Convenience Store

1. Una qanoq akeqarpa?

   U-na qa-noq a-ke-qar-pa?

   How much does this cost?

   Usage

   Shops in Greenland are mainly the state-linked Pilersuisoq — often the only store in a settlement — plus Brugseni and Pisiffik. Almost everything arrives by ship or plane, so prices typically run 20-30% above Denmark. Transactions are frequently conducted in Danish or English; opening in Kalaallisut is welcomed, but do not be surprised when the reply comes back in Danish.

   Grammar Note

   Akeqarpa stacks aki (price) + -qar- (to have) + -pa (3rd-person singular interrogative) into a single word. Kalaallisut is polysynthetic: a chain of affixes on one stem carries what other languages spread across a whole clause.

2. Poosimik pisariaqarpit?

   Poo-si-mik pi-sa-ri-a-qar-pit?

   Do you need a bag?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Bags are charged for in Greenland too and most people carry a sturdy reusable one; shipping costs make even the bag itself pricey. In practice you will often just be asked "Pose?" in Danish.

   Grammar Note

   Pisariaqarpoq (to need) takes its object in the instrumental case -mik. Poosi borrows Danish pose (bag), reshaped with a final vowel to fit Kalaallisut phonology. The ending -pit marks a 2nd-person singular question.

3. Poosi ataaseq piumavara.

   Poo-si a-taa-seq pi-u-ma-va-ra.

   I would like one bag

   Usage

   The customer's version. Kalaallisut has no standalone word equivalent to "please"; politeness is carried by endings, intonation or phrasing something as a question. A bare request does not come across as rude.

   Grammar Note

   Piumavara is the transitive form of piumavoq (to want); the ending -vara simultaneously encodes a 1st-person singular subject acting on a 3rd-person singular object. The intransitive would be piumavunga. Kalaallisut verb endings mark subject and object together.

4. Aningaasanik imaluunniit kortimik?

   A-ni-ngaa-sa-nik i-ma-luun-ni-it kor-ti-mik?

   Cash or card?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and uses the Danish krone (DKK). Card payment is overwhelmingly dominant and cash is rarely needed — but in small settlements the terminal can lose connection, so a little cash is worth carrying.

   Grammar Note

   Aningaasat (money) is used only in the plural, giving the instrumental plural -nik. Korti borrows Danish kort (card) and is singular, hence -mik. The instrumental is the standard case for expressing means.

5. Kortimik akiliisinnaavunga?

   Kor-ti-mik a-ki-lii-sin-naa-vu-nga?

   Can I pay by card?

   Usage

   The customer's version. In Nuuk or Ilulissat you will not be refused. Alongside the Danish Dankort, international cards are widely accepted, though foreign-issued cards are sometimes rejected in the smallest settlements.

   Grammar Note

   Akiliisinnaavunga is akilii- (to pay) + -sinnaa- (to be able) + -vunga (1st singular). The affix -sinnaa- expresses possibility and can be slotted into any verb stem — modal meanings live inside the word in Kalaallisut.

6. Pisinermut uppernarsaammik pisariaqarpit?

   Pi-si-ner-mut up-per-nar-saam-mik pi-sa-ri-a-qar-pit?

   Do you need a receipt?

   Usage

   Said by staff. As in Denmark, the terminal usually asks whether to print. Note that Greenland levies no VAT (moms), so the tax system differs from mainland Denmark and tax-free refund schemes do not apply.

   Grammar Note

   Danish kvittering is "bon, fx fra et supermarked = pisinermut uppernarsaat" (a consignment note is nassiussanut uppernarsaat and a payment receipt akilikkat uppernarsaataat).

7. Una piumavara.

   U-na pi-u-ma-va-ra.

   I would like this one

   Usage

   Point at what you want and this alone does the job — the most broadly useful line here, since it lets you shop without knowing a single product name in Kalaallisut.

   Grammar Note

   Demonstrative pronouns are finely graded by direction and distance: una (this, at hand), taanna (that, near you), ikka (over there). Arctic life has produced a rich vocabulary for spatial relations, and the demonstrative system reflects it.

8. Imeq nillertoq piumavara.

   I-meq nil-ler-toq pi-u-ma-va-ra.

   I would like cold water

   Usage

   Greenlandic tap water comes from glacial sources and is among the best in the world, so bottled water is barely necessary and takes up little shelf space — and being imported, it is expensive.

   Grammar Note

   "koldt vand = imeq nillertoq", and kold likewise is "om en ting = nillertoq".

9. Kaffi kissartoq piumavara.

   Kaf-fi kis-sar-toq pi-u-ma-va-ra.

   I would like hot coffee

   Usage

   Coffee is woven into Greenlandic life, most visibly in the kaffemik — an open house where coffee and cakes are served to anyone who drops in, held for birthdays, confirmations and other milestones. Coffee is a shop staple accordingly.

   Grammar Note

   Kissartoq is the participial form of kissarpoq (to be hot), the counterpart of nillertoq (another card). Modifiers follow their noun and inflect for the same case as the noun they modify.

10. Iffiat sumiippat?

    If-fi-at su-mii-ppat?

    Where is the bread?

    Usage

    Danish-style bread and pastries are everyday fare in Greenland. In settlement shops the stock cycles with the supply ship: fresh produce and bread can sell out within hours of arrival, and bad weather delaying the ship empties the shelves.

    Grammar Note

    Sumiippa (where is it) is sumi (where) + -ip- (to be located) + -pa (3rd singular interrogative); a plural subject changes the ending to -pat. The singular of iffiat is iffiaq.

11. Perusuersartarfik sumiippa?

    Pe-ru-su-er-sar-tar-fik su-mii-ppa?

    Where is the toilet?

    Usage

    A small shop is unlikely to have a customer toilet, and the Danish word toilet is perfectly well understood. Note that some Greenlandic settlements have no sewerage and still use collection-based systems — worth checking with your accommodation.

    Grammar Note

    The affix -vik / -fik derives "a place where one does X" and underlies most Greenlandic institution names. Inserting -tar- (to do habitually) before it yields "the place where one habitually does this".

12. Oqarasuaatera maani immersinnaavara?

    O-qa-ra-suaa-te-ra maa-ni im-mer-sin-naa-va-ra?

    Can I charge my phone here?

    Usage

    Small shops often say no; a café or hotel is more reliable. Mains supply is 230V with European type C sockets, as in Denmark. Lader- borrows the Danish verb lade (to charge) and inserts -r- to make it conjugable in Kalaallisut — an entirely ordinary move in everyday speech.

    Grammar Note

    Danish oplade is "oplader det / et batteri = immerpaa", and immerpaa is "charges it" — the same root as Telefonip immernera.

13. Pengeautomati sumiippa?

    Pe-nge-au-to-ma-ti su-miip-pa?

    Where is the ATM?

    Usage

    ATMs exist at banks such as GrønlandsBANKEN in the larger towns — Nuuk, Sisimiut, Ilulissat — but hardly at all in settlements. Cards cover most needs, though drawing cash before travelling out to a settlement is prudent. The word for ATM is simply the Danish hæveautomat.

    Grammar Note

    Danish pengeautomat is "pengeautomati (≈ aningaasanik nammineerluni tigusisarfik)", with the example pengeautomatimit tigusivoq.

14. Ataaseq taamaallaat.

    A-taa-seq taa-maal-laat.

    Just one

    Usage

    For making the quantity clear; swap in marluk (two) or pingasut (three). Kalaallisut has native numerals up to twelve, and beyond that people generally switch to Danish numbers in everyday speech.

    Grammar Note

    The cardinals run ataaseq (1), marluk (2), pingasut (3), sisamat (4), tallimat (5). Marluk carries a dual ending, a trace of the older singular-dual-plural distinction in the language.

15. Qujanaq, inuulluarit.

    Qu-ja-naq, i-nuul-lu-a-rit.

    Thank you, goodbye

    Usage

    The line for leaving after paying. Greenlandic manners favour understatement over effusive politeness, but qujanaq (thank you) is used constantly. For stronger thanks, say qujanarsuaq.

    Grammar Note

    Inuulluarit is built from inuk (person) plus -llu- (well) and an imperative ending — literally "live well"; addressing several people gives inuulluaritsi.

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