A Dictionary of Somali Verbs in Everyday Contexts

© 2012 by Liban A. Ahmad. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 01/17/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4678-8137-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4678-8138-8 (ebk)

Printed in the United States of America

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Introduction

About the Somali Language

Somali Verb Conjugation Tables

Introduction

The verb is one of the basic grammatical building blocks of the Somali language. Familiarity with the conjugation groups (1-3b), the irregular verbs as well as the tenses and their usage, is indispensable for learning Somali as a second language.

This dictionary draws on the compiler’s experience of teaching Somali as a second language; an experience which has been immeasurably enriched by questions posed by learners of Somali as they encounter verbs during the learning process. The dictionary has also benefited considerably from Somali language research

The approach used to compile this bilingual dictionary is driven by the need for the student to learn not only the meaning of the verb but also how it is used. Every verb featured in the dictionary is used in a sample sentence intended to provide the learner with an opportunity to see that verb in everyday contexts. Every verb entry is accompanied by information on the conjugation group of the verb, whether it is transitive or intransitive, a translation of the verb, the role of prepositions where appropriate, the verb in a sentence in Somali with an English translation and the verbal noun. Variant spellings, as well as synonyms (verbs with similar meanings) which may or may not belong to another conjugation group are also shown. In such cases the conjugation group of the verb has been identified, and differences in usage have been indicated. All verbs are assumed to be active, unless identified as passive.

Verbs in the dictionary are arranged in English alphabetical order. The Somali letters DH, KH and SH can be found after the letters D, K and S respectively.

I am grateful to those people whose encouragement and feedback have helped me throughout my career as a teacher of Somali. They include: Dr John Caney, for helping me to improve my knowledge of Somali grammar; Jane Gogarty of Asset Languages, for her supervision of Somali breakthrough, preliminary and intermediate master tasks in four language skills; Abdirisak Haji Mohamud, for his encouragement; Katharine Shipton, for her constructive criticisms while editing the dictionary; my students, for their willingness to ask questions which have helped me learn more about the Somali language, and to my family for their patience while working on the dictionary. Of course, any weaknesses in the dictionary are mine.

Liban Ahmad

London, November 2011

About the Somali Language

The Somali language is a member of the Eastern Cushitic language group. It is spoken in Djibouti, Somalia, parts of Ethiopia and Kenya as well as in Europe, the Middle East and North America where a large Somali diaspora is based. Before 1972, the Somali language did not have an orthography. The military rulers who came to power in October 1969 formed a Language Commission tasked with choosing a script for Somali. Following deliberations, the Somali Language Commission agreed on the use of the Roman script. The decision paved the way for the Literacy Campaign and the use of Somali for administration as well as a medium of instruction in primary and secondary education.

The rich oral tradition of Somalis provided a strong basis for the development of the Somali language from a spoken one to one used in education, administration and media. The Somali language is taught at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) (University of London), Gothenburg University and Ohio University as well as several privately owned language schools in Europe and North America.

Somali alphabet

The Somali alphabet consists of 21 consonants. There are five vowels.

Letters in the English alphabet that are not found in the Somali alphabet are p, v and z:

B, T, J, X, Kh, D, R, S, Sh, Dh, C, G, F, Q K, L, M, N, W, H Y.

Short Vowels

A E I O U

A as in rag

E as in ten

I as tin

O as in log

U as in pull

Long Vowels

AA as in farm

EE as in fair

II as in feel

OO as in ball

UU as in foot

Somali word order

The Somali word order for the active sentence is: subject, object and verb: Ninku bariis buu cunayaa: The man is eating rice.

The word order for the Somali passive sentence is: object + waxaa + verb + subject: Bariis waxaa cunaya ninka: Rice is being eaten by the man. The focus word, waxaa, like oo (which/that/who), ‘reduces’ the verb, ie the final ‘a’ is dropped in the example given above. When the mood classifier (waa) with the subject verbal pronoun (e.g. uu giving wuu) is used, the verb comes after it: Wuu cunayaa bariis: He is eating rice. When used with the impersonal pronoun la (one), the verb is conjugated in the same way as it is for the third person singular masculine (isaga) in all conjugation groups and irregular verbs. The first person singular (aniga) and the third person singular masculine (isaga) are conjugated the same for all conjugation groups but part company in the irregular verbs. The second person singular (adiga) and the third person singular feminine (iyada) are conjugated the same for all conjugation groups and irregular verbs.

Abbreviations

The following acronyms and abbreviations are used in the dictionary:

Colloq.: colloquial

Gram.: grammar

Intr: intransitive

Irr. v.: irregular verb

Masc. : masculine

N: noun

Pass. v: passive verb

Pl.: plural

Sb: somebody

Sing.: singular

SMA: same meaning as

Sth: something

Trans: transitive

A

Aad (intr. – conj. 1) To go. Waxaan aadayaa London berri –  I am going to London tomorrow . (Used with la (with), ku (in), u (for)): Waxay suuqa la aadday Raxma –  She has gone to the market with Rahma. Aadis (n).

Aafee (trans. – conj. 2b) (Of illnesses and natural disasters). To have an adverse effect on someone. Bariis baa loo qaybiyay dadka abaartu ay aafaysay – Rice has been distributed to people affected by the drought. Aafayn (n). SMA: wax-yeellee (conj. 2b).

Aafow (intr. – conj. 1) To be affected adversely by a disease or a natural disaster. (Used with ku (in)): Dadka abaarta ku aafoobay waxay u baahan yihiin gargaar – People affected by the drought need assistance. Aafoobis (n). SMA: wax-yeellow (conj. 1).

Aammin (trans. – conj. 1 arb.) To trust. Waa in la aammino waalidka – Parents should be trusted. (Used with ku (for)): Waxaa lagugu aamminay xilkan – You have been entrusted with this responsibility. Aamminis (n). Aamminka (n): trustworthiness.

Aar (intr. – conj. 1) To avenge. (Used with u (for)): Wuu u aaray saaxiibkiis oo la gadhaacay – He avenged his friend’s beating. Aaris (n).

Aargudo (trans. – conj. 3b) To take revenge. (Used with ka (on)): Wuu iga aargutay – He took revenge on me. Aargudasho (n). SMA: aarso (conj. 3a and used with ka (on)).

Aas (trans. – conj. 1) To bury. Cabdi baa bisaddii ku aasay beerta dhexdeeda – Cabdi has buried the cat in the garden. Aasid (n). Aaska (n) burial. SMA: duug and xabaal (both conj. 1).

Aay (trans. – conj. 1) To derive future benefit from something. (Used with u (for)): Waan u aayay taladaada – I have benefited from your advice (in hindsight). Waad u aayi doontaa waxbarashada – You will benefit from education in the future. SMA: ka faa’iid (conj. 1 arb.). Aayaha (n).

Abaabul (trans. – conj. 1) To organise. Axmed baa abaabulaya bandhigga caanaha geela – Axmed is organising the camel milk exhibition. (Used with ‘is’ (self)): Is-abaabul – To organise oneself/to get