Greenlandic grammar

Every grammar guide of Lingora’s Greenlandic A1 course, with examples you can listen to.

01Nouns: Allative Case (-mut)The allative ending -mut means "to": Nuummut "to Nuuk". In the plural it is -nut. Besides the place something is heading for, it names the person…
02-sinnaa- (can)The suffix -sinnaa- means "can": being able to, being allowed to, or being possible. It goes inside the verb, between the stem and the ending.
03Word Structure: Stems, Suffixes and EndingsA Greenlandic word is built from left to right: first a stem, then any number of suffixes, and last one ending. Each suffix adds a meaning that English…
04Plural Nouns for Single ThingsSome Greenlandic nouns are plural even when they mean one thing. The form listed in the dictionary is already the plural, mostly because the thing is…
05Sound Changes Where Suffixes JoinWhen a suffix is added, the end of the word and the start of the suffix often change each other. A handful of rules cover most cases.
06Verbs: Present Tense (Indicative)The indicative is the mood of ordinary statements, such as "the man is eating" or "I am tired". Its ending comes at the very end of the verb and says who…
07Verbs: Transitive Endings (Subject and Object in One)A verb with an object has its own set of endings, and each of them names two people at once: the one doing it and the one it is done to. ikiorpara is "I…
08Verbs: Questions (Interrogative Mood)A question has verb endings of its own, which take the place of the statement endings: sinippoq "he is sleeping", sinippa? "is he sleeping?". Like a…
09Verbs: Imperative MoodThe imperative gives commands and makes requests. It has forms only for "you", for "you" speaking to several people, and for "we", where it means "let's".
10Verbs: Optative Mood (let me, may I)The optative covers the persons that commands leave out: "let me" for the speaker, and "let him, let her" and "let them" for others. As a question, "let…
11Verbs: Contemporative Mood (-lu-)The contemporative joins a second verb to the main verb. English translates it in many ways, "while …ing", "and", "by …ing", "for", but the idea is…
12Verbs: Conditional Mood (if / when)The conditional is the "if", and the "when" of things that have not happened yet: "if you ask", "when I arrive". The conditional verb states the…
13Verbs: Causative Mood (because / when)The causative is the mood of "because", and of "when" about something that has already happened.
14Verbs: Participial Mood (that ...)The participial mood builds a "that …" clause: "I believe that the earth is round", "she knows that I am sick". It follows verbs of saying, thinking,…
15The Fourth Person (his own, that he himself)Greenlandic has a person that English lacks: the fourth person. It is a "he, she, it" or "they" that means the same person as the subject of the main…
16Negation (-nngit-)"Not" is a suffix inside the verb: -nngi-, in some forms -nngit-. It comes after suffixes such as "can", "must" and "will", and removes the last…
17Verbs: Future Tense (-ssa-)Greenlandic needs no ending for the present or the past, but the future has to be marked. The usual suffix is -ssa- "will", and it goes before the…
18Verbs: Talking About the PastGreenlandic has no ending that means "past". An ordinary statement covers both times: sinippoq is "he is sleeping" and "he slept". The time is usually…
19Expressing 'to be' (-u-)English "is a …" is a suffix in Greenlandic: -u- "be", attached to the noun itself. sulisoq "worker" gives sulisuuvoq "is a worker". The noun stays…
20Having and 'There Is': -qar-Greenlandic has no separate verb for "have". The suffix -qar- "have" is attached to the thing that is had, so "he has a dog" is a single word:…
21Nouns: Absolutive CaseThe absolutive is a noun's plain form, the one listed in the dictionary. In the singular it has no ending at all; in the plural it ends in -t, or -it on…
22Nouns: Relative Case (-p)The relative ending -p has two jobs. It marks the one who does something to something, and it marks an owner, like English "'s".
23Nouns: Instrumental Case (-mik)The instrumental ending is -mik, in the plural -nik. Its basic meaning is "with, by means of", and it has more uses than any other case: it marks a thing…
24Nouns: Locative Case (-mi)The locative ending -mi says where something is or happens, like English "in", "at" or "on". In the plural it is -ni. It also says when.
25Nouns: Ablative Case (-mit)The ablative ending -mit means "from" or "out of". In the plural it is -nit. The longer forms -miit and -niit mean exactly the same. Besides "from", the…
26Nouns: Prolative Case (-kkut)The prolative ending -kkut means "through", "along" or "by way of". In the plural it is -tigut. It also says where it hurts and at what time of day.
27Nouns: Equative Case (-tut)The equative ending -tut, for some words -sut, means "as" or "like". It has no separate plural: the same ending serves for one and for several. The…
28Nouns: PluralThe plural of a noun ends in -t and is used for two or more, as in English. Most other case endings have a plural form too (the equative -tut is the same…
29Possessive Endings (my, your, his ...)Greenlandic has no separate words for "my", "your" or "his". An ending on the noun says who the owner is, and the same ending also shows whether one…
30Definite and Indefinite ObjectsGreenlandic has no words for "a" and "the". Whether an object is a particular one, "the …", or any one at all, "a …" or "some …", shows in two places at…
31Describing Nouns: Modifiers Agree in CaseA describing word, like "new" or "beautiful", comes after its noun. It takes the noun's case ending, and it is plural when the noun is.
32The -toq Words: 'the one who ...' and AdjectivesThe suffix -toq, also -soq, turns a verb into a noun: "one who does it", or "something that is so". sinippoq "sleeps" gives sinittoq "one who is…
33Comparatives and Superlatives"More" is the suffix -neru-, and "most" is -nerpaa-. Both go inside the verb, straight after its stem: nuannerpoq "is fun", nuannerneruvoq "is more fun",…
34Personal PronounsGreenlandic has four personal pronouns: uanga "I, me", illit "you", uagut "we, us" and ilissi "you" for several people. There is no word for "he", "she",…
35Demonstratives: this, that, theseGreenlandic has several words for "this" and "that". The most common is una, plural uku. The plural is also written ukua, and taakkua also taakku; ukua…
36Question WordsA question word usually comes first. kina "who" and suna "what" take case endings like nouns, so several question words are forms of su- "what": sumi…
37'All', 'Some' and 'Each Other'"All" is built on the stem tama-, and its form depends on the role of the noun it goes with: tamarmik goes with the subject, tamaasa with the object.…
38Numbers: Greenlandic and DanishGreenlandic has its own words for the numbers one to twelve. From thirteen on, and for prices, Danish numbers are used. Numbers take case endings like…
39Location Words: Under, Inside, OutsideWords like "under", "inside" or "outside" are nouns in Greenlandic: ataa "its underside", ilua "its inside", silataa "its outside", qaava "its top",…
40Word Order: The Verb Comes LastIn a Greenlandic sentence the verb usually comes last. The one doing it comes first, then the object, and then the verb: "the woman her dog walks".…
41Noun Incorporation: Verb and Object in One WordMany suffixes take a noun into the verb, so that verb and object become one word: iipili "apple" + -tor- "eat" gives iipilitorpoq "eats an apple".…
42Qualities Are Verbs: 'is big', 'is red'Where English says "is" and an adjective, "is big", "is cold", Greenlandic has a single verb: angivoq "is big", nillerpoq "is cold", aappaluppoq "is…
43Giving and Reading To: The Receiver Is the ObjectWith tunivaa "gives", Greenlandic sees the event from the other side than English. The person who receives is the object of the verb, and the gift takes…
44Telling the TimeThe hour is simply the number: pingasut "three o'clock". To say "it is three o'clock", the number takes -nngor- "become": pingasunngorpoq, literally "it…
45Days, Months and DatesDays and months are nouns, and they take the ordinary case endings for time: -mi "in, on", -mit "from".
46Here and There: Place AdverbsThe words for "here" and "there" end in -ni, like the locative "in, at": maani "here", ikani "over there", tassani "there, at that point". Related forms…
47Loanwords and Foreign Names Take Greenlandic EndingsWords taken from other languages, and names, get Greenlandic endings like any noun. A word that ends in a consonant first adds the helping vowel -i-: "in…
48Exclamations: How Heavy! How Exciting!A verb that describes something can become an exclamation by changing its ending: oqimaappoq "is heavy" becomes oqimaak! "how heavy!". There are two…
49Indirect Questions (what, where, whether)An indirect question is a question inside another sentence: "I don't know where I put them", "let's agree on what we'll do". Its verb often contains…
50Whenever: -gaanga--gaangama means "whenever I", and -gaangat "whenever he, she, it". Like the endings of "because", they change their first sound with the stem: after a…
51Not as a Rule: -neq ajorpoqTo say that someone does not do something as a rule, the verb takes -neq "the doing" and is followed by ajorpoq, which on its own means "is bad":…
52Before: -nnginnermi and -tinnagu"Before" in "before I go to bed" or "before buying it" has no single word in Greenlandic. It is said with the idea of "not yet".
53The Empty Stem pi-pi- is a stem with hardly any meaning of its own: "thing, do, happen". It never appears without an ending or a suffix, and it carries them where there is…
54Weather: Verbs Without a SubjectEnglish says "it is raining", with an "it" that stands for nothing. Greenlandic simply uses the verb with its "he, she, it" ending and no subject:…
55-neq: the act of, -ing-neq turns a verb into a noun for the action itself, like English "-ing": nerivoq "eats" gives nerineq "eating". After a vowel or an r it is simply…
56-vik: Place For, Time For-vik turns a verb into the place where it happens, or the time for it: atuarpoq "reads, goes to school" gives atuarfik "school". After a vowel the suffix…
57-gi-: Have As, Regard As-gi- on a noun makes a verb with an object: "have him as …, have it as …". kammak "friend" gives "have him as a friend", that is, "be his friend". It…
58Very, Quite, A Lot: -qaa-, -rujussuaq, -ngaatsiar-Greenlandic says "very" with suffixes, not with a separate word.
59-gaq, -saq: The Thing Done To-saq, -gaq or -taq turns a verb with an object into a noun for the thing it is done to, like English "eaten", "known": nerivaa "eats it" gives nerisaq…
60-ssaq: The Future One, the One To Be-ssaq on a noun means "a future …", "something meant to be …": suliffik "workplace" gives suliffissaq "a job to be had". The noun takes endings as usual.…
61-tar-: Usually, As a Rule-tar-, after a vowel -sar-, says that something happens regularly, as a habit or as a rule. The plain ending does not say that. Ullut tamaasa ualikkut…
62-lu: And"And" is usually -lu, attached to the end of a word. It goes on the last of the things joined: angut arnarlu "the man and the woman". Unaana arnaq. Angut…
63-ut, -siut: One's Own, the Thing For-uteqar- means "have something of one's own, in one's possession": qimmeq "dog" gives qimmiuteqarpoq "has a dog". The last consonant of the noun drops,…
64Little, Dear and Big: -araq, -nnguaq, -suaqSuffixes on a noun can make it smaller, dearer or bigger.
65-mioq: Person From-mioq turns a place into a person from there: Australiamioq "Australian". Before an ending it is -miu-, and the plural is -miut "people from".…
66Becoming: -nngor- and -li-Two suffixes mean "become". -nngor- is common on nouns and numbers, -li- on describing verbs.
67-niar-: Intend To, Plan To-niar- means "intend to, want to, try to". It goes before the ending, and with the "because" endings or the -lu- endings it says what something is done…
68-tip-: Make Or Let Someone Do-tip-, after a vowel -sip-, means "make someone do it" or "let someone do it". The one who does it becomes the object of the new verb: nerivoq "eats"…
69Half-Transitive Verbs: -si- and -nnip-Some suffixes turn a verb with an object into a verb without one: the object becomes "someone" or "something", and the verb takes ordinary endings. The…
70-nar-: Causing a Feeling-nar- says that something causes a feeling in people: qasuvoq "is tired" gives qasunarpoq "is tiring". The subject is the thing that causes the feeling.…
71-tariaqar-: Must, Have To-sariaqar- means "must, have to, need to". After a vowel it is -sariaqar-, after a consonant or an r -tariaqar-. Massakkut ingerlasariaqarpugut. We have…
72Together: -qat-, -qatigi-, -qatigiip--qat- means "fellow, companion". On a verb it gives the person one does something with: suleqat "colleague" is "fellow worker". Two verbs are built on it.
73-miip-: Be In, Be At"Is in, is at" is the locative ending with -ip- "be" after it: -miip-. After a plural place, after -a "its" and after place words it is -niip-:…
74Only and Just: -innaq and -innar--innaq "only" goes on a noun or a number, and -innar- "just" on a verb.
75-ler-: Begin To-ler- "begin to, start to" goes before the ending. Ukioq kingulleq suliffittaanni sulilerpunga. Last year, I started a new job. (suli- "work" + -ler-)…
76-nissaq: The Coming Act Of-nissaq turns a verb into a noun for an action that is still to come: angalaneq "travelling, a trip" is any trip, while angalanissaq is a trip still…
77Much or Little Of: -tu- and -kip-Two suffixes turn a noun into a verb of "much" or "little" of it. -tu-, for some words -su-, means "have a big …", and -kip- "have little …": aki "price"…
78-laar-: A Little, Please-laar- "a little, briefly" goes before the ending. In a command or a request it makes it softer, much like "please". Igaffik alakkalaarsiuk. Assut…
79-rusup-: Want To-rusup- "want to, feel like" goes before the ending. After a stem that ends in a consonant other than r it is -kkusup-. Massakkut angerlarusuppunga. I…
80-mi: What About? Then-mi, attached to a word, asks "what about …?". In a question it can also add "then". A final consonant of the word becomes m: illit "you" gives Illimmi?…
81Going Somewhere: -mukar-, -liar-, -moor-, -nngar-Several suffixes build the place into a verb of going, so that "go to the shop" is a single word.
82-tor-: Eat, Drink-tor-, for some words -sor-, means "eat, drink, have": the food or drink is built into the verb. Such a built-in noun is always "a" or "some". Unaana…
83-riar-: Go and Do, First … Then-riar-, after some stems -giar-, has three uses, depending on the ending that follows it.
84-qqip-: Again-qqip- "again, once more" goes before the ending. Its p changes like any final consonant: it drops before many suffixes, and before -sinnaa- "can" it…
85-lik: One That Has-lik on a noun means "one that has it, provided with it": allak "stripe, pattern" gives allalik "striped". Such a word works as a noun or as a describing…
86-qqaar-: First-qqaar- means "first, before anything else", or "for the first time". It goes before the ending; before -ssa- "will" its r drops: -qqaassa-.…
87-una: It Is-una "it is" is attached to a word to say what something is, or who it is. After some words it takes the shape -ana or -juna: suna "what" gives Sunaana?…
88-galuar-: Would, Although-galuar- marks something that does not or did not happen as one might expect. It goes before the ending; after an r it is -raluar-, after another…
89-si-: Get, Buy-si- "get, buy" takes the thing into the verb: biili "car" gives biilisi- "buy a car". A final q of the noun becomes r: nalunaaqutaq "watch" gives…
90-vallaar-: Too, Too Much-vallaar- "too, too much" goes before the ending. After a consonant or an r it is -pallaar-, and after u it loses its v: -allaar-. Mikivallaarpoq. It is…
91-tigi-: How Big? How Old?-tigi- "so, to that degree" goes on a describing verb. With qanoq "how" it asks "how big?", "how long?", "how old?". Uku qarliit qanoq takitigippat? How…
92Seeming: -palup- and -pasip-Two suffixes say how something seems: -palup- "sounds like, seems" and -pasip- "looks like, seems". After a vowel an r comes in, and an i or u before it…
93-taar-: Get a New One-taar- "get a new" takes the thing into the verb: illu "house" gives illutaarpoq "gets a new house". A word that describes the new thing stands before…
94-lior-: Make-lior- "make" takes the thing that is made into the verb: kaagi "cake" gives kaagiliorpoq "makes a cake". Kaagiliorusuppunga, kisianni…
95-luunniit: Or, Even, At All-luunniit is attached to the end of a word, like -lu "and", and joins the same way: a q becomes r and a t becomes l before it. It means "or", "even", or…
96-llaqqip-: Be Good At-llaqqip- on a verb means "be good at doing it": allappoq "writes" gives allallaqqip- "be good at writing". Igallaqqittoq ipittumik saveqartarpoq. A good…
97A Good One, a Bad One: -gissaar- and -lup-Two suffixes turn a noun into "have a good …" and "have a bad …": -gissaar- and -lup-. niaqoq "head" gives niaqorluppoq "has a headache".
98-lluar-: Well-lluar- "well, properly" goes before the ending. After r, its first l drops: -luar-, with the r staying on the stem (iser- + -luar- gives Iserluaritsi!…
99New, Old, Bad: -taaq, -koq, -kasikThree suffixes add a description to a noun: -taaq "new", -koq "old, worn-out, former" and -kasik "bad, wretched". illu "house" gives illukoq "ruined…
100-figi-: To Someone-figi- turns a verb without an object into one with an object: the person or place it is aimed at. oqarpoq "says" gives oqarfigaa "says it to him, tells…
101-sori-: Think That It Is-sori- means "think that he, she, it is …": the person or thing thought about is the object. It usually follows -u- "be", and it takes the short object…
102Lacking and Running Out: -ssaaleqi-, -erup-These two suffixes turn a noun into a verb of not having it: -ssaaleqi- "lack, need" and -erup- "run out of, have no more".
103-sunnip-: Tastes or Smells Of-sunnip- "taste of, smell of" turns a noun into a verb: imaq "sea" gives imarsunnippoq "smells of the sea". With su- "what" it asks "what does it taste…
104-sior-: Spend, Look For-sior- takes a noun into the verb. With a time of day it means "spend it", and for meals "have the meal of that time": ulloqeqqa "midday" gives…
105-passuit: Many-passuit "many, a lot of" goes on a noun and always brings an r with it: -rpassuit. A final q merges with that r: qimmeq "dog" gives qimmerpassuit "a…
106-riartor-: Go To Do-riartor- means "go (somewhere) to do it". After some stems it is -artor-: nerivoq "eats" gives neriartor- "go out to eat". Uffami neriniartarfimmut…
107-minngaanneer-: Come From-minngaanneer- on a place means "come from there". Kinaminngaanneerpunga, Kinamiuuvunga. I am from China. I am Chinese. (lit. I come from China, I am a…
108-tuaannar-: Always-tuaannar- "always, all the time" goes before the ending. After a consonant or an r it is -tuaannar-, after a or u -juaannar-, and after i -uaannar-,…
109-lluinnar-: Completely-lluinnar- "completely, totally" goes before the ending. After "not" it means "not at all": ajunngilluinnarpoq "is not bad at all". Italiamiuuvoq,…
110-qqu-: Ask Someone To-qqu- "ask, tell or invite someone to do it" makes the person asked the object of the verb: iserpoq "goes in" gives iseqquaa "asks him to come in".…
111-jumaar-: WillBesides -ssa-, there is a second suffix for "will": -jumaar- after a or u, -umaar- after i, -rumaar- after an r, and -kkumaar- after another consonant.…
112-ssuseq: Size, Length-ssuseq turns a describing verb into a noun for the quality: angivoq "is big" gives angissuseq "size", takivoq "is long" gives takissuseq "length". With…
113-mineq: A Piece Of-mineq "a piece of" turns a noun into a piece of it: sukkulaat "chocolate" gives sukkulaatimineq "a piece of chocolate, a candy bar". Manniit aqqaneq…
114-junnaar-: No Longer-junnaar- "no longer, not any more" goes before the ending. After i it is -unnaar-, after r -runnaar-, and after another consonant -kkunnaar-: nerivoq…
115-katap-: Tired Of-katap- "be tired of doing it, be fed up with it" goes before the ending: utaqqivoq "waits" gives utaqqikatappunga "I'm tired of waiting".
116-neqar-: Be Done (Passive)-neqar- "be done" turns a verb with an object into a passive: the object becomes the subject, and the verb takes an ordinary ending instead of an object…
117-siaq: The One Made or Obtained-siaq names what someone has made or obtained. pilersaarusiaq (pilersaarut "plan" + -siaq: the t becomes s) is "what has been planned, a plan".…
118-simaar-: Enjoy Being-simaar- "enjoy being, spend a while being" goes before the ending: aneerpoq "is outside" gives aneersimaarpoq "enjoys being outside". Filmeriariarluta…
119-uminaap-: Hard To Do-uminaap- "be hard to do" goes on a verb, and the thing that is hard to deal with is the subject: ammar- "open" gives ammaruminaap- "be hard to open".…
120-gup-: Crave, Feel Like Having-gup- on a noun means "crave it, feel like having it": pizza gives pizzagup- "crave pizza". With food, this comes close to -tor- "eat" followed by…
121-ip-: Without, Un--ip- means "have none" after a noun, and "not, un-" after a verb for a quality. It removes the last consonant of the stem. Like akikippoq "is cheap", the…