Comments on: New Years? http://blog.idaimages.com/2010/01/02/new-years/ Blog of Ida C. Benedetto, Brooklyn based media strategist and producer who works with visual media and digital technology to foster storytelling, collaboration and diversity. Mon, 26 Dec 2011 10:21:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Ida C. Benedetto – Blog » Where Time and Space are Not Rationalized http://blog.idaimages.com/2010/01/02/new-years/comment-page-1/#comment-325 Ida C. Benedetto – Blog » Where Time and Space are Not Rationalized Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:32:00 +0000 http://blog.idaimages.com/?p=1632#comment-325 [...] an earlier post, I made a fumbling attempt to describe local conceptions of time that leave foreigners like me [...] […] an earlier post, I made a fumbling attempt to describe local conceptions of time that leave foreigners like me […]

]]> By: idaimages http://blog.idaimages.com/2010/01/02/new-years/comment-page-1/#comment-285 idaimages Sun, 03 Jan 2010 05:00:39 +0000 http://blog.idaimages.com/?p=1632#comment-285 Hi Bre, 'Emetalehu' can mean 'I go' (present), 'I regularly go' (habitual), and 'I will go' (future). I've had this conversation a number of times, and it always sends me looking through my <a href="http://books.google.com.et/books?id=EzQ2s-bLRiIC&pg=PA88&lpg=PA88&dq=amharic+future+tense&source=bl&ots=GDlebpd4wH&sig=ME1rtc3jMOVQzReCNouBmJHMbpY&hl=am&ei=bSFAS4DCMYOd4Qat5rSqCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBIQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=amharic%20future%20tense&f=false" rel="nofollow">grammar books</a> and double checking with my Amharic teacher about the future tense. The verdict is always that Amharic can express events in the future, but it's not done with a strict future tense like in English. I do realize now that I mislabeled my parts of speech above. This is the simple imperfect tense. What you call the present tense, (Eyemetahu new, I am coming) is the present continuous. Ida Hi Bre,

‘Emetalehu’ can mean ‘I go’ (present), ‘I regularly go’ (habitual), and ‘I will go’ (future). I’ve had this conversation a number of times, and it always sends me looking through my grammar books and double checking with my Amharic teacher about the future tense. The verdict is always that Amharic can express events in the future, but it’s not done with a strict future tense like in English.

I do realize now that I mislabeled my parts of speech above. This is the simple imperfect tense. What you call the present tense, (Eyemetahu new, I am coming) is the present continuous.

Ida

]]> By: bre http://blog.idaimages.com/2010/01/02/new-years/comment-page-1/#comment-283 bre Sat, 02 Jan 2010 22:29:30 +0000 http://blog.idaimages.com/?p=1632#comment-283 Happy New Year... ...just wanted to note on the Amharic future tense. It sure exists. I went = Heje neber (or Hedku) I am coming = Eyemetahu new I will come = Emetalehu You must have been misinformed :) I guess it could just be the level of English that complicates communication. Enjoy your stay Bre Happy New Year…
…just wanted to note on the Amharic future tense. It sure exists.
I went = Heje neber (or Hedku)
I am coming = Eyemetahu new
I will come = Emetalehu
You must have been misinformed :)
I guess it could just be the level of English that complicates communication.

Enjoy your stay
Bre

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