Chapter 09 - Somali Subject Pronouns

Autonomous Pronouns and Preverbal Pronouns

There are two kinds of subject pronouns :

Autonomous pronouns, which have essentially the same properties as nouns.
Preverbal pronouns, that function like verbal affixes, but are detached from the verb in a pre-assigned preverbal position.

There is no substitution between the noun subject and the preverbal pronoun subject, but complementarity : the preverbal subject pronoun will always be there, whether the noun subject (or an autonomous pronoun subject) is expressed in the sentence or not.

Autonomous subject pronouns

They are ordinarily followed by a determiner (by default the definite suffix -ka or -ta), a conjunction, or a focus marker.
For the form with the definite article, subject marking works in the ordinary way.

Person	Stand alone	Subject	+ conjunction	+ subjunctive
	Emphatic form		Short form
1st pers. sing.	aniga	anigu	an(i)	an
2nd pers. sing.	adiga	adigu	ad(i)	ad
3rd pers. sing. masc.	isaga	isagu	is(a)	ha
3rd per. sing. fem.	iyada	iyadu	iya	ha
1st per. plur. excl.	annaga	annagu	anna	annu
1st pers. plur. incl.	innaga	innagu	inna	aynu
2nd pers. plur.	idinka	idinku	idin	ad
3rd pers. plur.	iyaga	iyagu	iyagu	ha

You can see from this table that all autonomous subject pronouns are masculine except for iyada (= she, her) which is feminine.
The only difference between the autonomous "stand alone" pronoun and the autonomous subject pronoun is the subject marker u at the end.
The forms listed in the column labelled + conjuction omit the determiner suffix and sometimes the final vowel.
In most instances they only occur with the conjunctions -na (= and, also), -se (= but), or with the focus marker baa, and only in some combinations with these.

Examples :

Anna waan arkey	I also saw (it)	[me+also I saw]
Adna waad aragtey	You also saw (it)	[you+also you saw]
Isna wuu arkay	He also saw (it)	[him+also he saw]
Iyana way aragtey	She also saw (it)	[her+also she saw]
Annana waannu aragney	We (exl.) also saw (it)	[us+also we saw]
Innana weynu aragney	We (incl.) also saw (it)	[us+also we saw]
Idinna weydin aragteen	You (pl.) also saw (it)	[you+also you saw]
Iyaguna wey arkeen	They also saw (it)	[them+also they saw]

Anaa tegey	It is I who went	[from an(i) + baa]
Adaa tegey	It is you who went	[from ad(i) + baa]

Only 1st and 2nd person singular pronouns can be contracted in focus constructions.

Preverbal pronouns

Preverbal pronouns can be assimilated to detached "verbal affixes".
They have predetermined positions in the verbal phrase, along with the other preverbal particles, according to their different functions : subject, object, negation, relationship, etc..

Table of Preverbal markers

Person	Subject Pronoun	Object Pronoun (1st series)	Locative	Negation	Relational	Object Pronoun (2nd series)
1st pers. sing.	waan	i	-ku (-gu)	ma	soo	kay
2nd pers. sing.	waad	ku	-ku (-gu)	ma	soo	kaa
3rd pers. sing. masc.	wuu		-ku (-gu)	ma	soo
3rd pers. sing. fem.	way		-ku (-gu)	ma	soo
1st pers plur. excl.	waannu	na	-ku (-gu)	ma	soo	kayo
1st pers. plur. incl.	waynu	ina	-ku (-gu)	ma	soo	keen
2nd pers. plur.	waydin	idin	-ku (-gu)	ma	soo	kiin
3rd pers. plur.	way		-ku (-gu)	ma	soo

Examples :

Waan arkay	I saw	[I saw]
Waan ku arkay	I saw you	[I you saw]
Waan kugu arkay	I saw you in	[I you+in saw]
Maan arag	I didn't see	[Not+I didn't see]
Kumaan arag	I didn't see you	[You+not+I didn't see]
Kugumaan arag	I didn't see you in	[You+in+not+I didn't see]
Wuu i arkay	He saw me	[He me saw]
Wuu igu arkay	He saw me in	[He me+in saw]
Imuu arag	He didn't see me	[Me+not+he didn't see]
Igumuu arag	He didn't see me in	[Me+in+not+he didn't see]

You can observe from the above examples that the preverbal subject pronoun is no longer at the initial in the negative sentences.
But it somehow subsists as a subject root, placed at the end of the Object+Locative+Negative+Subject cluster !

Preverbal subject pronouns

The preverbal subject pronoun possesses two forms, that we respectively named "transitive" and "untransitive", depending on whether the verb is followed by a complement or not.
If the verb is not followed by any complement, we use the untransitive form waan, waad, etc.. which is obtained by affixing w- to the preverbal subject root -aan, -aad, etc..
If the verb is followed by a complement, we use the transitive form waxaan, waxaad, etc.. which is obtained by affixing wax- to the preverbal subject root -aan, -aad, etc..

Table of Preverbal Subject Pronouns

Person	root	Untransitive	Transitive	English
1st pers. sing.	-aan	waan	waxaan	I
2nd pers. sing.	-aad	waad	waxaad	you
3rd pers. sing. masc.	-uu	wuu	waxuu	he
3rd pers. sing. fem.	-ay	way	waxay	she
1st pers. plur. excl.	-aannu	waannu	waxaannu	we
1st pers. plur. incl.	-aynu	waynu	waxaynu	we
2nd pers. plur.	-aydin	waydin	waxaydin	we
3rd pers. plur.	-ay	way	waxay	they

Examples :

Anigu waan cunayaa	I am eating	[Me I eating]
Anigu waxaan cunayaa furin	I am eating bread	[Me I eating bread]
Isagu wuu cunayaa	He is eating	[Him he eating]
Isagu waxuu cunayaa baasto	He is eating pasta	[Him he eating pasta]
Iyadu way cunaisaa	she is eating	[Her she eating]
Iyadu waxay cunaisaa cambe	she is eating a mango	[Her she eating mango]
Anigu waan karinayaa	I am cooking	[Me I cooking]
Anigu waxaan karinayaa laxoo	I am cooking a pancake	[Me I cooking pancake]
Aabahay wuu karinayaa	My father is cooking	[Father-my he cooking]
Aabahay waxuu karinayaa hilib	My father is cooking meat	[Father-my he cooking meat]
Hooyoday way karinaisaa	My mother is cooking	[Mother-my she cooking]
Hooyoday waxay karinaisaa kaluun	My mother is cooking fish	[Mother-my she cooking fish]

Note that the autonomous subject pronouns anigu, isagu and iyadu can be made without in the above examples.

Source: http://hooyo.web.free.fr