Pharmacy & Health

1. Daawo madax-xanuun ma haysaa?

   Do you have headache medicine?

   Usage

   Asks for headache medicine at a pharmacy. Madax-xanuun means "pain of the head".

   Grammar Note

   "Ma haysaa?" means "do you have?". The item comes first: "Daawo … ma haysaa?".

2. Daawo caloolxanuun baan u baahan ahay

   I need stomach medicine

   Usage

   Asks for medicine for stomach or abdominal pain. Caloolxanuun is the dictionary word for illness of the stomach.

   Grammar Note

   Baan is the focus particle baa fused with the subject aan (I). U baahan ahay means "need"; the thing needed comes first.

3. Daawo shuban baan u baahan ahay

   I need anti-diarrhea medicine

   Usage

   Asks for medicine for diarrhea. Shuban means diarrhea.

   Grammar Note

   "Daawo + illness" means "medicine for …"; the nouns are simply placed side by side.

4. Qandho baan qabaa

   I have a fever

   Usage

   Says you have a fever. Qandho is fever.

   Grammar Note

   Qab means "to hold/have"; the Bible has the form "qandho qaba" (having a fever).

5. Qufac baan qabaa

   I have a cough

   Usage

   Says you have a cough. Qufac is cough.

   Grammar Note

   The pattern "symptom + baan qabaa" works the same for fever, cough and a cold.

6. Hargab baan qabaa

   I have a cold

   Usage

   Says you have a cold. Hargab is an illness with cough, sneezing and fever.

   Grammar Note

   Hargab is a masculine noun. The sentence is the same for male and female speakers.

7. Madaxu aad buu ii xanuunayaa

   My head hurts a lot

   Usage

   Puts the aching body part first: "the head hurts me". The Bible has the same pattern with the heart.

   Grammar Note

   Madax is masculine, so buu is used (a feminine noun takes bay). Ii means "to me".

8. Calooshu aad bay ii xanuunaysaa

   My stomach hurts a lot

   Usage

   Says that your stomach or belly hurts. Calool means stomach or belly.

   Grammar Note

   Calool is feminine, so bay and the feminine verb form xanuunaysaa are used. The ending -shu marks the subject.

9. Waan xanuunsan ahay

   I am sick

   Usage

   Says you are unwell. Xanuunsan means having pain or illness.

   Grammar Note

   Same pattern as "Waan wanaagsan ahay": an adjective followed by ahay (I am).

10. Daawadan sidee loo cabbaa?

    How do I take this medicine?

    Usage

    Asks how to take a medicine. Somali says "drink" (cab) for taking medicine.

    Grammar Note

    Daawo is feminine and "this" is -dan. Loo makes an impersonal "how is it taken".

11. Warqad dhakhtar ma u baahan ahay?

    Do I need a prescription?

    Usage

    Asks whether a doctor's note is needed for the medicine. Literally "do I need a doctor's paper?".

    Grammar Note

    Warqad is a paper or note and dhakhtar is a doctor; placing them together gives "a doctor's note".

12. Farmasi

    Pharmacy

    Usage

    Vocabulary card. The dictionary lists farmasi and farmashiye as the same word.

    Grammar Note

    A masculine noun: farmasiga with the article. It is a loanword with two spellings.

13. Farmasiga waa halkee?

    Where is the pharmacy?

    Usage

    Asks where the pharmacy is, using the "waa halkee?" pattern.

    Grammar Note

    The pattern "noun + waa halkee?" means "where is …?".

14. Heerkulbeeg

    Thermometer

    Usage

    Vocabulary card; the word contains heerkul (temperature).

    Grammar Note

    A masculine noun. The dictionary also lists the variant heerkulbeege.

15. Jeermisdile

    Disinfectant

    Usage

    Vocabulary card. The dictionary defines it as a medicine that kills germs.

    Grammar Note

    A masculine noun that contains jeermis (germ).

16. Daawo calool-fadhi baan u baahan ahay

    A laxative, please

    Usage

    Asks for medicine for constipation at a pharmacy.

    Grammar Note

    Composed from another card "Daawo shuban baan u baahan ahay" with shuban replaced by calool-fadhi; not confirmed by a native speaker. The Royal Children's Hospital leaflet calls laxatives "daawooyinka caloosha jilciya" (medicines that soften the belly), but a singular request form was not confirmed, so the parallel frame is used.

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