ስምህ ማን ነው?
Simih man new?
The English phrase "what is your name?" is translated into Amharic as ስምህ ማን ነው? (Simih man new?)
This phrase is used to ask someone for their name.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ስምህ ማን ነው? literally translates to "Your name who is?" Simih means "your name", man means "who" and new means "is".
Which one should you use?
The form ስምህ ማን ነው? is used when addressing a male. To ask a female, you use ስምሽ ማን ነው? To address an elder or speak politely, you use ስምዎ ማን ነው?
How do you pronounce it?
Simih man new?
When do people say it?
When responding to this question, you can say ስሜ … ነው (Sime … new) to mean "My name is …".
Did you know?
- Amharic names often have meanings based on the circumstances of birth, so asking ስምህ ማን ነው? often leads to a story about why the name was chosen.
- While ስምህ ማን ነው? is the standard question, it is common in Ethiopia to first ask ጤና ይስጥልኝ ('May health be given to you') before asking for a name.
- The word ማን ('who') shares a common root with the Arabic word مَنْ ('man').
Examples in context
- ስምህ ማን ነው?simih man new?What is your name?
- ስምህ ማን ነው? እባክህ ንገረኝ።simih man new? ibakih nigeregn.What is your name? Please tell me.
- ይቅርታ፣ ስምህ ማን ነው?yikirta, simih man new?Excuse me, what is your name?
Example conversation
Betelhem meets Nati at a cafe for the first time.
- ቤተልሔም Betelhemሰላም፣ ስምህ ማን ነው?selam, simih man new?Hello, what is your name?
- ናቲ Natiሰላም፣ ስሜ ናቲ ነው።selam, simie Nati new.Hello, my name is Nati.
- ቤተልሔም Betelhemደስ ብሎኛል ናቲ።des bilognal Nati.Nice to meet you, Nati.
- ናቲ Natiእኔም ደስ ብሎኛል ቤተልሔም።inem des bilognal Betelhem.Nice to meet you too, Betelhem.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ማን, ነው, CC BY-SA 4.0.
