Looking for practical Shona to Amharic (አማርኛ) phrases? This free guide lists 100 essential sentences for travel, study, work, and everyday conversation. Each line shows the Shona phrase first, then the Amharic translation (አማርኛ) — 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 Amharic.
Tip: when a Amharic phrase looks unfamiliar, compare it with the Shona 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 Shona to Amharic (አማርኛ) 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.
Mhoro
ሰላም(Selam)
Ndatenda
እናመሰግናለን(Enamesegenalew)
Mangwanani akanaka
ደህና መልካም ጡዋት(Dehna melkam t'uwat)
Masikati akanaka
ደህና መልካም ከረባ(Dehna melkam kereba)
Manheru akanaka
ደህና መልካም እለት(Dehna melkam elet)
Usiku hwakanaka
ደህና ምሽት(Dehna mishiht)
Tichasangana gare gare
በኋላ እንገናኝ(Behwala engegnay)
Sara zvakanaka
ደህና ሁን(Dehna hun)
Zita rako ndiani?
ስምህ ምንድነው?(Simeh mindnew?)
Zita rangu ndiri John
ስሜ ጆን ነው(Sime Jon new)
Uri sei?
እንዴት ነህ/ነሽ?(Endet neh/nesh?)
Ndinofara kukuziva
እንኳን ወደ ተገናኝነት ደስ ይበልህ/በልሽ(Enkwan wede tegegnanet des yibelih/belish)
Useful phrases for travellers
Airport, hotel, tickets, and transport phrases for getting around on a trip.