Dipalo [Numbers and Counting]

Dipalo [Numbers and Counting]

Numbers and Counting in Setswana

[ENG] The Setswana word for numbers is the same word for mathematics. This makes a lot of sense, given that there are basically only thirteen different number words, and in order to get other numbers, you simply just “do the maths”. For instance, 273 is pronounced as 2*100 + 7*10 + 3 (makgolo a mabedi le masome a masupa le boraro).

One may observe however, that there are in fact fourteen different listed below, contrary to the 13 written here. This is because the additional entry is zero, which does not have a significance in natural counting, but instead is more useful as a placeholder, to write numbers like 10,000

[TSN] Ka Setswana, mafoko a a farologanyeng a a kayang dipalo, a lesome le boraro fela. Ke one a a nankotsweng fa tlase. Ntleng ga moo, leina la palo nngwe le nngwe le dirwa ka go tlhakanya o dirisa one mafoko a a lesome le boraro a a fa tlase. Ka sekai, 273 ke makgolo-a-mabedi le masome-a-masupa le boraro.

Mongwe o ka botsa go re ke eng re re maina a lesome le boraro, mme a bonala a le lesome le bone. Le lengwe ke “lefela” [zero], o a se nang bokao jo bo tletseng fa go balwa, mme a dirisiwa thata go fa mokwalo bokao, jaaka a ka dirisiwa go kwala 10,000.

Numeric Ordinal Abstract Ordinal
0 Lefela Lefela
1 Nngwe Bongwe [pl Mangwe]
2 Pedi Bobedi [pl Mabedi]
3 Tharo Boraro [pl Mararo]
4 Nne Bone [pl Mane]
5 Tlhano Botlhano [pl Matlhano]
6 Thataro Borataro [pl Marataro]
7 Supa Bosupa [pl Masupa]
8 Robedi/Robabobedi Borobedi/Borobabobedi [pl Marobedi, etc]
9 Robongwe/Robabongwe Borobongwe/Borobabongwe [pl Marobongwe, etc]
10 Lesome Lesome [pl Masome]
100 Lekgolo Lekgolo [pl Makgolo]
1000 Sekete Sekete [pl Dikete]
1000000 Sedikadike Sedikadike [pl Didikadike]

Other numbers are made up of arithmetic combinations of these. Examples:

Numeric Ordinal Literal Arithmetic Translation
11 Lesome le bongwe 10 + 1
17 Lesome le bosupa 10 + 7
20 Masome-a-mabedi 10 * 2
22 Masome-a-mabedi le bobedi 10 * 2 + 2
28 Masome-a-mabedi le borobabedi 10 * 2 + 8
30 Masome-a-mararo 10 * 3
70 Masome-a-masupa 10 * 7
99 Masome-a-robongwe le borobabongwe 10 * 9 + 9
105 Lekgolo le botlhano 100 + 5
114 Lekgolo le lesome le bone 100 + 10 + 4
500 Makgolo-a-matlhano 100 * 5
765 Makgolo-a-supa le masome-a-marataro, le botlhano 7 * 100 + 6 *10 + 5
1966 Sekete, makgolo-a-robongwe, masome-a-marataro, le borataro 1 * 1000 + 9 * 100 + 10 *6 + 6
2759 Dikete-tse-pedi, makgolo-a-supa, masome-a-matlhano, le borobabongwe 2 * 1000 + 7 * 100 + 10 * 5 + 9

[ENG] Punctuation becomes particularly important when dealing with numbers above 10,000. The hyphen is used to group words to indicate a single numeric expression, while a comma would be used to separate numeric expressions. This becomes particularly important when dealing with ambiguities that result from having zeros in the number. If not properly punctuated, 700,092 could be misread as 790,002 or even 792,000. The good news is that numbers without a zero are all straight-forward.

[TSN] Matshwao a mokwalo a nna botlhokwa thata fa re setse to kopana le dipalo tse di fetang 10,000. Letshwao la thaladi le dirisiwa go tshwaraganya mafoko, go supa fa a kaya palo e le nngwe; fa la phegelwana le dirisiwa go farologanya mafoko go supa go re a kaya dipalo tse di farologanyeng.
Se se botlhokwa thata mo dipalong tse di nang le lefela, ka go re fa matshwao a mokwalo a sa dirisiwa sentle, gantsi palo a a kwadilweng e kgona go latlhegelwa ke bokao. O tla bona mo dikaing tse di latelang go re fa go sa dirisiwa matshwao sentle, 700,092 o kgona go balega e le 790,002, kgotsa 792,000.

Numeric Ordinal Literal Arithmetic Translation
13,000 Dikete tse lesome-le-boraro. (10 + 3) * 1000
10,003 Dikete-tse-lesome, le boraro. 10 * 1000 + 3
21,256 Dikete tse masome-a-mabedi-le-bongwe, makgolo a mabedi, le masome a matlhano, le borataro. (2 * 10 + 1) * 1000) + (2 *100 + 5 * 10 +6)
145,000 Dikete tse lekgolo-le-masome-a-mane-le-botlhano. (100 + 4 * 10 + 5) * 1000
140,005 Dikete tse lekgolo-le-masome-a-mane, le botlhano. (100 + 4 *10) * 1000 + 5
100,045 Dikete-tse-lekgolo, le masome-a-mane le botlhano. 100 * 1000 + 4 * 10 + 5
269,527 Dikete tse makgolo-a-mabedi-masome-a-marataro-le-borobongwe, makgolo-a-matlhano, masome-a-mabedi, le bosupa. (2 *100 + 6*10 + 9) * 1000 + 5 *100 +2 * 10 + 7
700,092 Dikete tse makgolo-a-supa, [le] masome-a-robongwe le bobedi. (7*100) * 1000 + 9*10 + 2
790,002 Dikete tse makgolo-a-supa-le-masome-a-robongwe, le bobedi. (7*100 + 9*10) * 1000  + 2
792,000 Dikete tse makgolo-a-supa-le-masome-a-robongwe-le-bobedi. (7*100 + 9 * 10 + 2) * 1000
1,234,000 Sedikadike, dikete tse makgolo-a-mabedi-le-masome-a-mararo-le-bone. 1,000,000 + (2 * 100 + 3 * 10 + 4) * 1000
1,230,004 Sedikadike, dikete tse makgolo-a-mabedi-le-masome-a-mararo, le bone. 1,000,000 + (2 * 100 + 3 * 10) * 1000 + 4
1,200,034 Sedikadike, dikete-tse-makgolo-a mabedi, le masome-a-mararo-le-bone. 1,000,000 + (2 * 100) * 1000 + 3 * 10 + 4
1,000,234 Sedikadike, makgolo a mabedi le masome a mararo le bone. 1,000,000 + 2 * 100 + 3 * 10 + 4
987,654,321 Didikadike tse makgolo-a-marobongwe masome-a-marobedi-le-bosupa, dikete tse makgolo-a-marataro masome-a-matlhano-le-bone, le makgolo-a-mararo le masome a mabedi le bongwe. (9 *100 + 8 *10 + 7) * 1,000,000 + (6 * 100 + 5 * 10 + 4) * 1000 + 3 *100 + 2 *10 + 1

[ENG] The use of the mathematical term “metso” [units] is one good quick fix to get out of this conundrum. Below is an alternative way of presenting the information in the above table:

[TSN] Go leka go fokotsa metsmetsano e e ka bakiwang ke seemo se se fa godimo, motho o kgona go dirisa lefoko la sesheng la “metso”, le le emelelang la “units” mo dithutong tsa dipalo. Tiriso ya lone, e tlhofofatsa dilo, jaaka o ka bona mo tafoleng e e latelang:

Numeric  Ordinal  Literal Arithmetic Translation (Shortened)
13,000 Dikete tse lesome-le-boraro. 13 Thousands
10,003 Dikete tse lesome le metso e meraro. 10 Thousands + 3 Units
21,256 Dikete tse masome a mabedi le bongwe, le makgolo a mabedi le masome a matlhano le metso e merataro. 21 Thousands + 2 Hundreds + 5 Tens + 6 Units
145,000 Dikete tse lekgolo-le-masome-a-mane-le-botlhano. (100 + 4 * 10 + 5) Thousands
140,005 Dikete tse lekgolo le masome a mane, le metso e metlhano. (100 + 4 * 10) Thousands + 5 Units
100,045 Dikete tse lekgolo, le metso e masome a mane le botlhano. 100 Thousands + 45 Units
269,527 Dikete tse makgolo a mabedi, masome a marataro le borobongwe, le metso e makgolo a matlhano, masome a mabedi le bosupa. (2 *100 + 6*10 + 9) Thousands + (5 *100 + 2 * 10 + 7) Units
700,092 Dikete tse makgolo-a-supa le metso e masome-a-robongwe le bobedi. (7*100) Thousands + 92 Units
790,002 Dikete tse makgolo-a-supa le masome-a-robongwe, le bobedi. (7*100 + 9*10) thousands  + 2 Units
792,000 Dikete tse makgolo-a-supa le masome-a-robongwe le bobedi. (7*100 +9 * 10 + 2) Thousands
1,234,000 Sedikadike, dikete tse makgolo a mabedi le masome a mararo le bone. 1 Million + (2 * 100 + 3 * 10 + 4) Thousands
1,230,004 Sedikadike, dikete tse makgolo a mabedi le masome a mararo, le metso e mene. 1 Million + (2 * 100 + 3 * 10) Thousands + 4 Units
1,200,034 Sedikadike, dikete tse makgolo a mabedi, le metso e masome a mararo le bone. 1 Million + (2 * 100) Thousands + (3 * 10 + 4) Units
1,000,234 Sedikadike, le metso e makgolo a mabedi le masome a mararo le bone. 1 Million + (2 * 100 + 3 * 10 + 4) Units
987,654,321 Didikadike tse makgolo-a-marobongwe masome a marobedi le bosupa, le dikete tse makgolo a marataro, masome a matlhano le bone, le metso e makgolo a mararo, masome a mabedi le bongwe. (9 *100 + 8 *10 + 7) Millions + (6 * 100 + 5 * 10 + 4) Thousands + (3 *100 + 2 *10 + 1) Units

For the static page with this content, click here.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *