East Africa
Oromo
Afaan OromooThe language of the Oromo people, the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia, and a working language of the Ethiopian federal state. Written in the Latin-based Qubee alphabet adopted in 1991.
- Family
- Afro-Asiatic (Cushitic)
- Script
- Latin (Qubee)
- Speakers
- ~37 million speakers — the largest Cushitic language
- Spoken in
- Ethiopia, Kenya
The course
Five units, one word at a time
0/5 mastered
Unit 1
Greetings
Oromo greetings ask after your health, your family and your cattle.
- Akkam — Hello / how are you?
- Nagaa — Peace (used as hello and goodbye)
- Fayyaa — Well / healthy
- Galatoomi — Thank you
- Baga nagaan dhufte — Welcome
- Nagaatti — Goodbye
Unit 2
People and family
Family words from a society organised by the gadaa age-grade system.
- Nama — Person
- Dubartii — Woman
- Dhiira — Man
- Haadha — Mother
- Abbaa — Father
- Hiriyaa — Friend
Unit 3
Numbers one to ten
Counting cattle, birr and days.
- Tokko — One
- Lama — Two
- Sadii — Three
- Afur — Four
- Shan — Five
- Kudhan — Ten
Unit 4
Food and the market
Coffee comes from Oromia — start there.
- Buna — Coffee
- Bishaan — Water
- Nyaata — Food
- Meeqa? — How much?
- Gabaa — Market
- Nan barbaada — I want
Unit 5
Getting around
Directions and the phrases that rescue a conversation.
- Eessa? — Where?
- Kottu — Come
- Deemi — Go
- Hin hubanne — I don't understand
- Maaloo — Please
- Suuta — Slowly
How to sound right
- Double letters matter: they are held longer and change meaning (badaa 'bad' vs bada 'perish').
- The 'dh' and 'ph' are single sounds, not d+h — dh is a soft d made with the tongue curled back.
- Word order is subject–object–verb, so the verb lands at the end.
The audio button in lessons uses your device's speech engine, which rarely has a native African voice. Treat it as a rough guide and trust the written pronunciation hints and the coach instead.
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