Introduction

This book will provide you with an introduction to modern, colloquial Amharic. By the end of the course you should be able to carry on a reasonable conversation on most everyday topics, express yourself in writing and read simple Amharic. Amharic is a rich and often complex language, and to be able to pick up a novel, or even a magazine or newspaper article and read it without difficulty does take several years of intensive practice. After working through this book, though, you should have much of the necessary groundwork to make your way in the language. I should like to express my gratitude to Yalew Kebbede for checking the Amharic dialogue and passages in this course and for his assistance in the recording of the accompanying audio material.