Language/Southern-sotho/Vocabulary/Counting-Numbers

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Southern Sotho → Vocabulary → 0 to A1 Course → Numbers and Time → Counting Numbers

Counting Numbers in Southern Sotho

Welcome to the Numbers and Time lesson of this Complete 0 to A1 Southern Sotho Course.

In this lesson, we will focus on counting numbers in Southern Sotho. We will go through cardinal and ordinal numbers and their use in everyday situations.

Cardinal Numbers

Cardinal numbers are used to count and denote quantity. Here are the first ten cardinal numbers in Southern Sotho:

Southern Sotho	Pronunciation	English
'a	ʔa	one
bo	bɔ	two
tharo	tʰarɔ	three
nne	nːɛ	four
hlano	ɬanɔ	five
tshela	tʃʰɛla	six
shupa	ʃupa	seven
phatšo	pʰatʃɔ	eight
robe	rɔbɛ	nine
lesome	lɛsɔmɛ	ten

Note that the first number ‘a

has a glottal stop at the beginning.

The numbers from 11 to 19 are formed by adding le- (meaning ‘on ten’ or ‘by ten’) before the units. They are treated as single words and are written together in Southern Sotho.

• 11: lesome le nngwe (literally, ‘ten and one’)
• 12: lesome le ngwedi (literally, ‘ten and two’)
• 13: lesome le nngwasha (literally, ‘ten and three’)
• 14: lesome le nngwane (literally, ‘ten and four’)
• 15: lesome le ntlhano (literally, ‘ten and five’)
• 16: lesome le tshela (literally, ‘ten and six’)
• 17: lesome le shupa (literally, ‘ten and seven’)
• 18: lesome le phatšo (literally, ‘ten and eight’)
• 19: lesome le robe (literally, ‘ten and nine’)

The tens after that are base words, and the number ten has a specific base word: bathofo. This is different from other sets of ten in Southern Sotho.

Here are the base numbers from twenty to one hundred:

Southern Sotho	Pronunciation	English
bathofo	b͡a.tʰɔ.fɔ	ten
mabedi	ma.bɛ.di	twenty
matlhafo	ma.ɬa.fɔ	thirty
marena	ma.rɛ.na	forty
matsela	ma.tsɛ.la	fifty
moraro	mɔ.ra.ro	sixty
sesotho	sɛ.sɔ.tʰɔ	seventy
supa	su.pa	eighty
robong	rɔ.bɔŋ	ninety
ruri	rʊ.ri	one hundred

Note that the unit and the tens are written together to form one word in Southern Sotho.

Ordinal Numbers

Ordinal numbers are used to denote the position of something in a sequence. They are formed by adding the suffix -eng to the cardinal number.

Here are the first ten ordinal numbers in Southern Sotho:

Southern Sotho	Pronunciation	English
phela ya 'a	pʰɛla ja ʔa	the first
phela ya bo	pʰɛla ja bɔ	the second
phela ya tharo	pʰɛla jɑ tʰarɔ	the third
phela ya nne	pʰɛla ja nːɛ	the fourth
phela ya hlano	pʰɛla ja ɬanɔ	the fifth
phela ya tshela	pʰɛla ja tʃʰɛla	the sixth
phela ya shupa	pʰɛla ja ʃupa	the seventh
phela ya phatšo	pʰɛla ja pʰatʃɔ	the eighth
phela ya robe	pʰɛla ja rɔbɛ	the ninth
phela ya lesome	pʰɛla ja lɛsɔmɛ	the tenth

Note that for the first number, ‘a

has a glottal stop at the beginning.

The next ordinals are formed by adding feteng after the cardinal number. Like the tens, this one has a specific base word, and it is different from other multiples of ten in Southern Sotho.

Here are the multiples of ten in pairs of tens:

• ’le mabedi feteng (20th)
• ’le matlhafo feteng (30th)
• ’le marena feteng (40th)
• ’le matsela feteng (50th)
• ’le moraro feteng (60th)
• ’le sesotho feteng (70th)
• ’le supa feteng (80th)
• ’le robong feteng (90th)
• ’le ruri feteng (100th)

Counting Objects and People

To count objects or people, the noun needs to be followed by the relevant numeral.

• Ba nang le moputso wa bofelela. (‘They have one child.’)
• Ke na le mabitso a matlhafo a feteng. (‘I have thirty cows.’)
• Ha ke na le melawana hammoho leshome le lesome le nngwe. (‘I have a total of eleven chickens.’)

Note the use of the word a meaning ‘of’ in order to link the noun and the number.

Time and Dates

To tell time, the phrase ke bona (I see) is used along with the hour and minutes. When specifying AM or PM, the phrases borrow (in the evening/night) and bohlokoa bo fetang (in the morning) are used.

• Ke bona ke fumane libala tše tharo tša boraro. (‘I see that it is 6 AM.’)
• Ke bona ke fumane libala tše phatšo tše halfa (‘I see that it is 8:30AM.)
• Ke bona ke fumane libala tše supa le leholimo. (‘I see that it is 11:00PM.’)

To express dates, you would say letsatsi la … (the day of …) followed by the relevant ordinal number.

• letsatsi la phela ya bo (‘the second day’)
• letsatsi la phela ya nne (‘the fourth day’)
• letsatsi la phela ya moraro feteng (‘the sixty-first day’)

Conclusion

Congratulations, you’ve learned how to count in Southern Sotho, including cardinal and ordinal numbers, and their use in everyday situations. We hope you found this lesson helpful, and don’t forget to practice what you’ve learned!

Table of Contents - Southern Sotho Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Introduction to Southern Sotho

• The Alphabet and Pronunciation
• Basic Sentence Structure

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Common Greetings
• Introducing Oneself

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Noun Classes
• Personal Pronouns

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Counting Numbers
• Telling Time

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Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense

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Everyday Activities

• Daily Routines
• Hobbies and Interests

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Describing Nouns
• Describing Verbs

  ---

Food and Dining

• Common Foods
• Eating Habits

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Southern Sotho Traditions

• Traditional Clothing
• Traditional Music and Dance

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Travel Destinations

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Questions and Negation

• Asking Questions
• Negating Sentences

  ---

Shopping and Money

• Shopping Vocabulary
• Money and Currency

  ---

Southern Sotho Family Life

• Family Structure
• Marriage and Ceremonies

Other Lessons

• Count to 10
• Daily Routines
• Animals
• Express Surprise
• Drinks
• Colors
• Telling Time
• Money and Currency
• How to say Good Bye?
• Food

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