Everything You Need To Learn Tigrinya

Everything You Need To Learn Tigrinya

Tigrinya (also Tigrigna) is a Semitic language spoken by roughly 10 million people. It is the most spoken language in Eritrea, and is also spoken in parts of Ethiopia, particularly Tigray, northern Ethiopia.

In terms of linguistic similarities, Tigrinya is most closely related to Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia, though the two languages are not mutually intelligible. It is also distantly related to other Semitic languages such as Arabic and Hebrew.

Tigrinya is written in the Ge’ez script, an ancient writing system that derived from Egpytian hieroglyphics.

Resources for learning Tigrinya aren’t abundant, but there is more than enough here to get you well on your way to fluency.

Tigrinya Language Learning Books

As your first foray into the language, you might want to grab yourself a Tigrinya course/study book as a solid starting point. This will cover the basics of Tigrinya grammar and sentence structure, provide you with a good base vocabulary, and give you plenty of practice in building your own sentences.

Another important book you’ll need at some point is an English-Tigrinya dictionary and phrasebook. You’ll get the meanings of the most important words in the language, see example usage, and learn essential terms and phrases for use in Tigrinya-speaking nations.

As Tigrinya is written in a unique script, in order to gain fluency, you’ll need to learn how to read and write the Ge’ez script. Getting a Tigrinya handwriting practice workbook would be prudent.

The Essential Guide to Tigrinya
Amazon.com
The Essential Guide to Tigrinya
English (USA) - Tigrinya for beginners: A book in 2 languages
Amazon.com
English (USA) - Tigrinya for beginners: A book in 2 languages
Tigrinya Handwriting Practice Workbook: Learn the Ge'ez Script
Amazon.com
Tigrinya Handwriting Practice Workbook: Learn the Ge'ez Script
Tigrinya-English/ English-Tigrinya Dictionary & Phrasebook
Amazon.com
Tigrinya-English/ English-Tigrinya Dictionary & Phrasebook
Tigrinya Verb Conjugation: Learn Tigrinya Grammar, with transliteration
Amazon.com
Tigrinya Verb Conjugation: Learn Tigrinya Grammar, with transliteration
Tigrinya Language Workbook: Learn to read and write in Tigrinya
Amazon.com
Tigrinya Language Workbook: Learn to read and write in Tigrinya
Tigrinya Grammar
Amazon.com
Tigrinya Grammar

Tigrinya Children’s Books

Reading children’s books in Tigrinya is a great way to familiarize yourself with the language, pick up plenty of new vocabulary, and get you comfortable using and understanding the language.

Bilingual English-Tigrinya kids’ books with parallel text are especially useful to beginners, as you’ll be able use the English text to guide you through the Tigrinya versions of the stories.

N'EshTey Gu'Aln Seleste A'nabsN (The Little Girl and The Three Lions): Tigrinya Children's Book
Amazon.com
N'EshTey Gu'Aln Seleste A'nabsN (The Little Girl and The Three Lions): Tigrinya Children's Book
Seleste N'ashtu Hase'matat (The Three Little Pigs): Tigrinya Children's Book
Amazon.com
Seleste N'ashtu Hase'matat (The Three Little Pigs): Tigrinya Children's Book
The Boy Who Never Gave Up: An English-Tigrinya Children's Book
Amazon.com
The Boy Who Never Gave Up: An English-Tigrinya Children's Book
Tigrinya Alphabets (ፊደላት ትግርኛ): English-Tigrinya Children's Book
Amazon.com
Tigrinya Alphabets (ፊደላት ትግርኛ): English-Tigrinya Children's Book
My First 50 Tigrigna Words: Learn Tigrinya Children's Book
Amazon.com
My First 50 Tigrigna Words: Learn Tigrinya Children's Book
The Power of Caba (ሓይሊ ናይቲ ካባ): Tigrinya/Tigrigna and English Children's Book
Amazon.com
The Power of Caba (ሓይሊ ናይቲ ካባ): Tigrinya/Tigrigna and English Children's Book

Other Tigrinya Books

Take your reading comprehension to the next level with some more complex Tigrinya reading material. These include things like the Bible in Tigrinya and Tigrinya fiction for adult/older readers.

These books are great for exposing you to advanced vocabulary and more challenging sentence structures, thereby helping you to develop fluency in the language.

Othello in Tigrigna/Tigrinya
Amazon.com
Othello in Tigrigna/Tigrinya
Tigrinya Eritrea Bible
Amazon.com
Tigrinya Eritrea Bible
"Tesfom & Habtom's Rivalry" (Tigrinya Edition)
Amazon.com
"Tesfom & Habtom's Rivalry" (Tigrinya Edition)

Tigrinya Digital Courses

Instead of starting your journey with a textbook, you might want to try a Tigrinya e-course. Though these are in short supply, the one’s available do offer a unique alternative to Tigrinya course books. They use either audio or video lessons to teach you the language, giving you plenty of exposure to natively-spoken Tigrinya.

Udemy offers a comprehensive Tigrinya course composed of 6 hours of video lessons, a handful of downloadable worksheets, and lifetime access across any smart device, including TVs. You’ll be taught the basics of Tigrinya, including how to read and pronounce the Ge’ez alphabet.

TIGRINYA UDEMY COURSESTigrinya Udemy