'All', 'Some' and 'Each Other' — Greenlandic Grammar

"All" is built on the stem tama-, and its form depends on the role of the noun it goes with: goes with the subject, with the object. With owner endings the same stem gives "all of us" and "all of you".

All: tamarmik

follows a plural noun that is the subject.

Meeqqakka pingasut tamarmik ukioqatigiipput.
My three children are all the same age.
Ilaannikkut suut tamarmik ajutoortarput.
Sometimes everything goes wrong.

All: tamaasa

follows a plural noun that is the object. "every day" is literally "all the days".

Nuannarinerpaasaqanngilanga. Filmit tamaasa nuannaraakka.
I don't have a favorite movie. I like all movies.
Ullut tamaasa ualikkut basketsertarpunga.
Every afternoon I play basketball.

All of Us, All of You

With an owner ending, tama- gives "all of us" and "all of you".

Qanoq aamma. Tamassi kukkuvusi.
How ridiculous. You are both wrong. (tamassi: lit. all of you)

Any, Some

"one of them, any" is mostly met as "anything", and means "some of them".

Niuernialerpunga. Arlaannik pisariaqartitsivit?
I'm going shopping. Do you need anything?
Ilaasa upperineq ajorpaat. Kisianni ilumoorpoq.
Some don't believe it. But it's true! (ilaasa: ilaat with -p, because "some" do something to "it")

Each Other, Together

The suffix -qatigiip- means "do with each other, together". A shorter -gii- "each other" appears in "they are friends with each other".

Angajoqqaakka ukioqatigiipput.
My parents are the same age.
Unaana ataatsimoorlusi suliassarsi. Suleqatigiissaasi.
This is a group task. Work together.
Qimmiuteqarpunga qitsuuteqarlungalu, kammagiipput.
I have a dog and a cat. They are friends.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Greenlandic course

23 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 13. A few of them, with the words “'All', 'Some' and 'Each Other'” is about in bold:

Qanoq aamma. Tamassi kukkuvusi.
How ridiculous. You are both wrong.
Lesson 163

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