Inuktitut phrasebook

Inuktitut is the name for the varieties of Inuit spoken in Canada. It is an Eskimo-Aleut language that known for being a language with lots of very long agglutinative words, owing to the fact that there are a very large number of infixes (parts of speech which modify the meaning of a word), but it does not have the same irregularities as Indo-European languages. There is also a rumour that the language has hundreds of different words for snow, in reality there are only four (these four are: spread-out snow - aput, snow like salt - pokaktok, newly-drifted snow - akelrorak and soft snow - mauyaôlertok). There are a few (not hundreds) of words relating to snow eg. snow block (auverk), igloo (iglu), snow knife (panar), snow on clothes, boots etc. (ayak).

Pronunciation Guide

Vowels

A a 

Like "a" in "cat".

E e 

Like "e" in "bet".

I i 

Like "ee" in "feet".

O o 

Like "o" in "hot".

U u 

Like "u" in "put".

Consonants

D d 

Like "d" in "dad".

G g 

Like "g" in "get".

J j 

Like "y" in "yet".

K k 

Like "k" in "oak".

L l 

Like "l" in "let".

M m 

Like "m" in "man".

N n 

Like "n" in "no".

P p 

Like "p" in "pan".

Q q 

Like "c" in "car".

R r 

Like "r" in "road".

S s 

Like "sh" in "shot".

T t 

Like "t" in "stop".

W w 

Like "w" in "wet".

Y y 

Like "y" in "yet".

Common dipthongs

kr 

Like "k" in "king" but pronounced deep in the throat. Like "cr" in "cream".

ng 

Like "ng" in "sing".

dlerk 

Like "ts lurk" in "cats lurk".

Phrase list

Common signs OPEN  Open CLOSED  Closed ENTRANCE  Entrance EXIT  Exit PUSH  Push PULL  Pull TOILET  Toilet MEN  Men WOMEN  Women FORBIDDEN  Forbidden

Hello. 

Ai. (Ey)

How are you? 

Qanuipit? (Kan-oo-ee-peet)

Fine, thank you. 

Qaniungi. (Kan-ee-oo-ngee)

What is your name? 

Kinauvit? (Keen-a-oo-veet?)

My name is ______ . 

Uvanga _____ativa (Oov-a-nga _____at-ee-va)

Nice to meet you. 

Nice to meet you. (NIGHSS t' meet YOO)

Please. 

Please. (pleez)

Thank you. 

Naqurmiik. (Nak-urm-eek)

You're welcome. 

Ilaali. (Eel-a-lee)

Yes. 

Î. (Ee)

No. 

Nakka. (Nak-a)

Excuse me. (getting attention) 

Excuse me. (ehkz-KYOOZ mee)

Excuse me. (begging pardon) 

Excuse me. (ehkz-KYOOZ mee)

I'm sorry. 

Ogguarpunga. (Og-oo-ar-pu-nga)

Goodbye (to one person)

Tavvauvutit. (Tav-a-oov-oo-teet)

Goodbye (to many people)

Tavvauvusi. (Tav-a-oov-oo-see)

I can't speak Inuktitut [well]. 

I can't speak Inuktitut [well]. (IGH cant speek IN-ook-tee-toot [wehl])

Do you speak English? 

Do you speak English? (doo YOO speek ING-lush?)

Is there someone here who speaks English? 

Is there someone here who speaks English? (IZ thayr SUM-wun heer hoo speekz ING-lush?)

Help! 

Ikajunga! (Ee-ka-yu-nga!)

Look out! 

Look out! (look OWT!)

Good morning. 

Ulaakut. (Ool-ak-oot)

Good evening. 

Good evening. (guhd EEV-ning)

Good night. 

Unnukkut. (Oon-oo-koot)

Good night (to sleep) 

Good night. (good NIGHT)

I don't understand. 

Tukisinngittung. (Too-kees-ee-ng-toong)

Where is the toilet? 

Where is the toilet? (WAYR iz thuh TOY-leht?)

Numbers(system in the Greenlandic)

½ - helvä

0 - nul

1 - äts

2 - mare

3 - pen

4 - sisa

5 - tela

6 - arit

7 - arimare

8 - aripen

9 - arisisa

10 - gelu

11 - aqnat

12 - aqnamare

13 - aqnapen

14 - aqnasisa

15 - aqnatel

16 - asut

17 - asumare

18 - asupen

19 - asusisa

20 - marghi

30 - marghâtgelut

40 - penghi

50 - penghâtgelut

60 - sisughi

70 - sisughâtgelut

80 - telaghi

90 - telaghâtgelut

100 - hontrat

200 - mare-hontræt

500 - pen-hontræt

1000 - tuszint

2000 - mare-tuszænt

5000 - pen-tuszænt

10000 - gelu-tuszænt

100000 - huntrat-tuszænt

1000000 - äts-milyin

Authority

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