Free guides to the Somali language
Short, clear lessons written by our teachers in East London: the numbers, the days, the greetings, the alphabet and the small rules that make Somali make sense. Every Somali word here is checked, and many come with a recording.
How to count in Somali: numbers 1 to 100
Somali numbers from kow to boqol, with recordings.
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Somali days of the week, and today, tomorrow and yesterday
The seven days in Somali from Axad (Sunday) to Sabti, where the names come from, and the everyday words maanta, berri, shalay, maalin and toddobaad.
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The Somali alphabet: 26 letters and the five sounds English does not have
Somali has been written in the Latin alphabet since 1972: 21 consonants and 5 vowels, no P, V or Z, and five sounds English lacks (X, KH, DH, C, Q).
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Somali greetings: hello, how are you, and what's your name
The Somali greetings you will hear every day, from As-salaamu calaykum and Iska warran to Subax wanaagsan, plus how to ask someone's name (Magacaa?) and give your own.
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Somali has no word for "the": it goes on the end
In Somali, the is not a separate word.
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Somali words that look English but are not
Somali and English share an alphabet, so some Somali words look like English ones: bad is the sea, beer is the liver, war is the news, dad is people.
Read the guideLearn it properly, with a Somali teacher
Saturday classes for children in Manor Park, East London, and a live online Sunday class for children aged 6 to 11. The first Saturday lesson is free.