አይደለም
ʾaydällämm/(ʔ)ajˈdəlːəmː/
The English word 'no' is expressed in Amharic as አይደለም (ʾaydällämm).
አይደለም is used to show disagreement or negation.
Meaning: used to show disagreement or negation (particle)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
አይደለም functions as the negative form of the verb 'to be' (is/am/are) in the third person singular, meaning 'it is not'.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is ʾaydällämm and the IPA is /(ʔ)ajˈdəlːəmː/.
Did you know?
- When denying a request, an Ethiopian might say እሺ meaning 'okay' first as a polite gesture before explaining why the answer is actually 'no'.
- In many Ethiopian cultures, nodding can sometimes mean 'no' depending on the specific regional context, even if you say አይደለም aloud. You should always listen to the verbal negation to be sure.
- The morphological structure of አይደለም reflects the Ge'ez linguistic heritage, which is the classical liturgical language of Ethiopia. This gives the word a deep historical and formal weight.
Examples in context
- አይደለም።It is not.
- እሱ ሐኪም አይደለም።essu ḥakim aydelem.He is not a doctor.
- ይህ መጽሐፍ አይደለም።yih meṣḥaf aydelem.This is not a book.
Example conversation
Sarah and Elias are talking about whether a man is a teacher.
- ሳራ Saraእሱ መምህር ነው?essu memhir nev?Is he a teacher?
- ኤልያስ Eliasአይደለም፣ እሱ ተማሪ ነው።aydelem, essu temari nev.No, he is a student.
- ሳራ Saraበእርግጥ?be'irgit?Really?
- ኤልያስ Eliasአዎ፣ እርግጠኛ ነኝ።awo, irgit'eña neñ.Yes, I am sure.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry አይደለም, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
