Language/Somali/Vocabulary/Drinks

Somali Vocabulary - Drinks

Hi Somali learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn the vocabulary related to drinks in Somali. Somali people love tea, coffee, and juice which are common drinks in their daily life.

Tea

Tea is called shaah in Somali language. Somali tea is different from other tea, made with special spices and sweetened with sugar. It is served three times in small cups, each cup has a different name according to its strength:

Somali	Pronunciation	English
Shurbacad	shurbacad	The first cup
Midho cad	midho cad	The second cup
Toban cad	toban cad	The third cup

🍵 As Somali people are very hospitable, it is very common to invite guests over for a cup of tea.

Dialogue:

• Person 1: Maalin walba waxaan ku bari lahaye shaah, ayaad tahay? (Every day I drink tea, do you?)
• Person 2: Haa, waa sun ah. (Yes, it's good.)

Coffee

Coffee is called bun in Somali language. Somali coffee has a unique flavor, it is strong and it is usually made with spices like cardamon, cinnamon, and sometimes ginger. When people gather in Somali houses, it's common to serve coffee with sweets like dates or biscuits. Somali people also say that coffee helps digestion, and is therefore often drunk after meals.

Somali	Pronunciation	English
Bun	bun	Coffee
Kuuskuus	kuuskuus	Coffee with milk
Qaxwo dhaqato	qaxwo dhaqato	Ethiopian Coffee

Dialogue:

• Person 1: Miyaan jecelahay bun? (Do you like coffee?)
• Person 2: Haa, tan yar maaha, halkaas waa aad u xirnaanayeysaan somac. (Yes, it's good, especially with snacks.)

Juice and Soft Drinks

Somali people love to drink juice, especially in hot weather. They make juice from various fruits like mangoes, passion fruits, oranges, and papayas. In addition, soft drinks are popular in Somalia.

Somali	Pronunciation	English
Kalmiin	kalmiin	Lemonade
Aambeelo	aambeelo	Mango juice
Shanaad	shanaad	Orange juice
Muuqaal	muuqaal	Papaya juice
Qwibee	qwibee	Coca-cola or any other fizzy drink

Dialogue:

• Person 1: Marka hore kalmiin iyo aambeelo na bari lahaa. (First, I would like to have some lemonade and mango juice.)
• Person 2: Haa, aad igu sii. (Sure, I'll bring them for you.)

Milk and Buttermilk

Milk is called caano in Somali. Somali people like to drink milk, especially fresh milk straight from the cow. Buttermilk is called raawac and is also popular.

Somali	Pronunciation	English
Caano waayo	caano waayo	Fresh milk
Macmacaan	macmacaan	Warm milk
Raawac	raawac	Buttermilk

Dialogue:

• Person 1: Rookada iyo shirka waxaadku waa in lagu baraan karaa macmacaan? (For breakfast and lunch, can I have warm milk?)
• Person 2: Haa, ma ku fiican tahay. (Yes, you might like it.)

By now, you have learned the Somali vocabulary for drinks. If you want to practice more and improve your vocabulary, you can use the Find native speakers and ask them any questions. You can also check out the Vocabulary section for more words related to drinks and other categories.

➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Sources: Wikipedia, Everyculture, Migrationology.

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