BasicsBeginner1 min read
Somali Subject Pronouns
A complete overview of Somali personal pronouns including subject, object, and possessive forms.
Somali has a full set of personal pronouns. Understanding them is fundamental to forming correct sentences.
Subject Pronouns
| Person | Somali | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | aniga | I |
| 2nd singular | adiga | you |
| 3rd singular m. | isaga | he |
| 3rd singular f. | iyada | she |
| 1st plural | annaga / innaga | we (exclusive/inclusive) |
| 2nd plural | idinka | you (plural) |
| 3rd plural | iyaga | they |
Object Pronouns (Short Forms)
Object pronouns are shortened and attached to verbs:
| Person | Somali | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1st sing. | i | me |
| 2nd sing. | ku | you |
| 3rd sing. m. | — | him |
| 3rd sing. f. | — | her |
| 1st plur. | na / ina | us |
| 2nd plur. | idin | you all |
| 3rd plur. | — | them |
Wuu i arkay. — He saw me. Waan ku jeclahay. — I love you.
Possessive Pronouns
Possession is shown by adding suffixes to nouns:
buug + kayga → buuggayga (my book) guri + kaa → gurigaaga (your house) hooyo + day → hooyoday (my mother)