ስመይ
smey
In Tigrinya, "my name is" is expressed as ስመይ (smey).
ስመይ is used as a way to identify oneself when stating your name.
Meaning: a way to identify oneself (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a combination of the noun ስም (name) and the first-person singular possessive suffix -ይ (my).
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the complete sentence "my name is [Name]", you typically follow the phrase ስመይ with the copula እዩ (is).
How do you pronounce it?
smey
Did you know?
- In Ethiopia and Eritrea, it is common to identify yourself by your father's name rather than a family surname. When saying ስመይ, the second name provided is usually the father's first name.
- Tigrinya belongs to the Ethio-Semitic branch of languages. This makes the word ስም a distant relative of the Hebrew word 'shem', which also means 'name'.
- In many Ethiopian and Eritrean cultures, including those where Tigrinya is spoken, it is often considered more polite to ask for someone's name through a roundabout question about their family or lineage rather than asking 'what is your name' directly.
Examples in context
- ስመይ ዳዊት እዩ።simē Dawit iyu.My name is Dawit.
- ስመይ ብርሃኑ እዩ።simē Berhanu iyu.My name is Berhanu.
Example conversation
Two people meeting for the first time at a cafe.
- ዳዊት Dawitሰላም፣ ስመይ ዳዊት እዩ።Selam, smey Dawit eyu.Hello, my name is Dawit.
- ርእሳ Re'esaሰላም ዳዊት፣ ስመይ ርእሳ እዩ።Selam Dawit, smey Re'esa eyu.Hello Dawit, my name is Re'esa.
- ዳዊት Dawitብተዛረብና ብሕጉስ እየ።Btizarebna bhigus eye.I am happy we talked.
- ርእሳ Re'esaኣነ እውን ብሕጉስ እየ።Ane ewun bhigus eye.I am happy as well.
