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class="post-22203 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-lessons category-numbers">

Advanced Numbers

Notice the following chart showing how we count numbers from one hundred and above:

100nkama (or nkama moko)1111nkóto moko na nkama moko na moko
101nkama moko na moko10000nkóto zomi
111nkama moko na zomi na moko10001nkóto zomi na moko
121nkama moko na ntuku mibale na moko100000nkóto nkama moko
200nkama mibale100011nkóto nkama na zomi na moko
201nkama mibale na moko100111nkóto nkama na nkama moko na zomi na moko
300nkama misato1000000milio moko
1000nkóto (or nkoto moko)1100000milio moko na nkóto moko
1001nkóto moko na moko1100451milio moko na nkóto nkama moko na nkama mine na ntuku mitano na moko
1011nkóto moko na zomi na moko1513511milio moko na nkóto nkama mitano na zomi na misato na nkama mitano na zomi na moko

The table helps us to see that we can count complex numbers in Lingala, though they are a little long…

So a hundred is nkama, while two hundred is nkama mibale. We continue to use the word na to add groups of numbers to the main one. A thousand is nkóto, whereas ten thousand is nkóto zomi. A million is take from a French word and is milio.

If we look at the last number in the table, a complex number, notice how we write it in English: one million five hundred and thirteen thousand five hundred and eleven. Now compare the way we write it in Lingala: milio moko (one million) na nkóto nkama mitano (with five hundred) na zomi (with ten) na misato (with three) na nkama mitano (with five hundred) na zomi (with ten) na moko (with one). Looking at it this way we see that even though it looks complex at first, it has any similarities to how we write numbers in English.

Note: While Lingala numbers are used, most Lingala speakers will use French numbers once they reach four or five in Lingala. Knowing the Lingala numbers is useful as some written books and magazines use them. However expect most Lingala speakers to use French, so learning French numbers as well is also very useful to a Lingala learner.

Basic Numbers

1 moko1st ya liboso (or ya yambo)
2 mibale2nd ya mibale
3 misato3rd ya misato
4 minei4thya minei
5 mitano5thya mitano
6 motoba6th ya motoba
7 nsambo7th ya nsambo
8 mwambe8th ya mwambe
9 libwa9th ya libwa
10 zomi10thya zomi

We have in the list above the first ten numbers in Lingala. Along with that we also have a list of ordinal numbers. In English ordinal numbers would be first (1st), second (2nd), etc. Notice that Lingala creates ordinal numbers by adding the word ya before the number.

But what about counting higher than ten? Lingala’s way of counting beyond ten is consistent. Notice the next ten numbers, as well as a few sample numbers beyond twenty. Ordinals continue to work exactly the same as they do in the table above, though we won’t list all of them here.

11zomi na moko21ntuku mibale na moko
12zomi na mibale22 ntuku mibale na mibale
13zomi na misato30 ntuku misato
14zomi na minei31ntuku na moko
15zomi na mitano40ntuku minei
16zomi na motoba50ntuku mitano
17zomi na nsambo60ntuku motoba
18 zomi na mwambe70ntuku nsambo
19 zomi na libwa80ntuku mwambe
20 ntuku mibale90ntuku libwa

When counting from eleven to nineteen, we use zomi plus the word na (with) and then one of the numbers from one to nine. For example: eleven is zomi na moko.

When we reach twenty, instead of using the word zomi, we replace it with ntuku. This word means the same as ten, but is then used to help count the higher numbers. We do this by using ntuku and then one of the numbers from one to nine. So twenty is ntuku mibale, thirty is ntuku misato. Numbers beyond twenty are created in the same was as we did earlier with eleven to nineteen. We say ntuku mibale na moko to mean twenty one.

This principle continues onward with higher numbers. More information on this can be found in the Advanced Numbers article.

Note: While Lingala numbers are used, most Lingala speakers will use French numbers once they reach four or five in Lingala. Knowing the Lingala numbers is useful as some written books and magazines use them. However expect most Lingala speakers to use French, so learning French numbers as well is also very useful to a Lingala learner.

Using ‘moko’ and ‘liboso’

In other lessons we will discuss in more depth how to count in Lingala. However here it would be good to look at the number one: moko.

This word is special in that it is also used to convey the idea of self. When used with a personal pronoun:

Mpo na ngai moko

This means for myself (literally: for me self). This works with any and all personal pronouns:

ngai mokomyself
biso mokoourself
ye moko himself/herself
bango mokothemself
yo moko yourself (singular)
bino moko yourselves (plural)
yango moko itself or themselves (inanimate)

Connected to the word moko is the word liboso. This word means before. However when used with the word ya notice:

moto ya liboso

This means the first person (literally: person of before/first). It conveys the idea of the first, that is it is the one before anything else.