Improve your Somali with practical reading passages, writing exercises, translation activities and grammar practice for beginners.

Learning Somali requires more than memorising vocabulary. You also need to practise reading, writing, translating and using grammar in context.

This free Haraf.net practice guide brings these skills together.

Part 1: Somali reading practice

Reading 1: My name

Magacaygu waa Amina. Waxaan ku noolahay Nairobi. Waxaan ahay ardayad. Waxaan baranayaa Somali iyo Kiswahili.

English:
My name is Amina. I live in Nairobi. I am a student. I am learning Somali and Kiswahili.

Questions

1. Magaceedu waa kuma?
2. Xaggee ayay ku nooshahay?
3. Maxay baranaysaa?

Answers

1. Magaceedu waa Amina.
2. Waxay ku nooshahay Nairobi.
3. Waxay baranaysaa Somali iyo Kiswahili.

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Reading 2: My family

Qoyskaygu waa weyn yahay. Waxaan leeyahay hooyo, aabbe, laba walaalo ah iyo saddex carruur ah. Waxaan jeclahay qoyskayga.

English:
My family is large. I have a mother, a father, two siblings and three children. I love my family.

Questions

1. Qoysku ma weyn yahay?
2. Immisa walaalo ah ayaa jira?
3. Immisa carruur ah ayaa jira?

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Reading 3: At the market

Maanta waxaan aaday suuqa. Waxaan iibsaday khudaar, miro iyo biyo. Suuqu aad buu u mashquulnaa.

English:
Today I went to the market. I bought vegetables, fruit and water. The market was very busy.

Questions

1. Xaggee ayuu qofku aaday?
2. Maxuu iibsaday?
3. Suuqu sidee buu ahaa?

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Reading 4: My daily routine

Subax kasta waxaan kacaa goor hore. Waxaan cabaa shaah, ka dibna waxaan aadaa shaqada. Galabtii waxaan ku noqdaa guriga. Habeenkii waxaan akhriyaa buug.

English:
Every morning I wake up early. I drink tea and then go to work. In the afternoon I return home. In the evening I read a book.

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Reading 5: Learning Somali

Waxaan rabaa inaan barto af-Soomaaliga. Waxaan maalin kasta bartaa erayo cusub. Waxaan akhriyaa qoraallo gaagaaban, waxaanan isku dayaa inaan ku hadlo Somali.

English:
I want to learn Somali. Every day I learn new words. I read short texts and try to speak Somali.

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More reading practice

Progress from short passages to:

• Family descriptions
• Daily routines
• Shopping
• Travel
• School
• Work
• Food
• Weather
• Hobbies
• Somali culture
• Short stories
• News-style passages

After every passage, identify:

new vocabulary + verbs + nouns + adjectives + question words.

Part 2: Somali writing practice

Exercise 1: Write your name

Complete:

Magacaygu waa ________.

Exercise 2: Write where you live

Waxaan ku noolahay ________.

Exercise 3: Introduce yourself

Write five sentences about yourself.

Include:

• Your name
• Your country
• Your city
• Your work/studies
• Your interests

Exercise 4: Describe your family

Write five sentences about your family.

Exercise 5: Describe your home

Use Somali adjectives to describe your home.

Exercise 6: Describe your daily routine

Write what you do:

• in the morning
• during the day
• in the evening

Exercise 7: Write about your favourite food

Describe what you like eating and drinking.

Exercise 8: Write about your work

Write five to ten sentences about your job or studies.

Exercise 9: Write about your city

Describe where you live.

Exercise 10: Write about your weekend

Explain what you usually do at the weekend.

Part 3: Somali sentence-building exercises

Put the words into the correct order.

Exercise 1

joogaa / guriga / waxaan

Answer:

Waxaan joogaa guriga.

Exercise 2

akhrinayaa / buug / waxaan

Answer:

Waxaan akhrinayaa buug.

Exercise 3

suuqa / aadayaa / waxaan

Answer:

Waxaan aadayaa suuqa.

Exercise 4

Somali / baranayaa / waxaan

Answer:

Waxaan baranayaa Somali.

Exercise 5

shaah / rabaa / waxaan

Answer:

Waxaan rabaa shaah.

Part 4: Somali translation exercises

English → Somali

Translate:

1. My name is Ahmed.
2. I live in Kenya.
3. I am learning Somali.
4. I am going to the market.
5. I want water.
6. She is reading a book.
7. He is working.
8. They are at home.
9. Where are you going?
10. What are you doing?

Suggested answers

1. Magacaygu waa Axmed.
2. Waxaan ku noolahay Kenya.
3. Waxaan baranayaa Somali.
4. Waxaan aadayaa suuqa.
5. Waxaan rabaa biyo.
6. Waxay akhrinaysaa buug.
7. Wuu shaqaynayaa.
8. Waxay joogaan guriga.
9. Xaggee u socotaa?
10. Maxaad samaynaysaa?

Somali → English

Translate:

1. Waan fiicanahay.
2. Waxaan aadayaa dugsiga.
3. Waxay joogtaa guriga.
4. Waxaan rabaa inaan barto Somali.
5. Carruurtu way ciyaarayaan.
6. Xaggee baad ku nooshahay?
7. Maxaa dhacay?
8. Goorma ayaad imanaysaa?
9. Buuggu wuxuu saaran yahay miiska.
10. Ma fahmin.

Part 5: Somali grammar exercises

Exercise 1: Pronouns

Choose the appropriate pronoun:

1. ___ ayaan tagayaa.
2. ___ ayuu yimid.
3. ___ ayay shaqaynaysaa.
4. ___ ayaan baranaynaa.
5. ___ ayay yimaadeen.

Practise:

aniga, isaga, iyada, annaga, iyaga

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Exercise 2: Question words

Choose from:

yaa — maxaa — xaggee — goorma — sidee — imisa

1. ___ yimid?
2. ___ dhacay?
3. ___ baad joogtaa?
4. ___ ayaad imanaysaa?
5. ___ tahay?
6. ___ ayuu yahay?

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Exercise 3: Adjectives

Complete with an appropriate adjective.

1. Guri ______.
2. Buug ______.
3. Cunto ______.
4. Nin ______.
5. Gabar ______.

Possible vocabulary:

weyn, yar, cusub, kulul, dheer

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Exercise 4: Opposites

Give the opposite:

1. weyn → ______
2. kulul → ______
3. cusub → ______
4. dheer → ______
5. fiican → ______
6. sare → ______

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Exercise 5: Singular and plural

Match the forms:

• buug
• buugaag
• guri
• guryo
• ilmo
• carruur

Identify which forms are singular and which are plural.

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Exercise 6: Possession

Translate:

1. my mother
2. my father
3. my friend
4. my house
5. my book

Practise using forms such as:

hooyaday, aabbahay, saaxiibkay

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Exercise 7: Negatives

Change the sentences into negative forms.

1. Waan imid.
2. Waan fahmay.
3. Waan tagayaa.
4. Waan rabaa.
5. Waan shaqaynayaa.

Pay attention to the tense and grammatical construction when forming the negative.

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Exercise 8: Present actions

Complete the sentences.

1. Waxaan ________ayaa.
2. Wuu ________ayaa.
3. Way ________aysaa.
4. Waxay ________ayaan.

Use suitable verbs such as:

shaqayn, akhrin, ciyaar, baran

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Exercise 9: Past actions

Translate:

1. I came.
2. He went.
3. She ate.
4. We worked.
5. They arrived.

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Exercise 10: Future actions

Translate:

1. I will come.
2. He will go.
3. She will work.
4. We will learn.
5. They will arrive.

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Part 6: Somali grammar review

After completing the exercises, make sure you can identify:

• Nouns
• Verbs
• Adjectives
• Pronouns
• Question words
• Prepositions and related constructions
• Conjunctions
• Singular and plural forms
• Definite noun forms
• Possessive constructions
• Present-time verb forms
• Past forms
• Future constructions
• Negative constructions

Part 7: Build your own Somali sentences

Use these words to create sentences:

aniga — Somali — baranayaa

hooyo — guriga — joogtaa

carruurta — ciyaarayaan

Axmed — suuqa — aadayaa

buugga — miiska — saaran yahay

Then translate each sentence into English.

Part 8: Somali translation challenge

Translate this short paragraph:

Magacaygu waa Maxamed. Waxaan ku noolahay Nairobi. Subax kasta waxaan aadaa shaqada. Waxaan jeclahay inaan akhriyo buugaag. Hadda waxaan baranayaa af-Soomaaliga. Waxaan rabaa inaan si fiican ugu hadlo Somali.

English:

My name is Mohamed. I live in Nairobi. Every morning I go to work. I like reading books. I am currently learning Somali. I want to speak Somali well.

How to use this workbook

For the best results:

1. Read the Somali passage.
2. Try to understand it without looking at English.
3. Write the vocabulary you do not know.
4. Complete the questions.
5. Translate the sentences.
6. Check your answers.
7. Rewrite incorrect sentences.
8. Create your own examples.
9. Review the same material several days later.