Grammar book · Words and sentences
Countable and uncountable nouns
የሚቆጠሩና የማይቆጠሩ ስሞች (countable and uncountable)
Some nouns can be counted (one apple, two apples); others cannot (rice, money, advice). The difference decides a/an, the plural, and words like much, many, a few and a little.
Which nouns can you count?
Countable nouns have a singular and a plural: a job, two jobs. Uncountable nouns have no plural and never take a or an: money, water, furniture. Liquids, materials, many foods and many ideas are uncountable. Some words are countable in Amharic but not in English: advice (ምክር), information (መረጃ), news, homework, luggage, furniture.
In Amharic
የሚቆጠሩ ስሞች ነጠላና ብዙ አላቸው፦ a job, two jobs። የማይቆጠሩ ስሞች ብዙ ቁጥር የላቸውም፣ a ወይም an በፍጹም አይወስዱም፦ money, water, furniture። ፈሳሾች፣ ቁሳቁሶች፣ ብዙ ምግቦችና ብዙ ሐሳቦች አይቆጠሩም። አንዳንድ ቃላት በአማርኛ ይቆጠራሉ በእንግሊዝኛ ግን አይቆጠሩም፦ advice (ምክር)፣ information (መረጃ)፣ news, homework, luggage, furniture።
| Countable | Uncountable | |
|---|---|---|
| examples | a car, an egg, a dollar, a chair | traffic, rice, money, furniture |
| plural? | cars, eggs, dollars, chairs | no plural (not rices, monies) |
| a / an? | a car, an egg | no (not a money) |
| verb | The eggs are fresh. | The rice is ready. |
| tricky words | a job, a suggestion, a suitcase | work, advice, luggage, information, news |
- Uncountable nouns take a singular verb: The news is good. Your information is correct.
- work is uncountable, job is countable: I have a lot of work. I have two jobs.
- Can you give me some advice about the lease?
- There is a lot of traffic on the freeway.
- We need two chairs and a table.
- The information on the website is wrong.
much, many, a lot of, a few, a little, some, any
The quantity word depends on the noun. many and a few go with plural countable nouns; much and a little go with uncountable nouns. a lot of, some and any go with both. In everyday positive sentences, people say a lot of; much is mostly used in questions and negatives. Ask How many…? for countable and How much…? for uncountable (and for prices).
In Amharic
የመጠን ቃሉ በስሙ ይወሰናል። many እና a few ከብዙ የሚቆጠሩ ስሞች ጋር ይሄዳሉ፤ much እና a little ከማይቆጠሩ ስሞች ጋር ይሄዳሉ። a lot of, some እና any ከሁለቱም ጋር ይሄዳሉ። በዕለት ተዕለት አዎንታዊ ዓረፍተ ነገር ሰዎች a lot of ይላሉ፤ much በብዛት በጥያቄና በአሉታ ይጠቀማል። ለሚቆጠሩ How many…?፣ ለማይቆጠሩ (እና ለዋጋ) How much…? ብለው ይጠይቁ።
| Countable (plural) | Uncountable | |
|---|---|---|
| big amount | many / a lot of friends | much / a lot of money |
| small amount (enough) | a few friends | a little money |
| small amount (not enough) | few friends | little money |
| positive | some eggs | some milk |
| negative / question | any eggs? | any milk? |
| question | How many hours? | How much time? How much is it? |
- a few / a little = some, enough (positive). few / little = almost none (negative feeling).
- Use some in offers and requests, even as questions: Would you like some tea? Can I have some water?
- Use any in negatives and most questions: We don't have any bread. Are there any jobs?
- How many hours do you work a week?
- How much does the bus pass cost?
- I don't have much time today.
- We have a few minutes before the meeting.
- There isn't any milk in the fridge.
- She saved a little money every month.
Counting the uncountable: a piece of, a cup of
To count an uncountable noun, put a unit before it: a cup of coffee, two bottles of water, a piece of advice. The unit is countable, so it takes a and the plural; the noun after of stays singular.
In Amharic
የማይቆጠር ስም ለመቁጠር ከፊቱ መለኪያ ያስገቡ፦ a cup of coffee, two bottles of water, a piece of advice። መለኪያው ይቆጠራል፣ ስለዚህ a እና ብዙ ቁጥር ይወስዳል፤ ከ of በኋላ ያለው ስም ግን ነጠላ ሆኖ ይቀራል።
| Unit | Examples |
|---|---|
| a piece of | a piece of paper, a piece of advice, a piece of furniture, a piece of cake |
| a cup / glass of | a cup of coffee, a glass of water |
| a bottle / can of | a bottle of oil, two cans of soda |
| a loaf / slice of | a loaf of bread, three slices of pizza |
| a bag / box of | a bag of rice, a box of cereal |
| a pound / gallon of | two pounds of meat, a gallon of milk |
- Make the unit plural, not the noun: two cups of tea (not two cup of teas).
- In cafés people often count drinks directly: Two coffees, please.
- Can I have a glass of water, please?
- She bought a bag of teff flour and a gallon of milk.
- Let me give you a piece of advice.
- We need two loaves of bread for the party.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Can you give me some advice? / a piece of advice? | advice is uncountable: no a, no plural. | |
| I need some information. | information is uncountable and has no plural. | |
| How many children do you have? | children is countable: how many. | |
| There is a lot of traffic today. | traffic is uncountable; in positive sentences use a lot of. | |
| I have a lot of work. | work (the activity) is uncountable. | |
| The news is bad. | news is uncountable and takes a singular verb. |
Practice
Each answer is checked as you go, with the reason. Nothing here is saved.
How ___ money do you need?
How ___ people are coming?
Which is uncountable?
We don't have ___ eggs. (one word)
Would you like ___ coffee?
I have ___ friends here, so I'm not lonely.
Add ___ salt to the soup.
a ___ of bread (one word)
Correct it: “Two cup of tea, please.” → Two ___ of tea, please.
The news ___ on at six.
There's ___ traffic on Flamingo Road today.