somali
/sɔ.ma.li/masculine
The English phrase 'somali' can be translated into French as somali.
somali is a masculine noun referring to a language. For contexts involving pertaining to Somalia, you may encounter the related adjective somalien.
Meaning: a language (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
As a masculine noun, the language is referred to as le somali.
How do you pronounce it?
The word somali has three syllables and is pronounced /sɔ.ma.li/.
Did you know?
- In French, names of languages like somali are not capitalized, whereas the names of the people, such as les Somaliens, must be capitalized.
- If you were to describe a 'Somali poem' in French, you would use un poème somalien rather than un poème somali.
- The French pronunciation of somali places the stress on the final syllable, which differs from the stress pattern found in English.
Examples in context
- Il est d'origine somalienne.He is of Somali origin.
- Il parle un peu le somali.He speaks a little Somali.
- Le somali est une langue magnifique.Somali is a beautiful language.
- Elle étudie le somali à l'université.She is studying Somali at the university.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing language courses at a café.
- NathanTu connais quelqu'un qui parle le somali ?Do you know anyone who speaks Somali?
- ManonOui, mon voisin apprend le somali.Yes, my neighbor is learning Somali.
- NathanC'est impressionnant, c'est une langue difficile.That's impressive, it's a difficult language.
- ManonC'est vrai, mais il adore ça.It's true, but he loves it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “somali” translations and entries somali, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
