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Shopping Conversation
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Maamila: Makorooniin jiraa?
Abba suuqi: Jira. Kan akkamii barbaadda?
Maamila: Gosa isa guddaa. Kiiloo walakkaa kenni.
Abba suuqi: Tole. Waan biraa?
Maamila: Kibiriitiin jira?
Abba suuqi: Eeyee, meeqa barbaadda?
Maamila: Gatiin isaa meeqaa?
Abba suuqi: Darzana tokko qarshii shan.
Maamila: Mi'aa dha. Hin hir'atu?
Abba suuqi: Tole, qarshii afur danda'ama.
Maamila: Dimshaasha meeqa?
Abba suuqi: Afur fi torba saantima shantama qarshii kudha tokko saantima shantama dha.
Maamila: Kunoo. Galatoomi.
Abba suuqi: Atis galatoomi.
[For translation see here]
The Numbers in Oromo
Numbers come after the noun they modify, so that “two mangoes” is “mangoo lama”, just as “five birr” is “qarshii shan” and 200 is dhibba lama. Ordinal numbers are formed by adding the suffix -ffaa or -affaa to the number. Fractions can be expressed by saying the numerator as a cardinal number and then the denominator as an ordinal number.
Numbers
| 0 — zeeroo, duwwaa | 40 — afurtama |
| 1 — tokko | 50 — shantama |
| 2 — lama | 60 — jahaatama, ja'aatama |
| 3 — sadii | 70 — torbaatama |
| 4 — afur | 80 — saddeettama |
| 5 — shan | 90 — sagaltama |
| 6 — jaha, ja'a | 100 — dhibba (tokko) |
| 7 — torba | 101 — dhibba (tokko) fi tokko |
| 8 — saddeet | 102 — dhibba (tokko) fi lama |
| 9 — sagal | ... |
| 10 — kudhan | 200 — dhibba lama |
| 11 — kudha tokko | 201 — dhibba lama fi tokko |
| 12 — kudha lama | ... |
| ... | 1000 — kumma (tokko) |
| 20 — digdama | 2000 — kuma lama |
| 21 — digdamii tokko | 2043 — kuma lamaa fi afurtamii sadii |
| 22 — digdamii lama | 5327 — kuma shan dhibba sadii fi digdamii torba |
| ... | |
| 30 — soddoma | |
| 31 — soddomii tokko | |
| ... |
Ordinals
1st — tokkoffaa
2nd — lamaffaa
3rd — sadaffaa
4th — arfaffaa, afraffa
5th — shanaffaa
6th — jahaffaa
7th — torbaffaa
8th — saddeetaffaa
9th — sagalaffaa
10th — kurnaffaa, kudhaffaa
11th — kudha tokoffaa
…
Fractions
1/2 — walakkaa (tokko lamaffaa)
1/3 — siisoo, nuusii (tokko sadaffa)
1/4 — kurmaana, ruubi (tokko arfaffaa)
7/8 — torba saddeetaffaa
Combining Numbers
When the same number is repeated, it applies to all items. Thus, “lama lama” means “everything is two (birr)”. Two numbers said together indicate amount of birr for number of items, as in “lama sadii” for “two (birr) for three (items)”.
Chapter Vocabulary
|
maamila |
customer |
|
abba suuqi |
shop keeper |
|
“___ jira?” |
“Do you have ___?” [lit. “Is ___ present?”] |
|
meeqa |
how much/many |
|
“Gatiin saa meeqaa?” |
“How much is its price?” |
|
Barbaadda? |
“Do you want?” |
|
barbaaduu |
to want |
|
bituu |
to buy |
|
“___ bituun barbaada” |
“I want to buy ___” |
|
qarshii |
Ethiopian birr |
|
saantima |
cent (100th of a birr) |
|
deebii |
change [lit. “response”] |
|
“Mi'aa dha” |
“It's expensive” |
|
“Rakasa dha” |
“It's cheap” |
|
gudda |
big |
|
“Kan akkami?” |
“What kind?” |
|
kilo tokko |
one kilo |
|
“Meeqa barbaadda?” |
“How many do you want?” |
|
“Meeqa si keenu?” |
“How many shall I give you?” |
|
“Waan biraa?” |
“What else?” |
|
“Hin hiratu?” |
“Is this your best price?” |
|
“___ naa keeni” |
“Give me ___” |
|
kunoo |
“Here you are” |
|
fidi |
take it |
|
danda'ama |
“It's possible” |
|
tole |
O.K. |
|
eeyee |
yes |
|
lakkoofsa |
number |
|
darzana |
dozen |
|
dimshaasha |
total |
|
fi |
and |
|
tuqaa |
(decimal) point |
|
kibiriitii |
matches |
|
waan biraa |
something else |
|
galatoomi |
thank you |
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