Shakespeare : Sonnet 12

Abdullahi Botan took part in the largest ever poetry festival in London’s Southbank Centre, which brought together up to 200-plus poets who represented the Olympic nations. Thousands of nominations were whittled down to one poet per country. Botan was selected to represent Somalia.

 When I do count the clock that tells the time,
Goortaan xisaabiyo waqtiga yaan, garan waxaan joogo
 
And see the brave day sunk in hideous night;
Iyo waxaan dharaar wacan arkoo, wahab-habeenowday, 
 
When I behold the violet past prime
Ubaxii is wadhay iyo markaan, eego wixii doorshay
 
And sable curls all silver'd o'er with white;
Oo waafi timo qurux madow, wahee! cadday-siiyey,
 
When lofty trees I see barren of leaves
Waqti bay dhirtuba waayi dhogor, iyo caleen waabta 
 
Which erst from heat did canopy the herd,
Waxay waayo’ weyliyo lo’duba, wiire kaga baydho,
 
And summer's green all girded up in sheaves
Wixii tacab xagaagii la guray iyo, qamadi waaxiishey
 
Borne on the bier with white and bristly beard,
Wax is jiita baqal weyn ku raran baa, muuq gadh-waayeel leh.
 
of thy beauty do I question make,
Waxse aan walaaley is warin, qurux wacnaantaadan 
 
That thou among the wastes of time must go,
Waxa xiga inuu yahay gabow sidii, Waaqla' omasoore, 
 
Since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake
Wanaagsane waxgarad baa aqbala, inuusan waarayne
 
And die as fast as they see others grow;
Wareegtadana uu dhiman’ dhashuna, noqon dad waaweyne
 
And nothing 'gainst Time's scythe can make defence
Wedkuna difaac maleh wax celin, waran Azraa’iile!
 
Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence.
Warasiyo carruur inaad dhashoo waxaan ahayn mooyi!

Somali interpreter/translator vacancy at the Red Cross

There is a vacancy available at the International Red Cross for a Somali interpreter. The details are here,
http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/job/current-vacancies/fd-som-interp.htm

I think that, for reasons of neutrality, ethnic Somalis are not allowed to apply for the post. So this is a good opportunity for those non-Somalis who have gone to the trouble of learning this obscure language.

Adjectives - past tense

How do you say ' I am fine/Ok' in Somali? 


Waan ladnahay/fiicanahay/wanaagsanahay


How do you say 'I was fine'?


...
You chop off the 'ahay' at the end of the word and add 'aa'


Waan ladnaa/ Waan fiicnaa*/Waan wanaagsanaa - I was fine


*I think 'fiican' could be a special case. You have to remove the 'a' before the 'n' as well.


You use this for sentences like 'I am/was beautiful', 'I am/was tall', 'I am/was rich'


Waan     + adjective + ahay  >      Waan  + adjective + aa
Waad     + adjective + tahay >      Waad  + adjective + ayd
Wuu       + adjective + yahay >    Wuu    + adjective + aa
Wey       + adjective  + tahay >    Wey    + adjective + ayd
Waannu + adjective  + nahay > Waannu + adjective + ayn
Weynu   + adjective  + nahay > Weynu  + adjective  + ayn
Waad     + adjective   + tihiin >  Waad    + adjective  + aydeen
Wey       + adjective   + yihiin>  Wey      + adjective  + aayeen


Waan dhuubanahay - I am slim  >   Waan dhuubanaa - I was slim
Waan guruxsanahay - I am beautiful > Waan guruxsanaa - I was beautiful
Waan buuranahay >  Waan buuranaa - I was fat
Waan dheerahay - I am tall > Waan dheeraa - I was tall

leeyahay/lahaa (Present and past tense)

Buug baan leeyahay - I have a book
Buug baan lahaa - I had a book


Baabuur baad leedahay - You have a car
Baabuur baad lahayd - You had a car


Lacag buu leeyahay - He has some money
Lacag buu lahaa - He had some money


Qoys bey leedahay - She has a family
Qoys bey lahayd - She had a family


Dhaqan baannu leenahay - We have a culture
Dhaqan baannu lahayn - We had a culture


Dhibaato baad leedihiin - You(pl) have a problem
Dhibaato baad lahaydeen - You(pl) had a problem


Cilmi bey leeyihiin - They have knowledge
Cilmi bey lahaayeen - They had knowledge

Haddadan - just now

'Haddadan' means 'just now; just a moment ago',


Haddadan baan trainka soo fulay - I've just got on the train
Haddadan baan ku arkay - I saw you just a moment ago
Haddadan telefoonka baa dhacayay - The phone was ringing just now
Haddadan albaabka la garaacayay - Someone was knocking at the door a moment ago (Lit: 'The door was being knocked')

Another useful phrase that is similar is 'mar dhoweyd'. However, 'haddadan' means 'just a few seconds/minutes ago' whereas 'mar dhoweyd' could mean a little longer than that. 

Article translation

A translation of a short article that appeared on the BBC News website


Burcad ay qabteen ciidanka Denmark 
The Danish military has captured pirates

Ciidanka badda ee Danishka ayaa sheegay inay joojiyeen doon burcad ay leedahay xeebta Soomaaliya agteeda.

Danish naval forces have said that they have stopped would-be pirates near the Somali coastline.

Waxay ciidanka sheegeen inay xireen lix iyo toban burcad Soomaali iyo inay badbaadiyeen kow iyo toban qof oo u dhashay Iran iyo Pakistan.

The soldiers said that they have arrested 16 Somali pirates and safeguarded 11 people from Iran and Pakistan.

Warbixin ay soo saareen ciidanka ayaa sheegtay in aan qofna ku dhaawacmin howlgalka.

In a statement, they said that no one was injured in the operation.

Baarayaasha ayaa isku dayaya siday u dacwayn lahaayeen burcada la tuhunsanyahay oo doonta kaluumaysiga afduubay bil ka hor.

Investigators are trying to see how they can bring legal action against the pirates who are suspected of hijacking a fishing boat last month.


Vocab


burcad - bandits/pirates
ciidan(ka) - army 
bad(da) - sea
jooji - to stop
xeeb(ta) - coast, beach
xir - to arrest, lockup, close (a door)
badbaadi - to secure, safeguard
qofna - nobody
dhaawac - to injure, wound
  qofna ku dhaawacmin hawlgalka - no one was injured in the operation
warbixin - a press statement
baare - investigator(plural: baarayaasha)
dacwee - to sue, bring legal action against s.o.
  siday u dacwayn lahayeen - how to bring legal action against ...
doonta kaluumaysiga - a fishing boat
afduub - to hijack, abduct
bil - month

Ardeyda Abaalmarinta - The students' reward

This is a short video about Somali children getting rewards (abaalmarin) for their hard work at school. I have transcribed and translated the introduction.

Munaasabadan way ka soo qaybgaleen qaar ka mid ah mas'uuliyiinta degmada Camden sida duqa degmada, golaha deegaanka, waalidiin, iyo ardeyda wax ka barataa schoolada Camden. Waxaana lagu qabtay isla xaafadan, iyadoo ay ahayd mid abaalmarin lagu guddoonsiineyey ardey gaarisaa 104 oo laga soo guray schoolada degmada Camden.


Offcials from Camden district (of London) participated in this ceremony, such as the district mayor, the local council, parents and students who study at Camden schools. And it was held in the neighbourhood, and it was an occasion where prizes were awarded to as many as 104 students who were gathered from schools across Camden.




Vocab
munaasabad(da) - event, ceremony
qaybgal - to participate
degmo(da) - district
mas'uul - official
ardey(da) - students
la qabtay - to be held
iyadoo  - iyada (she) + oo(while)
  iyadoo ay ahayd - while she/it was
abaalmarin - reward for hard work
guddoonsii - to present/award s.o.
gaaray - to reach
laga soo guray - that were collected from

Sidoo kale loo yaqaan - A.K.A

'Sidoo kale' means 'In the same way'. You can use it when you want to show that two things/situations are similar. It is a portmanteau of 'sida' and 'oo kale'.




'Sidoo kale loo yaqaan' means 'Also known as'


New York oo sidoo kale loo yaqaan 'The Big Apple' ...
New York, which is also known as 'The Big Apple'...

Waxaa laga yaabaa ... (It is possible...)

'Waxaa laga yaabaa' is a set phrase which means 'It's possible'. Combine it with 'in' (that) and you can make sentences such as, 

Waxaa laga yaabaa inaan tegi karaa Baariis - I might be able to go to Paris (lit: 'It is possible that I can go to Paris')


Waxaa laga yaabaa iney yihiin Soomaali - It's possible that they are Somali


Waxaa laga yaabaa baabuurkaasi inuu yahay kayga - It's possible that that car is mine.

Tweets

Some translations of recent tweets from BBC Somali,

BRICS oo sheegay inay samaynayaan bangi

The BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India, China) have said that they are establishing a bank.

Geerida Cabdullaahi Yusuf: Allaha u naxariistee Cabdullaahi Yusuf Axmed wuxuu ku dhashay tuulo ku dhow magaalada Garowe...

The death of Abdillahi Yusuf: God rest his soul Abdillahi Yusuf Ahmed was born in a village close to the city of Garowe... 
 
Burcad badeed lagu wareejiyey Somaliland: Koox burcad badeed Soomaliyeed ah oo ku xirnaa dalka Seychelles ayaa lagu wareejiyey Somaliland

Sea pirates have been handed over to Somaliland: A team of Somali pirates which was held in the Seychelles has been transferred to Somaliland


Vocab


Wuxuu ku dhashay... - He was born in ....
xiran(xirnaa) - to be tied up, to be shut, to be locked up
ku xirnaa... - locked up in ...
ku wareeji - to hand over
igu wareeji - hand it over to me

'in' - making subordinate clauses

There are several ways to make subordinate clauses in Somali. Here I will talk about the easiest.


I want to go to Somalia


I want (Main Clause)    to go to Somalia (Subordinate clause)


To link the two in Somali, use the word 'in'


Waxaan dooneyaa + in(that) + aan(I) + tago(present habitual)  Soomaaliya


'in' roughly corresponds to the English word 'that'. Therefore, literally it means


Waxaan dooneyaa inaan tago Soomaaliya - I want that I go to Somalia


Waxaan dooneyaa inaan baro af Soomaaliga - I want to learn Somali


Waxaan moodeyey inuu tegayo Soomaaliya - I thought he was going to Somalia


'in' is very good when you want to use phrases like,


'I believe that' - Waxaan rumaysnaa in ...

' I think that' - Waxaan fekerayaa in ... 


'I want to' - Waxaan dooneyaa in ...

inaan - that I           iney - that she     inaad - that you(pl)
inaad - that you      inaanu - that we  iney - that they
inuu - that he          ineynu - that we

You can develop this structure further,

Waxaan ku faraxsanahay inaad si amaan ah u gaartay Muqdisho


I am happy that you reached Mogadishu safely



Notice, the verbs 'tago', 'baro', end in 'o'. This is similar to French where,


Autant que je sache (Not 'sais'), 


Just as in French where the verb becomes subjunctif after 'que', in Somali after 'in' the verb ends in 'o', but only if it is originally a present progressive or habitual tense. If it is in past tense, then it remains the same.

Waxaan maqlay inuu tegay Soomaaliya - I heard that he went to Somalia. 

Burcad Badeed - pirates

Sidee baa loogu yiraahdaa af Soomaali "pirates"?
How do you say "pirates" in Somali?


The answer is "burcad badeed". This literally means "sea bandits". The word for 'sea' in Somali is 'bad(da)'. 


Burcada soomaalida ayaa ka afduubtay markab xamuul jasiirada Maldives. Waa markii ugu horaysay ee burcada ay ka afduubaan biyaha u dhow hindiya iyo Srilanka.

Somali pirates have hijacked a ship in the Maldives. It is the first time that pirates have attacked in waters close to India and Sri Lanka.

afduub - kidnap, abduct, hijack
burcad - bandits
markab - ship
....u dhow - close to... (e.g. Wuu ku helay meel u dhow gurigayga - He found it close to my house)
Waa markii ugu horaysay ee... - It is the first time that...

Weli - still

'Weli' means 'still' . You can use it in both the positive and negative sense.

Weli lacag baan haystaa - I still have some money
Weli gurigaas baan leeyahay - I still have that house
Weli caruur baan dooneyaa - I still want children
Weli hilib lo'aad buu cunaa - He still eats beef
Weli af Soomali bey ku hadlaan - They still speak Somali


'Maan tegin' means 'I didn't go'. But if you put 'weli' in front of it, it becomes 'Weli maan tegin' - I haven't gone yet (but there is still a possibility I might go)


Weli maan tegin - I still haven't gone
Weli muu cunin cuntadiisa - He still hasn't eaten his meal
Weli maan guursannin - I still haven't got married
Weli mey kuma hadlaan af Soomali - They still don't speak Somali 
Weli muu hadlin - He still hasn't spoken

Habsaan baan ahay - I'm late

Waxaan kuu sheegayaa sida loogu yiraahdo af Soomaali 'I'm late'.
(I will tell you how 'I'm late' is said in Somali)


Habsaan baan ahay - I'm late 

Habsaan baan ahay ee raali ahow - Sorry I'm late!
  
'I was late', laba sidood baa loo isticmaali karaa( you can use two ways to say it)


Habsaan baan ahaa - I was late/I was held up 
Waan habsaamay - I was late

If you want to say ' I was late to work/school/the game, etc, use 'ka',


Waxaan ka habsaamay shaqada - I was late to work
Waxaan ka habsaamay dugsiga - I was late to school
Waxaan ka habsaamay ciyaarta - I was late to the dance

Ila hadal (Talk with me)

This is a short video I put together so that you can listen to and practise some phrases. It is from a programme called 'Ila hadal' which means 'Talk with me'. It is a good programme to watch as a Somali learner.

Some phrases that I forgot to include,


Waa barnaamij cusub - It is a new programme

Waxay ka kooban tahay - It is comprised of/ It consists of...


Saddex qaybood - Three parts

Follow BBC Somali on Twitter

You can follow BBC Somali on Twitter here,  
http://twitter.com/#!/bbcsomali.

They have short bite-sized sentences in Somali that are easy to digest. For example, 


Shirka London. Barnaamij ku saabsan shirka London
The London Conference. A programme about the London Conference.


Click: Wararka Toddobaadkii ee tiknoolajiga 
Click: Weekly news on technology 


Turkish Airline oo u duushay Somalia
Turkish Airline flew to Somalia

fara badan - many, numerous

A popular way of saying that there are many of something is to use the phrase 'fara badan'. It literally means 'many fingers'. For example,


Hadda, waxaa soo baxay radio, tv, wargeys iyo bar internet fara badan 
Now, many radio stations, tv channels and newspapers and internet sites have come out


Ciidamo Itoobiyaan fara badan ayaa soo gaaray degmada Luuq
Many Ethiopian troops have reached the Luuq district.

Kalluun fara badan oo ku soo Caariyey Xeebta Magaalada Bosaaso
Many fish were washed up on the beach of Boosaaso City.

Dhalasho wanaagsan! - Happy Birthday!

In case you wanted to know, 


Dhalasho wanaagsan! - Happy Birthday!

'Dhalasho' means 'birth'. 

Use the list below when you want to say where you are born, 


Waxaan ku dhashay Ingriiska - I was born in Britain
Waxaad ku dhalatay Boolaand - You were born in Poland
Wuxuu ku dhashay Faransiiska - He was born in France
Waxay ku dhalatay Mareykanka - She was born in America
Waxaanu ku dhalanney Jarmalka - We were born in Germany
Waxeynu ku dhalanney Spain - We were born in Spain
Waxaad ku dhalateen Canada - You were born in Canada
Waxay ku dhasheen Soomaaliya - They were born in Somalia

Remember that 'ku' means 'in, at'

Xaggee (noun) laga helaa? - Where can I get (noun)?

If you want to ask someone how to get something in Somali, a common phrase is,


Xaggee (noun) laga helaa? - Where does one get (noun)from?


The verb 'hel' means 'to get/obtain'. 'laga' is the fusion of two prepositions; 'la' makes the sentence passive, and 'ka' (from). 

Xaggee buuggan laga helaa? - Where does one get this book?
Xaggee baabuurkan laga helaa? - Where do I get this car?
Xaggee ticket laga helaa? - Where do I get a ticket?
Xaggee biyo laga helaa? - Where does one get water?


Another similar phrase is to use 'heli karaa' (able to get)


Xaggee bus laga heli karaa? - Where can I get a bus?
Xaggee cabbitaan laga heli karaa? - Where can I get a drink?
Xaggee cunto laga heli karaa?  
- Where can one get food?


You can move the object to the end of the sentence,


Xaggee laga heli karaa shaqo? - Where can one get a job?
Xaggee laga heli karaa fursad? - Where can I get an opportunity?
Xaggee laga heli karaa caawinaad? - Where can I get help?

Waxay kula tahay... - In my opinion...

Remember that,


Maxay kula tahay? - What do you think? What's your opinion(about it)?
You can answer the question by starting with,


Waxay ila tahay... - In my opinion...


For example,


Waxay ila tahay inaad noqoto dhaktar 
- In my opinion, you should become a doctor.
Waxay ila tahay inaad barato af Soomaali 
- In my opinion, you should study Somali.
Waxay ila tahay inaad joojiso sigaarka 
- In my opinion, you should stop smoking.
Waxay ila tahay inaad guursato gabartaas 
- In my opinion, you should marry that girl.
Waxay ila tahay inaad tagto dalka Mareykanka 
- In my opinion, you should go to America.


Waxay     i la    tahay - What she is with me is...(Literal translation)
WHAT-SHE     ME-WITH       IS

The reason I think 'maxay kula tahay'/'waxay ila tahay' are feminine, is because we are talking about 'arrinta' ('the matter') which is a feminine word. If however, you are talking about something masculine, you have to change it to 'muxuu kula yahay'/'wuxuu ila yahay'.


Baarbuurkayga cusub, muxuu kula yahay? - What do you think of my new car?