Enqoqelesh /Riddle /: One way to improve our kids language skills

By Mekdim T.

If you grew up in Ethiopia, you most definitely enjoyed playing “Enqoqelesh”. As children we not only learned new words playing “Enqoqelesh”, but we have also practiced how forming short but meaningful sentence and improved our grammar. As parents raising our children abroad, we face many challenges especially when it comes to teaching our kids Amharic. Well how about “Enqoqelesh”? How nice would it be to challenge your kids to use the little Amharic they know to form a clever hint or solve a riddle or an “Enqoqelesh”. “Enqoqelesh” is a nice game to play and interact with our kids while developing their Amharic vocabulary and grammar.

The most common “Enqoqelesh” that would come, at least for me is the one about BAKELA or black eyed pea and it goes like this.

Player 1 - “Enqoqelesh”
Player 2 – “Men Awkilish?” ( What do I know?)
Player 1 – “Ayenuan Tekukula Gebeya Yemitweta?” (One that goes to market with eye liner make up on?)
Player 2 – “BAKELA!” ( Black eyed pea!)

If player 2 did not know the answer he should give/ name a country for player 1 and player 1 replies like as follows.

Player 2 – Addis Baba’n Setichehalehu. (I give you Addis Ababa.)
Player 1 – Addis Ababa gebeche tedesch Melsu Bakela new. (I would be happy to go to Addis Ababa! The answer is Black eyed pea)

Another Enqoqelesh

Player 1 - “Enqoqelesh”
Player 2 – “Men Awkilish?” ( What do I know?)
Player 1 – “Tseguruan Abetira Gebeya Yemitweta?” (One that goes to market with with combed hair?)
Player 2 – “SUFF!” ( Sunflower Seed!)

Sure these Enqoqeleshs may make no sense in English as they would in Amharic and the cultural context. However, we can create suitable Enqoqeleshs that our children can understand and enjoy. An example would be:

Player 1 - “Enqoqelesh”
Player 2 – “Men Awkilish?” ( What do I know?)
Player 1 –Aba hulun ye emisalemut. (What Aba to bless us with?)
Player 2 – “MESQEL!” ( the cross!)

So what do you think? Are you going to try some of your own Amharic riddles with your kids? Please feel free to share with us your creative Enqoqleshes. 

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