Translate English to Somali
Translate your English text into Somali instantly. Paste your text above, click translate, and the Somali result will appear with audio playback.
Common English to Somali translations
| English | Somali | Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hello | Salaan | sah-LAHN | ||
| Good morning | Subax wanaagsan | SOO-bahkh wah-NAHG-sahn | ||
| Thank you | Mahadsanid | mah-HAHD-sah-nid | ||
| Please | Fadlan | FAHD-lahn | ||
| How much is this? | Imisa ayuu yahay? | ee-MEE-sah ah-YOO YAH-hai | ||
| Where is the bathroom? | Musqusha meesha? | MOOS-koo-shah MEE-shah | ||
| I do not understand | Ma fahmin | mah FAH-meen | ||
| Can you help me? | Ma i caawin kartaa? | mah ee CHAH-ween kar-TAH | ||
| I would like tea | Waxaan doonayaa shaah | wah-KHAHN doh-NAH-yah shaah | ||
| The bill, please | Biilka, fadlan | BEEL-kah FAHD-lahn | ||
| Nice to meet you | Waan ku faraxsanahay | wahn koo fah-RAKH-sah-nah-hai | ||
| Goodbye | Nabadgelyo | nah-BAHD-gel-yoh | ||
| I need a doctor | Dhakhtar baan u baahnahay | DHAHKH-tar bahn oo BAHH-nah-hai | ||
| Excuse me | Raali noqo | RAH-lee NOH-koh |
Tips for English to Somali translation
Somali belongs to the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family, related to Oromo, Afar, and more distantly to Arabic and Hebrew. It has a rich oral tradition but was not written in a standardized Latin script until 1972.
Somali has a complex tonal/pitch accent system and grammatical gender (masculine/feminine). Verbs agree with the subject in person, number, and gender. Focus marking (highlighting which element is new information) is central to Somali grammar.
Somali word order is typically SOV, with the verb at the end. However, focus constructions can move elements to the front of the sentence. The translator rearranges to English SVO.
Somali has borrowed from Arabic (especially religious vocabulary), Italian (from the colonial period in southern Somalia), and English. Words like qalin (pen, from Arabic), baasto (pasta, from Italian), and taleefonka (telephone) are common.
About the Somali language
Somali is spoken by about 22 million people in Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia (Somali Region), Kenya (northeastern), and by one of the largest refugee diasporas in the world. Major Somali communities exist in the US (Minnesota has the largest Somali population outside East Africa), UK, Canada, and Scandinavia.
Somalia has a rich oral literary tradition featuring poetry that serves social, political, and artistic functions. Somali poetry is highly respected, and poets hold a special status in society. The written standard was established in 1972 using the Latin alphabet, chosen over Arabic and a custom script called Osmanya.
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