AHOW + ADJ....To Be (Past long/short, Present Habitual, Present Progressive, and Future)

WAA Form	Past Simple (Long)	Past Simple (short)	Present Habitual	Present Progressive	Future
WAAN	AHAA	AA	AHAY	AHAANAYAA	AHAAN DOONAA
WAAD	AHAYD	AYD	TAHAY	AHAANAYSAA	AHAAN DOONTAA
WUU	AHAA	AA	YAHAY	AHAANAYAA	AHAAN DOONAA
WEY	AHAYD	AYD	TAHAY	AHAANAYSAA	AHAAN DOONTAA
WAANNU	AHAYN	AYN	NAHAY	AHAANAYNAA	AHAAN DOONNAA
WEYDIN/WAAD	AHAYDEEN	AYDEEN	TIHIIN	AHAANAYSAAN	AHAAN DOONTAAN
WEY	AHAAYEEN	AYEEN	YIHIIN	AHAANAYAAN	AHAAN DOONAAN

IMPERATIVE FORMS:
Singular:   Ahow/ahaw      Be!
Plural:       Ahaada             You all be!

INFINITIVE FORM:
AHAAN


Here comes the crazy part.....comparing the Present Habitual with Past Simple

Present Habitual	English	Past Simple	English
Waan fiicanahay	I am well	Waan fiicnaa	I was well
Waan ladnahay	I am well	Waan ladnaa	I was well
Waan buuranahay	I am fat	Waan buurnaa	I was fat
Waan dhuubanahay	I am slim	Waan dhuubnaa	I was thin
Waan dheerahay	I am tall	Waan dheeraa	I was tall
Waan weynahay	I am big	Waan weynaa	I was big
Waan gaabanahay	I am short	Waan gaabnaa	I was short
Waan xumahay	I am bad	Waan xumaa	I was bad **
Waad xuntahay	You are bad	Waad xumayd	You were bad **

** Don't forget there are some sound changes**
XUN becomes XUM when a vowel+consonant suffix is added
Vowel Loss occurs for some adjectives ending in "an" when used in the past simple with the short form of "AHOW"
(does not apply to adjectives ending in "san")

ex:
Fiican ==> Fiicn
Ladan ==> Ladn
Gaaban ==> Gaabn
Dhuuban ==> Dhuubn
Buuran ==> Buurn

Declarative vs Existentials

DECLARATIVE	EXISTENTIALS
Waa guri weyn	Gurigu wuu weynyahay
It is a big house	The house is big
Waa meel qabow	Meeshu wey qabowdahay
It is a cold place	The place is cold
Waa ardey cusub	Ardeyga wuu cusubyahay
It is a new student	The student is new
Waa baabuur cad	Baabuurka wuu cadyahay
It is a white car	The car is white

Existentials versus Declaratives: Comparing the past and present
Guriga wuu weynaa                        The house was big
Guriga wuu weynahay                    The house is big
Guri weyn buu ahaa                         It was a big house
Guri weyn buu yahay                       It is a big house

Duulimadku wuu fiicnaa                 The flight was nice
Duulimadku wuu fiicanyahay         The flight is nice
Duulimad fiican buu ahaa                It was a nice flight
Duulimad fiican buu yahay              It is a nice flight

Casharka wuu adkaa (adag+ahaa)    The lesson was difficult
Casharka wuu adagyahay                 The lesson is difficult
Cashar adag buu ahaa                       It was a difficult lesson
Cashar adag buu yahay                     It is a difficult lesson

Casharka wuu fududaa                     The lesson was easy
Casharka wuu fududyahay               The lesson is easy
Cashar fudud buu ahaa                     It was an easy lesson
Cashar fudud buu yahay                   It is an easy lesson


When making an adjectival statement, you must use to conjugated verb "AHOW" 
Waan fiicanahay           I am fine
Wuu fiicanyahay          He is fine
Waad gaabantahay       You are short
Wey gaajeeysanyihiin  They are hungry

You must pay attention to the gender
Inanku wuu wanaagsanyahay      The boy is good
Inantu wey wanaagsantahay        The girl is good
Ninku wuu wanaagsanyahay       The man is good
Naagtu wey wanaagsantahay       The woman is good


EXAMPLES:
Macallin wanaagsan baan ahay.                   I am a good teacher.
Macallin wanaagsan baad tahay.                 You are a good teacher. 
Macallin wanaagsan buu yahay.                  He is a good teacher. 
Macallin wanaagsan bey tahay.                   She is a good teacher. 
Macallimiin wanaagsan baannu nahay.        We are good teachers.
Macallimiin wanaagsan beydin tihiin.          You all are good teachers.  
Macallimiin wanaagsan bey yihiin.              They are good teachers.  

Infinitives and the Future Tense

In order to use a verb in the future tense, we must first know the INFINITIVE form of the verb.  In Somali, the infinitive is a verb which NEVER EVER EVER stands on its own.  When forming the future tense, we use the verb DOON with the infinitive.  On it's own, "DOON" means "to want", but when we use DOON (in the present habitual form) and add it to an infinitive verb, we have the future tense.

INFINITIVE
How to make a verb in it's infinitive form:
V1: add "i" to the end     EX: Keen ==> Keeni
V2A: add "n"to the end   EX:  Akhri ==> Akhrin
V2B: change the "-ee" to "-ey" and then add "n"  EX: Safee ==> Safeyn
V3A/B: drop the final "o" and add "an"   EX: Joogso ==> Joogsan

Exceptions and things to remember:

Rule #1) If the verb is a single syllable word with the short vowel "a", then the short vowel "a" will change to "e" in the infinitive form (except for the following exceptions in Rule #2)
Tag ==> Tegi

Rule #2) If the verb is a single syllable word with the short vowel "a" and the final consonant is a guttural consonant (c,x,) then the "a" changes to "i"
Bax ==> Bixi
Kac ==> Kici

Rule #3)  Don't forget your conjugation 1 verbs with sound changes
Maqal ==> Maqli
Arag ==> Arki
Hadal ==> Hadli
Qosol ==> Qosli
Hurud ==> Hurdi
Orod ==> Ordi
Cab ==> Cabbi  (double bb)

Rule #4) Irregular verbs
Noqo ==> Noqon
Imow ==> Iman
Oro ==> Oran
Ahaw ==> Ahaan




DOON
Doon is conjugated in the present habitual tense and it follows after the Infinitive of the verb.

I               Doonaa
You         Doontaa
He           Doonaa
She          Doontaa
We           Doonnaa
You all     Doontaan
They        Doonaan

Ok, time to put it together  (the easy part)     INFINITIVE + DOON (in present habitual)

Waan tegi doonaa                             I will go
Dukaanka baannu tegi doonnaa       We will go to the store
Waannu tegi doonnaa dukaanka      We will go to the store
Dugsiga bey tegi doonaan                They will go to the school
Wey tegi doonaan dugsiga               They will go to the school

Buug baan siin doonaa                              I will give a book
Guriga baan safeyn doonaa                       I will clean the house
Guriga baan joogsan doonaa                     I will stay at the house

Biyo baan cabbi doonaa               I will drink water

Descriptives and Possessives, describing singular and plural nouns

Buug    A book
Buug weyn   A large book

Kani waa buug weyn     This is a large book
Kani waa buug aad u weyn    This is a very large book

Buuggani wuu (waa) weyn yahay  This book is large
Buuggani wuu (waa) aad u weyn yahay
Buuggani aad wuu/buu (waa) u weyn yahay    [only use "BAA Form" if combined with "aad....u"]

Gurigayga weyn  My big house
Kani waa gurigayga weyn   This is my big house

Gurigayayga wuu weyn yahay  My house is big
Gurigayga  aad wuu u weyn yahay   My house is very big

Gurigayga wuu cad yahay    My house is white

Guri weyn waan leeyahay  I have a big house.
Guri weyn cad waan leeyahay   I have a big white house

Indo yaryar baad leedahay                     You have small eyes
Indahagu wey yaryar yihiin                     Your eyes are small

Tinteyda wey (waa) dheer tahay              My hair (singular) is long
Timahayga wey (waa) dhaadheer yihiin    My hair is long [lit: my hairs are long]  (Since we are referring to my entire of head of hair, it is plural, not just 1 hair on my head)

Timahayga wey dheer yihiin   My hair is long [lit: my hairs are long]  This one is tricky, it's not "incorrect" but the above 2 are "more correct"

***BUT you can also use the singular form when referring to your entire head of hair.....so remember that some nouns in English are the same for singular and plural (mass or collective nouns)

It's all relative.....Families

Family            Qoys(ka)

Mother             Hooyo(da)  
Father               Aabbe(ha)

Husband           Nin(ka)
Wife                  Naag(ta), Afo, Xaas
Son                   Wiil(ka), Inan(ka)
Daugher            Gabar(ta), Inan (ta)
Child                 Ilmo
Children            Carruur

Sister                 Walaal(/sha), Gabar(ta)
Brother              Walaal(ka), Wiil(ka)
Sibling               Walaal

Grandmother      Ayeeyo
Grandfather        Awoowe

Maternal Aunt    Eeddo
Maternal Uncle   Abti

Paternal Aunt      Habaryar
Paternal Uncle    Adeer

Person               Qof
People               Dad
Twins                Mataano


****the possessive suffixes are used to indicate someone's family member****


My husband        Ninkayga
My wife              Naagtayda
His wife              Naagtiisa
Her husband       Ninkeeda
Their father        Aabbahooda
Their mother      Hooyadooda
My son               Wiilkayga
My daughter       Gabartayda

Brother and sister can be a bit tricky.....

Brother	Somali	Sister	Somali
My brother	Walaalkayga	My sister	Walaasheyda
Your brother	Walaalkaaga	Your sister	Walaashaada
His brother	Walaalkiisa	His sister	Walaashiisa
Her brother	Walaalkeeda	Her sister	Walaasheeda
Our brother	Walaalkeenna	Our sister	Walaasheenna
You (pl) brother	Walaalkiinna	You (pl) sister	Walaashiinna
Their brother	Walaalkooda	Their sister	Walaashooda

Miyaad guursatay?
Are you married?

Waxaan ahay doob.
I am single. (male)

Waxaan ahay gashaanti.
I am single.  (female)

Immisa hablood baad walaalo tihiin?
How many sisters do you have?

Immisa wiil baad walaalo tihiin?
How many brothers do you have?

Immisa carruur ah baad leedahay?
How many children do you have?

Carruur ma lihi.
I don't have any children.

Inan/Gabar baan leeyahay.
I have a daughter.

Inan/wiil baan leeyahay.
I have a son.