Everything You Need To Learn Somali
Somali is a member of the Afro-Asiatic language family, and is spoken by around 20 million people. It’s the official language of Somalia, and it’s also spoken by Somali communities in Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Yemen.
Somali descends from the Cushitic branch of Afro-Asiatic languages, but has been heavily influenced by Arabic through centuries of trade activity on the Arabian Peninsula.
Somali is closely related to Afar, as well as several other Cushitic languages such as Oromo and Beja. It uses the Latin alphabet in writing.
Though learning materials for Somali are scarce, there’s enough to get you from absolute beginner to at least conversational Somali.
Somali Language Learning Books
To start with, you’ll need a good Somali course book that breaks down the language, demystifies Somali grammar, introduces you to common, everyday vocabulary, and teaches you to build your own sentences.
You should also get an English-Somali dictionary, as you’ll definitely need it during your studies. Having a reliable reference book close at hand for looking up the new Somali words you encounter is extremely important to your progress.
Somali Children’s Books
Another great way to learn the language is by reading children’s books in Somali. Not only can Somali kids’ books be fun and engaging, they’re also a great way to familiarize yourself with the language, as well as learn new words and phrases.
The good thing about many of the books on this list is that they’re bilingual English-Somali children’s stories, so you’ll have the English text to help you read and understand the Somali one.
Somali Digital Courses
A Somali e-course will help strenghten your listening and speaking skills, due to the fact that most of these courses are made up of audio or video lessons. This is especially useful for pronunciation purposes, something you simply can’t perfect with books.
Udemy’s Somali course is one of the only digital courses out there. It offers video lessons, lifetime access, and availability on any smart device, all for a very affordable price.
SOMALI UDEMY COURSES
Free Somali Worksheets
With our free downloadable and printable Somali word search puzzle PDFs, you’ll have a great activity you can use to help learn the language. By doing these, you can add plenty of new Somali words to your vocabulary in a fun way.
