Chapter 13: Grammar Fundamentals
A guide to Oromo prepositions, negation, questions, adverbs, and pronouns.
Prepositions
In general, they are used to link words to other words. For example: I speak Oromo and English the preposition is [and] because it connects both words Oromo and English. The following is a list of the most used prepositions in Oromo.
| Prepositions | Oromo |
|---|---|
| and | fi |
| above | gubbaa / gararraa |
| under | jala / gajjallaa |
| before | dura |
| after | booddee / booda |
| in front of | fullee isaa |
| behind | dudduuba / dugda duuba |
| far from | irraa siqee / iraa fagaatee |
| near | bira |
| in | keessa |
| inside | keessa |
| outside | ala |
| with | wajjin |
| without | malee |
| about | waa'ee |
| between | gidduu |
| but | garuu |
| for | f |
| from | irraa, ittii |
| to | itti |
Preposition Grammar Rules
| Prepositions + Rules | Oromo |
|---|---|
| "I eat without a knife" [preposition + noun] | haaduu malee nyaadha |
| "she lives near the church" [verb + preposition] | mana kadhata bira jiraatti |
| "he is taller than her" [adjective + preposition] | ojjaadhan isee caala |
| "he came with his small dog" [preposition + pronoun] | saree sa xinno wajjin dhufe |
| "can you come with me?" [preposition + pronoun] | na wajjin dhufitta? |
Negation in Oromo
Now let's learn how to make a negative sentence (negation). For example: Saying no, I can't, I don't ... The following examples use negation in different ways and places to demonstrate how they behave in a sentence.
| Negation + Rules | Oromo |
|---|---|
| "I understand you" [affirmative form] | dubbiin ke naa gala |
| "I don't understand you" [negation + verb] | dubbiin ke naan ngalle |
| "this is not the correct word" [negation + adjective] | jechi kun sirritti hin-ibsu |
| "don't leave me" [imperative negation] | na gattee hindeemin |
| "no problem" [negation + noun] | rakinni hinjiru |
Negative Sentences
| Negative Sentences | Oromo |
|---|---|
| "I don't speak French" [negation + present tense] | afaan faransaayi hinbeeu |
| "she didn't visit Germany" [negation + past tense] | biyya jarmanii dhaqxee hinbeektu |
| "he cannot see us" [negative modal verb] | inni nu argu hindanda'u |
| "can't she play chess?" [interrogative negation] | ishiin cheesi taphachu hinbeektu? |
| "we will not come late" [negation + future tense] | yeroo dabarsinee hindhufnu |
Questions in Oromo
Now let's learn how to ask questions (interrogative). Such as: what, why, can you ...? Here are some common examples:
| English | Oromo |
|---|---|
| how? | attamitti? |
| what? | maal? |
| who? | eenyu? |
| why? | maaliif? |
| where? | eessa? |
More of the interrogative form, now in a sentence:
| Questions + Rules | Oromo |
|---|---|
| "where do you live?" [interrogative + verb] | eessa jiraatta? |
| "does she speak Chinese?" [interrogative verb] | afaan chaayina beeka? |
| "how much is this?" [interrogative preposition] | kun gatiin meeqa? |
| "can I help you?" [interrogative modal verb] | maal si gargaaru? |
| "what is your name?" [interrogative preposition] | maqaan ke eenyu? |
Adverbs in Oromo
It's time to learn the adverbs in Oromo. But what is an adverb? In general, adverbs modify verbs and adjectives. For example: You speak fast. The adverb is [fast] because it describes the verb and answers the question how do you speak?. Here is a list of the most common ones:
| Adverbs | Oromo |
|---|---|
| now | amma |
| yesterday | kaleessa |
| today | harr'a |
| tonight | edana |
| tomorrow | bor |
| soon | dhiyootti |
| quickly | dafee |
| slowly | suuta |
| together | walii wajjin |
| very | baayyee |
| almost | xinnoo hanqata |
| always | yeroo hunda |
| usually | yeroo baayyee |
| sometimes | gaaffii gaaf |
| rarely | darbee darbee |
| never | matuma |
The following examples use the adverbs in different ways and places to demonstrate how it behaves in a sentence.
| Adverbs + Rules | Oromo |
|---|---|
| "do you understand me now?" [pronoun + adverb] | amma sii galee? |
| "I need help immediately" [noun + adverb] | gargaarsi hatattamaan na barbaachisa |
| "she is very intelligent" [adverb + adjective] | iseen gar malee abshaala |
| "I will always love you" [verb + adverb] | yoomiyyuu siin jaaladha |
| "can we learn German together?" [adverb in a question] | walii wajjin afaan jarmanii baruu dandeenya? |
Pronouns in Oromo
This time we will learn the pronouns in Oromo. In general, a pronoun can be used instead of a noun. For example instead of saying my teacher speaks 3 languages, you can use the pronoun he, and say he speaks 3 languages. Here is a list of the most common ones:
| Personal Pronouns | Oromo |
|---|---|
| I | ani |
| you | ati |
| he | inni |
| she | isheen |
| we | nuhi |
| they | isaan |
Personal Pronouns
| Personal Pronouns | Oromo |
|---|---|
| "I am your friend" [1st pronoun + verb] | ani jaala keeti |
| "you speak very fast" [2nd pronoun + adverb] | daddaftee dubbatta |
| "he has three dogs" [3rd pronoun + verb] | inni saree sadii qaba |
| "she can speak German" [3rd pronoun + verb] | afaan jarmanii beekti |
| "we will not come late" [1st plural pronoun] | yeroo dabarsinee hindhufnu |
| "they bought milk and bread" [3rd plural pronoun] | daabboo fi annan bitatan |