English Language

For those Somalis coming to live in English speaking countries it is important to try to learn to speak the language as soon and as well as possible. This will make everyday life much easier and increase your chances of finding employment and generally making progress with your life.

Many English speaking countries will have classes available, often free of charge, for those arriving in the country who need to learn the language.

English is not the easiest language to learn, but it is worth the effort as you will soon be able to enjoy helping your children with their homework, reading newspapers and books, and chatting to your English neighbours.

As with all languages there are a number of English “sayings” or “idioms” which do not mean exactly what they say – some are very funny.

We have included a list of some of these idioms in the attached link.