Looking for practical Amharic (አማርኛ) to Shona phrases? This free guide lists 100 essential sentences for travel, study, work, and everyday conversation. Each line shows the Amharic phrase first, then the Shona translation (Shona) — so you can scan quickly before a trip, class, or video call.
The phrases are grouped into eight topics: greetings and pleasantries, useful phrases for travellers, everyday conversation, directions and getting around, shopping and dining, emergencies and health, work and business, and time, days and numbers. Use the table of contents to jump straight to greetings, directions, dining, emergencies, or numbers. You do not need perfect grammar to start — short, clear sentences often work better than silence when you are learning Shona.
Tip: when a Shona phrase looks unfamiliar, compare it with the Amharic wording — noticing word order differences helps you understand grammar naturally.
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Greetings and pleasantries
Hello, goodbye, please, thank you, and polite introductions for meeting new people.
ሰላም
Mhoro(Selam)
እናመሰግናለን
Ndatenda(Enamesegenalew)
ደህና መልካም ጡዋት
Mangwanani akanaka(Dehna melkam t'uwat)
ደህና መልካም ከረባ
Masikati akanaka(Dehna melkam kereba)
ደህና መልካም እለት
Manheru akanaka(Dehna melkam elet)
ደህና ምሽት
Usiku hwakanaka(Dehna mishiht)
በኋላ እንገናኝ
Tichasangana gare gare(Behwala engegnay)
ደህና ሁን
Sara zvakanaka(Dehna hun)
ስምህ ምንድነው?
Zita rako ndiani?(Simeh mindnew?)
ስሜ ጆን ነው
Zita rangu ndiri John(Sime Jon new)
እንዴት ነህ/ነሽ?
Uri sei?(Endet neh/nesh?)
እንኳን ወደ ተገናኝነት ደስ ይበልህ/በልሽ
Ndinofara kukuziva(Enkwan wede tegegnanet des yibelih/belish)
Useful phrases for travellers
Airport, hotel, tickets, and transport phrases for getting around on a trip.
እንግሊዝኛ ትናገራለህ?
Unotaura Chirungu here?(unotaura chirungu here)
ሂንዲ ደህና አልናገርም
Handitauri Hindi zvakanaka(handitauri hindi zvakanaka)