Verbs & Conjugation / Goosima

Learn how to use English verbs correctly based on the subject.

Regular Verbs

For most verbs, add 's' when the subject is He, She, or It.
Goosima hedduuf, yoo qaamni (subject) He, She, ykn It ta'e, 's' dabali.

Verb	Example (I, You, We, They)	Example (He, She, It)	More Examples
to answer	"I answer him." Ani isaaf nan deebisa.	"He answers right away." Inni yeruma sana deebisa.	"She answers correctly." Isheen sirriitti deebisti.
to arrive	"I arrive on time." Ani yeroon ga'a.	"He arrives late." Inni turee dhufa.	"He arrives with me." Inni ana wajjin dhufa.
to ask	"I ask for a lot." Ani baay'ee gaafadha.	"He asks a question." Inni gaaffii gaafata.	"We ask him again." Nuti irra deebiin isa gaafanna.
to begin	"I begin today." Ani har'a jalqaba.	"He begins late." Inni turee jalqaba.	"He begins class this week." Inni torban kana daree jalqaba.
to believe	"I believe him." Ani isan amana.	"He believes you." Inni sin amana.	"She believes it." Isheen isatti amanti.
to bring	"I bring food." Ani nyaata fida.	"He brings books." Inni kitaabota fida.	"She brings a friend." Isheen hiriyaa ishee fidde.
to call	"I call regularly." Ani yeroo hunda nan bilbila.	"He calls every night." Inni galgala hunda bilbila.	"We call him on the phone." Nuti bilbilaan isaaf bilbilna.
to come	"I come later." Ani booda dhufa.	"He comes tonight." Inni edana dhufa.	"We come home." Nuti gara manaatti dhufna.
to drink	"I drink water." Ani bishaan nan dhuga.	"He drinks milk." Inni anaan dhuga.	"We drink the soda." Nuti laassana dhugna.
to eat	"I eat a lot." Ani baay'ee nyaadha.	"He eats well." Inni gaarii nyaata.	"He eats everything." Inni waan hunda nyaata.
to leave	"I leave late." Ani turee deema.	"He leaves early." Inni ganamaan deema.	"They leave at noon." Isaan sa'aatii ja'atti deemu.
to read	"I read books." Ani kitaabota dubbisa.	"He reads all night." Inni halkan guutuu dubbisa.	"He reads the book." Inni kitaaba dubbisa.
to speak	"I speak English." Ani Afaan Ingiliffaa dubbadha.	"He speaks Spanish." Inni Afaan Ispeen dubbata.	"He speaks at Church." Inni waldaa keessatti dubbata.
to work	"I work every day." Ani guyyaa hunda hojjedha.	"He works too hard." Inni baay'ee jabaatee hojjeta.	"She works on Saturday." Isheen Sanbata hojjetti.
to write	"I write books." Ani kitaabota barreessa.	"He writes a letter." Inni xalayaa barreessa.	"She writes well." Isheen sirriitti barreessiti.

Verbs Ending in o, s, sh, ch, or x

For verbs ending in these letters, add 'es' for He, She, or It.
Goosima qubeewwan kanaan xumuramuuf, 'es' dabali.

Verb	Example (I, You, We, They)	Example (He, She, It)	More Examples
to do	"I do their work." Ani hojii isaanii hojjedha.	"He does their assignment." Inni hojii mana isaanii hojjeta.	"They do well." Isaan gaarii hojjetu.
to go	"I go early today." Ani har'a ganamaan deema.	"He goes until 5:00 p.m." Inni hanga sa'aatii 11tti deema.	"She goes home." Isheen gara manaatti deemti.
to finish	"I finish late." Ani turee xumura.	"He finishes early." Inni ganamaan xumura.	"You finish on time." Ati yeroon xumurta.
to teach	"I teach English." Ani Afaan Ingiliffaa barsiisa.	"He teaches classes." Inni daree barsiisa.	"You teach well." Ati gaarii barsiifta.
to watch	"I watch baseball." Ani baseball ilaala.	"He watches TV." Inni TV ilaala.	"We watch the game." Nuti tapha ilaalla.

Verbs Ending in y

For verbs ending in 'y', change 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'.
Goosima 'y'tti xumuramuuf, 'y' gara 'i'tti jijjiiriitii 'es' dabali.

Verb	Example (I, You, We, They)	Example (He, She, It)	More Examples
to cry	"I cry for help." Ani gargaarsaaf iyyita.	"He cries a lot." Inni baay'ee boo'a.	"I cry at night." Ani halkan nan boo'a.
to fly	"I fly here today." Ani har'a as balali'a.	"He flies a kite." Inni kaaytii balaliisa.	"We fly to New York." Nuti gara New York balaliina.
to study	"I study every day." Ani guyyaa hunda qu'adha.	"He studies for each test." Inni qormaata hundaaf qu'ata.	"They study all weekend." Isaan dhuma torbanii guutuu qu'atu.
to try	"I try every day." Ani guyyaa hunda yaala.	"He tries hard." Inni jabaatee yaala.	"You try to learn Spanish." Ati Afaan Ispeen barachuu yaalta.

Irregular Verbs

These verbs have unique forms that must be memorized.
Goosimonni kun bifa addaa qabu kan sammuutti qabamuu qaban.

Verb	Example (I)	Example (He, She, It)	Example (We, You, They)
to be	"I am busy." Ani hojiin na qaba.	"He is a good learner." Inni barataa gaariidha.	"We are good learners." Nuti barattoota gaariidha.
to be able to	"I am able to eat." Ani nyaachuu nan danda'a.	"He is able to read." Inni dubbisuu danda'a.	"They are able to speak well." Isaan sirriitti dubbachuu danda'u.