One of the first mistakes many beginning language learners make is assuming that other languages follow the same rules that theirs does. While it is true that sister tongues such as Spanish and Portuguese are very much alike, English and Somali are very different from each other. Recognizing these differences is a first step toward easier learning.
Like many African and Asian languages, such as Jola (spoken in West Africa) and Vietnamese, Somali is tonal. Although not used as extensively as in highly tonal languages like Cantonese or Mandarin, Somali tones can still radically change the meaning of an individual word. English and most of its European cousins, however, are non-tonal languages, using stress accent instead to occasionally alter meaning.
Additionally, the syntax, or word order, of Somali sentences is often quite different from that found in English. While the syntax of simple sentences such as "This is Abdi." (Kani waa Abdi.) is in the same subject + verb + object structure as in English, more complex sentences in Somali vary greatly from their English counterparts.
Another way that Somali differs from English is in pronunciation. Several of the sounds found in Somali are closer to Arabic, a language far removed phonetically from English.
One of the fastest ways to improve your vocabulary when learning a new language is to try to find cognates, or words in your language and the one you are learning that share a common origin. For example, the names of the months of the year in both English and Somali are cognates (e.g. June/Juun).
Somali has also borrowed many words from English. Discovering these loanwords by using a good etymological dictionary and learning the correct English pronunciation for them can rapidly increase your vocabulary.
The Internet contains several resources to help Somalis learn English easily. One of the best ways to start is with the free e-book "Beginning English for Somali Speakers." Another helpful resource is Charles K. Ogden's "Basic English." Mastering the 850 concept words in Ogden's list can open many of the doors to good communication with English speakers.
Learning English as a Somali speaker can be very challenging. However, by being aware of the differences and similarities between the two languages and by using some of the resources that are freely available on the Internet, you can make your trip toward English fluency much easier.