- Prepositions do not exist as such in the Somali language.
- Nevertheless, there are two equivalents of "prepositions" as we understand them in English :
- Locative and relational preverbal particles
- Possessive phrases
Somali preverbal locative and relational particles often play a role similar to that of English "prepositions".
There are 4 locative and 4 relational preverbal particles in Somali.
Table locative and relational preverbal particles
Locative particles | Relationship particles | ||
---|---|---|---|
ú | to, for | sóo | in the direction of the speaker |
kú | in, into, on, at, with, by means of | síi | away from the speaker |
ká | from, away from, out of | wada | together, towards each other (with plural subjects/objects) |
lá | in company with | kala | apart, away from each other, separately |
Examples :
makhsínkíi | ayùu | ká | baxay |
makhsín-kíi | ayàa-uu | ká | baxay |
[room-the | FOCUS-he | from | went] |
= He went out of the room |
kú | ríd | shandádda |
[into | put | suitcase-the] |
= Put it into the suitcase | ||
albabka | soo | xidh ! |
[door-the | towards | close] |
= Close the door ! |
Possessive phrases :
Other preposition-like functions are fulfilled by verbs or nouns.
One construction particularly worthy of note involves locative or temporal nouns with a possessive, effectively used as postpositions :
Table of possessive phrases or "Postpositions"
Root noun | English | Masculine | Feminine | English |
---|---|---|---|---|
ag | vicinity | agtiisa | agteeda | near |
dabo | back | dabadiisa | dabadeeda | behind after (space or time) |
dar | reason | dartiisa | darteeda | because of |
debed | exterior | debeddiisa | debeddeeda | outside |
dhex | center | dhexdiisa | dhexdeeda | in the middle of |
dhex | center | dhexdooda | between, in the middle (always plural) |
|
dul | (top) surface | dushiisa | dusheeda | on top of |
gees | side | geestiisa | geesteeda | beside |
gudo | interior | gudihiisa | gudeheeda | inside within (space or time) |
hoos | bottom | hoostiisa | hoosteeda | beneath under |
hor | front | hortiisa | horteeda | in front of before (space or time) |
Examples :
miiska agtiisa | = near the table | [the table his vicinity] |
dekedda agteeda | = near the harbour | [the harbour her vicinity] |
aqalka dabadiisa | = behind the house | [the house his behind] |
kulaylka dartiisa | = because of the heat | [the heat his reason] |
magalada debeddeeda | = outside the town | [the town her exterior] |
jid dhexdiisa | = in the middle of a road | [a road his center] |
awrta dhexdooda | = in the middle of the camels | [the camels their center] |
miiska dushiisa | = on top of the table | [the table his surface] |
albabka geestiisa | = beside the door | [the door his side] |
daarta gudeheeda | = inside the building | [the building her interior] |
markabka gudihiisa | = inside the ship | [the ship his interior] |
sariirta hoosteeda | = under the bed | [the bed her bottom] |
habeennimada horteeda | = before nightfall | [the night her front] |
Remark :
As strange as this construction with a postposition may look, it is similar to the usual possessive construction in Somali, and in turn surprising similar to the possessive case construction in English !Cali walaashiis | = Ali's sister | [Ali his sister] |
Source: http://hooyo.web.free.fr
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