the night)

Summary The following are used to greet one person Morning

Afternoon

Evening

Introduction Closing

aja kruKw'ma? aja ergi

aja ergruKw'ma? aja kuni

aja kunduKw'ma? ajaki

The following are used to greet two or more people Introduction Closing

Morning aja kdnuKw'ma? aja erga

Afternoon Evening aja ergdnuKw'ma? aja kundnuKw'ma? aja kuna aja ka

aja means good, OK, all right. Usually, it is used to introduce or to close the greeting. deban and werka mean well, well-being, OK, all right, fine, and refer to the health. deban and werka are interchangeable and are used mostly in general greetings. merHaba has the same meaning as in tgre (OK, all right?)

In the Morning greeting, it is incorrectly written as "aja kundnuKw'ma"(good evening). The correct form is "aja kdnuKw'ma" (good morning).

Lesson 8 The Verb Some forms of the verb, infinitive and tenses, are presented here. The infinitive. All Blin infinitive verbs end in -na. Example 8.1 genjna Qna (qwna) ferna enkelna Qalna (qwalna) Awtitna sabna kntna

to sleep to eat to go to love, to like to see to succeed to praise to train, to learn

The infinitive is formed adding "na" to the verb stem. genjna (to sleep), for e xample, is formed by genj + na. The Simple present Tense. The simple present tense expresses everyday action or a habitual action. Example 8.2 an Qakun enti genjrekw gaim mihrotl ferekw gena enkeleti ent`n Qaldenekw yn Awtitnekun naw sabenekw yn blin kntnekun

I eat You sleep (sing.) Gaim goes to school A mother loves You (plural) see We succeed They praise (or admire) We learn Blin

For the present simple tense, general suffixes that correspond to the Person, Nu mber and Gender are: 1st Person Singular: 2nd Person Singular (m, f): 3rd Person Singular (m):

-ekun or akun -dekw or rekw; -ekw or akw

3rd 1st 2nd 3rd

Person Person Person Person

Singular (f): Plural: Plural (m, f): Plural (m,f):

-eti or ati -nekun -denekw -nekw

To illustrate the above suffixes, we use the simple present tense of the verb e nkelna (to love). For the personal pronouns, see Lesson 1. Exempel 8.3 1st 2nd 3rd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd

Person Person Person Person Person Person Person

Singular Singular (m, f) Singular (m) Singular (f) Plural Plural (m, f Plural (m,f)

an enkelekun. enti enkeldekw. ni enkelekw. nri enkeleti. yn enkelnekun. ent`n enkeldenekw. naw enkelenekw.

I love You love He loves She loves We love You love They love

Observe the alternative suffixes: -ekun or -akun (1st person singular): verbs. Qakun ( I eat) has -akun; enkeleku n has the sufix -ekun. -dekw or -rekw (second person singular): enti Qurek (you eat) has the suffix - rekw while enti enkeldekw, (you love) ends with -dekw. -ekw or -akw (third person singular): Gaim ferekw ends with ekw while ni Qakw (t hird persons singular) ends with -akw. Which verbs have which suffix forms for the singular persons as in the above wi ll only be mentioned here not be discussed further.

Lesson 9 The Simple Past Tense The simple past tense expresses an action that was completed in the past. Example 9.1 an QiKun (QiKwn) enti genjruKw gaim mihrotl feruKw ent=B9n QaldnuKw yn AwtitnuKwn naw sabiniKw

I ate You slept (Singular) Gaim went to school You saw (Plural) We succeeded They praised

The verb agrees with the subject (person) and the suffixes are: 1st 2nd 3rd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd

Person Person Person Person Person Person Person

Singular Singular Singular (masc.) Singular (Fem.) Plural Plural Plural

-Kun (Kwn) -ruKw or duKw -uKw or iKw -ti -nuKwn -dnuKw -nuKw

Example 9.2 The simple past tense of the verb enkelna, to love.

1st 2nd 3rd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd

Person Person Person Person Person Person Person

Singular Singular Singular (masc.) Singular (Fem.) Plural Plural Plural

enkelKun enkelduKw enkeluKw enkelti enkelnuKwn enkeldnuKw enkelnuKw

I loved You loved He loved She loved We loved You loved They loved

The suffixes in the present tense end in kun ekw etc. (see Lesson 8) while they change to Kw in the simple past tense. k ------> K and kw -------> Kw.

Lesson 10 Future Tense (Simple) Simple future tense expresses an action that will be done in the future. It is formed by adding suffixes to the verb stem plus gn. In Lesson 1, we have seen that the term gn means is, am, are. In the future tense, it also means shall or will. The future verb agrees with the subject (person). Example 10.1 an Qiya gn enti genjto gn gaim mihrotl ferdo gn ent'n Qaltno gn yn Awtitno gn naw sabidno gn

I shall eat You will sleep (Singular) Gaim will go to school You will see (Plural) We will succeed They will praise

The agreement of the future verb with the subject is expressed by the following suffixes 1st 2nd 3rd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd

Person Person Person Person Person Person Person

Singular Singular Singular (masc.) Singular (Fem.) Plural Plural Plura

-iya gn -to gn -do or ro gn -to gn -no gn -tno gn -dno gn

Example 10.2 The simple future tense of the verb enkelna (to love) 1st 2nd 3rd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd

Person Person Person Person Person Person Person

Singular an enkeliya gn Singular: enti enkelto gn Singular (masc.) ni enkeldo gn Singular (Fem.) nri enkelto gn Plural yn enkelno gn Plural ent'n enkeltno gn Plural naw enkeldno gn

I shall love You will love He will love She will love We shall love You will love They will love

NB. The second person singular and the third person singular (feminine) have the same suffix form: -to gn. enkelto gn = You/she will love. ferto gn = you/she will go. mehersto gn = you/she will study (learn).

Lesson 11 Present Continuous Tense

The present continuous tense expresses an action that is being done n ow, as in "I am writing Lesson 11". It can also be used for an action that is intended to be done sometime in the future, as in "I am going to Asmara next week". Example 11.1 an fiKwa 11 ketebekun enkuKwn an sansA Qakun enkuKwn enti genjrekw enkuruKw gaim mihrotl ferekw enkuKw yn blin kntnil Awtitnekun enkunKwn

I am writing Lesson 11. I am eating bread You are sleeping Gaim is going to school We are succeeding in Blin studies

The simple Rule is: Present continuous = simple present + subject suffix 1st 2nd 3rd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd

Person Person Person Person Person Person Person

Singular Singular Singular (masc.) Singular (Fem.) Plural Plural Plural

simple simple simple simple simple simple simple

present present present present present present present

+ + + + + + +

enkuKwn enkuruKw enkuKw enkuti enkunKwn enkudnuKw enkunuKw

Example 11.2 The present continuous tense of the verb ferna (to go) i s 1st Person Singular:

an Asmara ferekun enkuKwn I am going to Asmara

2nd Person Singular:

enti Asmara ferdekw enkuruKw You are going to Asmara

3rd Person Singular (masc.):

ni Asmara ferekw enkuKw He is going to Asmara

3rd Person Singular (Fem.):

nri Asmara fereti enkuti She is going to Asmara

1st Person Plural:

yn Asmara fernekwn enkunKwn We are going to Asmara

2nd Person Plural:

entn Asmara ferdenekw enkudnuKw You are going to Asmara enkudnuKw

3rd Person Plural:

naw Asmara ferenekw enkunuKw They are going to Asmara

Lesson 12 Past Continuous Tense The past continuous tense expresses an action that was being done somtime in the past, as in "I was writing Lesson 12 the whole morning". It requires another s tatement that preceded or follws it in order to make sense. "When you came yeste rday, I was wrting Lesson 11". Example 12.1 enti enterdu grara (last night) an sans'A Qu erguKwn I was eating a bread when you came last night.

enti genjru ergruKw gaim mihrotl feru erguKw

You were sleeping Gaim was going to school

seKwa arbed yn blin kntnu erg`nKwn We were studying Blin studies for three months 1st 2nd 3rd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd

Person Person Person Person Person Person Person

Singular: Singular: Singular (masc.): Singular (Fem.): Plural: Plural: Plural:

-u + erguKwn -du + ergruKw -u + erguKw -du + ergti -nu + erg`nKwn -dunu + ergdnuKw -unu + ergnuKw

Example 12.2 The past continuous tense of the verb ferna, to go, is (I was going, you were going, he/she was going, we/you/they were going) 1st Person Singular:

an Asmara feru erguKwn I was going to Asmara

2nd Person Singular:

enti Asmara ferdu ergruKw You were going to Asmara

3rd Person Singular (masc.):

Gaim Asmara feru erguKw Gaim was going to Asmara

3rd Person Singular (Fem.):

nri Asmara ferdu ergti She was going to Asmara

1st Person Plural:

yn Asmara fernu erg`nKwn We were going to Asmara

2nd Person Plural:

entn Asmara ferdunu ergdnuKw You were going to Asmara

3rd Person Plural:

naw Asmara ferunu erg`nuKw They were going to Asmara

Observe that: 1. The 1st Person Singular has the same suffix form (-u) as the 3 rd Person Singular (masc.) has: an feru erguKwn (I was going). ni feru ergukw (H e was going). The continuous form feru is the same in both. 2. The 2nd Person Singular (fem, masc.) and the 3rd Person Singular (Fem.) also have the same suffix form (-du). enti ferdu ergruKw (you were going). nri ferdu ergti (she was going).

Lesson 13 Possessive Adjectives

My, your, his, her, our, your,their yi, kwi, ni, nr, yna, enta, na

A possessive adjective expresses ownership or relationship of a certain noun. Compare these with the Possessive Pronouns (Lesson 3) in where the possessive pronoun can be used to show possession and the noun does not appear in the sentence of phrase. Possessive adjectives, on the other hand, come before the noun they express in order to show possession. Example 13.1 yi mada = my friend; nr mada = her friend; ni memhr = his teacher; 1st 2nd 2nd 3rd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd

Person Singular Person Singular (masc): Person Singular (fem): Person Singular(masc): Person Singular (fem): Person Plural: Person Plural: Person Plural:

yi mas = my friends nr mas = her friends na memhran = their teachers yi kwi kwi ni nr yna enta na

= = = = = = =

my yours your hi her our your = their

Example 13.2 mada = friend 1st 2nd 3rd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd

Person Singular: Person Singular (m+f): Person Singular(masc): Person Singular (fem): Person Plural: Person Plural: Person Plural:

yi mada kwi mada ni mada nr mada yna mada enta mada na mada

= = = = = = =

my friend your friend his friend her friend our friend your friend their friend

The possessive adjectives are the same for both singular and plural nouns (unlike possessive pronouns, see Lesson 3). mada is a friend (S). Its plural is mas and the possessive adjectives don't change when we use my friend (mada) or my firends (mas). Example 13.3. mas = friends 1st 2nd 3rd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd

Person Singular: Person Singular (m+f): Person Singular(masc): Person Singular (fem): Person Plural: Person Plural: Person Plural:

yi mas = my friends kwi mas = your friends ni mas = his friend nr mas = her friend yna mas = our friends enta mas = your friends na mas = their friends

Lesson 14 Possessives (of...). -r and -di The possession of a particular noun (or relation to other) by a person is shown using the suffix -r, which is attached to the name of a person. -r functions in the same way as the English apostrophe s does.

Example 14.1. Name Haile Gaim Afyet

Name + r Hailer = Haile's Gaim'r = Gaim's Afyetr = Afyet's

Let us see some short sentences using -r in names Hailer shani Hailer dan Gaimr gena Gaimr menkineti Afyetr rang Gebrer ktub

Haile's sister Haile's brother Gaim's mother Gaim's car Afyet's husband Gebre's book

This is the general rule for all names that do not end in r. For names that end in -r, we use -di instead of -r. Example 14.2 Amer Sabur Dar

Amirdi Saburdi Dardi

Amir sabur Dar

Amirdi ling'n = Amir's house saburdi menkineti = Sabur's car Dardi wes = Dar's cattle

= Amir's = Sabur's (read s as in English) = Dar's

But possession (of) can also be described in other ways, as in dan saburduKw, sabursi nidan, both meaning "the brother of Sabur". We shall see some of these in subsequent Lessons.

Lesson 15 Possessives (II)

-ruKw, -ru, tri ==> of The suffixes -ruKw, -tri, and -ru also show possession in the same way as -r does (Lesson 14). The difference is in the word order. The name to which -r is attached comes before the possessed noun or thing, as in Hailer lng'n (Haile + r) Haile's house. -ruKw, -tri and -ru are attached to a name that comes after the possessed noun or thing. 1. -ruKw shows possession of a singular (masculine) noun or a noun th at is expressed as masculine (Example 15.1). 2. -tri shows possession of a singular (feminine) noun or a noun that is expressed as feminine (Example 15.2). 3. -ru shows possession of a plural noun or a noun regardless of gen der (Example 15.3). Example 15.1 -ruKw ==> of bira HaileruKw lng'n HaileruK

Bull (ox) of Haile House of Haile

Hailer bira Hailer lng'n

Haile's bull Haile's house

Cow of Haile Car of Haile

Hailer lwi Haile's cow Hailer menkineti Haile's car

Example 15.2 -tri ==> of lwi Hailetri menkineti Hailetri

Example 15.3 -ru ==> of (plural) wes Haileru lng'nti Haileru

cattle of Haile houses of Haile

Hailer wes Haile's cattle Hailer lgn'nti Haile's houses

-si + possessive adjective (Lesson 13) + relation noun also means of when used to show relation, as in: Hailesi ni dan Abrahamsi ni gena

of Haile his brother of Abraham his mother

the brother of Haile the mother of Abraham.

Lesson 16 Word order 16.1 S + P In Blin, the word order is usually of the form: Subject(S) + Predicate (P). A predicate says something about the subject. "Life is good", the subject (Life) is expressed as good, and hence "is good" is the predicate in this sentence. The predicate can simply be a verb (V) or a verb plus an object(O).

Examples gemena beher gn A lion big is = A lion is big. The predicate here is "beher gn". Gaim yi dan gn Gaim my brother is = Gaim is my brother. Gabr Kasala feruKw Gabr Kasala went = Gabr went to Kasala

16.2 S+O+V: When the verb is inflected ( shows the person, subject) but does not show the nature of the object.

Examples gemena begat kuwuKw A lion sheep killed = A lion killed a sheep. The -t in bega (sheep) shows that the sheep is a direct object. We could also say begat gemena kuwuKw. sheep lion killed = A lion killed a sheep. It is the -t suffix in bega that shows bega is the (direct) object. But the verb kuwuKw (killed ) does not show a sheep is the object. an blin ketebekun I Blin write = I write Blin We could also say blin ketebekun = I write Blin. Blin write (I).The -Kun (Lesson 9) shows the subject is the 1st person singular (I). ketebekun = I write, but here we don't know what the subject writes about.

16.3 S+O+V:

When the inflected form of the verb also shows nature of the object also (marker of object) we can know from the verb what the subject and the object of the sentence are.

Examples kuwuKw = it killed (kuna, to kill) kuwuKwla = It (He) killed her, -la = her. gemena begat kuwuKwla = A lion killed a sheep. If we already know the story about the lion, we would simply say kuwulkwla and this single verb contains both the Subject and the Object. enkelekw = he loves (enkelna, to love) enkelekwla = he loves her, -la (her). (also enkelukula) Gaim Afyetti enkelekwla. Gaim Afyet loves = Gaim loves Afyet.

S+O+V Also O + S + V does not change meaning Afyetti Gaim enkelekwlai. Afyet Gaim loves = Gaim loves Afyet.The suffix -ti after Afyet shows that Afyet is the (direct) object

Summary In English the word order is very improtant in understanding the meaning of a sentene. The word order in English is S + V + O. Example: Gaim loves Afyet. The word order of a Blin sentence, however, can change withut changing the meaning. The usual form is Subject + Object + Verb (S ---> O ---> V). But the object can also precede the subject without changing the meaning (0 --> S --> V). A third alternative is when the subject and the verb are sufficient (S + V). Finally, the verb stands alone for a sentence in which the subject and the object are undeterstood from the inflection - suffix attached to the verb (V). Hence we have the following word order: S = Gaim, O = Afyet, V = enkelekula or enkelekwla S + O + V: Gaim Afyetti enkelekula = Gaim loves Afyet. O + S + V: Afyetti Gaim enkelekula = Gaim loves Afyet. S + V: Gaim enkelekula = Gaim loves her V: enkelekula = he loves her. S = gemena, O = bega, V = Kuwukw S+ O + V: begat gemena kuwuKw = A lion killed a sheep O + S + V: begat gemena kuwuKw = A lion killed a sheep S + V: gemena kuwuKw = A lion killed V: kuwuKw = (It) killed

Lesson 17

Connectivity

-di ....... -di ==> and Two suffixes, -di .... -di, are used to connect two words to mean "and" in English. In the geez script, -di and -di are attached to the words they connect. One -di is not enough to connect words if the meaning is "and". Example 17.1 Adi Bdi A and B Adi Bdi Cdi Ddi Edi A, B, C, D and E Gabrdi Hailedi shan gn Gabr and Haile are brothers. Gabrdi Afyetdi shan gn Gabr and Afyet are siblings. dmuredi gd'ngdi enkelsngeni A cat and a dog dislike each other. Gabrdi Afyetdi Umerdi Awkadi entnuKw Gabr, Afyet, Umer and Awka came. yigenadi yi'Krdi entnuKw My mother and my father came. NOTE: yi + gena + di .... yi + i'Kr + di (yi, kwi, ni etc. Lesson 13). enterna = to come, entnuKw = came (Lesson 9). When you call father or mother in person, or if a child is talking, you would say, instead: ebedi adedi entnuKw (ebe ade

= = =

pap and mom came. daddy, papa, mom, mum).

When the two connected words are pronouns, the form of the personal pronoun changes as in the following examples. Example 17.2 -di ..... di = and (in Personal Pronouns) an feriya gn = I shall go (alone). This is personal pronoun (an = I) . But observe the following: ydi ... di ferno gn = Me and ... will go (never use andi ==> an + -di, but an + di ==> ydi = I and ...) ydi kudi ferno gn = ydi nidi ferno gn = ydi nrdi ferno gn = ydi enthedi ferni = ydi nadi ferno gn = ydi Ibrahimdi ferno gn ynedi nidi ferno gn =

I and you will go (Singular; or me and ypu) I and he will go I and she will go I and you will go you (Plural) I and they will go (naw + di = nadi) = I and Ibrahim will go We and he will go (yn + di = ynedi)

The meaning does not change if the sentence starts with the second word also, as in: ydi kudi ferno gn = kudi ydi ferno gn = you and I will go. The general pattern for the personal pronouns connected with -di ... -di (= and) is as follows. ydi ... di = I and ...(or me and ..) kudi .... -di = you and ..... nidi .... -di = he and ... nrdi .... -di = she and ... ynedi ... -di = we and ... entedi ... -di = you (P) and ... nadi ... -di = they and ....

Lesson 18 Connectivity (II)

or ==> wri (weri) There are three ways of connecting alternativse words or sentences to mean "or". weri (wri) ==> or wri .. wri ==> either ... or -ma .... ima ... ==> or? weri and wri are interchangeable, they have the same meaning: or 18.1 wri (weri) ==> or. When wri (weri) is used in between two or more words or sentences it means "or". Example Gabrti wri Hailet shngi Gabr or Haile call (you) call Haile or Gabr. genji wri Gwi (you) sleep or rise up. mehersi wri bari study (learn) or leave. Ku Ikrd Duwi wri ku genasi Your father (to) or your mother (to) tell Tell (to) your father or your mother. Ertra feri wri Sudan Go to Eritrea or Sudan. 18.2. wri ... wri ==> either ... or When we use the two words wri

.... wri, the meaning is either ... or

Example wri Gabrti wri Hailet shngi Either Gabr or Haile call Call either Gabr or Haile. wri genji wri Gwi either sleep or rise up. Ku Ik'rd duwi wri ku genasi Your father (to) tell or your mother (to) Tell either (to) your father or (to) your mother. wri Ertra feri wri Sudan Either Eritrea go or Sudan Go to Eritrea or to (the) Sudan.

18.3

-ma .... ima ....

(this) ... (the other)?

In questions, we can connect two or more words or sentences by using -ma .. ima ==> to one or mean one or the other., this or that etc. ma is a question tag. Example 18.3 ku mada Awkama ima Afyet? your firend Awka is or Afyet (Who) is your friend Awka or Afyet? ku mada awni gn Awkama ima Afyet your friend who is Awka or Afyet Who is your friend, Awka or Afyet?

Vocabulary shngna

call

genjna Gwna mehersna barna duna ferna

to to to to to to

(remember the sound nge, as in lenga, two) sleep; rise up study, learn leave tell go

Lesson 19 Connectivity (III) Some more connectivity words follow 19.1 deam ==> but Haile Afyetr mada gn deam Awka nimada AKlla Haile is Afyet's friend but Awka is not (his) friend. Kerendi Hagazdi gebgeba gn deam Asmara shiraKw gn. Keren and Hagaz are nearer to each other but Asmara is far away. 19.1 -sena, rsena, ==> as, like, dmura gemenisena gn A cat is like a lion Keren Hagazrsena emblawaKw gn Keren is warm as Hagaz Keren is (as) warm (as) Hagaz 19.3 -Kr ==> also dmura gdng tekekw gemensKr tekekw A cat looks like also (it looks like) a lion. enqaqKr quaqresena srera serenekw Girls also boys as trousers wear Girls also wear trousers as boys do.

HaileKr Afyetdi feruKw Haile(also) Afyet(with) went.

Haile also went with Afyet.

NOTE on use of the suffix -di: -di can have three different meaning - and, of, with - depending up on the usage (i)-di with. In the above sentence (19.3): Afyetdi with Afyet . When di with, the word to which -di is attached is followed by a verb . (ii) In Lesson 14 (Example 14.2) -di means "of", the same as the apostrophe s in English. The word that follows -di is usually a noun that is possessed by (or related to) the word to which -di is attache as in (Example 14.2). Amir sabur Dar (ii)

Amirdi ling'n Amir's house saburdi menkineti Sabur's car Dardi wes Dar's cattle. -di ... -di

and, as in Example 17.1

Adi Bdi A and B Adi Bdi Cdi Ddi Edi A, B, C, D and E Gabrdi Hailedi shan gn Gabr and Haile are brothers. Gabrdi Afyetdi shan gn Gabr and Afyet are siblings. dmuredi gd'ngdi enkelsngeni A cat and a dog dislike each other.

New vocabulary AKlla (she) is not (opposite of gn, for "she") geba near, gebgeba near (to) each other shiraKw far away, distant emblawaKw warm tekekna, is like, seems; tekekw is like, as, is similar to

Lesson 20 Verbs of Existence (verb to be)

• • • • • •

Present: wantna==> am, are, is, to exist, to be present Near past: ergna Distant past:

==> was, were

senga==> was, were

The verb of existence can be expressed in three forms of or tenses: present, near past and distant past.The present tense of the verb wantna is conjugated in the root-verb, hmb- + case markers (for subject ). Its near past is ergna and distant past sengna (-ng as in lenga). We cann't conjuagate wantna; instead hmbna is used for the present tense.

an ......... hmbekun enti ...... hmbrekw ni ......... hmbekw nri ........ hmbeti yn ......... hmbnekwn entn ...... hmbdenekw naw ........ hmbenekw

I am (present, exist) You are (present, exist) (Singular, m + f) He is present She is present We are present You are (Pl, m + f) present They are present

Example 20.1 The verb delemo is helped by hmbna to have a complete meaning. delemna ==> to be ready, wantna ==> to be an delemo hmbekun enti delemro hmbrekw ni delemo hmbekw nri delemro hmbeti yn delemno hmbnekwn entn delemdno hmbdenekw naw delemno hmbenekw

I am ready You are ready He is ready She is ready We are ready You are ready (Pl, They are ready

m + f)

The verb conjugation for delemna can be summarised as follows. delemo delemro delemno

I, he you (S), she we, they

delemna can also be conguated as an ordinary verb as in Lessons 8-10)

A Poem (golya) an kebte hmbekun enqaqdi I remain (exist) with girls quraqurKa ferew shebabdi (From) the boys heading for the liberati on front (shebab is literally youngesters). The past tense of the verb wantna is ergna, whch is conjugated as in Lesson 9.

an.........ergKun enti........ergruKw ni ......... erguKw nri ........ ergiti yn ........... ergnKun entn .......ergdnuKw naw ...... ergnuKw

I am (present, exist) You were (present, exist) (S, m + f) He was She was We were You were (Pl, m + f) They were

Example 20.2.

ergna (was, were, etc.) as an auxiliary verb of delemna is conjugated in the following way. The past tense of

himbna is ergna.

hmbna , wantna==> am, are, is, or Subject + exist, present. ergna was,were. OR Subject + existed. ergti is used for a near past (usually less than a year). an delemo ergKun enti delemro ergruKw ni delemo erguKw nri delemro ergti yn delemno ergnKun entn delemdno ergdnuKw naw delemno ergnuKw

I was ready. You were ready (S, m + f). He was ready. She was ready. We were ready. You were ready (Pl, m + f). They were ready.

delemna conjugates the same in both the present (Example 20.1) and past (Example 20.2). an delemo etc. is the same in both. In Lesson 1, we saw how the personal pronouns are expressed or identified by using the auxilairy verb gn, which is the same for all number, gender and person. Example 20.3 an gn an hmbekun jar ...... gn jar hmbekw enti ..... gn enti hmbrekw

I am I exist, I am, I am present God is, it is God God is, God exists you are. you are present, exist, present.

For a distant past, senga is used (-ng as in lenga, two). "an Asmara mendertu sengenkun" I was living in Asmara an delemo sengekun I was ready. enti delemro sengrekw You were ready (S, m + f). ni delemo sengekw He was ready. nri delemro sengeeti She was ready. yn delemno sengnekun We were ready. entn delemdno sengdenekw You were ready (Pl, m + f). naw delemno sengenekw They were ready

Lesson 21 Some Adjectives An adjective says something about a noun. In Blin an adjective comes after the noun it describes. All adjectives have the same forms in plural, but they can be different for singular masculine and feminine. grwa beher krnga Harfaf nan lawuKw anqi shKardi adam tkyaKw kew tkyew qren tkyreri gena bekiti grwa Hasd qura shKaruKw

= great man, big man = rough stone = right hand = a beautiful girl (literally, a girl of beauty, who possesses beauty). = a good man (person) = good people = a good country = a kind mother = a cruel man = handsome boy (literally, a boy of beauty, who possesses beauty).

21.1 Most Blin adjective stand alone, some have a verb form, and still some others have verb and noun forms. Some adjectives that do not have verb/noun forms beher gnay uQtu belnga gemaI

= = = = =

big small, little few some old, aged (for people)

Some adjectives that have noun and verb forms are Adjective: bungwa Verb: bungwitna Noun: bn grwa bunga anqi bungwa

= = = = =

lier to lie lie a lier (man) a lier (girl)

21.2 Some singular adjectives are different for male and female singular but plurals are always the same for both genders. Adjective: Verb: Noun:

shKaruKw shKartna shKar

= handsome, beautiful = to be handsome, to be beautiful = beauty

Some adjectives that are the same for sungular mmasculine and feminine are: suwana bunGwa

= thief; (plural: sukwan) = lier; (plural: bungut)

Examples: The examples below listed in the following order: verb infinitive (v), noun (n), and adjectives. shKartna (v) shKar (n) qura shKaruKw anqi shKardi quraqur shKaru enqaq shKaru

= = = = = =

to be beautiful, to be good, beauty a handsome boy a beatiful girl handsome boys beautiful girls

sererna (v) grwa seraKw IKwina sereri arebitna (v) grwa areba iKwina areba

= = = = = =

to be red, a red man, a red woman, to be black, a black man, a black woman,

serenta (n) grw serew Ikwin serew arebnar (n) grw aref ikwin aref

= = = = = =

redness red men red women blackness black men black women

shirna (v) qura shiraKw anqi shireri

= to be long, = a tall boy = a tall girl

shirng (n) = length quraqur shirew = tall boys enqaq shirew = tall girls

kuna kuwaKw kureri kuwow

= = = =

kuwn (n)

TeAmbna (v) TeAmbaKw TeAmbreri TeAmbew

= to beat, TeAmba (n) = one who beats (he) = one who beats (she) = those who beat

= beating

enkelna (v) enkelaKw enkelderi enkelew

= = = =

= love

beketna (v) sim bekit seyem bekait

= to be kind, = a kind chief = kind chieves

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

to kill (v), one who kills (he) one who kills (she) those who kill

to love, one who loves (he) one who loves (she) those who love

laKw lenga seKwa seja ankwa welta lengeta seKweta sesa shka shka laKw shka lenga shka seKwa shka seja shka ankwa shka welta shka lengeta shka seKweta shka sesa lengerengn

enkeli (n)

= killing

beket (n) kindness

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 40 60 70 80 100 200 1000 2000

lengerengn di laKw lengerengn di lenga lengerengn di seKwa lengerengn di seja lengerengn di ankwa lengerengn di welta lengerengn di lengeta lengerengn di seKweta lengerengn di sesa seKwerengn arbiya 50 ankurengn weltrengn lengetrengn seKwetrengn 90 sesrengn liK lenga liK siH lenga siH

Numerals (II) (Ordinal Numerals) While cardinal numerals are used for simple counting, ordinal numerals are used to give the order in which something is given. Ordi nal numerals are gender specific in Blin. Feminine is formed by adding -i to the masculine form, as lingr (second), lingeri.

Order (Masculine) First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelvth Twentieth

selfa, selfuKw linger siKwer sejer ankwer welter lengeter sekweter seser shker shka laKw shka linger lengerengn

Order (Feminine) First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelvth Twentieth

selfri lingeri siKweri sejeri ankweri welteri lengeteri sekweteri seseri shkeri shka laKw shka lingeri lengerengn

For more than twenty, the word "ab" (part) is also added: 23rd lengereng-disiKwer ab

Fractions 1/2 1/3 1/4 1/5 1/6 1/7 1/8 1/9 1/10 2 1/2 3 1/4 6 1/2

one one one one one one one one one

half third fourth fifth sixth seventh eighth ninth tenth

two and half three and quarter six and half

gef siKwrng sejrng, rbU ankwrng weltrng lengetrng seKwetrng sesr'ng shker ab lengadi gefdi seKwadi sejr'ngdi, or seKwadi rbU'di weltadi gefdi

There is another form of representing fractions: by adding ab to the ordinal numeral: 1/2 1/3 1/4 1/5

linger ab sikwer ab sejer ab ankwer ab

4/5 12 25

seja ankwrng dozen

Ibela (equivalent to 1/4 of a quintal)

gebeta

Time ==> wekt seAt deqiq

hour minute

Different times during the day are: grga, grg gerk briksna ksera gurab fadus kwarileb ameqreb nki emeri emerin gra injengi nuQwsingi nuQwseji

day, grgat days day time dawn qas forenoon (duration) forenoon adaHa noon morning kurngired afternoon noon kungn evening sunset qir night dusk qirebelng midnight today tomorrow the day after tomorrow yesterday the day before yesterday four days before today (four days back)

Days of the Week unar unarat unar dekwaKw unar enteraKw unar dembera unar jabera

week, weeks last week next week the following week the previous week

Names of the Days of the Week senu seling lebwa (or leGwa) amd ar senber shuGwaKw senber qdakw

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday (lit. junior Sunday) Sunday (lit. senior Sunday)

Months, year. arba arfif amera ametat nenGwi amar amar dembera unqunGwi seKwamar

month, months year, years this year next year the year after next year last year the year before last year

sejamar

four years back

The usual calender starts in September but nowadays the Gregorian calender is in use (officially). The names of the different months correspond to some traditional or religious celebrations/festival in that month. January ldetri (of Christmas) February kebaKbti kbla March fajKiri April gnbotri (or kbitri) May mkiel tNGwaniri June (lit. Of Spring Michael) kwerku July maryamtri August (lit. of Mary) yaKenitri or yaKeni mesaqleri September metelu October mkiel meshweri November (lit. Of Harvest time Michael) tHsasri December

In the Julian calender, there are five extra days between August and September called Gwaqume (Pagumen, in geez).

Lesson 25 Question Words

What, who, which, why, when, where, how The following words start a question.

1. What: wreni, wra enti wreni gabraKun? What do you speak? an deshkli gabekun = I speak Tigringa. wra yrKun? What did you say?

2. Who: awni, awi (Singular); awrew (Plural) an net wanet awni duwiKunka? Who told you that I am here? awni gn Dehaili Blin mehersaKw? Who studies Blin in Dehai? awni gn president ErtriKw? Who is the president of Eritrea? awi = who ... that: Poem: awi duwiKunka ybabusi deleido Alem dekwro tekela dekwro wanu weleydo Who is the one that told you about my intentions? The world(life) seems everlasting although it passes very quickly

awrew (plural) = who Dehaili geriw ketebew awrew gn? Who are (the ones) that write a lot on Dehai?

3. Which: awin (Singular masculine) awini (Singular feminine) awis (to which, Singular)

awen (Plural) awes (to which, Plural, or whom)

awin: ena lenga quraqurld awin gn ku dan? Which of these two boys is your brother? awini: ena lenga enqaqeld awini gn ku shani? Which of these two girls is your sister? awin kidaKun Asmarama ima Keren? Which is better, Asmara or Keren? Kerendi Asmaraditld awis enkeldaKun? Which do you like Keren or Asmara? HagaiKa Asmaras shqKa Kerensi enkelekun I like Asmara during the summer and Keren during the rainy season. awen: ena kew neld awen gn Cer? Which of these people are your collegaues? Dehaili hmbewld awes amabebdto frirdaKun? Which do you prefer (reading) in Dehai? Poletika aKgewsk frirekun I prefer (choose) everything except Politics.

4. How = awaKe, awahabre = how do menkinet awake feraKun? How does a car move? Computer awaKe kedemaKun? How does a computer operate? Computerli awahabre ketebraKun? How do you write in a computer? kew Ertril awahabine seseAnaKun? How do people dance in Eritrea? ferdo kulawd Qwali = Go and see (= find)

yourself

5. Why = wriKw wriKw Blin mehersraKun? Why do you study Blin? kol ferosena gabiyar metan

= To speak it when I visit home

wriKw Dehaili turuKun? Why did you subscribe to Dehai? yi koqurdi jingistiyer metan = In order to chat with my country people.

6. When = awn; aweka = which date or day awn mdatno gn? When shall we eat lunch? nan = now nin awn ketebraKw gn? When did you write this? emana = Before (then); jabit yo ketebaKw gn = I wrote it a litle while. awn dratno gn? When shall we eat our dinner? dembrng = later on awn Dehaili turuKun? When did you enter (subscribe to) Dehai? unQwngi = Last year Afyet kol aweka ferto gn? When will Afyet go home? senu demberes = Next Monday aweka uKwarsrKun? When were you born? sekwetrengn ameri jab = Before 80 years ku emn ma? = Are you sure(serious)? kulawd qeyesi = Guess yourslef. ertra aweka Awtitin? When did Eritrea succeed? (i.e. became independent? welta ameri jab = before six years. aweka ferduKun America? When did you go to america? (en)seka enti uKwarsraka = The time when you were born. (enseka = seka = That time, date)

7. Where = awet, awil = towards (where) awet shows a point in which a certian movement ends (the dstination). awil shows the direction of the movement (= towards). shka ameri jab awet sengraKun? Where were you before ten years? Asmara sengekun = I was in asmara. liK ameri jab awet sengraKun? Where were you uKwarso sengeli = I was not born.

100

years ago?

naan awil ferdaKun enkurKun? Where are you going now? kol aKrasi ferekun = I am going (towards) home

8. Whom = awti (Sigular); awes = whom (Plural) awti enkeldaKun ku iKrsima ima ku genet? Whom do you love, your mother or your father? lengertk enkelekun = I love both of them anadi ygenet enkelekun = as to me, I love my mother. awes redeyraKun qursima ima enqaqsi?

Whom do you dare, boys or girls? natkr = all of them

9. Whose = awruKw (masc, S), awtri (fem, S); awru (plural); awrDehai awruKw gn? Whose is dehai? rtriqurdukw gn = It is Eritrean. ena computer nini awtri gn? Whose is this computer? yri gn = It is mine. ena lengnti geriw awru gn = Whose are these many houses? rduqanu gn = They are the rich(es)'. awr menkinetd ferdaKun? Whose car are you going with/by? yi madatrisi = on My friend's (car).

10. How many/much: wrikew, wriskew Dehaitl wrikew hmbenaKun? How many are in Dehai? lenga siH = 2000. ena seladi nes ihni shibilom wriskew gn: Take this money, count how much it is.

11. How much: awi Aded, awi qyas wriko seladi shaKruKun? How much money do you have? Aded ingew gn = uncountable. nd Had aKla = It is not so much. awi Aded seladi shaKruKun? What amount of money do you have? nd Had aKla = It is not so much.

Lesson 26 Some Questions and Answers Questions may or may not consist of question words examples of possible questions and their answers.

(Lesson 25). The following are some

Question 1. Ku sunGw awni gn? = What (who) is your name? Answer(A): yi sunGw gaim gn = My name is Gaim AwuKwra gn enti? = Whose son are you? A: AwteKwra = The son of Awte. Question 2. The question tag -ma (Lesson 18) has the same meaning as the Tirgringa word -do . ku sunGw gabrema? = Is your name Gabre? A1. yewa, yi sunGw Gabre gn = Yes, my name is Gabre A2. ifalu yi sunGw Gabre aKla = No, my name is not Gabre

NOTE: In Blin, it is normal to answer a question by posing another, confirming question, as in the following (answer to Q1) A3. yi sunGw Gabre aKet awahabre ariro? = How did you know that my name is Gabre? A4. yi sunGw Gabre Aket awi duweka? = Who told you that my name is Gabre? Question 3. wra yrKun? = What did you say? (Lesson 25) A1. yi sunGw gabre gn yKun = I said my name is Gabre A2. lari yli = I didn't say anything (I said nothing). NOTE: yKun = I said; yli = I didn't say; yna = to say Question 4. Gabre ystaKw awni ni? Who is what is called Gabre? (who is Gabre?) A1. an gn = It is me. I am. A2. Gabre ystaKw an gn = It is me who is called Gabre. A3. Gabre ystaKw an aKli = It is not me who is called Gabre. A4: net Gabre ystaKw illa = There is nobody here called Gabre. A5. Gbare ystaKw enti jerebraKw net illa = The one (Gabre) whom you are looking for is not here. A6. wra jerebrelu? = What do you want of him? Question 5. awil mendertraKun? Where do you live? A1. net mendertekun = I live here. A2. Asmara mendertekun = I live in Asmara. A3. nan Asmara mendertekun imanaKa Keren Keren mendertu ergKun = I (had) lived in Keren before. A4. awil mendertet dwelika = I will not tell you where I live. A5. dwiyaka jerebren entiKr awil mendertret dwile = If you want me me where you live. A6. wra jerebre an nil mendertaKwsi? = What do you want (of) where A7. an nil mendertaKwsi wriKw wenqerdaKunle? = Why do you ask me I live?

live now in Asmara but I to tell you, you also tell

Question 6. awil ferdaKun? = where are you going? A1. mdatiya ferekun = I am going for lunch (mdatna = to eat lunch). A2. tebdiya ferekun = I am going to study (tebdna = to study). A3. kol ferekun = I am going home. A4. laKwl fereli = I am going nowhere. A5. an nil feraKwsi dwelika = I will not tell you where I am going.

I live? where

Question 7. kol awn ferto gn? = When are you going home? A1. amar = next year A2. amar dembera = The year after next year. A3. kol fereli = I will not go home. A4. kol ferdma yro? Do you think I will go home? A5. ashashaKud feriya gn = I will go soon. A6. enti ferdakak feriya gn = I wil go when you go. A7. betaten fereli = I will never go. NOTE: the suffix -li is attached to a verb to show negative, as in fereli = I shall not go. Question 8. kol awdi ferto gn? With whom are you going home? A1. kudi feriya gn = I am going with you. A2. laKwdi fereli = I am going with nobody. A3. ytu feriya gn = I am going alone. Question 9. kol awti Qwalto gn? = Whom will you visit (at) home? A1. yi genat = My mom. A2. yi shansi = My brothers and sisters. A3. kut QwalawQ aKla = It is not your concern.

Question 10. shka qrish uwenka shai jbito aqtremaka yuKra? = My son, if I give you ten dollars, is it sufficient to buy tea? A1. yewa aqtrele = Yes, it is sufficient for me. A2.ifalu aqtelale = No, it is not sufficient. A3. jar uwunkut abbe aqtew gn = Thank you dad it is sufficient. A4. shka qrishd shahi jbiri tekekwmeka? = Do you think I can buy tea for ten dollars? A5. nat naKle ima kebtwesi yi gena kodterile = Give me that, my mom will add (for me) the balance. A6. shkad wra isiya geresaKun = What can I do for ten?

Lesson 27 Family Relationships (wendnar)

1. General: some useful terms. 2. wenda kin(dred), wendi (Plural). 3. gebra alien, gefr (Plural). 4. eKrskoKwra a male relative from father's side. 5. EKrskoQwra a female relative from the father's side. 6. geneskoKwra a male relative from mother's side. 7. geneskoQwra a female relative fromthe mother's side. 8. gor -- neighbour. 9. 10. 11. Family: 12.Iyal nuclear family 13. 14.Singular Plural 15............................................ 16.gena mother gen 17.ekr (iKr) father ekl 18.dan brother shan 19.shani sister shan 20.en grandfather enin(en'n) 21.teni grandmother tenin (ten'n) 22............................................ 23.iKwina (eKwina) wife, (GabreQwi -- Gabre's wife) 24.rang husband (Afyetr rang -- Afyet's husband) 25.Hiema first wife or first husband 26.beKr first-born (son) 27.beKri first-born (daughter) 28.Hadagldera last-born (son or daughter) 29.nebeka middle-born 30. 31. 32. Extended family jeKera, feraI 33.eg uncle, mother's brother egik 34.eKrd dan uncle, father's brother eKrd shan 35.teKri aunt, father's sister teql'l 36.Halti aunt, mother's sister Halt't 37. 38.eKrdKura cousin, son of father's brother 39.eKrdqura cousin, daughter of father's brother

40.egdKura cousin, son of mother's brother 41.egdqura cousin, daughter of mother's brother 42. 43.danduKwra son of a brother 44.danduQwra daughter of a brother 45.shaniKwra son of a sister 46.shaniQwra daughter of a sister 47. 48. 49. The in-laws (Marriage relatonship) 50. 51.anshinar Relation through marriage 52.asnhinti Family of in-laws 53.Hagot Respected guests (usually in-laws) 54. 55.anshin son in-law 56.uKwredQwi daughter in-law 57.anshin father in-law (father of wife) 58.tenshini mother in-law (mother of wife) 59.nKwaKw father in-law (father of husband) 60.nKwaKwi mother in-law (mother of husband)) 61. 62.jama sister in-law (sister of wife), jam (P) 63.jama brother in-law (brother of wife), jam (P) 64.jama brother in-law (husband of ones sister), jam (P) 65.tarnkwi sister in-law (sister of husband) 66.arereng brother in-law (brother of husband) 67. 68. 69. Examples (jama) 70.Afyet (wife) is married to Anebi. Zahra is Afyet's sister. Berih is 71.Afyet's brother. Both Zahra and Berih call Anebi yi jama (sister's 72.husband). Anebi also calls both Zahra and Berih yi-jam (plural of jam 73.a). 74. 75. 76. A Poem: In a wedding folk dance, a poem by the relatives of the bride might run as follows: 77.yna jama silira 78.deam kbr kmira 79.In English: 80.Our brother in-law is handsome (to the sister's husband) 81.But he seems to have pride (in the negative sense). 82. 83. 84. A Note on name calling: 85.A Blina woman (wife) does not call the proper names of her husband, 86. 87.father in-law, mother in-law and other adult relatives from the husband 88.side (even dead ones). 89.Blin couples (husband and wife) call each other as "father of .... 90. 91.first-born" and "mother of first-born" respectively. 92.Afyet (wife) is married to Anebi. Their children are Sabur and Medet. 93. 94.If Sabur is first-born son, Afyet does not call her husband in his proper 95.name, Anebi. Instead, she says Saburdi eKr, "Sabur's father". On his 96.turn, Anebi also says Saburdi gena, "Sabur's mother" to call his wife, Afyet. 97.This tradition is not confined to couples; many elders call each other 98.that way even if they are not related to each other in marriage. The 99.practice is used to show respect to the person one calls; although the

100.practice is changing nowadays, calling a person in his/her proper name 101.while the latter has first-born child shows disrespect. In a way it is 102.acceptance of the parent-role of the adult people in the society. 103.

Lesson 28 Parts of the Human Body Singular aKwer ab lanqi erkwi anukuka knfur Il unquwa shbk shekom qumba Hojeb nan krshim tenkel reHat CibIt Cfr HibT CaQw kes Arem GweduGw etb j'l ungwi neHar smT fndot megab tekes lukw gurib lebeka sembi sanqi br bsot tabiya guaQwa nash gurguma gndflera Ared

Plural head Akwet mouth afif tongue lanqiq tooth erkukw molar ankukw lip kenefut eye Ilil ear unququw hair beard ashkum nose qumf'f eyebrow Hawejib hand nantit forearm kereshm upper arm tenekl palm arHut finger aCabI finger nail aCafr armpit HabaT groin CaQwat shoulder kes's skin Arum stomach GwesukW navel intestine jl'l breast ungukw chest neHal'l rib asmaT buttock fenedit thigh megabat heel leg lukukw knee gurf'f heart lefek lung semf'f liver sanq'q blood forehead spleen panacea bone throat gurkum thumb neck Arud

Lesson 30 Some comparisons: Blin, Tgre and Tgringa In this Lesson we shall see the degree to which some Blin words and verb patterns are related to the corresponding Tgre and Tgringa ones. Two important comparisn are made. (1) Some pronouns and (2) some verb patterns. I intentionally use the capitals of t in writing the words Tgre and Tgringa. 30.1 Personal pronouns (See Lessons 1 and 2). The first person singular, I, has related forms in all three labguages: Blin: an Tgre: ana Tgringa: ane Second person singular, you, is related in Blin and Tgre: Second person singular, masculine: you Blin: enti Tgre: enta Tgringa: nsKa Second person singular, femine: you Blin: enti Tgre: enti Tgringa: nsKi The third person is not related in all languages: he = Blin: ni, Tgre: htu, Tgringa: nsu she = Blin: nri, Tgre: hta, Tgringa: nsa First person plural: we Blin: yn, Tgre: Hna, Tgringa: nHna Second person Plural, you, has the same form for both genders in Blin but has different forms in both Tgre and Tgringa: Second person plural, masculine: you Blin: entn, Tgre: entum, Tgringa: nsKatkum Second person plural, feminine: you Blin: entn, Tgre: entn, Tgringa: nsKatkn Third person plural, they, is also the same for both genders in Blin but different in Tgre and Tgringa: Third person plural, masculine: they Blin: naw, Tgre: htom, Tgringa: nsatom Third person plural, feminine: they Blin: naw, Tgre: hten, Tgringa: hten 30. Verb patterns (See Lessons, 1, 2 and 8).

In a single sentence, we can know what the subject and object are with out writing the (obejct forms of the pronoun) forms: Example: an enkelekun = I love. We can omit the subject, an, and write: enkelekun = I love. When there is an object, we can also know from the verb what the object is. Example. enkelekunki = I love you. The -ka which is attached to the verb shows that the one whom (direct object) I love is the second person, feminine. These forms are similar in all three languages, Blin, Tgre and Tgringa. I love you (you, feminine): -ki Blin: enkelkunki Tgre: efeteki Tgringa: efetweki ('fetweki) I love you (you, masculine): -ka Blin: enkelkunka Tgre: efeteka Tgringa: efetweka ('fetweka) You love Blin: Tgre: Tgringa:

me (you, masculine) enkeldekule tfeteni tfetweni

You love me (you, feminine) Blin: enkeldekule Tgre: tfetini Tgringa: tfeweni In general, the verb-pattern is as follows: For first person singular (me) the markers of object are shown at the end of each verb. he loves me: Blin: -le (enkelekule) Tgre: -ni (feteni) tgringa: -ni (yfetweni) For second -ka in all Blin: Tgre: Tgringa:

person masculine, you, masculine, as object:the verb ends in three languages. I love you: -ka (enkelekunka) -ka (efeteka) -ka (efetweka, or 'fetweka)

For second love you: Blin: Tgre: Tgringa:

person, singular feminine, you, the object marker is -ki. I -ki (enkelekunki) -ki (efeteka) -ki ('fetweka)

For third person singular masculine, him, the markers are different: you love him Blin: -lu (enkeldekulu) Tgre: -yo (tfetyo) Tgringa: -wo (tfetwo) Her: I love her Blin: -la (enkelekunla) Tgre: -ya (efetiya) Tgringa: -wa (efetwa, or 'fetwa)

For first person plural (us) the marker is -na. Blin: -na (enkelekuna, TeAmbekuna) Tgre: -na (tfetyo, ezebTo) Tgringa: -na (yfetwena, yharmena) You (plural, masculine): I love you Blin. -kum (enkelekunkum) Tgre. -kum (efetekum) Tgringa: -kum (efetwekum, or 'fetwekum) You (plural, feminine): I love you Blin. -kum (enkelunkum) Tgre. -kn (efetekn) Tgringa: -knm (efetwekn, or 'fetwekn) Them (masculine): I love them Blin: -lom (enkelekunlom) Tgre: -om (efetyom) Tgringa: -om (efetwom, or 'fetwom) ..........

NB: This is the last lesson: Some two or three songs will follow before the end of June. Thank you. ........

Exercise 1 Insert the appropriate personal pronoun (an, enti ni, etc.) in the blank spac e and translate each statement into English. 1. _______ Keren ferd`no gn. 2. _______ genjuKun (genjuKwn). 3. Petros md (lunch) Qakw. _____ ameri ferdo gn. 4. _______ sabiti. 5. ____ blin kntnekwn. 6. ____ blin kntenekw. 7. ____ dan kuKw gn. 8. ____ ameri Keren fertno gn. 9. Hajai feruKw. ___ mada yuKw gn. 10. Shaket ferti. __ meherseti.

Answers to Exercise 1 1. naw 2. an. 3. ni

4. nri 5. yn 6. naw

7. ni or an 8. entn (ent'n). 9. Hni

1. naw Keren ferd`no gn.

They will go to Keren

2. an genjuKun (genjuKwn).

I slept

10. nri

3. Petros md (lunch) Qakw. ni ameri ferdo gn. Petros eats lunch. He will go tomorrow. 4. nri 5. yn

sabiti.

She praised

blin kntnekwn.

We study Blin

6. naw blin kntenekw.

They study Blin

7. an kudan gn. ni kudan gn.

I am a brother of yours, or, He is a brother of yours.

8. entn ameri

You (plural) will go to Keren tomorrow.

Keren fertno gn.

9. Hajai feruKw. ni mada yuKw gn.

Hajai went (away). He is a friend of mine.

10. Shaket ferti. nri meherseti.

Shaket went (away). She studies.