Emergency

1. Caawimaad! Caawimaad!

   Help! Help!

   Usage

   A shout for help in an emergency; repeating it adds urgency.

   Grammar Note

   A noun meaning "help", built from the verb caawi "to help".

2. Booliiska wac!

   Call the police!

   Usage

   Asks bystanders to call the police. Booliis is a loanword, also spelled boliis.

   Grammar Note

   Wac is the imperative of "call (someone)". The object booliiska comes first.

3. Dhakhtar baan u baahan ahay

   I need a doctor

   Usage

   An essential phrase for medical emergencies.

   Grammar Note

   The needed thing comes first and takes the focus particle baa. Dhakhtar is also spelled takhtar.

4. Waan dhaawacmay

   I am injured

   Usage

   Reports an injury. Point to the place that hurts.

   Grammar Note

   A past form built on dhaawac "wound". Waan is waa fused with aan "I".

5. Dab! Dab!

   Fire! Fire!

   Usage

   A shout to warn others of a fire.

   Grammar Note

   The noun dab means "fire"; shouted alone to give the alarm.

6. Tuug! Tuug!

   Thief! Thief!

   Usage

   A shout when something has just been stolen.

   Grammar Note

   A masculine noun for a person; the plural can have the same form.

7. Baasaboorkayga waan lumiyay

   I have lost my passport

   Usage

   Reports a lost passport at an embassy or police station.

   Grammar Note

   The object takes the possessive -kayga "my". The past of lumi "lose", lumiyay, ends the sentence.

8. Aad baan u baqayaa

   I am very scared

   Usage

   Expresses fear; useful when asking for help in a threatening situation.

   Grammar Note

   "Aad ... u + verb" means "to do something very much". Baqo "be afraid" appears in the progressive baqayaa.

9. Isbitaalku waa halkee?

   Where is the hospital?

   Usage

   Asks the way to a hospital in an emergency.

   Grammar Note

   A noun as subject takes -ku/-u (isbitaal to isbitaalku). "X waa halkee?" is the pattern for "where is X".

10. Fadlan safaaradda ii wac

    Please call the embassy for me

    Usage

    Asks someone to contact your embassy for you in an emergency.

    Grammar Note

    "Ii wac" means "call for me". The object safaaradda comes first.

11. Jooji!

    Stop it!

    Usage

    Show this to stop touts or unwanted behaviour. It is a blunt imperative, not a polite one.

    Grammar Note

    The imperative of jooji "to stop", said bare without an object.

12. Ha i taaban!

    Don't touch me!

    Usage

    Firmly refuses unwanted touching. You can simply hold the screen up if you cannot raise your voice.

    Grammar Note

    Ha + verb forms a negative command. The object i "me" stands right after ha.

13. I caawi!

    Help me!

    Usage

    Addressed to one specific person, unlike the general shout Caawimaad!.

    Grammar Note

    The object i "me" comes before the verb. Caawi is the imperative of "help".

14. Waa la iga xaday

    I have been robbed

    Usage

    Reports a theft to the police or bystanders; point at what was taken.

    Grammar Note

    The impersonal la gives "someone stole". Iga is i "me" plus ka "from": "from me".

15. Waan lumay

    I am lost

    Usage

    Says you are lost; follow it with a place name or show a map.

    Grammar Note

    Lumay is the form where the subject itself gets lost. It differs from lumiyay, used when you lose a thing.

16. Afduub

    Kidnapping

    Usage

    Show this word to tell the police or bystanders that someone has been abducted.

    Grammar Note

    A masculine noun; the dictionary defines it as taking someone away by force.

17. Rabshad

    Riot

    Usage

    Show this word to say that a riot is going on.

    Grammar Note

    A feminine noun, also spelled rabash.

18. Dab! Orod!

    Fire! Run!

    Usage

    Raises the fire alarm and tells people to get out.

    Grammar Note

    The imperative of orod "run". It is addressed to one person but works as a shout to a crowd.

19. Saldhigga booliiska waa halkee?

    Where is the police station?

    Usage

    Asks where the police station is, for example to file a report.

    Grammar Note

    "Saldhigga booliiska" is literally "the base of the police"; two nouns side by side express the relation.

20. Wuu miyirbeelay

    This person is unconscious

    Usage

    Point at the person who has collapsed. For a woman say Way miyirbeeshay.

    Grammar Note

    Wuu is waa fused with uu "he". Miyirbeelay is the masculine form; the feminine is miyirbeeshay.

21. Waa la i garaacay

    I was beaten

    Usage

    Tells the police or a doctor you were assaulted; point to where you were hit.

    Grammar Note

    Impersonal la + i "me" + verb means "someone did it to me".

22. Mindi ayaa la igu dhuftay

    I was stabbed with a knife

    Usage

    Tells the police or a doctor you were stabbed. Literally "I was struck with a knife".

    Grammar Note

    Dhufo means "strike, thrust". Igu is i "me" plus ku, giving "on me" with the knife as instrument.

23. Qofkaas waa dembiile

    That person is the culprit

    Usage

    Point at the person and tell the police.

    Grammar Note

    The suffix -kaas means "that (one)". Dembiile is also spelled dambiile.

24. Waa la i khiyaaneeyay

    I was deceived

    Usage

    Says you have been cheated or scammed.

    Grammar Note

    The verb is built on khiyaano "deceit". The frame is impersonal la + i + verb.

25. Baabuur baa i dhuftay

    I was hit by a car

    Usage

    Says a car hit you. Literally "a car struck me".

    Grammar Note

    The subject baabuur takes the focus particle baa, then the object i "me" and the verb follow.

26. Khatar!

    Watch out!

    Usage

    A shout to warn of immediate danger; it also appears on warning signs.

    Grammar Note

    A feminine noun meaning "danger"; shouted alone as a warning.

27. Fadlan dhaqso

    Please hurry

    Usage

    Asks someone to hurry, for example while waiting for an ambulance or a taxi.

    Grammar Note

    Dhaqso means "quickly"; it is also spelled dhakhso.

28. Fadlan hadda kaalay

    Please come right now

    Usage

    Asks someone, for example on the phone, to come immediately.

    Grammar Note

    Kaalay is the command "come here (to me)", addressed to one person.

29. Waa xaalad degdeg ah

    It's an emergency

    Usage

    Says you cannot wait your turn and need attention now.

    Grammar Note

    "Degdeg ah" means "urgent" and follows the noun xaalad.

30. Fadlan isbitaalka i gee

    Please take me to a hospital

    Usage

    Asks a driver or a bystander to take you to a hospital.

    Grammar Note

    Gee is the imperative of "take, deliver". The destination isbitaalka comes first, and the object i "me" precedes the verb.

31. Shil baabuur ayaa dhacay

    There has been a traffic accident

    Usage

    Reports that an accident has happened, to emergency services or bystanders.

    Grammar Note

    "Shil baabuur" is "car accident", two nouns side by side; the focus particle ayaa marks the subject.

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