Beginner
Numbers and Counting
Learn to count from one to one hundred in Afaan Oromo.
Numbers and Counting
Counting is a fundamental skill in any language. Here are the numbers in Afaan Oromo.
Cardinal Numbers 1-10:
- 1: tokko/takka
- 2: lama
- 3: sadii
- 4: afur
- 5: shan
- 6: ja'a/jaha
- 7: torba
- 8: saddeet
- 9: sagal
- 10: kudhan
Tens:
- 11: kudhatokko
- 12: kudhalama
- 13: kudhasadii
- 14: kudha('a)fur
- 15: kudhashan
- 16: kudhaja'a
- 17: kudhatorba
- 18: kudhasaddeet
- 19: kudhasagal
Counting in Tens:
- 20: digdama
- 30: soddoma
- 40: afurtama
- 50: shantama
- 60: jaatama
- 70: torbaatama
- 80: saddeettama
- 90: sagaltama
- 100: dhibba
- 1000: kuma
- 1,000,000: kumaatama
To form numbers in between, you combine the tens and units. For example, 21 is 'digdamii tokko'.
- 21: digdamii tokko
- 22: digdamii lama
- 33: soddomii sadii
- 44: afurtamii afur
- 55: shantamii shan
- 66: jaatamii ja’a
- 77: torbaatamiitorba
- 88: saddeettamii saddeet
- 99: sagaltamii sagal
- 105: dhibbaa fi shan
- 150: dhibbaa fi shantama
- 155: dhibba tokkoo fi shantamii shan
- 10,000: kuma kudhan
- 9,000,000: kumaatama sagal
The cardinal numbers always follow the word they belong to. The corresponding noun must not have a plural suffix.
- ji’a tokko - one month
- re’ee takka - one nanny-goat
- nama lama - two men
- obboleeyyii afur - four brothers
- nama shan - five persons
- ijoollee torba - seven children
- ulee torba - seven Sticks
- waggaa torbaatama - seventy years
Ordinal Numbers
In the Macha/Tulama dialects ordinal numbers are formed by means of the suffix -ffaa. In the dialect of the Harar region and some southern dialects the suffixes -eessaa (m.) and -eessituu (f.) are added to the ordinal number while the Borana use -eessoo. The written sources use the form -ffaa.
- 1. tokkoffaa, duraa or dursaa
- 2. lammaffaa
- 3. sadaffaa
- 4. afraffaa (arfaffaa)
- 5. shanaffaa
- 6. ja’affaa
- 7. torbaffaa
- 8. saddeettaffaa
- 9. saglaffaa/ salgaffaa
- 10. kurnaffaa
- 11. kudha tokkoffaa
- 12. kudha lammaffaa
- 13. kudha sadaffaa
- 20. digdamaffaa
- 21. digdamii tokkoffaa
- 30. soddomaffaa
- 31. soddomii tokkoffaa
- 40. afurtamaffaa
- 50. shantamaffaa
- 80. saddeettamaffaa
- 100. dhibbaffaa
- 101. dhibbaa fi tokkoffaa
- 1000. kumaffaa
- 120. dhibbaa fi digdamaffaa
- 1003. kuma fi sadaffaa
- 10000. kuma kurnaffaa
- 100000. kuma dhibbaffaa
- 1000000. kumaatamaffaa
The ordinal numbers follow the word they belong to, e.g.
- barannoo sadaffaa - the third lesson
- mana shanaffaa - the fifth house
- nama tokkoffaa - the first human being
- waggaa afraffaa - the fourth year