Monday 19 September 2011

bislee vs kari

There are at least two verbs for 'cook' in Somali, 'kari' and 'bislee'. 'Kari' has the general meaning of cooking,


Maxaad karinaysaa? - What are you cooking?
Bariis iyo hilib baan karinayaa - I'm cooking rice and meat


'Bislee' also means 'to cook' but it can also mean 'to ripen'. Therefore, 'cook' in this sense means making something ready to eat(i.e. 'cooked' as opposed to 'raw'). In English, we use the same word 'cook' to describe both these meanings. For example,


I cooked this meal. Have some - Cuntada baan kariyey. Cun.

Person A tastes the food, spits it out and says,

It's not cooked! - Ma bisli!


So the verb 'bislee' can maybe be translated to 'to cook well' and 'to be ripe' for fruits. 

Si wacan baad u bisleesey - You cooked it well. (lit:'You cooked it in a good way')

Whereas 'kari' is a more general term for cooking. Note that we use 'kari' for making tea,


Muxuu sameeynayaa? - What's he doing?
Shaah buu karinayaa - He's making tea.

'Kari' can also mean 'to boil'.


'to fry' is 'shiil',


Maxaad shiilaysaa? - What are you frying?
Ukun iyo basal baan shiilayaa - I'm frying eggs and onions


Saturday 17 September 2011

Immisa - How many?

To say 'how many' in Somali, usually we use 'Immisa'. For example,




Immisa tufaax baad cuntay? - How many apples did you eat?
Immisa shandadood baad sidataa? - How many suitcases do you have?
Immisa walaalo baad leedahay ? - How many siblings do you have?
Immisa jir baad tahay? - How old are you? (lit:'How many years are you?)

Monday 12 September 2011

Talo - I wonder

'Talo' is a phrase that corresponds to 'I wonder' in English. Not really necessary, but it makes your Somali sound more natural. It usually comes at the end of the sentence.


Xaggee buu tegay, talo? - I wonder where he went?
Muxuu ninka u dilay, talo? - I wonder why he hit the man?

Maxaad ka fekereysaa? - What are you thinking about?

Maxaad ka fekereysaa? - What are you thinking about?
Naagtaas baan ka fekereyaa - I'm thinking about that woman
Japan baan ka fekereyaa - I'm thinking about Japan
Markaan ku noqdo Ingriiska wixii aan sameeyo baan ka fekereyaa - I'm thinking about what to do when I go back to Britain


Muxuu ka fekereyaa ? - What is he thinking about?
Cunto buu ka fekereyaa? He's thinking about food


Maxay ka fekereysaa? - What's she thinking about?
Ninkeeda bey ka fekereysaa - She's thinking about her husband (lit: 'her man')


Maxay ka fekereyaan? - What are they thinking about?
Dalkooda bey ka fekereyaan - They are thinking about their homeland

Tuesday 6 September 2011

ii reeb - Save some

Qaar ii reeb - Save me some


Useful if you want someone to save you some food for example. 'Qaar' means 'some/ a part'.


'iga reeb' on the other hand means 'Get him/her/it off me'. If a child is hanging onto your leg, you might say this to the parent to get him off.

furihii baan illaawey - I forgot my key

The verb for 'to forget' in Somali is 'illow'. 


Maxaa dhacay? - What's wrong?
Furihii baan illaawey - I've forgotten my key


In English, you're more likely to say 'my key', but in Somali it's more natural to say 'the key' (furihii).


Waan illawey - I forgot
Waad illowdey - You forgot 
Wuu  illawey - He forgot
Wey illowdey - She forgot
Waannu/Weynu illownney - We forgot
Waad illowdeen - You forgot
Wey illaaween - They forgot


Maxaad illowdey? - What did you forget?