Amharic time words — today, tomorrow, morning, now
A dozen little words put every plan and every story on a timeline. These are the ones daily Amharic leans on.
Days and moments
| Amharic | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ዛሬ | zaré | today |
| ነገ | nege | tomorrow |
| ትናንት | tinant | yesterday |
| አሁን | ahun | now |
| ጠዋት | tewat | morning |
| ማታ | mata | evening / night, depending on context |
| በኋላ | behwala | later / afterward, depending on context |
| ከዚያ | keziya | then / after that |
Ethiopia counts hours from sunrise, not midnight: what English calls 7:00 in the morning is “1 o'clock” in Ethiopian time. When someone names an hour, it is worth confirming which system they mean.
Ethiopia also keeps its own calendar — thirteen months, and a new year in September. Dates in conversation usually follow it.
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