Nouns: Relative Case (-p) — Greenlandic Grammar

The relative ending -p has two jobs. It marks the one who does something to something, and it marks an owner, like English "'s".

The One Who Does It to Something

When the verb has an object, the noun for the one doing it takes -p; the object stays in its plain form.

Arnap taassuma qimmini aneeruppaa.
That woman is walking with her dog. (arnaq + -p)
Bussertitsisup bussit aquppai.
The bus driver is driving the bus.

The owner takes -p and comes first; the thing owned follows with the ending for "his, her, its": "the child's dog", literally "the child's, its dog".

Meeraaqqap qingaa assut inequnarpoq.
That baby has a cute nose. (lit. the baby's nose is very cute)
Iipilit juiciat sukkumik imaqangaatsiarpoq.
Apple juice contains a lot of sugar. (lit. the apples' juice)

Words for "under", "outside" or "the middle" are owned nouns, so the thing they belong to takes -p. Dates are built the same way.

Nerriviup ataaniippoq.
It is under the table. (lit. it is at the table's underside)
Matup silataaniippunga.
I'm in front of the door. (lit. at the door's outside)
Ullumikkut Maajip siulliat.
Today is the first of May. (lit. May's first)

Many nouns add -p to the stem; others take -up or -ap: "table" gives , "old person" gives . With "my", the relative ending is -ma.

Nuliama nipilersukkanik nuannarinerpaasani tusarnaarpaa.
My wife is listening to her favorite song. (nuliaq "wife" + -ma)

In the plural the relative ends in -t or -it, the same as the plain plural, so only the sentence shows which is meant.

Japanimiut oqaasii ikittuaqqat nalunngilakka.
I can speak a few words of Japanese. (lit. I know a few of the Japanese people's words)

The question word "who" has its own relative form, , for "who … it".

Kia allaffimmi taarsissavaatit?
Who is your replacement at the office? (lit. who will replace you at the office?)

In the course

44 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 25. A few of them, with the words “Nouns: Relative Case (-p)” is about in bold:

Aap, kineserit nerisassaataannik nerissaagut.
Yes. Let's eat Chinese food.
Lesson 127
Meeraaqqap qingaa assut inequnarpoq.
That baby has a cute nose.
Lesson 389
Inima normorivaa fjorten.
My room number is fourteen.
Lesson 456

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