Question Words — Greenlandic Grammar

A question word usually comes first. "who" and "what" take case endings like nouns, so several question words are forms of su- "what": "where" is "at what", "where to" is "to what".

Who, What

"who" and "what" stand first. When "who" does something to something, it takes -p: . For several people "who" is , and means "everybody".

Kinaana erinarsortoq?
Who is singing?
Suna tusarnaarpiuk?
What are you listening to?
Kikkut tamarmik ajornartorsiut taanna nalunngilaat.
Everybody knows this problem.
Kia allaffimmi taarsissavaatit?
Who is your replacement at the office? (kia: "who" doing something to someone)

Where, Where To

"where" asks for a place, "where to" for a goal.

Massakkorpiaq sumiippit?
Where are you right now?
Sumunngalerpit?
Where are you going?
Naammi panipput?
Where is our daughter? (naa- "where is")

When, Why, How

asks "when" about something that has happened, "why", "how".

Qanga pigami? Sumi pigami?
When did it happen? Where did it happen? (-gami: about the past)
Na'aa. Sooq taamaaliorpit?
Ouch! Why did you do that?
Una qanoq akeqarpa?
How much does this cost?

How Many, Which

"how many" and "which one" take endings as well. asks "which part of it".

Qassinik ukioqarpat?
How old are they? (lit. how many years do they have?)
Oqaaseqatigiiliorfiup sunartaa paasinngiliuk?
Which part of the sentence don't you understand?
Oqaatsit sorliit nalunngiligit?
What languages do you (pl.) speak? (sorliit "which ones")

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Greenlandic course

56 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 1. A few of them, with the words “Question Words” is about in bold:

Qanoq ippit? Ajunngilatit?
How are you feeling? Good or bad?
Lesson 61
Qanoq aamma. Tamassi kukkuvusi.
How ridiculous. You are both wrong.
Lesson 163
Naammi panipput? - Atuarfimmiippoq.
Where is our daughter? - She's at school.
Lesson 242

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