Sounds, Tones and Special Letters
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Lesson overview
How Somali is written and pronounced: tones and special letters.
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Pacing
Read the stem stem-last (question clause first), eliminate two distractors, then verify constraints.
How Languages marks this
Focus on how Languages scenarios frame constraints, qualifiers ("FIRST", "BEST", "MOST likely"), and boundary cases.
Watch out for
Technically true statements that do not solve the specific constraint in the scenario.
Lesson content
Overview
Somali (Af-Soomaali) is spoken in Somalia, Djibouti, eastern Ethiopia and north-eastern Kenya. Before learning phrases, get to know how it sounds and how it is written.
How It's Written
Somali has been written in the Latin alphabet since 1972. Some letters have special values: "x" is a breathy h made deep in the throat, "c" is the Arabic ʿayn sound, and "q" is made far back in the mouth. Doubled vowels (aa, ee, oo) are long.
Examples
Here are some of the greetings you'll learn in the next lesson: • Iska warran? — How are you? / what's up? • Subax wanaagsan — Good morning • Galab wanaagsan — Good afternoon • Habeen wanaagsan — Good night
Learning Tip
Remember the special letters: x is a breathy h from the throat, c is the Arabic ʿayn, and a doubled vowel is held longer.
Practise
Say every word aloud, then take the 10-question check below (60% to pass) to unlock the next lesson. Stuck? Ask the AI tutor about this lesson. This course is in beta: it sticks to common, everyday language, but it has not yet been reviewed by native speakers, and many phrases have regional variants. If something looks wrong, please tell us.
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