Just curious..

[Zumar]

do you guys, who are born in europe/america, speak fluent somali?

When i was young i was able to speak it 100% correct fluently but over the years it looks like im losing it
I got 3 younger siblings at home and they speak dutch the whole time, at school or outside school i dont got any somali friends
When i think about it, my mom is the only one who i talk in somali too

But the weird thing is i understand it 100% but when i want to answer i dont remember all the words and fill it in with dutch words

Im curious if you got the same problems? And how did you improve them?

Its making me insecure because i cant express myself the way i want to, to my family in somalia

Excuse my poor english

 

[government]

My Somali is perfect alhmduliilah

 

[Strawberryshuffle]

Same thing here shukri. Dutch messes up your somali big time

 

[Soulei]

No unfortunately not Like you, I used to be fluent as a kid but eventually started to lose it. And I tend to fill in words I can't remember with English words when speaking too. It's pretty good compared to most Canadian-born Somalis around my age that I know (i'm 19) but it could use some more work. I'm hoping that I can bring my Somali back up to fluent status once I go to Hargeisa next summer inshallah, immersing yourself somewhere where you have no choice but to speak the language does wonders for your language skills.

 

[Apollo]

My Somali is perfect alhmduliilah

There is no such thing as being perfect in a language. Even native speakers make mistakes all the time.

 

[Zumar]

No unfortunately not Like you, I used to be fluent as a kid but eventually started to lose it. And I tend to fill in words I can't remember with English words when speaking too. It's pretty good compared to most Canadian-born Somalis around my age that I know (i'm 19) but it could use some more work. I'm hoping that I can bring my Somali back up to fluent status once I go to Hargeisa next summer inshallah, immersing yourself somewhere where you have no choice but to speak the language does wonders for your language skills.

Im 18, and i really want to improve it by the time ill go to hargeisa next summer

Dont want to be known as a fool, and i sometime feel ashamed because i know the cadaan language better than my own and feel sorry for my mom, because she did good but i just forgot it?

And i think going to Hargeisa would do me good, but we all know somali people and their thoughts about "kids from europe/america"...

 

[suldana]

I speak fluent somali. We only spoke somali at home and Norwegian outside home. It helps if you speak somali to your siblings also and not only our parents.

 

[Apollo]

Im 18, and i really want to improve it by the time ill go to hargeisa next summer

Dont want to be known as a fool, and i sometime feel ashamed because i know the cadaan language better than my own and feel sorry for my mom, because she did good but i just forgot it?

And i think going to Hargeisa would do me good, but we all know somali people and their thoughts about "kids from europe/america"...

Most of them only speak Somali (monolingual), at least you speak several languages.. Don't mind them.

 

[MadNomad]

There's a language spoken in my home called Swomali, mix of Swedish and Somali. Even my mom throws in Swedish words here and there

My grasp of the Somali language is ok. If i had to give myself a grade it would be B-

 

[sosomali]

I've always been able to speak it but it improved immensely after trips back home. There are still words and phrases which I don't understand but alas no one can ever be completely fluent in a language, there's always a new word to be learnt.

 

[Dino]

do you guys, who are born in europe/america, speak fluent somali?

When i was young i was able to speak it 100% correct fluently but over the years it looks like im losing it
I got 3 younger siblings at home and they speak dutch the whole time, at school or outside school i dont got any somali friends
When i think about it, my mom is the only one who i talk in somali too

But the weird thing is i understand it 100% but when i want to answer i dont remember all the words and fill it in with dutch words

Im curious if you got the same problems? And how did you improve them?

Its making me insecure because i cant express myself the way i want to, to my family in somalia

Excuse my poor english

i can speak english arabic and somali fluently.

i can also sing and swear in hindi

example. this song below. i can sing it from begiining to end. loool

 

[kickz]

I can speak it, but I'll have pronunciations errors here and there.

Which can make me go from sounding like an adult to a 4 year old real quick

 

[Nightline Kid]

I can understand Somali 95% of the time but my speaking skills have taken some blows. I can speak it moderately well. I'm better than some of my siblings, sadly some of them only marginally understand Somali, let alone speak it. My parents speak to us in Somali most of the time but we respond back in English.

 

[black]

No, my Somali is absolutely terrible compared to people back home. I also struggle understanding dialects that aren't mine

I have a friend whose accent I barely understand. Whenever his father and I attempt a conversation I literally understand 15% of his Somali. Then there's my father's oday crew and I understand 100% of what they say without any English being thrown in the mix.

 

[anonymous34]

No, my Somali is absolutely terrible compared to people back home. I also struggle understanding dialects that aren't mine

I have a friend whose accent I barely understand. Whenever his father and I attempt a conversation I literally understand 15% of his Somali. Then there's my father's oday crew and I understand 100% of what they say without any English being thrown in the mix.

what part of somalia are you from?

 

[cantspeak]

There's a reason why I'm called can'tspeak

 

[Zumar]

No, my Somali is absolutely terrible compared to people back home. I also struggle understanding dialects that aren't mine

I have a friend whose accent I barely understand. Whenever his father and I attempt a conversation I literally understand 15% of his Somali. Then there's my father's oday crew and I understand 100% of what they say without any English being thrown in the mix.

I sort of got the same issue, im mostly raised by my mom from somaliland and i understand her and her family 100% but whenever i go to my dads and his family from somalia, im also struggling to understand what they are exactly saying

 

[black]

what part of somalia are you from?

Let's just keep it at Somalia

 

[The Cushitic One]

I never used to speak Somali all the time, as most of my friends are non Somalis.

I can understand it and when I speak back, well I can hold a conversation
But I wouldn't say my proficiency
Is 100% more like 70%

I've been back 2 summers in a row 15/16 and Insha'Allah this summer. Overall been there 3 times though.

It really does Improve you're speaking skills. I surround myself with locals sometimes And just have banter, Somali kuuff tuum is my favourite and on a whole different level.

 

[ItzDoctorZ]

Only my family understand my Somali