Looking for practical Swahili to Amharic (አማርኛ) phrases? This free guide lists 100 essential sentences for travel, study, work, and everyday conversation. Each line shows the Swahili 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: read the Amharic line out loud three times, then cover the Swahili side and try to recall the meaning — repetition builds memory faster than silent reading.
Bookmark this page for offline review, share it with a travel buddy, or open the Swahili 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.
Habari
ሰላም(Selam)
Asante
እናመሰግናለን(Enamesegenalew)
Habari ya asubuhi
ደህና መልካም ጡዋት(Dehna melkam t'uwat)
Habari ya mchana
ደህና መልካም ከረባ(Dehna melkam kereba)
Habari ya jioni
ደህና መልካም እለት(Dehna melkam elet)
Usiku mwema
ደህና ምሽት(Dehna mishiht)
Tutaonana baadaye
በኋላ እንገናኝ(Behwala engegnay)
Kwaheri
ደህና ሁን(Dehna hun)
Jina lako nani?
ስምህ ምንድነው?(Simeh mindnew?)
Jina langu ni John
ስሜ ጆን ነው(Sime Jon new)
Habari gani?
እንዴት ነህ/ነሽ?(Endet neh/nesh?)
Nafurahi kukutana na wewe
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.