Plural Nouns for Single Things — Greenlandic Grammar

Some 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 made of many parts: a family of its members, salt of its grains.

trousers
glasses
salt
rice
family
hair on the head
beard
sled
train
sentence, built on "word"

Everything Agrees in the Plural

Such a noun counts as "they" in the whole sentence. Its verb takes a plural ending; "my" and "your" take their forms for several things; a verb with the noun as its object takes an ending for "them"; and "this" takes its plural form.

Qarliit takivallaarput.
The trousers are too long. (-put "they")
Nutsatit kusanarput.
Your hair looks good. (-tit "your" for several things)
Isarussakka tammaavakka.
I can't find my glasses. (-kka "my" for several things, -vakka "I … them")
Taratsut isaatilaakkit.
Could you pass me the salt? (-kkit "you … them")
Oqaaseqatigiit ukua Vietnameserisuumut nutsersinnaavigit?
Can you translate this sentence into Vietnamese? (ukua "these")

Cars and Buses

The words for a car, a bus, a taxi and a bicycle often work the same way: , , and are plural, with plural verbs, even for one vehicle. The singular forms , , and are used as well.

Taxat utaqqipput.
The taxi is waiting. (-pput "they")
Biilii mikisuaraapput.
She drives a very small car. (lit. her car is very small; -i "her" for several things)
Meeqqat bussimut ikipput.
The children are getting on the bus. (here the singular bussi)

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Greenlandic course

18 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 24. A few of them, with the words “Plural Nouns for Single Things” is about in bold:

Biilii sukkaallutillu akikitsuaraapput.
She has a slow, cheap car.
Lesson 110
Nutaamik biilitaarnissama tungaanut sikkilikka atortariaqarpakka.
I have to ride my bike until I get a new car.
Lesson 301

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