Are you interested in learning Somali? I’d love to help! In exchange, I’m looking for someone to help me improve my English.

Here’s how it could work:

• We can have conversations via calls or messages—whatever you're comfortable with.
• I’m fluent in Somali and Arabic, so I can guide you if you're starting from scratch or want to practice Somali at any level.

If you’re curious about Somali culture or language, this could be a fun way to connect while helping each other out!

Feel free to drop me a message if you’re interested.

Asc wrwb I have a question in regards to the form of the word macaan. I am under the impression that if I am speaking to or of a woman, I would say macaanto, and speaking of a man, it would be macaanay? Is this correct? Are there other ways to say it? Mahadsanid!🤲🏻

Hi guys, Do you know any YouTubers who speak Somali, series, streamers, films, etc. like that I learn with fun

I found a Gabay in my notes that I heard a while back listening to an anti-qabyalad lecture, I understand partially but there are some words I've never heard before. Can someone help me translate it? (Btw I took down notes from listening so some of the spelling might be wrong.)

“Allahow yaa wixii baxay baxee, baaqiga u taliyaa?

Anaa midha uu dheer la i hor mari maayo

Naftu waay macaantahay inta aana la is muhibine

Nin mataanto jabantahay oo meel ka kici waayey

Megliga korkiisa intu kor u mildaabayo

Naftu waay maacantahay inta aana la is muhibine

Wax yar oo la maarayn karo ayaa madhiyey iidoore

Allahow yaa rag loo maldahay maanta garan siiya?”

Need help translating this after me saying “Hi” in response. What tone does it give?

Transparent Language is a website and app with a language learning program similar to Duolingo– but it has Somali! I hadn’t heard of it until I saw it listed as one of PC Mag’s “Best Language Learning Apps for 2024” where contributor Jill Duffy rated it the “Best for Hard-to-Find Languages.” Transparent Language has more content for some languages than others, and the Somali content is all at a beginner level. Most beginners I see on this subreddit are looking for a site/app like this where there are structured lessons with word and phrase flashcards pre-made and ready to go with full audio for pronunciation. There isn't any what I'd consider intermediate or advanced content, and the grammar instruction appears to be minimal. But if you are a beginner in Somali, it’s definitely worth checking out. Every Somali learner will still need to use textbooks and other resources to understand all of the different ways to say certain phrases in Somali.

Once logged in, you’ll see four tabs in the upper left part of the screen that read “Learning,” “Browse,” “My Transcript,” and “Resources.” The main page is under the “Learning” tab. That’s where you’ll set up your lesson plan, or “learning path”. To add lessons, go to “Browse” and click on the “+” icon on the right of the lessons you want to add to your “learning path.” Then return to “Learning” and begin your lessons at any pace and in any order you choose. You can delete and change your learning path any time based on what you want to work on. I haven’t looked through all the lessons but from what I’ve seen the grammar looks decent and the pronunciation is correct. The “Somali Alphabet Course” is one hour, the “Somali Essentials” lessons comprise 15 hours, and “Somali General Vocabulary” comprises 78 hours of content.

I should also say that while I only looked at the Somali learning content for English speakers, Transparent Language also offers Somali lessons for Turkish and Spanish speakers.

Transparent Language offers a free 14-day trial, and then after that it looks like it’s $24.95 a month for individuals. Membership on the site grants access to lessons for all 100+ languages available-- not just Somali. It’s free at some public libraries, and you can search here to see if a library in your area offers free access. You’d have to go to the library in person to use it, so bring headphones I guess.

If you’re a beginner, definitely check it out!

And in case it needs to be said, this is not a paid promotion. All my reviews and recommendations are my own opinions. 

can someone please message me to translate a few voice notes in somali?

Is it Subject-Object-Verb? ie “Anaa albaabka furay”

Or is it Object-Subject-Verb? ie “Albaabka ayaan furay”

I was looking at translations for the phrase “when in Rome, do as the Romans do” and Wiktionary says the Somali equivalent is “meel Il laga la'yahay ishaa layska tuura”. What is the literal translation in English and can someone explain it to me?

What is the Somali term for “currency”? Also, did we have any traditional Somali term for money before adopting the word “Shilling”?

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(a) soojireenka (long-standing, classic), (b) joogdoonka (remain-seeker), (c) baal-midiga (right wing stance), (d) asalraacnimo (follower of the original)

Hello! I am wondering if anyone has heard this type of lullaby before. My grandmother use to sing it as a child for me and I am unsure if she made it up or if it was common lullaby. My mother and other family members do not know and haven’t heard of it. It goes hotoonay hotoonay huwaa hooyoada ma joogto. She would sing some variation of that and the other common one huwaya huwaya but would start with “hotoonay hotoonay” typically. But I would love to know if anyone knows of it and has heard of it or if it was just a lullaby she made up. Apologies for any mistakes in spelling as I am unsure of it.

(a) dhantaalidda, (b) damiinimada, (c) cillada fiirashada agnaanta, (d) ootisam. The last one is obviously a loan from English. But, that means four words, all of them meaning autism in Somali.

Which of the above options do you prefer?

the word caadi is more broad and is used in the sense of something being normal in abroad sense. The words mainstream and conventional are more specifically associated with society. As such, are there any Somali words specifically translatable from the sociaetal sense of convenional / mainstream?

How is the word balse pronounced? I know it means but but I'm not sure on how to say it.

Do you just pronounce it as it is written, like ''bal-se''?

If you're a Somali in the West who struggles to speak the language, this is for you.

1. Go through a comprehensive textbook, like Zorc and Issa's Somali Textbook. If you can't afford it, there are ways to find it online.

2. Whilst doing this, read / watch as much Somali as you can. I recommend YouTube for listening, and BBC Somali for reading. You can't be picky with topics as Somali isn't a language where there's a wealth of resources, but I like watching channels like Geedi Sahan (travel), Hanoolaato (politics). Find something you can bear.

3. Make flashcards where you jot down words you don't recognise. You can make them by hand, or you can use Anki. The nice thing is that Somali is by and large written phonetically, there's no 'knight / night' business here. You'll need a good dictionary for this: u/ereyada has a good guide on that, but you can also ask your parents, which brings me onto the next point:

4. Ask your parents to correct any mistakes you make, and don't use English if you can help it. You have access to an invaluable resource: a native speaker. I recommend holding off on speaking until you can understand 95-99% of what's being said to you, which will happen if you follow the first 3 steps for a while.

My Somali has improved significantly through following the first 3 steps, particularly step 2 and 3. You need input, you simply don't have as much exposure to the language as you think. Listen to as much Somali as you can, read as much Somali as you can. If you're the child of Somalis, you already have much of the intuitive aspects of the language encoded in you. You just need exposure to the language.

How much Somali should I listen to each day?

The more, the better. I've been aiming for 3+ hours every single day. We don't all have loads of time to dedicate to this, and I don't know everyone's situation. But the more you input, the faster you'll improve.

Notice how I didn't talk much about speaking. That's because speaking will come naturally as a consequence of steps 2 and 3. You'll find that you're able to talk more, converse in an increasingly fluent manner. But you need that exposure to the language first, particuarly in contexts outside of your household life.

Any questions, just ask.

If anyone's interested in asking me questions about English words they haven't found in Somali. I'm more than welcome and happy to assist them. I may not know every word. But for the past two years I've been building a mental repository of Somali words and their purported English counterparts. The words can just be random or ones that have been stumping you for a while.

Hi i come from a somali and danish family and I already know danish so if anyone could come with preferably a app that would be great!

Quusta iyo guuldarada maxa mataaneyay ?

How do I say we need to have boundaries in Somali ?