Numbers

1. Ataaseq, marluk, pingasut

   A-taa-seq, mar-luk, pin-ga-sut

   One, two, three

   Usage

   Basic Kalaallisut numbers 1 to 3

   Grammar Note

   Kalaallisut numbers belong to the Inuit numeral system, unique to the Inuit language family

2. Sisamat, tallimat, arfinillit

   Si-sa-mat, tal-li-mat, ar-fi-nil-lit

   Four, five, six

   Usage

   Kalaallisut numbers 4 to 6

   Grammar Note

   "Tallimat" (five) goes back to "taleq" (arm/hand) — one hand's fingers. Six, "arfineq / arfinillit", means crossing over to the other hand

3. Arfineq marluk, arfineq pingasut, qulingiluat

   Ar-fi-neq mar-luk, ar-fi-neq pin-ga-sut, qu-lin-gi-lu-at

   Seven, eight, nine

   Usage

   Kalaallisut numbers 7 to 9

   Grammar Note

   Traditional Inuit counting uses body-based arithmetic (hands and feet) rather than a decimal system

4. Qulit

   Qu-lit

   Ten

   Usage

   The Kalaallisut word for ten

   Grammar Note

   "Qulit" is the plural of the stem "quli-" (ten) — the point where both hands have been counted out

5. Qanoq akeqarpa?

   Qa-noq a-ke-qar-pa?

   How much does it cost?

   Usage

   Using number knowledge to ask for a price in a practical setting

   Grammar Note

   Prices are typically given in Danish krone (DKK) as Greenland uses Danish currency

6. Aqqanillit, aqqaneq marluk, aqqaneq pingasut

   Aq-qa-nil-lit, aq-qa-neq mar-luk, aq-qa-neq pin-ga-sut

   Eleven, twelve, thirteen

   Usage

   Kalaallisut 11 to 13 — about as far as the native numerals go in everyday speech

   Grammar Note

   Numbers above ten are built on "aqqaneq" (moving onto the feet) plus a cardinal; northern dialects use "isikkaneq". Above thirteen, everyday speech usually switches to Danish numerals

7. Pingasunik qulillit, sisamanik qulillit, tallimanik qulillit

   Pin-ga-su-nik qu-lil-lit, si-sa-ma-nik qu-lil-lit, tal-li-ma-nik qu-lil-lit

   Thirty, forty, fifty

   Usage

   Multiples of ten; in speech the Danish tredive / fyrre / halvtreds are also common

   Grammar Note

   Multiples of ten use the pattern "cardinal-nik qulillit" (having so many tens). Greenland is a Danish autonomous territory, so Danish numerals are also widely heard

8. Untriti, tuusinti, miliuuni

   Un-tri-ti, tuu-sin-ti, mi-li-uu-ni

   One hundred, one thousand, one million

   Usage

   Large numbers — Danish loanwords fully adapted into Kalaallisut form

   Grammar Note

   The traditional body-count system was vigesimal and had no words this large, so hundreds upward are loanwords. Multiples use "-nik ...llit", e.g. "marlunnik untritillit" (200)

9. Sisamaat, tallimaat, arfernat

   Si-sa-maat, tal-li-maat, ar-fer-nat

   Fourth, fifth, sixth

   Usage

   Expressing ordinal numbers in Kalaallisut

   Grammar Note

   Ordinals take a possessive-type ending on the cardinal (sisamat → sisamaat). The similar-looking "sisamanngorneq / tallimanngorneq / arfininngorneq" are not ordinals but the weekday names Thursday, Friday and Saturday

10. Nalunaaqutaq qassinngorpa?

    Na-lu-naa-qu-taq qas-sin-ngor-pa?

    What time is it?

    Usage

    The standard way to ask the time — it reuses the numbers directly

    Grammar Note

    Built from "qassit" (how many) plus "-nngor-" (to become). The answer takes the same shape, e.g. "nalunaaqutaq pingasunngorpoq" (it is three o'clock)

11. 27-inik ukioqarpunga.

    27-i-nik u-ki-o-qar-pu-nga.

    I'm 27 years old

    Usage

    Giving your age. Greenlandic writes numbers above twelve as digits and attaches the case ending with a hyphen

    Grammar Note

    ukioqarpoq means "is ~ years old", and the numeral takes the instrumental -nik (qulinik ukioqarpoq = is ten). The first person singular is -poq → -punga. Ages may also be written with digits (60-inik ukioqalerpoq)

12. Ukiormanna 28-inik ukioqalerpunga.

    U-ki-or-man-na 28-i-nik u-ki-o-qa-ler-pu-nga.

    I turn 28 this year

    Usage

    Saying what age you will reach during the current year

    Grammar Note

    ukioqalerpoq means "turns ~ years old" (60-inik ukioqalerpoq = turns 60). It is ukioqarpoq with the inchoative -ler-. ukiormanna means "this year"

Browse all TravelPhrases languages