When someone talks to you in Somali, culturally it's natural not to remain silent but to interject the conversation with certain phrases as you're listening. This tells the speaker that you are listening and paying attention. One of these phrases is 'Hayye'. I don't think there is a direct translation in English for this word, but it roughly means both 'Really?' and 'Go on' at the same time. 'Kow' is another phrase. It literally means 'one'. In this context however, it means the same as 'hayye'.Using these phrases will make your Somali feel more natural.
Person A: Saaka waxaan arkay wiil gaajeysan oo jiifaa waddada.
- This morning, I saw a hungry boy lying in the street.
Person B: Hayye
- Really?/Go on
Person A: Marka, waxaan u geeyey maraq iyo roodhi.
- So I gave him some soup and bread
Person B: Kow
- Ok/Go on
Person A: Markaasuu ii yidhi ' Waad mahadsantahay'
- So he said to me 'Thank you very much'
Person B: Kow
- Go on
No comments:
Post a Comment