Auxiliary verbs: be, do, have
ረዳት ግሦች (auxiliary verbs)፦ be, do, have
be, do and have work as helpers: they build tenses, questions, negatives and the passive, and they give short answers and replies like So do I and Neither can I.
be, do and have as helpers
Amharic builds tense into the end of the verb: እየሠራ ነው, ሠርቷል. English often uses a separate helper verb instead: he is working, he has worked. The helper carries the tense and the person; the main verb stays the same. To make a question, move the helper before the subject; to make a negative, add not after it. be, do and have can also be main verbs: I have a car, I do the dishes, she is a nurse.
In Amharic
አማርኛ ጊዜን በግሡ መጨረሻ ይገነባል፦ እየሠራ ነው፣ ሠርቷል። እንግሊዝኛ ግን ብዙ ጊዜ የተለየ ረዳት ግሥ ይጠቀማል፦ he is working, he has worked። ጊዜውንና ሰውን የሚይዘው ረዳቱ ነው፤ ዋናው ግሥ አይለወጥም። ጥያቄ ለመሥራት ረዳቱን ከባለቤቱ በፊት ያምጡ፤ አሉታዊ ለመሥራት ከኋላው not ይጨምሩ። be, do እና have ዋና ግሥም ሊሆኑ ይችላሉ፦ I have a car, I do the dishes, she is a nurse።
| Helper | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| be + -ing | continuous tenses | She is working. They were sleeping. |
| be + past participle | the passive | It was made in Mexico. |
| have + past participle | perfect tenses | I have finished. We had left. |
| do / does / did | questions and negatives in the simple tenses | Do you know? He didn't call. |
| do / does / did (stressed) | emphasis | I do like it! She did call. |
| will, can, should… | modals are helpers too | I'll help. Can you come? |
- One helper carries the tense: Does she work? (not Does she works?) Did you see? (not Did you saw?)
- Don't add do to a sentence that already has a helper: I can't swim (not I don't can swim).
- Short forms: isn't, aren't, wasn't, weren't, don't, doesn't, didn't, haven't, hasn't, hadn't.
- My son is doing his homework.
- Have you ever worked in a restaurant?
- I didn't get your message.
- Our building was painted last year.
- Does the bus stop here?
Short answers
In English, a plain Yes or No can sound short or cold. Add the subject and the helper from the question: Do you…? — Yes, I do. Are you…? — No, I'm not. Have you…? — Yes, I have. Don't repeat the main verb.
In Amharic
በእንግሊዝኛ ባዶ Yes ወይም No አጭር ወይም ቀዝቃዛ ሊመስል ይችላል። ባለቤቱንና ከጥያቄው ያለውን ረዳት ይጨምሩ፦ Do you…? — Yes, I do። Are you…? — No, I'm not። Have you…? — Yes, I have። ዋናውን ግሥ አይድገሙ።
| Question | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Do you speak Amharic? | Yes, I do. | No, I don't. |
| Does she drive? | Yes, she does. | No, she doesn't. |
| Did they call? | Yes, they did. | No, they didn't. |
| Are you ready? | Yes, I am. | No, I'm not. |
| Is it raining? | Yes, it is. | No, it isn't. |
| Have you eaten? | Yes, I have. | No, I haven't. |
| Can you come? | Yes, I can. | No, I can't. |
- Don't contract a positive short answer: Yes, I am (not Yes, I'm). Yes, she is (not Yes, she's).
- Answer with the helper in the question: Have you…? — Yes, I have (not Yes, I did).
- Do you have your ID? — Yes, I do.
- Is the office open on Saturday? — No, it isn't.
- Have you paid the rent? — Yes, I have.
- Can you work tomorrow? — Yes, I can.
So do I, Neither do I
To agree with someone, use So + helper + subject after a positive sentence, and Neither + helper + subject after a negative one. Use the same helper as the first sentence; if there is none, use do, does or did. In casual speech, Me too and Me neither do the same job. To disagree, use subject + helper: I like it. — I don't.
In Amharic
ከአንድ ሰው ጋር ለመስማማት፣ ከአዎንታዊ ዓረፍተ ነገር በኋላ So + ረዳት + ባለቤት፣ ከአሉታዊ በኋላ ደግሞ Neither + ረዳት + ባለቤት ይጠቀሙ። ከመጀመሪያው ዓረፍተ ነገር ያለውን ረዳት ይጠቀሙ፤ ከሌለ do, does ወይም did ይጠቀሙ። በቀላል ንግግር Me too እና Me neither ተመሳሳይ ሥራ ይሠራሉ። ለመቃወም ባለቤት + ረዳት ይጠቀሙ፦ I like it። — I don't።
| They say | You agree | You disagree |
|---|---|---|
| I love injera. | So do I. / Me too. | I don't. |
| I'm tired. | So am I. | I'm not. |
| I went to the festival. | So did I. | I didn't. |
| I've never been to Texas. | Neither have I. / Me neither. | I have. |
| I can't swim. | Neither can I. | I can. |
| I don't like the cold. | Neither do I. | I do. |
- Word order after So / Neither: helper + subject: So do I (not So I do).
- Neither is followed by a positive helper: Neither do I (not Neither don't I).
- Americans also say Me either for Me neither in casual speech.
- I'm from Gondar. — So am I!
- I didn't understand the letter. — Neither did I.
- I work on weekends. — So does my wife.
- I can't find parking. — Neither can I.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Does she work here? | After does, the base verb, with no -s. | |
| Do you like coffee? — Yes, I do. | Short answers use the helper. | |
| I like injera. — So do I. | So + helper + subject. | |
| I'm not hungry. — Neither am I. | To agree with a negative, use neither. | |
| I can't swim. | A modal is already a helper; no do. | |
| She isn't working today. | The continuous needs be: isn't working. |
Practice
Each answer is checked as you go, with the reason. Nothing here is saved.
___ she work on weekends?
Are you from Gondar? — Yes, I ___. (one word)
Have you eaten? — No, I ___.
I love coffee. — So ___ I. (one word)
I can't drive. — ___ can I.
I was late today. — So ___ I. (one word)
Can you swim? — Yes, I ___.
She ___ working right now; she's on a break.
They didn't come. — Neither ___ we. (one word)
Which sentence uses have as a helper?
My phone was ___ (make) in Korea. (one word)