Lessons

Lesson IX – Numbers

Generally, numbers are treated like adjectives. They usually go after the word they modify (again, most orcs would probably ignore this rule). You will also notice that the Ring Verse places them before the word they modify (ash nazg... ). This may have been done for poetic reasons.

Numbers

1 ash     11 galash     30 gakhgal
2 krul 12 galkrul 40 zagal
3 gakh 13 galgakh 50 krâkgal
4 zag 14 galzag 60 rutgal
5 krâk 15 galkrâk 70 utgal
6 rut 16 galrut 80 skragh
7 udu 17 galudu 90 krithgal
8 skri 18 galskri 100 bûr
9 krith 19 galkrith 1000  tor
10  gal 20  krulgal 0 nar

Note that 21 would be krulgalash, 24 = krulgalzag, and so on.


Exercise

Translate the following numbers into Black Speech: 34, 58, 62, 71, 22, 87, 103, 245, 9068, 4862.

 English-specific by Un4givenOrc:

Ordinal Numerals

Ordinal numerals are formed the same way as adjectives. You should suffix -ûrz to a number to get ordinal. So first = âshûrz (the only exception), second = krulûrz, 5th = krâkûrz, 27th = krulgaludûrz and so on.


Word order and measures

Numerals always go after words they modify/count, and this rule is simple. But how to translate more complex expressions like “40 years old”, “six feet tall” etc.? Numbers here modify measures (which are nouns years, feet), which modify adjectives (old, tall). Therefore word order should be Adjective/Adverb, measure, quantity. But it's frustating, so you can use english word order (or choose which way is sounding better). I'll give you examples:

I am 40 years old.
Kul-izg kû ânrothu zagal
Kul-izg zagal ânrothu kû

My devil is six feet tall.
Pauzûl-izub kulat târ fraz rut
Pauzûl-izub kulat rutfraztâr – i really like this!

The way here was two weeks long.
Mûl tul kuluzat sigûrz udârsh krul
Mûl tul kuluzat krul udârsh sigûrz

Gondor is five leagues away from here
Gondor kulat krât fraumu krâk krul-ghâra
Gondor kulat krâk fraumu krât krul-ghâra

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