እግዚአብሔር ይባርክህ
’əgzi’abəḥer yəbarkəh
In Amharic, "God bless you" is said as እግዚአብሔር ይባርክህ (’əgzi’abəḥer yəbarkəh).
This phrase is used to respond to someone who has sneezed.
Meaning: said to somebody who has sneezed (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of እግዚአብሔር (God) and ይባርክህ (may he bless you).
Which one should you use?
The form እግዚአብሔር ይባርክህ is the masculine form used specifically when speaking to a man.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes based on the gender of the person being addressed: use 'yəbarkəh' for a male and 'yəbarkəsh' for a female. To address someone formally or to a group, use the form 'yəbarkəwo'.
How do you pronounce it?
’əgzi’abəḥer yəbarkəh
Did you know?
- Amharic uses a unique script called 'fidel' where each character represents a consonant and a vowel combined, meaning the word እግዚአብሔር is written as a series of syllables rather than individual letters.
- The verb root in ይባርክህ is related to the concept of 'making something flourish' or 'making it fruitful'.
- While English speakers say 'God bless you' almost exclusively for sneezes, እግዚአብሔር ይባርክህ can be used as a general heartfelt thank you or a parting wish.
Example conversation
A man sneezes while sitting in a living room with a woman.
- ኤልሳቤጥ Elsabethአቻች! እግዚአብሔር ይባርክህ።achach! egzi'abḥer yibarikih.Bless you! God bless you.
- ኤልያስ Eliasአመሰግናለሁ ኤልሳቤጥ።ameseginalehu Elsabēt.Thank you, Elsabēt.
- ኤልሳቤጥ Elsabethጤና ይስጥህ።ṭéna yisṭih.May He give you health.
- ኤልያስ Eliasአሜን።amēn.Amen.
