Forming Plurals of Somali Masculine Nouns
Forming Plurals of Somali Nouns
Items in this lesson
Forming Plurals of Somali Nouns
What do you already know about making Somali nouns plural?
Learning Objective
At the end of the lesson you will be able to identify some Somali masculine nouns with one syllable and correctly form their plurals using the pattern 'add a and repeat the last consonant'.
Masculine One-Syllable Words
Words like buug (book), koob (cup), and miis (table) are masculine and have one syllable.
Plural Rule for These Words
To make these words plural, add 'a' and repeat the last consonant.
Plural Examples
miisas buugag koobab
miis (table) buug (book) koob (cup)
Singular
Plural
Understanding the Pattern
Notice the pattern: you always add 'a' and then double the final consonant.
Irregular and Notable Exceptions
Some words, like 'nin' (man), do not follow this rule. Their plural is 'niman', which is irregular.
Practice: Make These Plural
Try making the following words plural: 'god', 'af', 'tiir'. Check your answers next slide!
Answers and Reflection
'god' → 'godad'; 'af' → 'afaf'; 'tiir' → 'tiirar'. Did you get them right? What patterns do you see?
