Numbers · Tirooyinka · Eleven to twenty

Kow iyo toban

11 (eleven)

KOW i-yo TO-ban
Numbers topic in the Luuqad app

Meaning

Kow iyo toban means eleven and is literally "one and ten": iyo is the everyday word for "and". Every number from eleven to nineteen follows this pattern, which makes Somali teens far easier than English ones.

Tip: Say the units first, then iyo, then toban: one-and-ten, two-and-ten, and so on.

Example sentences

Waxaan jiraa kow iyo toban sano.I am eleven years old.
Kow iyo toban buug baan akhriyay.I read eleven books.

Using Kow iyo toban at home

Point at the real thing and say "Kow iyo toban" whenever it comes up, then let your child hear the native recording and say it back. One word used ten times in a day beats ten words drilled once. In the Luuqad app, Kow iyo toban is taught with a picture, tested in the Numbers quiz and practised in Market Day and Number Match.

Learn all 20 Numbers words with real voices

Kow, Laba, Saddex, Afar, Shan, Lix and more. Then take the quiz.

Open in Luuqad