The following are similar to English consonant sounds:
ch- as in 'church'
g- as in 'get'
gw- as in 'Gwen'
h- as in 'him'. At the end of a sentence it is like a short breath.
k- as in 'kite'
kw- as in 'queen'
j- as in 'jump'
p- a short, unaspirated sound like the 'p' in 'stop'. In northwest Ethiopia this is sometimes a 'b' sound, but 'p' is fine to use
s- as in 'sun' (never a 'z' sound)
sh- as in 'shirt'
t- as in 'time'
z- as in 'zoo'
The following consonant sounds may require attention. If you have problems with them, the nearest English equivalent is the next best sound to use:
ny- as in 'canyon'. Pronounce as a single consonant sound.
r- like the Spanish 'r'. Try imitating a cat purring & you should find the sound.
z- as in 'pleasure'
There are some sounds in Amharic that are not present in English. 'Glottalic' or 'explosive' consonant sounds are made by tightening and releasing a sound from the vocal chords rather than from the lungs. For example, the cockney pronunciation of 'tt' in 'butter'. When you manage to achieve the sound of these glottalic consonants, practice saying them with basic vowels, (eg ka, ke, ki,ko,ku, ta, te,sa, se,si etc) until the sounds become more fluent. The glottalic consonants in the transliterations have a dot under them - indicating the sudden cut of a sound which comes after it:
ch as in 'tch' in 'witch' but sharper as if the sound were being spat out. Now try saying chaka ('forest').
k like the 'k' in 'Yuck!' but shorter and sharper. Emphasize the click in the back of the throat. Now try saying kezkazza ('cold').
p as in 'pop', but a shorter, sharper sound, as if you're imitating the sound of something popping. Now say eetiyopiya ('Ethiopia').
s a short, sharp 's' sound. Sehie ('sun') is good practice.
t a 'tst' sound. Say tella (a type of Ethiopian wine).
Stress & Tones
In general stress falls equally on each syllable in Amharic. Like English, a raised tone at the end of a sentence signifies a question. See Questions in Grammar, page 28, for more detail.