This is the topic relatives notice. A child who says "Subax wanaagsan, ayeeyo" (good morning, grandmother) on a video call has made an elder's week, even if the rest of the conversation happens in English.
Tap a card for the meaning, examples and a native recording.
| Somali | English | Say it | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subax wanaagsan | Good morning | SU-bah wa-NAAG-san | |
| Galab wanaagsan | Good afternoon | GA-lab wa-NAAG-san | |
| Habeen wanaagsan | Good evening | ha-BEEN wa-NAAG-san | |
| Iska warran | How are you? | IS-ka WAR-ran | |
| Waan fiicanahay | I am fine | waan fii-'a-NA-hay | |
| Magacaygu waa... | My name is... | ma-ga-'AY-gu waa | |
| Magacaa? | What is your name? | ma-ga-'AA | |
| Waxaan ka imid... | I am from... | wa-HAAN ka I-mid | |
| Xagee baad ka timid? | Where are you from? | ha-GEE baad ka TI-mid | |
| Mahadsanid | Thank you | ma-had-SA-nid | |
| Adaa mudan | You're welcome | a-DAA MU-dan | |
| Raali ahow | I'm sorry | RAA-li a-HOW | |
| Fadlan | Please | FAD-lan | |
| Waan ku caawin | I'll help you | waan ku 'AA-win | |
| Nabadgelyo | Goodbye | na-bad-GEL-yo | |
| Is arag danbe | See you later | is A-rag DAN-be | |
| Bari | Tomorrow | BA-ri |
The seventeen phrases cover greetings (subax wanaagsan, iska warran), introductions (magacaygu waa…, xagee baad ka timid?), courtesy (mahadsanid, fadlan, raali ahow) and farewells (nabadgelyo, is arag danbe). Each page shows the phrase, the reply you can expect, and a note on when to use it.
Small Talk is the last step of the app's guided Learning Path, and it is where all the earlier vocabulary starts turning into conversation.
17 entries in the Small Talk topic, each with a picture, native-speaker audio and a quiz in the app.
Yes. Every entry on this page plays a recording by a Somali speaker; nothing is synthesized.
Tap each word to hear it, say it back together, then take the Small Talk quiz in the Luuqad app.
Subax wanaagsan, Galab wanaagsan, Habeen wanaagsan, Iska warran, Waan fiicanahay, Magacaygu waa... and more. Then take the quiz in the app.