For autodidact students of Geʽez, "be" has two homes. Lesson 1 taught the first: the present "is" of a noun sentence, made with the pronoun ውእቱ (wəʾətu) after the predicate, or with no word at all: ንጉሥ ውእቱ (nəguś wəʾətu), "he is king". That sentence has no verb and no tense. When Geʽez needs "be" as a real verb (in the past, in the future, as a wish or a command, or in the sense "become, come about, happen"), it uses the headword of this lesson.
ኮነ (kona), "he was, he became; it happened". ኮነ is a verb, and it changes for person, number and tense like any other verb. Its root is k-w-n, the same root as Arabic kāna, "he was". The dictionary gives it under the form of the perfect, "he was": ኮነ.
It does four jobs:
- "There was, there came to be": ወኮነ ብርሃን (wa-kona bərhān), "and there was light" (Genesis 1:3). - "Became, was", with a predicate: ኮነ ንጉሠ (kona nəguśa), "he became king". - "Will be", in the imperfect: ይከውን (yəkawwən), "he will be"; ትከውን (təkawwən), "you will be". - "Let there be, let it be", in the jussive: ለይኩን ብርሃን (la-yəkun bərhān), "let there be light" (Genesis 1:3).
The predicate stands in the accusative. What a subject becomes or is with ኮነ normally takes the accusative ending -a, the ending of the object, which Lesson 1 taught: ንጉሥ (nəguś), "king" → ኮነ ንጉሠ (kona nəguśa), "he became king"; ካህን (kāhən), "priest" → ኮነ ካህነ, "he became a priest". This is the opposite of the noun sentence, where the predicate is bare: ንጉሥ ውእቱ, "he is king". Arabic has the same rule with kāna. The nominative is also found, especially with an adjective in "it is (not) good": ኢኮነ ሠናይ (ʾi-kona śanāy), "it is not good" (Genesis 2:18).
Three stems. Like every Geʽez verb, ኮነ has three main stems, and because its middle root letter is w, each looks different:
- the perfect, for the past: ኮነ (kona), "he was, he became" - the imperfect, for the present and future: ይከውን (yəkawwən), "he is (habitually), he will be" - the jussive, for wishes and commands: ይኩን (yəkun), "let him be"; with ለ- (la-), ለይኩን, "let there be"
Negation is the prefix ኢ- (ʾi-), "not": ኢኮነ (ʾi-kona), "he was not, it is not".
Etymology and family. The k-w-n root runs through the Semitic languages. Inside Ethiopia it lives on in Tigrinya ኮነ and the jussive ይኹን (yəḫun), "let it be", and the Amharic verb ሆነ (hona), "to become", which does the same job: the Amharic Bible's "the Word became flesh" is ቃልም ሥጋ ሆነ.
Script note: ኮነ is two letters. ኮ (ko) is the seventh form of k, the o-form; ነ (na) is the first form of n. In ይከውን the letter ው (wə) is the sixth form of w, and the w is doubled in pronunciation (yəkawwən), though the script does not show it: Geʽez writing never marks a long consonant. In ይኩን the letter ኩ (ku) is the second form of k. The three stems can therefore be told apart by the first letter of the root: ኮ in the perfect, ከ + ው in the imperfect, ኩ in the jussive.
Key Takeaways: - The present "is" of a noun sentence needs no verb (Lesson 1); ኮነ is "be" as a verb - ኮነ (kona): "was, became, came to be, happened" - ይከውን (yəkawwən): "will be"; ይኩን (yəkun): "let him be"; ለይኩን: "let there be" - The predicate of ኮነ is usually accusative: ኮነ ንጉሠ, "he became king" - ኢ- negates: ኢኮነ, "it was not, it is not" - ወኮነ ከማሁ, "and it was so", is a refrain of the creation story
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2.1a ኮነ there-was ብርሃን light
2.1b kona (koh-nuh) be.PERF.3M bərhān (bihr-hahn) light
2.2a ለይኩን let-there-be ብርሃን light
2.2b la-yəkun (luh-yih-koon) let-be.JUSS.3M bərhān (bihr-hahn) light
2.3a ኮነት came ዕለት a-day
2.3b konat (koh-nuht) be.PERF.3F ʿəlat (ih-luht) day
2.4a ኮነ he-became ንጉሠ king
2.4b kona (koh-nuh) be.PERF.3M nəguśa (nih-goo-suh) king-ACC
2.5a ኢኮነ it-is-not ሠናይ good
2.5b ʾi-kona (ee-koh-nuh) not-be.PERF.3M śanāy (suh-nigh) good.M
2.6a ኮነ became ውእቱ the ብእሲ man ካህነ a-priest
2.6b kona (koh-nuh) be.PERF.3M wəʾətu (wih-ih-too) that.M bəʾsi (bih-see) man kāhəna (kah-hih-nuh) priest-ACC
2.7a ኮነት became ይእቲ the ብእሲት woman ንግሥተ queen
2.7b konat (koh-nuht) be.PERF.3F yəʾəti (yih-ih-tee) that.F bəʾsit (bih-seet) woman nəgəśta (nih-gihs-tuh) queen-ACC
2.8a ይከውን will-be ወልዱ his-son ንጉሠ king
2.8b yəkawwən (yih-kuhw-wihn) be.IMPF.3M waldu (wuhl-doo) son-3M.POSS nəguśa (nih-goo-suh) king-ACC
2.9a ወትከውን and-you-will-be አበ father-of ብዙኅ many አሕዛብ nations
2.9b wa-təkawwən (wuh-tih-kuhw-wihn) and-be.IMPF.2M ʾaba (uh-buh) father.ACC.CSTR bəzuḫ (bih-zooh) many ʾaḥzāb (uhh-zahb) nation.PL
2.10a ዝንቱ this መጽሐፍ book ይኩንክሙ let-it-be-to-you ሥርዐተ a-rule
2.10b zəntu (zihn-too) this.M maṣḥaf (muhts'-huhf) book yəkunkəmu (yih-koon-kih-moo) be.JUSS.3M-2MPL.OBJ śərʿata (sihr-uh-tuh) rule-ACC
2.11a ወኮነ and-it-was ከማሁ so
2.11b wa-kona (wuh-koh-nuh) and-be.PERF.3M kamāhu (kuh-mah-hoo) like-3M.POSS
2.12a ወይከውኑ and-will-be ክልኤሆሙ the-two-of-them አሐደ one ሥጋ flesh
2.12b wa-yəkawwənu (wuh-yih-kuhw-wih-noo) and-be.IMPF.3MPL kəlʾehomu (kihl-ay-hoh-moo) two-3MPL.POSS ʾaḥada (uh-huh-duh) one-ACC śəgā (sih-gah) flesh
2.13a ወይቤ and-said እግዚአብሔር God ይኩኑ let-there-be ብርሃናት lights ውስተ in ጠፈረ firmament-of ሰማይ heaven
2.13b wa-yəbe (wuh-yih-bay) and-say.PERF.3M ʾƎgziʾabəḥer (ihg-zee-ah-bih-hayr) God yəkunu (yih-koo-noo) be.JUSS.3MPL bərhānāt (bihr-hah-naht) light.PL wəsta (wihs-tuh) in ṭafara (t'uh-fuh-ruh) firmament.CSTR samāy (suh-migh) heaven
2.14a ወምድርሰ and-the-earth ኢታስተርኢ was-not-seen ወኢኮነት and-was-not ድሉተ ready
2.14b wa-mədr-sa (wuh-mihdr-suh) and-earth-TOPIC ʾi-tāstarʾi (ee-tahs-tuhr-ee) not-appear.IMPF.3F wa-ʾi-konat (wuh-ee-koh-nuht) and-not-be.PERF.3F dəluta (dih-loo-tuh) ready.F-ACC
2.15a ኮንኩ I-became ካህነ a-priest ወይከውን and-will-be ወልድየ my-son ካህነ a-priest
2.15b konku (kohn-koo) be.PERF.1SG kāhəna (kah-hih-nuh) priest-ACC wa-yəkawwən (wuh-yih-kuhw-wihn) and-be.IMPF.3M waldəya (wuhl-dih-yuh) son-1SG.POSS kāhəna (kah-hih-nuh) priest-ACC
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2.1 ኮነ ብርሃን። (kona bərhān) "There was light." 2.2 ለይኩን ብርሃን። (la-yəkun bərhān) "Let there be light." 2.3 ኮነት ዕለት። (konat ʿəlat) "Day came." 2.4 ኮነ ንጉሠ። (kona nəguśa) "He became king." 2.5 ኢኮነ ሠናይ። (ʾi-kona śanāy) "It is not good." 2.6 ኮነ ውእቱ ብእሲ ካህነ። (kona wəʾətu bəʾsi kāhəna) "The man became a priest." 2.7 ኮነት ይእቲ ብእሲት ንግሥተ። (konat yəʾəti bəʾsit nəgəśta) "The woman became queen." 2.8 ይከውን ወልዱ ንጉሠ። (yəkawwən waldu nəguśa) "His son will be king." 2.9 ወትከውን አበ ብዙኅ አሕዛብ። (wa-təkawwən ʾaba bəzuḫ ʾaḥzāb) "And you will be the father of many nations." 2.10 ዝንቱ መጽሐፍ ይኩንክሙ ሥርዐተ። (zəntu maṣḥaf yəkunkəmu śərʿata) "Let this book be a rule for you." 2.11 ወኮነ ከማሁ። (wa-kona kamāhu) "And it was so." 2.12 ወይከውኑ ክልኤሆሙ አሐደ ሥጋ። (wa-yəkawwənu kəlʾehomu ʾaḥada śəgā) "And the two of them will be one flesh." 2.13 ወይቤ እግዚአብሔር ይኩኑ ብርሃናት ውስተ ጠፈረ ሰማይ። (wa-yəbe ʾƎgziʾabəḥer yəkunu bərhānāt wəsta ṭafara samāy) "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven." 2.14 ወምድርሰ ኢታስተርኢ ወኢኮነት ድሉተ። (wa-mədr-sa ʾi-tāstarʾi wa-ʾi-konat dəluta) "And the earth could not be seen, and it was not made ready." 2.15 ኮንኩ ካህነ ወይከውን ወልድየ ካህነ። (konku kāhəna wa-yəkawwən waldəya kāhəna) "I became a priest, and my son will be a priest."
Sources: 2.2 is from Genesis 1:3, and 2.1 is adapted from the same verse; 2.5 is from Genesis 2:18; 2.9 is from Genesis 17:4; 2.11 is the refrain of Genesis 1 (1:6, 1:9, 1:15); 2.12 is from Genesis 2:24; 2.13 is from Genesis 1:14; 2.14 is from Genesis 1:2. 2.3 is adapted from Genesis 2:4 (አመ ኮነት ዕለት, "when the day came"), and 2.10 from Genesis 17:11 (ወይኩንክሙ ሥርዐተ, "and let it be a rule for you"). The other sentences are composed by the Latinum Institute from the vocabulary of these lessons.
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2.1 ኮነ ብርሃን። 2.2 ለይኩን ብርሃን። 2.3 ኮነት ዕለት። 2.4 ኮነ ንጉሠ። 2.5 ኢኮነ ሠናይ። 2.6 ኮነ ውእቱ ብእሲ ካህነ። 2.7 ኮነት ይእቲ ብእሲት ንግሥተ። 2.8 ይከውን ወልዱ ንጉሠ። 2.9 ወትከውን አበ ብዙኅ አሕዛብ። 2.10 ዝንቱ መጽሐፍ ይኩንክሙ ሥርዐተ። 2.11 ወኮነ ከማሁ። 2.12 ወይከውኑ ክልኤሆሙ አሐደ ሥጋ። 2.13 ወይቤ እግዚአብሔር ይኩኑ ብርሃናት ውስተ ጠፈረ ሰማይ። 2.14 ወምድርሰ ኢታስተርኢ ወኢኮነት ድሉተ። 2.15 ኮንኩ ካህነ ወይከውን ወልድየ ካህነ።
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These are the grammar rules for the verb ኮነ (kona), "be, become", in Geʽez.
Two ways to say "be". The present "is" with a noun or adjective is a noun sentence with no verb: ንጉሥ ውእቱ, "he is king" (Lesson 1). ኮነ is used when "be" has to be a verb: for the past (2.6), the future (2.8), a wish (2.2), existence (2.1) or a change of state, "become" (2.4, 2.7).
The perfect: past, "was, became". The perfect of ኮነ has the o-form ኮ (ko) throughout. The forms used in this lesson and the Genre Section: - ኮነ (kona): he was, it was (2.1, 2.4, 2.6) - ኮነት (konat): she was, it (f.) was (2.3, 2.7, 2.14) - ኮንኩ (konku): I was, I became (2.15)
The other persons follow the pattern of ጸሐፈ (Lesson 1): ኮንከ (konka), "you (m.) were"; ኮንኪ (konki), "you (f.) were"; ኮኑ (konu), "they (m.) were"; ኮንክሙ (konkəmu), "you (pl.) were". Before an ending that begins with a consonant, the n has no vowel and is written in the sixth form: ን.
The imperfect: "will be, is (regularly)". The root's w comes back, doubled: ይከውን (yəkawwən). - ይከውን (yəkawwən): he will be (2.8, 2.15) - ትከውን (təkawwən): you (m.) will be (2.9); also "she will be" - እከውን (ʾəkawwən): I will be (2.20) - ይከውኑ (yəkawwənu): they (m.) will be (2.12)
The jussive: "let it be". The vowel u, written ኩ: - ይኩን (yəkun): let him / it be (2.23) - ይኩኑ (yəkunu): let them be (2.13) - ለይኩን (la-yəkun): let there be (2.2, 2.29). The ለ- (la-) in front strengthens the wish; it is the same letter as the preposition "to", but here it governs a verb.
The predicate is accusative. What the subject is or becomes takes the -a of the object: ንጉሠ (2.4, 2.8), ካህነ (2.6, 2.15), ንግሥተ (2.7), አሐደ (2.12), ድሉተ (2.14), ሥርዐተ (2.10). A word ending in -i changes it to -e: ጸሓፊ (ṣaḥāfi), "writer" → ጸሓፌ (ṣaḥāfe) (2.20). With ኮነ meaning "there was", the noun is the subject and stays bare: ኮነ ብርሃን, "there was light" (2.1). The nominative predicate is also found: ኢኮነ ሠናይ, "it is not good" (2.5).
Agreement. ኮነ agrees with its subject, not with its predicate: ኮነት ይእቲ ብእሲት ንግሥተ, "the woman became queen" (2.7), feminine because ብእሲት is feminine; ዕለት, "day", is feminine too (2.3). ምድር, "earth", is feminine: ወኢኮነት (2.14).
The perfect for a present state. The perfect of ኮነ can describe a state that holds now: ኢኮነ ሠናይ is "it is not good" (2.5), not "it was not good".
The object suffix as "to, for". A pronoun suffix on ኮነ can mean "to, for": ይኩንክሙ (yəkunkəmu), "let it be to you, for you" (2.10). The suffix -kəmu is "you (pl.)".
ከማሁ (kamāhu), "so". ከመ (kama), "like", with the suffix -hu, "it": "like it", that is, "so" (2.11, 2.21).
Common Mistakes: - Using ኮነ for the plain present "is". ንጉሥ ውእቱ, "he is king"; ኮነ ንጉሠ, "he became (was) king". - Leaving the predicate bare. Say ኮነ ካህነ, not \*ኮነ ካህን, for "he became a priest". - Putting the predicate in the accusative when ኮነ means "there was". ኮነ ብርሃን, "there was light": ብርሃን is the subject. - Making ኮነ agree with the predicate. ኮነት ብእሲት ንግሥተ: the verb follows ብእሲት. - Mixing up the stems. ኮ- is the past, ይከው- the future, ይኩ- the wish. - Writing ኢ-, ለ- or ወ- apart. ኢኮነ, ለይኩን, ወኮነ are each one word.
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ኮነ is one of the words a Geʽez reader meets first and most often, because it carries the opening of the Bible. The first chapter of Genesis runs on two forms of it: ለይኩን (la-yəkun) or ይኩን, "let there be", for each word of God, and ወኮነ (wa-kona), "and there was", for each answer of the world. Again and again the narrative closes a work with ወኮነ ከማሁ, "and it was so" (2.11), and each day ends with ወኮነ ሌሊተ ወጸብሐ, "and it became night, and it dawned" (Section F). A learner who knows these three forms can follow the rhythm of the chapter by ear.
The story in the Genre Section below borrows that rhythm: it opens with ወኮነ, "there was", and its sentences are joined by ወ- (wa-), "and".
The jussive is still alive in the daughter languages. Tigrinya ይኹን (yəḫun) and Amharic ይሁን (yihun) are "let it be", and in Amharic ይሁን is the everyday word for "all right, so be it". An early Tigrinya publication, printed at the Swedish mission press in Asmara in 1912, took its title from Genesis 1:3: ብርሃን ይኹን, Berhan Yekun, "Let There Be Light".
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Genesis 1:3 and 1:5, in the Geʽez Bible (ኦሪት ዘልደት, the Book of Genesis)
The text, as printed:
ወይቤ እግዚአብሔር ለይኩን ብርሃን ወኮነ ብርሃን። (1:3)
ወሰመዮ እግዚአብሔር ለብርሃን ዕለተ ወለጽልመት ሌሊተ ወኮነ ሌሊተ ወጸብሐ ወኮነ መዓልተ ፩። (1:5)
F-A: Interlinear
F.1a ወይቤ and-said እግዚአብሔር God ለይኩን let-there-be ብርሃን light
F.1b wa-yəbe (wuh-yih-bay) and-say.PERF.3M ʾƎgziʾabəḥer (ihg-zee-ah-bih-hayr) God la-yəkun (luh-yih-koon) let-be.JUSS.3M bərhān (bihr-hahn) light
F.2a ወኮነ and-there-was ብርሃን light
F.2b wa-kona (wuh-koh-nuh) and-be.PERF.3M bərhān (bihr-hahn) light
F.3a ወሰመዮ and-called-it እግዚአብሔር God ለብርሃን the-light ዕለተ day
F.3b wa-samayo (wuh-suh-muh-yoh) and-name.PERF.3M-3M.OBJ ʾƎgziʾabəḥer (ihg-zee-ah-bih-hayr) God la-bərhān (luh-bihr-hahn) to-light ʿəlata (ih-luh-tuh) day-ACC
F.4a ወለጽልመት and-the-darkness ሌሊተ night
F.4b wa-la-ṣəlmat (wuh-luh-ts'ihl-muht) and-to-darkness lelita (lay-lee-tuh) night-ACC
F.5a ወኮነ and-it-became ሌሊተ night ወጸብሐ and-it-dawned
F.5b wa-kona (wuh-koh-nuh) and-be.PERF.3M lelita (lay-lee-tuh) night-ACC wa-ṣabḥa (wuh-ts'uhb-huh) and-dawn.PERF.3M
F.6a ወኮነ and-it-was መዓልተ day ፩ one
F.6b wa-kona (wuh-koh-nuh) and-be.PERF.3M maʿālta (muh-ahl-tuh) day-ACC ፩ (numeral) one
F-B: Original and Translation
ወይቤ እግዚአብሔር ለይኩን ብርሃን ወኮነ ብርሃን።
"And God said, Let there be light; and there was light." (Translation: Latinum Institute.)
ወሰመዮ እግዚአብሔር ለብርሃን ዕለተ ወለጽልመት ሌሊተ ወኮነ ሌሊተ ወጸብሐ ወኮነ መዓልተ ፩።
"And God called the light day, and the darkness night; and it became night, and it dawned, and it was the first day." (Translation: Latinum Institute.)
F-C: Original
ወይቤ እግዚአብሔር ለይኩን ብርሃን ወኮነ ብርሃን።
ወሰመዮ እግዚአብሔር ለብርሃን ዕለተ ወለጽልመት ሌሊተ ወኮነ ሌሊተ ወጸብሐ ወኮነ መዓልተ ፩።
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
Verse 3 is a command and its fulfilment, and the verb ኮነ makes both. ለይኩን ብርሃን, "let there be light", is the jussive, the form of a wish or an order; ወኮነ ብርሃን, "and there was light", is the perfect, the form of what has happened. The same root is used twice and only the stem changes: ይኩን becomes ኮነ, and the wish becomes the fact. In both halves ብርሃን, "light", is the subject and is bare: "let light be", "light was".
Verse 5 shows the other use, "became, was", with the predicate in the accusative. ወኮነ ሌሊተ, "and it became night", has ሌሊት (lelit) with the ending -a: ሌሊተ (lelita). The subject is not named; it is "it", the time. The verse ends with ወኮነ መዓልተ ፩, "and it was day one": again the accusative, መዓልተ (maʿālta), of መዓልት (maʿālt), "day, daytime". The numeral ፩ is the Geʽez figure for one; the Ethiopic numerals have signs of their own, written with a line above and below. The same close, ወኮነ ሌሊተ ወጸብሐ, "and it became night, and it dawned", returns at the end of each day of the chapter, with the next number: ወኮነ ሣልስተ ዕለት, "and it was the third day" (1:13).
The middle of verse 5 uses Lesson 1's pattern. ወሰመዮ ... ለብርሃን, "and he named it, the light", has the object suffix -o on the verb ሰመየ (samaya), "he named", and then the object with ለ-; ዕለተ, "day", is the name given, in the accusative. ወለጽልመት ሌሊተ, "and (he named) the darkness night", leaves out the verb and keeps ለ- and the accusative. The verse uses two words for "day": ዕለት (ʿəlat), "day", the name given to the light, and መዓልት (maʿālt), "day, daytime", in the count of the days.
ወጸብሐ (wa-ṣabḥa) is "and it dawned", from the root of "morning". Where the Hebrew and Greek have "evening", the Geʽez says ሌሊት, "night". The two verses together show the whole design of the creation story: ለይኩን, then ወኮነ, then the night, the dawn and the number of the day.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
A short story in the biblical style, as in Lesson 1, with the sentences joined by ወ- (wa-), "and". Every sentence uses ኮነ, in the past, the future or as a wish. Watch the predicate take the accusative -a.
2.16a ወኮነ and-there-was ብእሲ a-man ውስተ in ሀገር a-city
2.16b wa-kona (wuh-koh-nuh) and-be.PERF.3M bəʾsi (bih-see) man wəsta (wihs-tuh) in hagar (huh-guhr) city
2.17a ወውእቱ and-the ብእሲ man ኮነ became ካህነ a-priest
2.17b wa-wəʾətu (wuh-wih-ih-too) and-that.M bəʾsi (bih-see) man kona (koh-nuh) be.PERF.3M kāhəna (kah-hih-nuh) priest-ACC
2.18a ወኮነ and-became ወልዱ his-son ጠቢበ wise
2.18b wa-kona (wuh-koh-nuh) and-be.PERF.3M waldu (wuhl-doo) son-3M.POSS ṭabiba (t'uh-bee-buh) wise-ACC
2.19a ወይቤ and-said ካህን the-priest ወልድየ my-son ትከውን you-will-be ካህነ a-priest
2.19b wa-yəbe (wuh-yih-bay) and-say.PERF.3M kāhən (kah-hihn) priest waldəya (wuhl-dih-yuh) son-1SG.POSS təkawwən (tih-kuhw-wihn) be.IMPF.2M kāhəna (kah-hih-nuh) priest-ACC
2.20a ወይቤ and-said ወልድ the-son አነ I እከውን will-be ጸሓፌ a-writer-of መጻሕፍት books
2.20b wa-yəbe (wuh-yih-bay) and-say.PERF.3M wald (wuhld) son ʾana (uh-nuh) I ʾəkawwən (ih-kuhw-wihn) be.IMPF.1SG ṣaḥāfe (ts'uh-hah-fay) writer.ACC.CSTR maṣāḥəft (muh-ts'ah-hihft) book.PL
2.21a ወኮነ and-it-was ከማሁ so
2.21b wa-kona (wuh-koh-nuh) and-be.PERF.3M kamāhu (kuh-mah-hoo) like-3M.POSS
2.22a ወጸሐፈ and-he-wrote መጽሐፈ a-book ወኮነ and-was ውእቱ the መጽሐፍ book ሠናየ good
2.22b wa-ṣaḥafa (wuh-ts'uh-huh-fuh) and-write.PERF.3M maṣḥafa (muhts'-huh-fuh) book-ACC wa-kona (wuh-koh-nuh) and-be.PERF.3M wəʾətu (wih-ih-too) that.M maṣḥaf (muhts'-huhf) book śanāya (suh-nah-yuh) good-ACC
2.23a ወሰምዐ and-heard ንጉሥ the-king ወይቤ and-said ይኩን let-be ዝንቱ this መጽሐፍ book ውስተ in ቤትየ my-house
2.23b wa-samʿa (wuh-suhm-uh) and-hear.PERF.3M nəguś (nih-goos) king wa-yəbe (wuh-yih-bay) and-say.PERF.3M yəkun (yih-koon) be.JUSS.3M zəntu (zihn-too) this.M maṣḥaf (muhts'-huhf) book wəsta (wihs-tuh) in betəya (bay-tih-yuh) house-1SG.POSS
2.24a ወኮነ and-was ውእቱ the መጽሐፍ book ውስተ in ቤተ the-house-of ንጉሥ the-king
2.24b wa-kona (wuh-koh-nuh) and-be.PERF.3M wəʾətu (wih-ih-too) that.M maṣḥaf (muhts'-huhf) book wəsta (wihs-tuh) in beta (bay-tuh) house.CSTR nəguś (nih-goos) king
2.25a ወይቤሎ and-said-to-him ንጉሥ the-king ለወልደ to-the-son-of ካህን the-priest ትከውን you-will-be ወልድየ my-son
2.25b wa-yəbelo (wuh-yih-bay-loh) and-say.PERF.3M-3M.OBJ nəguś (nih-goos) king la-walda (luh-wuhl-duh) to-son.CSTR kāhən (kah-hihn) priest təkawwən (tih-kuhw-wihn) be.IMPF.2M waldəya (wuhl-dih-yuh) son-1SG.POSS
2.26a ወኮነ and-became ወልደ the-son-of ካህን the-priest ወልዶ his-son ለንጉሥ of-the-king
2.26b wa-kona (wuh-koh-nuh) and-be.PERF.3M walda (wuhl-duh) son.CSTR kāhən (kah-hihn) priest waldo (wuhl-doh) son.ACC-3M.POSS la-nəguś (luh-nih-goos) to-king
2.27a ወአመ and-when ሞተ died ንጉሥ the-king ኮነ became ውእቱ he ንጉሠ king
2.27b wa-ʾama (wuh-uh-muh) and-when mota (moh-tuh) die.PERF.3M nəguś (nih-goos) king kona (koh-nuh) be.PERF.3M wəʾətu (wih-ih-too) he nəguśa (nih-goo-suh) king-ACC
2.28a ወኮነ and-there-was ሰላም peace ውስተ in ሀገር the-city
2.28b wa-kona (wuh-koh-nuh) and-be.PERF.3M salām (suh-lahm) peace wəsta (wihs-tuh) in hagar (huh-guhr) city
2.29a ወይቤሉ and-said ሕዝብ the-people ለይኩን let-there-be ሰላም peace ለዓለም for-ever
2.29b wa-yəbelu (wuh-yih-bay-loo) and-say.PERF.3MPL ḥəzb (hihzb) people la-yəkun (luh-yih-koon) let-be.JUSS.3M salām (suh-lahm) peace la-ʿālam (luh-ah-luhm) to-age
2.30a ወውእቱ and-that ንጉሥ king ኮነ was ሠናየ good ወጠቢበ and-wise
2.30b wa-wəʾətu (wuh-wih-ih-too) and-that.M nəguś (nih-goos) king kona (koh-nuh) be.PERF.3M śanāya (suh-nah-yuh) good-ACC wa-ṭabiba (wuh-t'uh-bee-buh) and-wise-ACC
2.16 ወኮነ ብእሲ ውስተ ሀገር። (wa-kona bəʾsi wəsta hagar.) "There was a man in a city." 2.17 ወውእቱ ብእሲ ኮነ ካህነ። (wa-wəʾətu bəʾsi kona kāhəna.) "And the man became a priest." 2.18 ወኮነ ወልዱ ጠቢበ። (wa-kona waldu ṭabiba.) "And his son became wise." 2.19 ወይቤ ካህን፦ ወልድየ ትከውን ካህነ። (wa-yəbe kāhən: waldəya, təkawwən kāhəna.) "And the priest said: My son, you will be a priest." 2.20 ወይቤ ወልድ፦ አነ እከውን ጸሓፌ መጻሕፍት። (wa-yəbe wald: ʾana ʾəkawwən ṣaḥāfe maṣāḥəft.) "And the son said: I will be a writer of books." 2.21 ወኮነ ከማሁ። (wa-kona kamāhu.) "And it was so." 2.22 ወጸሐፈ መጽሐፈ ወኮነ ውእቱ መጽሐፍ ሠናየ። (wa-ṣaḥafa maṣḥafa wa-kona wəʾətu maṣḥaf śanāya.) "And he wrote a book, and the book was good." 2.23 ወሰምዐ ንጉሥ ወይቤ፦ ይኩን ዝንቱ መጽሐፍ ውስተ ቤትየ። (wa-samʿa nəguś wa-yəbe: yəkun zəntu maṣḥaf wəsta betəya.) "And the king heard, and said: Let this book be in my house." 2.24 ወኮነ ውእቱ መጽሐፍ ውስተ ቤተ ንጉሥ። (wa-kona wəʾətu maṣḥaf wəsta beta nəguś.) "And the book was in the king's house." 2.25 ወይቤሎ ንጉሥ ለወልደ ካህን፦ ትከውን ወልድየ። (wa-yəbelo nəguś la-walda kāhən: təkawwən waldəya.) "And the king said to the priest's son: You will be my son." 2.26 ወኮነ ወልደ ካህን ወልዶ ለንጉሥ። (wa-kona walda kāhən waldo la-nəguś.) "And the priest's son became the king's son." 2.27 ወአመ ሞተ ንጉሥ ኮነ ውእቱ ንጉሠ። (wa-ʾama mota nəguś kona wəʾətu nəguśa.) "And when the king died, he became king." 2.28 ወኮነ ሰላም ውስተ ሀገር። (wa-kona salām wəsta hagar.) "And there was peace in the city." 2.29 ወይቤሉ ሕዝብ፦ ለይኩን ሰላም ለዓለም። (wa-yəbelu ḥəzb: la-yəkun salām la-ʿālam.) "And the people said: Let there be peace for ever." 2.30 ወውእቱ ንጉሥ ኮነ ሠናየ ወጠቢበ። (wa-wəʾətu nəguś kona śanāya wa-ṭabiba.) "And that king was good and wise."
2.16 ወኮነ ብእሲ ውስተ ሀገር። 2.17 ወውእቱ ብእሲ ኮነ ካህነ። 2.18 ወኮነ ወልዱ ጠቢበ። 2.19 ወይቤ ካህን፦ ወልድየ ትከውን ካህነ። 2.20 ወይቤ ወልድ፦ አነ እከውን ጸሓፌ መጻሕፍት። 2.21 ወኮነ ከማሁ። 2.22 ወጸሐፈ መጽሐፈ ወኮነ ውእቱ መጽሐፍ ሠናየ። 2.23 ወሰምዐ ንጉሥ ወይቤ፦ ይኩን ዝንቱ መጽሐፍ ውስተ ቤትየ። 2.24 ወኮነ ውእቱ መጽሐፍ ውስተ ቤተ ንጉሥ። 2.25 ወይቤሎ ንጉሥ ለወልደ ካህን፦ ትከውን ወልድየ። 2.26 ወኮነ ወልደ ካህን ወልዶ ለንጉሥ። 2.27 ወአመ ሞተ ንጉሥ ኮነ ውእቱ ንጉሠ። 2.28 ወኮነ ሰላም ውስተ ሀገር። 2.29 ወይቤሉ ሕዝብ፦ ለይኩን ሰላም ለዓለም። 2.30 ወውእቱ ንጉሥ ኮነ ሠናየ ወጠቢበ።
"There was" and "became". The story opens with ኮነ as existence: ወኮነ ብእሲ, "there was a man" (2.16), with the bare subject, as ወኮነ ብርሃን in Genesis. The next sentence uses ኮነ with a predicate: ኮነ ካህነ, "he became a priest" (2.17). The same is true of peace: ወኮነ ሰላም, "there was peace" (2.28), with ሰላም bare as the subject.
The accusative predicate, everywhere. ካህነ (2.17, 2.19), ጠቢበ (2.18, 2.30), ሠናየ (2.22, 2.30), ንጉሠ (2.27), ወልዶ (2.26). ሠናይ (śanāy), "good", becomes ሠናየ (śanāya): the last letter ይ (yə) changes to የ (ya). In 2.26 ወልዶ (waldo) is ወልድ with the accusative -a and the suffix -u, "his", combined as -o, as ቃሎ in Lesson 1.
ወልድየ in 2.25. The predicate "my son" shows no accusative ending: the suffix -ya, "my", is the same in every case.
Three stems in one story. The perfect for what happened: ኮነ (2.16–2.18, 2.21, 2.22, 2.24, 2.26–2.28, 2.30). The imperfect for what will be: ትከውን (2.19, 2.25), እከውን (2.20). The jussive for a wish: ይኩን (2.23), ለይኩን (2.29).
The plain present inside speech. The speakers say "you will be" and "let it be", both with ኮነ; for the plain "is" they would use a noun sentence, as in Lesson 1's ሠናይ ውእቱ ዝንቱ መጽሐፍ, "this book is good".
ውእቱ as "he". In 2.27 ውእቱ stands after the verb as the subject, "he" (the priest's son), and is not the copula: ኮነ ውእቱ ንጉሠ, "he became king".
አመ (ʾama), "when". It introduces a clause in the perfect: አመ ሞተ ንጉሥ, "when the king died" (2.27).
ለዓለም (la-ʿālam), "for ever". ዓለም is "world, age"; with ለ-, "to the age", that is, "for ever" (2.29).
Plural verb with a collective. ሕዝብ, "people", takes a plural verb, ይቤሉ, "they said" (2.29), as ሰምዑ ሕዝብ in Lesson 1.
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The romanisation and the respellings follow Lesson 1: the scholarly transliteration of the spelling, and a respelling of the traditional Ethiopian church reading. The vowels are a, u, i, ā, e, ə, o, in the order of the seven forms of the fidel. A doubled letter in the romanisation is a long consonant, which the script does not show.
o — /o/ — the seventh form, as in ኮ (ko); the vowel of "go". It marks the perfect of ኮነ throughout. u — /u/ — the second form, as in ኩ (ku); the vowel of "moon". It marks the jussive ይኩን. ww — /wː/ — the long w of the imperfect ይከውን (yəkawwən). Hold the w a moment: yih-kuhw-wihn. ḫ — /h/ — the letter ኀ and its forms, as in ብዙኅ (bəzuḫ); said as plain h in the traditional reading. ṭ — /t'/ — the letter ጠ, as in ጠቢብ (ṭabib) and ጠፈር (ṭafar); an ejective t, made with the glottis closed.
ኮነ (kona) — IPA: /konə/ — a clear o, then a short central vowel. ኮነት (konat) — IPA: /konət/ — as ኮነ, with a final t. ኮንኩ (konku) — IPA: /konku/ — no vowel between n and k. ይከውን (yəkawwən) — IPA: /jɨkəwːɨn/ — the w doubled. ይኩን (yəkun) — IPA: /jɨkun/ — a short central vowel, then a clear "koon". ለይኩን (la-yəkun) — IPA: /ləjɨkun/ — the prefix is a light "luh". ብርሃን (bərhān) — IPA: /bɨrhan/ — r and h are both pronounced. ዕለት (ʿəlat) — IPA: /ʔɨlət/ — a glottal stop at the start. መዓልት (maʿālt) — IPA: /məʔalt/ — a glottal stop between the two vowels. ጸሓፌ (ṣaḥāfe) — IPA: /t͡s'əhafe/ — ejective ts', then h. ሥርዐት (śərʿat) — IPA: /sɨrʔət/ — ሥ is said as s; a glottal stop after r.
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