Somali Gender
Welcome to the fifth Somali lesson about gender. This time we will view a list of people, feminine and masculine, followed by grammar rules, finally a list of expressions in Somali to help you practice your daily phrases.
man nin |
woman haweeney |
husband nin |
wife xaas |
boy wiil |
girl gabar |
father aabe |
mother hooyo |
Gender Grammar Rules
In general, gender is used to distinguish between male and female, sometimes referred to as masculine and feminine. For example: my son and daughter are students the noun [son] is masculine, while [daughter] is feminine. The following examples use gender in different ways and places to demonstrate their behavior.
| Grammar + Rules - Somali |
|---|
| my son is a student [masculine + noun] wiilkeygu waa arday |
| her daughter is a student [feminine + noun] gabadheedu waa ardayad |
| he has a tall brother [adjective + masculine] wuxuu leeyahay walaal dheer |
| she has a tall sister [adjective + feminine] waxay leedahay walaasheed dheer |
| his brothers are young [plural masculine + adjective] walaalihiis waa yaryar yihiin |
| his sisters are young [plural feminine + adjective] walaalihiis waa yaryar yihiin |
The list below will probably provide more clarification. These are family members (males and females). I think it would be wise to memorize them as part of your important vocabulary list.
son wiil |
daughter gabar |
brother walaalka |
sister walaasha | grandfather awoowe |
grandmother ayeeyo |
child cunug |
children carruur |
Expressions in Somali
Now it's time to practice expressions used in daily conversations. If you're a beginner in learning Somali, then the phrases below are something you would want to know.
| English - Somali |
|---|
| What do you mean? maxaad uga jeeddaa |
| I don't understand ma fahmin |
| I don't know ma aqaan |
| What is that called in Somali? waxaas maxaa lagu dhahaa afkaaga sheeg |
| What is this? kani waa maxay? |
| What does that word mean in English? muxuu yahay micnaha eraygaas af ingiriiska? |
| Sorry (if you made a mistake) waan ka xumahay |
I hope you enjoyed this lesson about the gender in Somali. Please check out our main menu here for more lessons: homepage. To see the full menu, you can also click on the "Menu" icon on the left side.
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