GrammarIntermediate1 min read
Somali Adjective Agreement
Learn how Somali adjectives agree with nouns in gender and number through prefix and suffix changes.
Somali adjectives must agree with the noun they modify in gender and number. This is a key difference from English.
Gender Agreement
Masculine
- nin dheer — a tall man
- buug cusub — a new book
Feminine
- naag dheer — a tall woman
- gabadh cusub — a new girl
Note that many short adjectives do not change form for gender, but the determiner reflects the gender:
- ninka dheer — the tall man
- naagta dheer — the tall woman
Plural Agreement
Adjectives often reduplicate or take plural endings when modifying plural nouns:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| nin dheer | niman dhaadheer |
| guri weyn | guryo waaweyn |
| wiil yar | wiilal yaryar |
Common Adjective Patterns
Color adjectives
- cadaan (white) → cadaanyo (plural)
- madow (black) → madow (unchanged)
Size adjectives
- weyn (big) → waaweyn (plural)
- yar (small) → yaryar (plural)
Quality adjectives
- fiican (good) → fiican (unchanged)
- xun (bad) → xunxun (plural)
Position
Adjectives in Somali typically come after the noun:
guri weyn — a big house (literally: house big)