Numbers

1. Moko, mibale, misato

   One, two, three

   Usage

   The first numbers. Two to five take mi- after a noun.

   Grammar Note

   Moko (1), mibale (2), misato (3). Numerals follow the noun.

2. Minei, mitano, motoba

   Four, five, six

   Usage

   Four to six; from motoba (six) the form no longer changes.

   Grammar Note

   Minei (4), mitano (5), motoba (6).

3. Nsambo, mwambe, libwa, zomi

   Seven, eight, nine, ten

   Usage

   Seven to ten, for prices and counts.

   Grammar Note

   Nsambo (7), mwambe (8), libwa (9), zomi (10). The Bible spells seven sambo, but ln.wikipedia mostly writes nsambo; this phrasebook uses the ln.wikipedia spelling throughout.

4. Zomi na moko

   Eleven

   Usage

   From eleven, add na and the digit to zomi (ten).

   Grammar Note

   Zomi na moko is ten and one; zomi na mibale is twelve.

5. Ntuku mibale, ntuku misato, ntuku minei

   Twenty, thirty, forty

   Usage

   Tens: ntuku followed by the multiplier.

   Grammar Note

   Ntuku mibale is two tens, twenty. The Bible writes tuku without the nasal.

6. Ntuku mitano, ntuku motoba, ntuku nsambo

   Fifty, sixty, seventy

   Usage

   Fifty to seventy, used for prices and ages.

   Grammar Note

   Ntuku nsambo (70) is a form found in ln.wikipedia (the Bible writes tuku sambo); ntuku mitano and ntuku motoba follow the same pattern.

7. Ntuku mwambe, ntuku libwa, nkama moko

   Eighty, ninety, one hundred

   Usage

   Eighty to a hundred; nkama is hundred.

   Grammar Note

   Nkama moko is one hundred; two hundred is nkama mibale.

8. Nkoto moko

   One thousand

   Usage

   One thousand. In markets the French mille is also common.

   Grammar Note

   Nkoto is thousand, and it is frequent in the Bible; it is also the word for scorpion.

9. Nazali na mbula ntuku mibale na nsambo

   I am 27 years old

   Usage

   States an age; swap in your own number.

   Grammar Note

   Composed from dictionary- and corpus-verified words by regular grammar. Ntuku mibale na nsambo (27) is a form found in Lingala Wikipedia.

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