Present Habitual: Negative

Kaluun ma cuno - I don't eat fish
Bariis ma kariso - I don't cook rice
Af Soomaali kuma hadlo - I don't speak Somali
Dugsi ma tago - I don't go to school
Khamri ma cabbo - I don't drink alcohol
Dadka Soomaaliyeed fardaha ma cunaan - Somali people don't eat horses
Reerkaas masaajidka ma tagaan - Those people don't go to the mosque

This is how you use the negative form of the present habitual.
Generally, if you want to say 'I don't ...' you take the imperative form of the verb (cun, cab, tag,etc) and add 'o' to it. Use this with 'Ma' which means 'I/He/She/We/You/They don't' .Therefore

Ma + cun(o) - I don't eat
Ma + cabb(o) - I don't drink
Ma + tag(o) - I don't go

For Conj.2 verbs, add 'yo' instead

Ma + kari(yo) - I don't cook
Ma + sameeyo - I don't do/make  

Conj.3 verbs are a bit trickier. For 3a verbs, remove 'o' and add 'ado' instead

Ma + joogs(ado) - I don't stop

For 3b verbs, remove 'o' and add 'to'

Ma + dhegeys(to) - I don't listen
Ma + seex(do) - I don't sleep

This is a bit tricky, write a comment if you have any questions.

	conj.1	conj.2		conj.3
		2a	2b	3a	3b
Ma	cuno	kariyo	sameeyo	joogsado	dhegeysto
Ma	cuntid	karisid	sameesid	joogsatid	dhegeysatid
Ma	cuno	kariyo	sameeyo	joogsado	dhegeysto
Ma	cuntid	kariso	sameeso	joogsato	dhegeysato
Ma	cunno	karinno	sameeno	joogsanno	dhegeysanno
Ma	cunno	karinno	sameeno	joogsanno	dhegeysanno
Ma	cuntaan	karisaan	sameesaan	joogsataan	dhegeysataan
Ma	cunaan	kariyaan	sameeyaan	joogsadaan	dhegeystaan

Verbs: Present continuous form

So far, we have to learned how to say,


I ate a cake          - Keeg baan cunay
I eat cakes           - Keeg baan cunaa
Eat cakes!            - Keeg cun!
I didn't eat a cake - Keeg maan cunin


How do you say 'I am eating a cake'? In English, this is called the present continuous form of the verb. It's the form you use when you're talking about things that are happening right now, as you are speaking.


Person A: Maxaad sameynaysaa? - What are you doing?
Person B: Keeg baan cunayaa.      - I'm eating a cake.


Person A: Xaggee tegaysaa? - Where are you going?
Person B: Guriga baan aadeyaa - I'm heading home.

	conj.1	conj.2		conj,3
		2a	2b	3a	3b
Waan	cunayaa	karinayaa	sameenayaa	joogsanayaa	dhegeysanayaa
Waad	cunaysaa	karinaysaa	sameenaysaa	joogsanaysaa	dhegeysanaysaa
Wuu	cunayaa	karinayaa	sameenayaa	joogsanayaa	dhegeysanayaa
Wey	cunaysaa	karinaysaa	sameenaysaa	joogsanaysaa	dhegeysanaysaa
Waannu	cunaynaa	karinaynaa	sameenaynaa	joogsanaynaa	dhegeysanaynaa
Weynu	cunaynaa	karinaynaa	sameenaynaa	joogsanaynaa	dhegeysanaynaa
Waad	cunaysaan	karinaysaan	sameenaysaan	joogsanaysaan	dhegeysanaysaan
Wey	cunayaan	karinayaan	sameenayaan	joogsanayaan	dhegeysanayaan

Maxaad karinaysaa? - What are you cooking?
Hilib iyo bariis. - Meat and rice.

In addition to discussing what is happening now, you can use the present continuous form in some cases to talk about the future.

Yaa tegeyaa? - Who will go?(lit: who's going?)
Anigu baa tegayaa - I will go (lit: 'I'm going')

Noun + Meeyey/Meedey? - Where is the...?

We have learnt that the Somali word for 'where' is 'xaggee'. For example,


Naagtii xaggee bey joogtaa? - Where is the woman?


A more common expression(especially when talking about people) is to use 'meeyey/meedey',


Naagtii meedey? - Where is the woman?
Qalinkii meeyey? - Where is the pen?


You just add meeyey/meedey to the noun and that's it. For masculine nouns, use meeyey. For feminine nouns, use meedey. Qalin is a masculine noun (remember 'ka' & 'ta) so it takes 'meeyey', whereas 'naag' is a feminine noun so it takes 'meedey'. Because the listener is likely to know the noun you're referring to, you generally use the 'kii' 'tii' definite article.


Doqonkii meeyey? - Where is the fool?
Bisaddii meedey?   - Where is the cat?
Gabartii meedey?   - Where is the girl?


You can also use it with people's names,


Maxamed meeyey? - Where's Mohammed?
Hinda meedey?       - Where's Hinda?

(Noun) Miyaa?

We have learnt that to ask about things we use the following phrase, 'Ma (noun) baa?' 'Is it a (noun)?'. For example,


Ma buug baa? - Is it a book?
Ma bisad baa? - Is it a cat?


There is another phrase pattern that is often used. (Noun) miyaa? It means exactly the same thing.


Buug miyaa? - Is it a book?
Bisad miyaa? - Is it a cat?

Ma nabad qabtaa? - How're you doing?

 'Qabo' means 'to have' or 'to hold'. 'Ma nabad qabtaa' means 'How are you/How's things'. Notice the ending 'qabtaa'. This is the present habitual that we covered before. So it literally means 'Are you having/holding peace?'. 


So there are several ways of asking how someone is in Somali. 


Ma ladantahay?
Ma nabad qabtaa?
Sideed tahay? (or just 'Seetahay?')
Ma fiicantahay?

All these phrases roughly mean 'Are you OK/How things?'. When you talk to a Somali, often they will start with one phrase, then move to the next and the next. (It can get a little tedious:)

Another phrase used with 'qabtaa' is,

Su'aal ma qabtaa? - Do you have a question?

If you want to say you have a question, then you say,

Su'aal baan qabaa - I have a question

Ma ogtahay?

'Ma ogtahay' is a phrase that Somalis often use. It is similar to 'Ma aragtey' and means 'do you know/are you aware'.

Wuu tegayaa Maraykanka. Ma ogtahay?
- He's going to America, you know.

Ma ogtahay inuu baranayaa af Soomaali?
-Did you know he's learning Somali?

Waan kuu sheegayaa ninkaasi waa nin xun. Ma ogtahay?
-  I'm telling you that man is a bad man, OK?

Somalis usually say this phrase so fast, that it sounds more like 'Moogtahay'. Practise this phrase with your Somali friends.

Inoo sameeya Canjeero (Let's make Canjeero)

Maanta, waan idin tusayaa sidee loo kariyo 'canjeero'.


Waxaad u baahantahay,


Daqiiq (500g)
Hadhuudh (500g)
Biyo
Millex (in yar ah)
Khamiir (in yar ah)

1. Madiibad soo qaado oo ku shub daqiiqda iyo hadhuudhka iyo millexda. Marka, ku dar in yar oo biya ah, iyo in yar oo khamiir ah.
2. Walaaq cabbaar
3. Hadduu qooshku kaa jilco, in yar oo daqiiq ah ku dar. Hadduu qooshku kaa adkaado, in yar oo biya ah ku dar.
4. Dabool. Ha ku riddin talaagadda. Waxaad sugtaa shan(5) ama lix(6) saacadood.

5. Hadduu qooshku faxay, maqalka dab ka saar. Marka, in yar oo qoosh ah ku shub maqalka oo kulul. Ku kala bixi oo dabool.
   
6. Sug hal minute. Daboolka ka qaad oo canjeerada soo qaad oo saxanka saar.
    

Vocab
 u baahan - to need
daqiiq(da) - flour
hadhuudh/haruur(ka) - sorghum
biyo - water
millex - salt
khamiir - yeast 
madiibad - bowl
qaad - to get
ku shub - to pour
ku dar - to add
in yar - a little bit
dabool(verb) - to cover
dabool(ka) - lid
walaaq - to stir
cabbaar - strongly
hadduu - if it 
qoosh(ka) - mixture
jilco - soft
adkaado - tough 
ha ku riddin - don't put it
talaagad(da) - fridge
sug - to wait 
saacadood - hours 
fax - to rise up
maqal(ka) - frying pan 
dab- fire/cooker
ku saar - to put/place
ku kala bixi - spread it around
hal minute - one minute 
ka qaad - to take off
saxan(ka) - plate

Practising the Present Habitual

Markaad ku soo noqoto shaqada, maxaad sameesaa?
When you come home from work, what do you do?

Markaan soo noqdo, kabahayga baan iska bixiyaa,shaah baan u sameeyaa aniga iyo xaaskayga. Dabadeedna, fadhiga baan hagaajiyaa, televisionka baan shidaa oo daawadaa. Dabadeedna, casho baan sameeyaa oo cunaa. Marmar buug baan akhriyaa. Sideedda waan seexdaa.

Vocab
kabo - shoes
bixi  - to take off
shaah - tea
xaas - wife
fadhi(ga) - living room
hagaaji - to clean/sort out
shid - to turn on
daawo - to watch
casho - evening meal
marmar - sometimes

Wuu ogyahay - He knows

'Og' is another of those irregular verbs. It means 'to know/be aware of'.

U sheeg inaanu tegaynaa - Tell him we going.
Wuu ogyahay - He knows

Person A: Keegaaga baan cunay - I ate your cake
Person B: Waan ogahay - I know
Person A: Raali ahow - I'm sorry

If you have a Somali friend or acquaintance, get him/her to pronounce the word 'og' for you. It is a little different from the English pronunciation.

Waan ogahay  - I know
Waad ogtahay - You know
Wuu ogyahay  - He knows
Wey ogtahay   - She knows
Waannu ognahay - We know
Weynu ognahay  - We know
Waad ogtihiin  - You know
Wey ogyihiin  - They know

Raali ahow - I'm sorry

Keeggayga yaa cunay?! -Who ate my cake?!
Anigu baa cunay. Raali ahow. - I ate it. I'm sorry.

'Raali ahow' is how you say 'I'm sorry' in Somali. 'ahow' is pronounced to sound like the word 'low' in English, not like 'cow'. If you're speaking to a group, you say 'Raali ahaada'.

Maxaad sameesaa? (Present habitual tense)

Markaad ku soo noqoto shaqada, maxaad sameesaa?
- When you come back from work, what do you do?
Buug baan akhriyaa
- I read a book

Roodhi iyo shaah baan ku quraacdaa
- I have a tea and bread for breakfast 


Maalin kasta wuu bukaa
- He's ill every day

In Somali, like in English, we use the present habitual to talk about things that happen regularly or to talk about states of being.

Aroortii, maxaad cuntaa?
What do you eat in the morning?

Roodhi baan cunaa.
I eat bread.

Xaggee baad ka shaqeysaa?
Where do you work?

Bank baan u shaqeyaa.
I work for a bank.

	conj.1	conj.2		conj.3
		2a	2b	3a	3b
Waan	cunaa	kariyaa	sameeyaa	joogsataa	dhageystaa
Waad	cuntaa	karisaa	sameesaa	joogsadaa	dhageysataa
Wuu	cunaa	kariyaa	sameeyaa	joogsataa	dhageystaa
Wey	cuntaa	karisaa	sameesaa	joogsadaa	dhageysataa
Waannu	cunnaa	karinaa	sameenaa	joogsanaa	dhageysanaa
Weynu	cunnaa	karinaa	sameenaa	joogsanaa	dhageysanaa
Waad	cuntaan	karisaan	sameesaan	joogsataan	dhageysataan
Wey	cunaan	kariyaan	sameeyaan	joogsadaan	dhageystaan

Maxaad leedahay? - What are you saying?

The word 'leedahay' comes the verb 'leh' which means 'to own/possess'.


Ma xaas baad leedahay? - Do you have a wife?


'Maxaad leedahay?' can mean 'What did you say/What are you saying?' It can also mean 'What are you doing?' 


Person A:  (Says something inaudible or nonsensical)
Person B : Warya, maxaad leedahay?
                  Hey, what are you saying?

If you want to make clear what you want to say, you can use the very useful phrase 'Waxaan leeyahay' , which means 'What I am saying is that...'


Waxaan leeyahay nin fiican buu ahaa - What I'm saying is that he was a good man
Waxaan leeyahay dalka Soomaliyeed waa dal wanaagsan - What I saying is that Somalia is a good country.
Waxaan leeyahay wuu sameeyey - What I'm saying is that he did it.

Maxaan leeyahay?  - What am I saying?
Maxaad leedahay?  - What are you saying?
Muxuu leeyahay?    - What is he saying?
Maxay leedahay      - What is she saying?
Maxaannu leenahay? - What are we saying?
Maxeynu leenahay?  - What are we saying?
Maxaad leedihiin?   - What are you(pl) saying?
Maxay leeyihiin?     - What are they saying?

Maan cunin ( I didn't eat/haven't eaten)

Maad cuntay, maanta? - Have you eaten today?
Mey, maan cunin          - No, I haven't eaten.


To use the past negative, for the conj.1 verbs, just add 'in' to the base verb


cun + in = cunin


Maan cunin  - I didn't eat
Maad cunin  - You didn't eat
Muu   cunin  - He didn't eat
Mey   cunin  - She didn't eat
Maannu cunin - We didn't eat
Meynu  cunin - We didn't eat
Maad  cunin  - You didn't eat
Mey   cunin  - They didn't eat


tag + in = tagin/tegin
Maan tegin  - I didn't go
Maad tegin  - You didn't go
Muu tegin  - He didn't go 
etc.

conj.1 conj. 2a conj.2b conj.3a conj.3b Maan tegin karin sameyn joogsanin dhageysanin Maad tegin karin sameyn joogsanin dhageysanin Muu tegin karin sameyn joogsanin dhageysanin Mey tegin karin sameyn joogsanin dhageysanin Maannu tegin karin sameyn joogsanin dhageysanin Meynu tegin karin sameyn joogsanin dhageysanin Maad  tegin karin sameyn joogsanin dhageysanin Mey tegin karin sameyn joogsanin dhageysanin

Immisa jir baad tahay? (How old are you?)

Jaamac: Wiilkayga maad aragtey? 
            - Have you seen my son?
Liban:   Mey, magaciisa waa maxay? 
            - No, what's his name?
Jaamac: Waa Cabdi. Cabdiyow! Kaaley!
             - It's Abdi. Hey Abdi, come here!
Liban : Assalamu alaikum.
            - Peace be upon you.
Cabdi: Assalamu alaikum.
           - Peace be upon you.
Liban: Immisa jir baad tahay?
          - How old are you?
Cabdi: Lix jir.
          - Six years old.

'Immisa' is a useful word that means 'how many/how much'. The phrase 'Immisa jir baad tahay' means roughly 'How many years are you?'. The usual word for year is 'sano'. But you reply to this question by using 'jir'. So,

Immisa jir baad tahay?

Lix iyo toban jir - Sixteen years old (lit: 'six & ten years)
Labaatan jir      - Twenty years old
Sideed iyo labaatan jir - Twenty eight years old
Afartan jir         - Fourty years old
Sagaashan jir - Ninety years old

'imow' & 'odho' - More irregular verbs

'Imow' is the verb 'to come'. 'Odho' is the verb 'to say'. 


Waan imid           - I came
Waad timid          - You came
Wuu yimid            - He came
Wey timid             - She came
Waannu nimid       - We came
Weynu nimid         - We came
Waad timaadeen   - You(pl) came
Wey yimaadeen     - They came


Miyuu yimid? - Has he come?

Wuu yimid oo ii sheegay inuu abtigayga dhintey - He came and told me that my uncle died.

Waxaan imid waddankan afartan sano ka hor - I came to this country 40 years ago 




Waan idhi/iri     - I said
Waad tidhi/tiri   - You said
Wuu yidhi/yiri   - He said
Wey tidhi/tiri     - She said
Waannu nidhi/niri - We said
Weynu nidhi/niri   - We said
Waad tidhaadeen/tiraahdeen - You(pl) said
Wey yidhaadeen/yiraahdeen  - They said


Muxuu yidhi? - What did he say?

Ninkaas waa nin xun baan idhi - I said that that man is a bad man

'Af Soomaali aad baan  u jeclahay' bey tidhi - She said 'I really like Somali'

Irregular verbs : arag ( to see)

We said that verbs in Somali can be grouped into three, Conjugations 1, 2 & 3. However, some verbs don't follow these rules perfectly. These are the irregular verbs. One of them is 'arag' which means 'to see'. 


Waan arkey        - I saw
Waad aragtey      - You saw
Wuu arkey           - He saw
Wey aragtey        - She saw
Waannu aragnney - We saw
Weynu aragnney   - we saw
Waad aragteen     - You(pl) saw
Wey arkeen          - They saw


Needless to say, this is a very important verb to remember. However, in addition to its overt meaning 'to see' , the phrase 'Ma aragtey' is also often used to mean 'Do you understand?' 'OK' or 'you know'.

Waa nin xun, ma aragtey? - He's a bad man, you know?

Ma aragtey, haddaan lacag haysto, waan tegi lahaa - If I had money, I would have gone, do you see?

Af Ingriisi ma hadli karo, ma aragtey? - I can't speak English, OK?

'noqo' - to go back/to become

Noqo ! - go back!
Soo noqo! - come back!

One meaning of 'noqo' is ' to go back'. Usually this is used with 'soo'. We covered 'soo' before, it means to do something in the direction of the person speaking. So, 'soo noqo' means 'go back over here' or 'come back'. If you want to specify a specific place, then you have to add 'ku'. For example,

Guriga ku soo noqo - Come back to the house
Shaqada ku soo noqo - Come back to work!

'Ku' here is similar to the English 'to'.

'Noqo' has another meaning - 'to become'. For example,

Nin wanaagsan buu noqday - He became a nice man

Waan noqday       - I became
Waad noqotay      - You became
Wuu noqday          - He became
Wey noqotay        - She became
Waannu noqonnay - We became
Weynu noqonnay   - We became
Waad noqoteen     - You became
Wey noqdeen        - They became

Shopping trip

Saaka, gurigayga baan ka baxay oo suuqa baan aadey. Waxaan iibsadey khudaar iyo hilib. Dabadeedna, beerta baan tegay oo jiifsaday. Saacad iyo badh baan halkaas joogey. Dabadeedna, waan kacay oo gurigayga baan ku soo noqday. Jikada baan galay oo cunto baan sameeyey. Saaxiibkayga baan u yeedhay oo cuntada la cunay.


Vocab
ka baxay - leave from
suuq (a) - market
iibso - to buy (conj.3a)
khudaar - vegetables
beer (ta) - park
jiifso - lie down/rest (conj.3a)
saacad - hour
badh - half
halkaas - there
kac - to get up
jiko(da) - kitchen
gal - to enter
macaan - delicious
saaxiib - friend
u yeedh - to call
la cun - to eat with

Time words, days of the week, cardinal numbers

Maanta  - today
Saaka - this morning
Shalay    - yesterday
 Xaley    -  yesterday night
Berrito   - tomorrow


Days of the week


Isniin     - Monday
Talaada - Tuesday
Arbaca  - Wednesday
Khamiis  - Thursday
Jimce     - Friday
Sabti     - Saturday
Axad    - Sunday


Numbers


kow                - one
laba                - two
saddex            - three
afar                 - four
shan                - five
lix                    - six
toddoba           - seven
sideed             - eight
sagaal              - nine
toban               - ten
kow iyo toban  - eleven
laba iyo toban     - twelve
saddex iyo toban - thirteen
afar iyo toban      - fourteen
shan iyo toban   - fifteen
lix iyo toban      - sixteen
toddoba iyo toban - seventeen
sideed iyo toban - eighteen
sagaal iyo toban - nineteen
labaatan             - twenty
soddon              - thirty
afartan               - fourty
shantan              - fifty
lixdan                - sixty
todobaatan        - seventy
sideedan            - eighty
sagaashan          - ninety
boqol                 - hundred
kun                    - thousand
milyoon              - million

Blog review

It's been about three months since I started posting regular blogposts. I hope it's been helpful thus far. I hope that by this stage you should be able to,

•  introduce yourself by being able to state

         - your name
         - where you come from
         - what you like
         - say things about yourself using '... baan ahay'

• make simple sentences about the past(e.g. 'He went to...')
• use question words (what, when, where, why)
• use the definite article for masculine & feminine nouns
• use a few phrases (e.g. 'sow ma aha') that make your speech more natural

We've come a long way in just 3 months. Actually, I'm worried that I might be moving a bit fast. I currently have a lot of free time so I want to put that time to good use.
I have overly focused on grammar points thus far. Somali grammar can be a little bit tricky and I am still learning myself. My goals for the next couple of months are to,

• talk about hobbies, and learn how to use the present habitual tense
• teach you how to make 'canjeero' a Somali pancake, using basic Somali words and phrases
• introduce traditional Somali folktales
• talk about conditional sentences 'If I..., I would have...'

If you have any questions about what I have covered so far or suggestions, please let me know. Garabkaaga! (Good luck![lit: 'your shoulder']).