'Abdi told me'

How do you say 'Abdi told me' in Somali? We saw that the verb 'to tell' in Somali is 'u sheeg'. We use the object pronoun 'i' to represent the word 'me'.  Therefore,


Cabdi    baa            i       u   sheegay
Abdi     FOCUS      me       told   


However, in Somali when 'i' & 'u' come together, they fuse to become 'ii'. So the correct sentence is


Cabdi    baa  ii  sheegay   - Abdi told me


Can you remember the other object pronouns? They are


ku = you
na = us(excl.)
ina= us (incl.)
idin=you(pl.)

'u' is used for him/her/them

When you add the 'u' of 'u sheeg', they become,


ku + u = kuu
na + u  = noo
ina + u = inoo
idin + u = idiin


This is important because you will see these preposition/pronoun fusions often in Somali.


Cabdi baa kuu sheegay - Abdi told you
Cabdi baa noo sheegay - Abdi told us (excl.)
Cabdi baa inoo sheegay - Abdi told us (incl.)
Cabdi baa idiin sheegay - Abdi told you (pl.)