Looking for practical Amharic (አማርኛ) to Swahili phrases? This free guide lists 100 essential sentences for travel, study, work, and everyday conversation. Each line shows the Amharic phrase first, then the Swahili translation (Swahili) — 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 Swahili.
Tip: when a Swahili phrase looks unfamiliar, compare it with the Amharic wording — noticing word order differences helps you understand grammar naturally.
Bookmark this page for offline review, share it with a travel buddy, or open the Amharic (አማርኛ) to Swahili translator to paste your own messages and get an instant translation.
Greetings and pleasantries
Hello, goodbye, please, thank you, and polite introductions for meeting new people.
ሰላም
Habari(Selam)
እናመሰግናለን
Asante(Enamesegenalew)
ደህና መልካም ጡዋት
Habari ya asubuhi(Dehna melkam t'uwat)
ደህና መልካም ከረባ
Habari ya mchana(Dehna melkam kereba)
ደህና መልካም እለት
Habari ya jioni(Dehna melkam elet)
ደህና ምሽት
Usiku mwema(Dehna mishiht)
በኋላ እንገናኝ
Tutaonana baadaye(Behwala engegnay)
ደህና ሁን
Kwaheri(Dehna hun)
ስምህ ምንድነው?
Jina lako nani?(Simeh mindnew?)
ስሜ ጆን ነው
Jina langu ni John(Sime Jon new)
እንዴት ነህ/ነሽ?
Habari gani?(Endet neh/nesh?)
እንኳን ወደ ተገናኝነት ደስ ይበልህ/በልሽ
Nafurahi kukutana na wewe(Enkwan wede tegegnanet des yibelih/belish)
Useful phrases for travellers
Airport, hotel, tickets, and transport phrases for getting around on a trip.