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Common Somali Words and Phrases

On this page you'll find several basic words and phrases translated from Somali to English. Among these translations, you'll find words like yes and no, please and thank you, and useful phrases like how are you?, I am fine, do you speak English?, and I don't understand.

To learn the translations for these words and others, simply scroll below. Otherwise, if you want to skip directly to a certain section, you can also use the quick links that will take you wherever you want to focus on first.

Common Words and Phrases in Somali:

Words in bold added during the last update. You can also view this list of basic words and phrases from English to Somali.


Somali Words for Yes and No

Probably two of the most imporant words you'll learn how to say: yes and no in Somali.

Haa ➔ Yes

Maya ➔ No


Saying Please and Thank You in Somali

You can be more polite in Somali by learning ways to say please, thank you, and you're welcome.

Fadlan ➔ Please


Mahadsanid. ➔ Thank you.

Wad mahadsantahay. ➔ Thank you very much.


Adigaa mudan. ➔ You're welcome. / You deserve it.


Asking How Are You? in Somali

Learn how to respond to iska waran and similar Somali phrases for asking how are you.

Iska waran? ➔ How are you? / What's up? / What's the news?

Iska waran saxib? ➔ How are you, friend?

Nabad miyaa? ➔ How are you?

Sidee ta'hay? ➔ How are you?


Nabad ➔ Good

Waan fiicanahay (fii'anahay). ➔ I'm fine.

Waa nabad. ➔ I'm good.


Asking for Help in Somali

If you need help or police assistance, these translations might be needed.

Caawi (aawi) ➔ Help

Booliiska soo wac! ➔ Call the police!


Somali for Asking Someone's Age

If you need to know someone's age in Somali, you'll need to learn this sentence.

Immisa jir baad tahay? ➔ How old are you?


Do you speak English/Somali?

Here are some translations for asking and answering about if someone speaks a certain language, plus sentences for when you don't understand or need someone to speak more slowly.

Af Soomaaliga maad ku hadashaa? ➔ Do you speak Somali?

Ingiriisiga ma ku hadashaa? ➔ Do you speak English?


Haa, waxaan ku hadlaa ingiriisi. ➔ Yes, I speak English.

Maya, anigu ku ma hadlo ingiriisi. ➔ No, I don't speak English.


Fadlan, ma ku celin kartaa? ➔ Please, can you repeat that?

Maan fahmin. ➔ I don't understand.

Tartiib u hadal. ➔ Please speak slowly.

Waan ka xumahay, ma fahmin. ➔ I'm sorry, I don't understand.


Exchanging Names in Somali

Here are some translations that will help you ask and answer about what your name is in Somali.

Magacaa? ➔ What is your name?

Magacaagu muxuu yahay? ➔ What is your name?


Magacaygu (maga'aygu) waa (name). ➔ My name is (name).

Kani waa (name). ➔ This is (name).


Apologizing in Somali

And finally, if you want to learn how to apologize in Somali, here's how to do so.

Waan ku xumahay (humahay) ➔ I am sorry


This list of basic Somali words and phrases was last updated on May 25, 2025.



Next Up

Somali Greetings and Goodbyes: Learn how to say hello and goodbye in Somali.

Perhaps you want to learn common words and phrases in these other languages?

Afrikaans, Arabic, Bengali, Bosnian, Burmese, Dutch, Filipino, Finnish, French, Gaelic, German, Greek, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Lithuanian, Malay, Mandarin, Maori, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Somali, Spanish, Swedish, Ukrainian, Urdu, and Vietnamese.


The Fine Print

I don't speak Somali myself, so there could be mistakes in the translations. Most of what is here is user-submitted, but I do try to check for accuracy and make corrections as I can. Thanks for your understanding. Best of luck on your Somali language learning journey!



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