Numbers in Lingala



Learn numbers in Lingala

Knowing numbers in Lingala is probably one of the most useful things you can learn to say, write and understand in Lingala. Learning to count in Lingala may appeal to you just as a simple curiosity or be something you really need. Perhaps you have planned a trip to a country where Lingala is the most widely spoken language, and you want to be able to shop and even bargain with a good knowledge of numbers in Lingala.

It's also useful for guiding you through street numbers. You'll be able to better understand the directions to places and everything expressed in numbers, such as the times when public transportation leaves. Can you think of more reasons to learn numbers in Lingala?

Lingala (lingála) is a Bantu language from the Niger-Congo family. Spoken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in the Republic of the Congo (with a status of national language in both countries), it counts about 2 million speakers.Due to lack of data, we can only count accurately up to 9,999 in Lingala. Please contact me if you can help me counting up from that limit.

List of numbers in Lingala

Here is a list of numbers in Lingala. We have made for you a list with all the numbers in Lingala from 1 to 20. We have also included the tens up to the number 100, so that you know how to count up to 100 in Lingala. We also close the list by showing you what the number 1000 looks like in Lingala.

  • 1) mókó
  • 2) míbalé
  • 3) mísáto
  • 4) mínei
  • 5) mítáno
  • 6) motóba
  • 7) sámbó
  • 8) mwámbe
  • 9) libwá
  • 10) zómi
  • 11) zómi na mókó
  • 12) zómi na míbalé
  • 13) zómi na mísáto
  • 14) zómi na mínei
  • 15) zómi na mítáno
  • 16) zómi na motóba
  • 17) zómi na sámbó
  • 18) zómi na mwámbe
  • 19) zómi na libwá
  • 20) ntúkú míbalé
  • 30) ntúkú mísáto
  • 40) ntúkú mínei
  • 50) ntúkú mítáno
  • 60) ntúkú motóba
  • 70) ntúkú sámbó
  • 80) ntúkú mwámbe
  • 90) ntúkú libwá
  • 100) nkámá
  • 1,000) nkóto

Numbers in Lingala: Lingala numbering rules

Each culture has specific peculiarities that are expressed in its language and its way of counting. The Lingala is no exception. If you want to learn numbers in Lingala you will have to learn a series of rules that we will explain below. If you apply these rules you will soon find that you will be able to count in Lingala with ease.

The way numbers are formed in Lingala is easy to understand if you follow the rules explained here. Surprise everyone by counting in Lingala. Also, learning how to number in Lingala yourself from these simple rules is very beneficial for your brain, as it forces it to work and stay in shape. Working with numbers and a foreign language like Lingala at the same time is one of the best ways to train our little gray cells, so let's see what rules you need to apply to number in Lingala

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  • Digits and numbers from zero to nine are specific words, namely libungutulu [0] (meaning nothingness), mókó [1], míbalé [2], mísáto [3], mínei [4], mítáno [5], motóba [6], sámbó (or nsámbó) [7], mwámbe [8], and libwá [9].
  • The tens are formed by putting ntúkú (ten) before their multiplier digit, except for ten itself: zómi [10], ntúkú míbalé [20], ntúkú mísáto [30], ntúkú mínei [40], ntúkú mítáno [50], ntúkú motóba [60], ntúkú sámbó [70], ntúkú mwámbe [80], and ntúkú libwá [90].
  • Compound numbers are formed by saying the ten, then the coordinator na, and the unit (e.g.: zómi na mwámbe [18], ntúkú mítáno na mínei [54]).
  • Hundreds are formed by setting the multiplier digit after the word for hundred (nkámá), except for one hundred itself, unless composed: nkámá [100], nkámá míbalé [200], nkámá mísáto [300], nkámá mínei [400]…
  • Thousands are formed the same way as hundreds, i.e. by setting the multiplier digit after the word for thousand (nkóto), except for one thousand itself, unless composed: nkóto [1,000], nkóto míbalé [2,000], nkóto mísáto [3,000], nkóto mínei [4,000]…
  • Each group of numbers is linked to the others with na (and), tens and units, but also hundreds and tens, thousands and hundreds… (e.g.: ntúkú míbalé na mísáto [23], nkámá mókó na ntúkú mítáno [150], nkóto mókó na nkámá míbalé na ntúkú mísáto na mínei [1,234]).
  • Lingala Basic Course
  • Numbers in different languages