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Session 5
Listen to find out how to talk about your abilities in English.
Akkatti waa’ee dandeettiikeetii Afaan Ingiliziitiin dubbattu hubachuuf caqasi.
Activity 1
How do I talk about my abilities?
Faallaan jechoota kanneenii maal akka ta’e beektaa? Gabaticharratti guuti:
good |
|
well |
|
Deebiiwwankee mirkaneeffachuuf caqasi. Ittaansuun barruu kanaa gadii wajjin walbira qabii ilaali.

Caalii
Yooyyaa! Gara sagantaa barnootaa 'How do I…' tti baga nagaan dhufte! An Caaliidha. Saamis na waliin jirti.
Sam
Hello! Welcome!
Caalii
Har'a, waa'ee dandeettiiwwan keenyaa akkatti dubbannu ilaalla. Gaafii ati 'Kubbaa miilaa 'football' taphchurratti akkami?' jedhuuf wayita namoonni afur deebii laatan haacaqasnu. Hubachuuf yoo si rakkise, hinyaadda'iin, gara boodaatti gargaarsa siif goona. Ammaaf, caqasiitii murteessi – eenyutu haala gaariin kubbaa miila taphataa?
1. I play football quite well, yeah.
2. I'm pretty good, but my sister's better. She's very good at football!
3. I'm really bad at football, to be honest.
4. I play football very badly.
Sam
Who was the best at football, did you hear it?
Caalii
Obboleetti dubbataa lammaffaatu taphatu cimtuudha! Egaa Saam, akkamitti akka ishiin haalaan cimtuu taate barree?
Sam
Let's listen again to two of the people.
Caalii
Ok! Namoonni kunniin jechoota 'good' gaarii ykn 'bad' gadhee fayyadamu. Wayita irradeebinee caqasnu, gochi kamtu 'good' ykn 'bad' fuuldura akka dhufu qalbeeffachuu yaali.
I'm pretty good…
She's very good at football!
I'm really bad at football…
Caalii
Tole, egaa 'good' fi 'bad' maq-ibsoota, kanaafu walumaagalatti gocha 'be' fayyadamna.
Sam
Yes, they said 'she is' and 'I am'. But we naturally say 'she's' and 'I'm' when speaking. Now listen again – what little word do you hear before 'football'?
She's very good at football!
I'm really bad at football…
Caalii
Jechi xiqqoon 'at' ture . Waan ati ittin gaarii ykn gadhee taate eeruu yoo feete – maqaa – lameen 'good' fi 'bad' f, 'at' fayyadamuu qabda.
Sam
Quick practice! Repeat after me:
She's very good at football!
I'm really bad at football.
Shall we listen to the two other people?
Caalii
Eeyee, Namoonni kunneen 'good' ykn 'bad' hinfayyadamani, garuu gocha dandeettiiwwansaanii ibsu fayyadamu. Ammas caqasi:
I play football quite well, yeah.
I play football very badly.
Caalii
Gocha 'play' mataadhumasaatiin hennaa ammaatiin fayyadaman. Gocha kamiyyuu kan akka 'cook' 'bilcheessuu', 'dance' 'shubbisuu' ykn 'speak English' fayyadamuu dandeessa. Ittaansuun akkatti kubbaa taphattu dubbachuu yoo feete, gocha booda gochima itti dabaluu qabda. Maal akka ta'an dhaga'uuf al-tokko caqasi.
I play football quite well, yeah.
I play football very badly.
Caalii
Isaanis 'well' 'gaarii' fi 'badly' haalaan badaadaa kan jedhaman turani. Akkasumas 'very' 'baay'ee' kan 'really' 'dhugaatti ykn qabatamaatti' waliin hiika walfakkaato qabus dhageenyeerra. 'Quite' 'hanga tokko' kan jedhu, isa 'pretty' jedhu wajjin hiika walfakkaata qabanis dhageenye turre. Jechoota kunneen, jechoota 'good' fi 'bad' akkasumas 'well' fi 'badly' fuuldura galchuun fayyadamuu dandeenya.
Sam
Let's practise the pronunciation. Repeat after me:
I play football quite well.
I play football very badly.
Caalii
Amma, yeroo ati hangam akka baratte itti mirkaneessituudha. Wanta 'hanga tokko cimaa itti taate' tokko yaadi – baay'ee gaarii otoo hinta'iin, gaariidhuma kan itti taate tokko. Kana ibsuudhaaf 'good' fuuldura jechoota lama fayyadamuu akka dandeessu yaadadhu. Himicha dubbadhu, ittansuun Saam waan itii hanga tokko cimtu taate eega nutti himtee booda yoo atis akkas taate xiinxalu dandeessa.
Sam
I'm quite good at cooking.
Caalii
Great! Waan tokkoon maqaa dhahuudhaan 'I'm pretty good at…' jechuullee dandeessa turte.
Amma hojii sirriitti hojjattu tokko fili. Asitti gocha fayyadamuu hindagatiin.
Sam
I speak English well.
Caalii
Yes, Sam, you are quite good at English.
Sam
Thank you!
Caalii
Atis 'very good at English; akka ta'uu dandeessuuf kutaa 'How do I…' biroon torban ittaanuutti walitti deebina. Nagatii! Bye!
Sam
Yes, so you'll be excellent at English! Bye, everyone
Learn more!
1. Maq-ibsaafi maqaa fayyadamuudhaan akkamittin waa’ee dandeettiiwwankootii dubbadhaa?
Dandeettiiwwan keenya ibsuuf yeroo mara maq-ibsoota ‘good’ fi ‘bad’ fayyadamna. Yoo dhaadhessuu feetemmoo ‘excellent’ ‘haalaan gaarii’ and ‘terrible’ ‘haalaan badaa’ fayyadamuu dandeessa. Kanneen wajjiniin gocha ‘be’ fayyadamuu hindagatiin:
subject + be + adjective
She’s good.
We’re terrible.
Raawwii addaa tokko eeruu yoo feete, maqaa (ykn kanneen ‘—ing’n xumuraman) dura 'at' fayyadamuukee dhugoomsi:
subject + be + adjective + at + noun/ gerund
I’m bad at French.
He’s excellent at (playing) football.
2. Gochaafi gochima fayyadamuudhaan akkamittin waa’ee dandeettiiwwankootii dubbachuu danda’aa?
Gocha ibsituun fayyadamuudhaan waa’ee dandeettiiwwankeetii dubbachuu dandeessa – fakkenyaaf: ‘play’, ‘cook’, ‘dance’, ‘speak’ – gochima ‘well’ ykn ‘badly’ ofittaansuudhaan ibsuun ni danda’ama.
I speak French badly.
He plays football very well.
3. Akkamittin dandeettiiwwankoo caalaatti laafaafi jabaa gochuu danda’aa?
‘Good’ fi ‘bad’, akkasumas ‘well’ fi ‘badly’ fooyyessuuf kanneen armaan gadii fayyadamuu dandeessa .
very - baay’ee
really - dhugaatti
quite - hanga tokko
pretty - bareedaa
Yeroo mara jechoota fooyyessan fuuldura dhufu:
You’re very good at dancing.
You dance really well.
Akkamittin waa’ee dandeettiiwwankootii dubbadhaa?
4 Questions
Put the words in the correct order.
Jechoota tartiiba sirrii ta’een tarreessi.
Help
Activity
Put the words in the correct order.
Jechoota tartiiba sirrii ta’een tarreessi.
Hint
Yaadadhu, ‘good at’ wajjin deema.Question 1 of 4
Help
Activity
Put the words in the correct order.
Jechoota tartiiba sirrii ta’een tarreessi.
Hint
Yaadadhu, ‘quite’ ‘good’ fuldura dhufa.Question 2 of 4
Help
Activity
Put the words in the correct order.
Jechoota tartiiba sirrii ta’een tarreessi.
Hint
‘Speak’ booda, qooqa eeri.Question 3 of 4
Help
Activity
Put the words in the correct order.
Jechoota tartiiba sirrii ta’een tarreessi.
Hint
‘Really’ n ‘badly’ ibsa waan ta’eef durseetu dhufa.Question 4 of 4
Excellent! Great job! Bad luck! You scored:
Come to our Facebook group to tell us what you’re good and bad at!
Waan ati gaarii fi badaa itti taate akka nutti himtuuf gara garee Feesbuukii keenyaa koottu!
Join us for our next episode of How do I…, when we will learn more useful language and practise your listening skills.
Qooqa daran faayida-qabeessa ta’an dabalataa kan keessatti barannuufi dandeettiiwwankee caqasuu kan ittiin shaakaltu sagantaa keenya ‘How do I… ‘n yeroo ittaanu walitti deebina
Session Vocabulary
football
kubbaa miilaato play (football)
(kubbaa miilaa) taphachuucooking
bilcheessato cook
bilcheessuudancing
shubbisato dance
shubbisuuto speak (a language)
(qooqa) dubbachuu