The Fourth Person (his own, that he himself) — Greenlandic Grammar

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 verb. In English "the woman walks her dog", the dog may be hers or someone else's; Greenlandic has to say which.

His Own, Her Own

On a noun, the fourth person means "his own, her own". The ordinary "his, her" is -a, which then means somebody else's: "he saw his dog" is another person's dog, while is his own.

Arnap taassuma qimmini aneeruppaa.
That woman is walking with her dog. (qimmini "her own dog")
Ernini atuakkamik atuffappaa.
She reads the book to her son. (ernini "her own son")
Nuliama nipilersukkanik nuannarinerpaasani tusarnaarpaa.
My wife is listening to her favorite song. (-sani "her own")

With a Case Ending

The "own" form changes with the case like any owner ending: with -mut "to" it is -minut "to his own, to her own".

Kammaga anaanaminut tunissummik tunisivoq.
My friend gave a present to her mother. (anaanaminut "to her own mother")

In a Joined Verb

A verb joined to the main verb also shows whether its subject is the same person. The ordinary "he, she" ending means someone else, the fourth person the same one: -mmat or -mat "because he" (another person), -gami or -kami "because he himself".

Isermata iterpoq.
When they came in, he woke up. (-mata: other people than the one who woke up)
Kisimiikkami qitsuk oqaluffigisarpaa.
Because she is alone, she speaks to the cat. (-kami: she herself is alone)

The Contemporative

The contemporative, the "and, while, by" form of a joined verb, normally has the same subject as the main verb. For "he, she" and "they" it has only fourth-person endings: -lluni "he himself", -llutik "they themselves".

Pete Conrad pingajuulluni qaammammut apuuppoq.
The third man on the moon was Pete Conrad. (pingajuulluni "he being the third")
Ittora utoqqaavoq, kisianni aalassarittuulluni.
My grandfather is old, but very active.
Inuillu Spaniamiunit inussiarnernerullutik.
The people are much more friendly than in Spain. (-llutik "they")
Uanga biilikka sukkasoorujussuullutillu akisoorujussuupput.
I drive a very fast, very expensive car. (lit. my car is very fast and very expensive; biilikka counts as "they")

Questions Standing Alone

A question in the causative mood that has no main verb uses the fourth-person form for "he, she, it".

Qanga pigami?
When did it happen?
Qanoq utoqqaatigigami?
How old is she?
Takunngilara, susoqarami?
I didn't see it. What happened?

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Greenlandic course

37 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 4. A few of them, with the words “The Fourth Person (his own, that he himself)” is about in bold:

Biilii sukkaallutillu akikitsuaraapput.
She has a slow, cheap car.
Lesson 110
Eqqarsaatigeqqillugu isumassarsiaq pitsaanngilaq.
On second thought, that is a bad idea.
Lesson 338
Nunaqarfimmi inuuvunga nersussuit arlallit ilagalugit.
I live in a village with many cows.
Lesson 487

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