Saturday 30 April 2011

Ma ogtahay?

'Ma ogtahay' is a phrase that Somalis often use. It is similar to 'Ma aragtey' and means 'do you know/are you aware'.

Wuu tegayaa Maraykanka. Ma ogtahay?
- He's going to America, you know.

Ma ogtahay inuu baranayaa af Soomaali?
-Did you know he's learning Somali?

Waan kuu sheegayaa ninkaasi waa nin xun. Ma ogtahay?
-  I'm telling you that man is a bad man, OK?

Somalis usually say this phrase so fast, that it sounds more like 'Moogtahay'. Practise this phrase with your Somali friends.

Tuesday 26 April 2011

Inoo sameeya Canjeero (Let's make Canjeero)

Maanta, waan idin tusayaa sidee loo kariyo 'canjeero'.


Waxaad u baahantahay,


Daqiiq (500g)
Hadhuudh (500g)
Biyo
Millex (in yar ah)
Khamiir (in yar ah)
P1010138
  1. Madiibad soo qaado oo ku shub daqiiqda iyo hadhuudhka iyo millexda. Marka, ku dar in yar oo biya ah, iyo in yar oo khamiir ah.
  2. Walaaq cabbaar
  3. Hadduu qooshku kaa jilco, in yar oo daqiiq ah ku dar. Hadduu qooshku kaa adkaado, in yar oo biya ah ku dar.
  4. Dabool. Ha ku riddin talaagadda. Waxaad sugtaa shan(5) ama lix(6) saacadood.
  5. P1010147
  6. Hadduu qooshku faxay, maqalka dab ka saar. Marka, in yar oo qoosh ah ku shub maqalka oo kulul. Ku kala bixi oo dabool.
    P1010154
  7. Sug hal minute. Daboolka ka qaad oo canjeerada soo qaad oo saxanka saar.
    P1010162 
Vocab
 u baahan - to need
daqiiq(da) - flour
hadhuudh/haruur(ka) - sorghum
biyo - water
millex - salt
khamiir - yeast 
madiibad - bowl
qaad - to get
ku shub - to pour
ku dar - to add
in yar - a little bit
dabool(verb) - to cover
dabool(ka) - lid
walaaq - to stir
cabbaar - strongly
hadduu - if it 
qoosh(ka) - mixture
jilco - soft
adkaado - tough 
ha ku riddin - don't put it
talaagad(da) - fridge
sug - to wait 
saacadood - hours 
fax - to rise up
maqal(ka) - frying pan 
dab- fire/cooker
ku saar - to put/place
ku kala bixi - spread it around
hal minute - one minute 
ka qaad - to take off
saxan(ka) - plate

Monday 25 April 2011

Practising the Present Habitual

Markaad ku soo noqoto shaqada, maxaad sameesaa?
When you come home from work, what do you do?

Markaan soo noqdo, kabahayga baan iska bixiyaa,shaah baan u sameeyaa aniga iyo xaaskayga. Dabadeedna, fadhiga baan hagaajiyaa, televisionka baan shidaa oo daawadaa. Dabadeedna, casho baan sameeyaa oo cunaa. Marmar buug baan akhriyaa. Sideedda waan seexdaa.

Vocab
kabo - shoes
bixi  - to take off
shaah - tea
xaas - wife
fadhi(ga) - living room
hagaaji - to clean/sort out
shid - to turn on
daawo - to watch
casho - evening meal
marmar - sometimes

Sunday 24 April 2011

Wuu ogyahay - He knows

'Og' is another of those irregular verbs. It means 'to know/be aware of'.

U sheeg inaanu tegaynaa - Tell him we going.
Wuu ogyahay - He knows

Person A: Keegaaga baan cunay - I ate your cake
Person B: Waan ogahay - I know
Person A: Raali ahow - I'm sorry

If you have a Somali friend or acquaintance, get him/her to pronounce the word 'og' for you. It is a little different from the English pronunciation.

Waan ogahay  - I know
Waad ogtahay - You know
Wuu ogyahay  - He knows
Wey ogtahay   - She knows
Waannu ognahay - We know
Weynu ognahay  - We know
Waad ogtihiin  - You know
Wey ogyihiin  - They know

Saturday 23 April 2011

Raali ahow - I'm sorry

Keeggayga yaa cunay?! -Who ate my cake?!
Anigu baa cunay. Raali ahow. - I ate it. I'm sorry.

'Raali ahow' is how you say 'I'm sorry' in Somali. 'ahow' is pronounced to sound like the word 'low' in English, not like 'cow'. If you're speaking to a group, you say 'Raali ahaada'.

Maxaad sameesaa? (Present habitual tense)

Markaad ku soo noqoto shaqada, maxaad sameesaa?
- When you come back from work, what do you do?
Buug baan akhriyaa
- I read a book

Roodhi iyo shaah baan ku quraacdaa
- I have a tea and bread for breakfast 


Maalin kasta wuu bukaa
- He's ill every day

In Somali, like in English, we use the present habitual to talk about things that happen regularly or to talk about states of being.

Aroortii, maxaad cuntaa?
What do you eat in the morning?

Roodhi baan cunaa.
I eat bread.

Xaggee baad ka shaqeysaa?
Where do you work?

Bank baan u shaqeyaa.
I work for a bank.



 conj.1conj.2conj.3
  2a2b3a3b
Waancunaakariyaasameeyaajoogsataadhageystaa
Waadcuntaakarisaasameesaajoogsadaadhageysataa
Wuucunaakariyaasameeyaajoogsataadhageystaa
Weycuntaakarisaasameesaajoogsadaadhageysataa
Waannucunnaakarinaasameenaajoogsanaadhageysanaa
Weynucunnaakarinaasameenaajoogsanaadhageysanaa
Waadcuntaankarisaansameesaanjoogsataandhageysataan
Weycunaankariyaansameeyaanjoogsadaandhageystaan

Wednesday 20 April 2011

Maxaad leedahay? - What are you saying?

The word 'leedahay' comes the verb 'leh' which means 'to own/possess'.


Ma xaas baad leedahay? - Do you have a wife?


'Maxaad leedahay?' can mean 'What did you say/What are you saying?' It can also mean 'What are you doing?' 


Person A:  (Says something inaudible or nonsensical)
Person B : Warya, maxaad leedahay?
                  Hey, what are you saying?

If you want to make clear what you want to say, you can use the very useful phrase 'Waxaan leeyahay' , which means 'What I am saying is that...'


Waxaan leeyahay nin fiican buu ahaa - What I'm saying is that he was a good man
Waxaan leeyahay dalka Soomaliyeed waa dal wanaagsan - What I saying is that Somalia is a good country.
Waxaan leeyahay wuu sameeyey - What I'm saying is that he did it.

Maxaan leeyahay?  - What am I saying?
Maxaad leedahay?  - What are you saying?
Muxuu leeyahay?    - What is he saying?
Maxay leedahay      - What is she saying?
Maxaannu leenahay? - What are we saying?
Maxeynu leenahay?  - What are we saying?
Maxaad leedihiin?   - What are you(pl) saying?
Maxay leeyihiin?     - What are they saying?

Maan cunin ( I didn't eat/haven't eaten)

Maad cuntay, maanta? - Have you eaten today?
Mey, maan cunin          - No, I haven't eaten.


To use the past negative, for the conj.1 verbs, just add 'in' to the base verb


cun + in = cunin


Maan cunin  - I didn't eat
Maad cunin  - You didn't eat
Muu   cunin  - He didn't eat
Mey   cunin  - She didn't eat
Maannu cunin - We didn't eat
Meynu  cunin - We didn't eat
Maad  cunin  - You didn't eat
Mey   cunin  - They didn't eat


tag + in = tagin/tegin
Maan tegin  - I didn't go
Maad tegin  - You didn't go
Muu tegin  - He didn't go 
etc.


conj.1 conj. 2a conj.2b conj.3a conj.3b
Maan tegin karin sameyn joogsanin dhageysanin
Maad tegin karin sameyn joogsanin dhageysanin
Muu tegin karin sameyn joogsanin dhageysanin
Mey tegin karin sameyn joogsanin dhageysanin
Maannu tegin karin sameyn joogsanin dhageysanin
Meynu tegin karin sameyn joogsanin dhageysanin
Maad  tegin karin sameyn joogsanin dhageysanin
Mey tegin karin sameyn joogsanin dhageysanin





















































Tuesday 19 April 2011

Immisa jir baad tahay? (How old are you?)

Jaamac: Wiilkayga maad aragtey? 
            - Have you seen my son?
Liban:   Mey, magaciisa waa maxay? 
            - No, what's his name?
Jaamac: Waa Cabdi. Cabdiyow! Kaaley!
             - It's Abdi. Hey Abdi, come here!
Liban : Assalamu alaikum.
            - Peace be upon you.
Cabdi: Assalamu alaikum.
           - Peace be upon you.
Liban: Immisa jir baad tahay?
          - How old are you?
Cabdi: Lix jir.
          - Six years old.

'Immisa' is a useful word that means 'how many/how much'. The phrase 'Immisa jir baad tahay' means roughly 'How many years are you?'. The usual word for year is 'sano'. But you reply to this question by using 'jir'. So,

Immisa jir baad tahay?

Lix iyo toban jir - Sixteen years old (lit: 'six & ten years)
Labaatan jir      - Twenty years old
Sideed iyo labaatan jir - Twenty eight years old
Afartan jir         - Fourty years old
Sagaashan jir - Ninety years old

Friday 15 April 2011

'imow' & 'odho' - More irregular verbs

'Imow' is the verb 'to come'. 'Odho' is the verb 'to say'. 


Waan imid           - I came
Waad timid          - You came
Wuu yimid            - He came
Wey timid             - She came
Waannu nimid       - We came
Weynu nimid         - We came
Waad timaadeen   - You(pl) came
Wey yimaadeen     - They came


Miyuu yimid? - Has he come?

Wuu yimid oo ii sheegay inuu abtigayga dhintey - He came and told me that my uncle died.

Waxaan imid waddankan afartan sano ka hor - I came to this country 40 years ago 




Waan idhi/iri     - I said
Waad tidhi/tiri   - You said
Wuu yidhi/yiri   - He said
Wey tidhi/tiri     - She said
Waannu nidhi/niri - We said
Weynu nidhi/niri   - We said
Waad tidhaadeen/tiraahdeen - You(pl) said
Wey yidhaadeen/yiraahdeen  - They said


Muxuu yidhi? - What did he say?

Ninkaas waa nin xun baan idhi - I said that that man is a bad man

'Af Soomaali aad baan  u jeclahay' bey tidhi - She said 'I really like Somali'

Thursday 14 April 2011

Irregular verbs : arag ( to see)

We said that verbs in Somali can be grouped into three, Conjugations 1, 2 & 3. However, some verbs don't follow these rules perfectly. These are the irregular verbs. One of them is 'arag' which means 'to see'. 


Waan arkey        - I saw
Waad aragtey      - You saw
Wuu arkey           - He saw
Wey aragtey        - She saw
Waannu aragnney - We saw
Weynu aragnney   - we saw
Waad aragteen     - You(pl) saw
Wey arkeen          - They saw


Needless to say, this is a very important verb to remember. However, in addition to its overt meaning 'to see' , the phrase 'Ma aragtey' is also often used to mean 'Do you understand?' 'OK' or 'you know'.

Waa nin xun, ma aragtey? - He's a bad man, you know?

Ma aragtey, haddaan lacag haysto, waan tegi lahaa - If I had money, I would have gone, do you see?

Af Ingriisi ma hadli karo, ma aragtey? - I can't speak English, OK?

Wednesday 13 April 2011

'noqo' - to go back/to become

Noqo ! - go back!
Soo noqo! - come back!

One meaning of 'noqo' is ' to go back'. Usually this is used with 'soo'. We covered 'soo' before, it means to do something in the direction of the person speaking. So, 'soo noqo' means 'go back over here' or 'come back'. If you want to specify a specific place, then you have to add 'ku'. For example,

Guriga ku soo noqo - Come back to the house
Shaqada ku soo noqo - Come back to work!

'Ku' here is similar to the English 'to'.

'Noqo' has another meaning - 'to become'. For example,

Nin wanaagsan buu noqday - He became a nice man

Waan noqday       - I became
Waad noqotay      - You became
Wuu noqday          - He became
Wey noqotay        - She became
Waannu noqonnay - We became
Weynu noqonnay   - We became
Waad noqoteen     - You became
Wey noqdeen        - They became

Tuesday 12 April 2011

Shopping trip

Saaka, gurigayga baan ka baxay oo suuqa baan aadey. Waxaan iibsadey khudaar iyo hilib. Dabadeedna, beerta baan tegay oo jiifsaday. Saacad iyo badh baan halkaas joogey. Dabadeedna, waan kacay oo gurigayga baan ku soo noqday. Jikada baan galay oo cunto baan sameeyey. Saaxiibkayga baan u yeedhay oo cuntada la cunay.


Vocab
ka baxay - leave from
suuq (a) - market
iibso - to buy (conj.3a)
khudaar - vegetables
beer (ta) - park
jiifso - lie down/rest (conj.3a)
saacad - hour
badh - half
halkaas - there
kac - to get up
jiko(da) - kitchen
gal - to enter
macaan - delicious
saaxiib - friend
u yeedh - to call
la cun - to eat with

Time words, days of the week, cardinal numbers

Maanta  - today
Saaka - this morning
Shalay    - yesterday
 Xaley    -  yesterday night
Berrito   - tomorrow


Days of the week


Isniin     - Monday
Talaada - Tuesday
Arbaca  - Wednesday
Khamiis  - Thursday
Jimce     - Friday
Sabti     - Saturday
Axad    - Sunday


Numbers


kow                - one
laba                - two
saddex            - three
afar                 - four
shan                - five
lix                    - six
toddoba           - seven
sideed             - eight
sagaal              - nine
toban               - ten
kow iyo toban  - eleven
laba iyo toban     - twelve
saddex iyo toban - thirteen
afar iyo toban      - fourteen
shan iyo toban   - fifteen
lix iyo toban      - sixteen
toddoba iyo toban - seventeen
sideed iyo toban - eighteen
sagaal iyo toban - nineteen
labaatan             - twenty
soddon              - thirty
afartan               - fourty
shantan              - fifty

lixdan                - sixty
todobaatan        - seventy
sideedan            - eighty
sagaashan          - ninety
boqol                 - hundred
kun                    - thousand
milyoon              - million

Monday 11 April 2011

Blog review

It's been about three months since I started posting regular blogposts. I hope it's been helpful thus far. I hope that by this stage you should be able to,

  •  introduce yourself by being able to state
         - your name
         - where you come from
         - what you like
         - say things about yourself using '... baan ahay'

  • make simple sentences about the past(e.g. 'He went to...')
  • use question words (what, when, where, why)
  • use the definite article for masculine & feminine nouns
  • use a few phrases (e.g. 'sow ma aha') that make your speech more natural
We've come a long way in just 3 months. Actually, I'm worried that I might be moving a bit fast. I currently have a lot of free time so I want to put that time to good use.
I have overly focused on grammar points thus far. Somali grammar can be a little bit tricky and I am still learning myself. My goals for the next couple of months are to,

  • talk about hobbies, and learn how to use the present habitual tense
  • teach you how to make 'canjeero' a Somali pancake, using basic Somali words and phrases
  • introduce traditional Somali folktales
  • talk about conditional sentences 'If I..., I would have...'
If you have any questions about what I have covered so far or suggestions, please let me know. Garabkaaga! (Good luck![lit: 'your shoulder']).

Sunday 10 April 2011

Verb practice

Idris baan la sheekestay -  I talked with Idris
Idris baan la hadlay        - I talked with Idris


These two verbs 'dhegeyso' and 'hadal' are similar, but 'dhegeyso'  really means 'to have a conversation', whereas 'hadal' can be used even for moments of short, terse communication. 'La' is a preposition we covered before; it means 'with'.


Verb practise - please translate these sentences. 'Noqo' is a bit difficult so I've translated that one.


Xaggee - where?


Xaggee baad cuntay?
Xaggee baad seexatay?
Xaggee baad dhisatay?
Xaggee baad joogsatay?
Xaggee baad tagtay?
Xaggee baad fadhiisatay?


Maxaad - what?


Maxaad cuntay?
Maxaad  tagtey?
Maxaad  seexatay?
Maxaad  baxday?
Maxaad  joogsatay?
Maxaad  karisay?
Maxaad  dhisatay?



Maxaad u - why?


Maxaad u cuntay?
Maxaad u tagtey?
Maxaad u seexatay?
Maxaad u baxday?
Maxaad u joogsatay?
Maxaad u dhisatay?
Maxaad u soo noqotay? - Why did you come back?


Goorma - when?


Goormaad baxday?
Goormaad cuntay?
Goormaad seexatay?
Goormaad dhisatay?
Goormaad soo noqotay? - When did you come back?
Goormaad joogsatay?

 

Some basic verbs

Conj.1
verb meaning
cun to eat
cab to drink
kac to get up
qaad to take
tag to go
wad to drive
xidh to close
fur to open
gal to enter
bax to go out
mar to pass by
toos to awaken
yaab to be surprised
dhal to give birth
dhac to fall/happen
qor to write
akhri to read
jab to break(intransitive)
gub to burn(intransitive)
raac to take (a train/bus)




Conj.2
2a meaning 2b meaning
kari to cook qadee  to have lunch
tiri to count safee to clean
amaahi to lend cashee to have dinner
bixi to take off/pay samee to do/make
hagaaji tostraighten/clear up

toosi to wake someone

jebi to break(transitive)



Conj.3
3a meaning 3b meaning
iibso to buy seexo to sleep
qabso
gubeyso to wash
dhunko  to kiss dhegeyso to listen
kabbo to sip qabo to hold
joogso to stop amaaho to borrow
jiifso to lie down soco  to walk/go
guurso to marry gado to buy
daawo to watch dhimo  to die


xidho to wear/tie


noqo to become


dhiso to build


sheekeyso to tell/talk


fadhiiso to sit

Waxaan u baahanahay (What I need is...)

Someone might ask you,


Maxaad u baahantahay? - What do you need?
To let them know what you need, you can start by saying,


Waxaan u baahanahay (stuff you need) - What I need is ....

The verb is 'u baahan' (to need)
For example,


Waxaan u baahanahay lacag - What I need is money
                                              cunto                              food
                                             daawo                            medicine
                                              guri                                a house


Waxaan u baahanahay - What I need is
Waxaad u baahantahay - What you need is
Wuxuu u baahanyahay  - What he needs is
Waxay u baahantahay  - What she needs is
Waxaanu u baahannahay - What we need is
Waxeynu u baahannahay - What we need is
Waxaad u baahantihiin - What you(pl) need is
Waxay u baahanyihiin - What they need is

Waan vs. Waxaan

Waan cunay hilib lo'aad     - I ate beef
Waxaan cunay hilib lo'aad  -  What I ate was beef


You use 'waan' to make a simple declarative sentence. But. for example, if someone asked you,


Maxaad cuntay? - What did you eat?


you're more likely to answer by saying 'Waxaan ...'. 'Waxa' sort of  means'thing'. So it literally means,

Waxa       aan        cunay       hilib lo'aad
THING    THAT I       ATE                BEEF

Waxaan cunay  - What I ate was
Waxaad cuntay - What you ate was
Wuxuu cunay   - What he ate was
Waxay cuntay  - What she ate was
Waxannu cunnay - What we ate was
Waxeynu cunnay - What we ate was
Waxaad cunteen - What you(pl) ate was
Waxay cuneen - What they ate was

Saturday 9 April 2011

uTalk Somali

I don't have an iPhone, but if you do have one, I highly recommend the app. called 'Utalk Somali'. Here is the link, 
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/utalk-somali/id325543455?mt=8

It's good at teaching basic vocabulary, as well as pronunciation. There are a few games you can play that help memorization of basic words. Unfortunately, I haven't posted audio files on here yet, hopefully at some point I can start to do so. If you don't have Somali friends or colleagues, then programmes like this one are a good way to get used to the sounds of Somali.

Ninkee? (Which man?)

Ninkii ma aragtey?        - Did you see the man?
Ninkee?                        - Which man?
Ninkii baad dishey -  The man you hit.


In Somali, we use 'which' a lot. To say 'which (noun)', you take the definite article of the noun you want to inflect, and change the ending to 'ee'. So, for example,

noun meaning definite art. inflection meaning
nin man ninka ninkee? which man?
naag woman naagta naagtee? which woman?
buug book buugga buuggee? which book?
guri house guriga gurigee ? which house?
shandad suitcase shandadda shandaddee? which suitcase?
dhinac side dhinaca dhinacee? which side?









Person A:Waa ayo? (Who is it?)
Person B: Waa aniga. (It's me.)
Person A: Adigee? ( Who are you? lit: 'Which you?')





Jaamac: Shaqadii baan helay! 
              - I got the job!
Liban: Shaqadee?   - What job?
Jaamac : Shaqadii aan xaley kuu sheegeyey. 
             - I job I was talking to you about yesterday.
























Gebigabaa!

Gebigabaa! - Really!(Used when you are surprised by what you've heard; but only used in a negative or neutral context)


Friend A: Bal, iska warran! - What's up?
Friend B: Yuusuf wuu dhintay - Yuusuf passed away.
Friend A: Gebigabaa! Ilaahey ha naxariiso. - Really! God rest his soul.

Friday 8 April 2011

Sow ma aha?

Sow ma aha? - Isn't that so/Isn't that right


Cuntadayda baad cuntay, sow ma aha? - You ate my food, didn't you?
Maraykan buu tegay, sow ma aha? - He went to America, right?
Dadka Soomaaliyeed wey wanaagsanyihiin, sow ma aha? - Somali people are nice, right?

Thursday 7 April 2011

Hooyo iyo wiilkeeda ( A mother and her son)

Albaabka baa la garaacayaa

Zaynab: Waa ayo?
Yoonis : Waa aniga
Zaynab: Adigee?
Yoonis: Waa Yoonis.
Zaynab: Haa, soo gal. Ma casheesey?
Yoonis: Haa, waan dheregsanahay.
Zaynab: Xaggee baad ka cuntay?
Yoonis: Saaxiibkayga gurigiisa.
Zaynab:Maxaad cuntay?
Yoonis : Bariis iyo hilib iyo canjeero baan cunay. 
Zaynab: Maxaad gurigeenna uga casheeyn weedey?
Yoonis: Cuntadoodaa ka fiican cuntadeenna.

Vocab
albaab - door
garaac - knock
saaxiib - friend
bariis - rice
canjeero - Somali style savoury pancake
casheeyn weedey - to not eat dinner
cunto + dooda = their food
cunto + deenna  = our food
ka fiican - better than

Sidee baa loogu yidhaahdaa/yiraahdaa af Soomaali?

When you want to know what the Somali word is for something, you can just ask someone,

Sidee baa loogu yidhaadha/yiraahdaa af Soomaali ........? - How do you say in Somali .....?

For example,

Sidee baa loogu yidhaahdaa af Soomaali "library"?

Sidee baa loogu yiraahdaa af Soomaali "friendship"?

Sidee baa loogu yidhaahdaa af Soomaali "bravery"?

Maxaad... u....? Why did you...?

We have learned how to ask What, Where and When questions. Now, we will learn how to ask Why. 
There are two ways to ask Why questions. If you just want to ask why, then just say,


Waayo? - Why?

But if you specifically want to ask why someone did something, then you have to use 'Maxa... u'. We saw before that 'Maxa' means 'what'. 'U' is a preposition that we covered before, it means 'for,to'. Therefore, 'Maxa..u' means 'for what' or 'why'. This is similar to the French pourquoi, or the Spanish porque, or in Arabic limadha. So,


Maxaan u ...? - Why did I ...?
Maxaad u ...? - Why did you...?
Muxuu u ...? - Why did he...?
Maxay u ...? - Why did she...?
Maxaanu u...? - Why did we...?
Maxeynu u...? - Why did we...?
Maxaad u...? - Why did you...?
Maxay u...? - Why did they...?


Then combine the above constructions with the appropriate verb conjugation and you can start to ask 'Why did you...?' questions.


Maxaad u cuntay? - Why did you eat it?
Maxay u baxeen? - Why did they go out?
Muxuu u dilay?     - Why did he kill (him/her/them)?
Maxaan u seexday? - Why did I sleep?
Maxeynu u nimid? - Why did we come?
Maxay u iibsatey? - Why did she buy it?
etc.

Wednesday 6 April 2011

Goorma? When?

The word for 'when' in Somali is 'goorma'. For example,


New York baan tegay. - I went to New York
Goorma?                      - When?
Laba sano ka hor.        - Two years ago.


If you want to say 'When did you...?', then you have to combine 'goorma' with the verbal pronouns, the same as we did with 'maxa'. Therefore,


Goorma + aan = Goormaan (When did I...?)
Goorma + aad = Goomaad (When did you..?)
Goorma + uu   = Goormuu (When did he..?)
Goorma + ay   = Goormay (When did she..?)
Goorma + aanu = Goormaanu (When did we..?)
Goorma + eynu = Goormeynu(When did we..?)
Goorma + aad   = Goormaad (When did you..?)
Goorma + ay    = Goormay (When did they..?)


Goormaad tagtey?  - When did you go?
Goormuu guursadey? - When did he get married?
Goormaan toosay?    - When did I get up(wake up)?
Goormay baxday?    - When did she go out (of the house)?
etc.