Nouns & PronounsBeginner1 min read
Somali Definite Articles
Learn how to use the definite article suffixes -ka, -ta, -ga, -da in Somali to mark specific nouns.
Somali does not have a separate word for “the”. Instead, the definite article is a suffix attached to the end of the noun.
Article Suffixes
| Gender | After consonant | After vowel |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | -ka | -ga |
| Feminine | -ta | -da |
Examples
| Indefinite | Definite | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| nin | ninka | the man |
| guri | guriga | the house |
| naag | naagta | the woman |
| biyo | biyaha | the water |
Special Cases
Words ending in -l, -r, -n, -h
These typically take -sha (feminine) or -ha (masculine):
bil → bisha (the month) dhul → dhulka (the land)
Usage Notes
- The definite article is used much like “the” in English
- It marks specific, known, or previously mentioned nouns
- In Somali poetry and proverbs, the article is often dropped