Numbers and counting

Here is a quick lesson on numbers. Don't be surprised to come across Ilokano, Tagalog, Spanish, and English numbers. For general reference Ilokano numbers are used for small amounts, whereas Spanish is used for larger numbers as well as telling time (which we will cover later).

Here is a quick reference chart for you that compares Tagalog, Ilokano, and Spanish.

###	Ilokano	Spanish	Tagalog
1	maysa	uno	isa
2	dua	dos	dalawa
3	tallo	tres	tatlo
4	uppat	cuatro	apat
5	lima	cinco	lima
6	innem	seis	anim
7	pito	siete	pito
8	walo	ocho	walo
9	siam	nueve	siyam
10	sangapulo	diez	sampu

These few numbers will get you by in most cases where you would use Ilokano numbers. For anything above ten just take the group of ten (sangapulo, duapulo, etc) throw in a "ket" (and) then the next number (maysa, dua, etc).

Here are some examples:
23- duapulo ket tallo
58- limapulo ket walo

I'll cover bigger numbers in a later post. For now just get the basics.

Here is a site a good site that has Spanish numbers, it would be a good idea to learn them as they are more common for bigger numbers. A nice list of Spanish numbers with "Ilokano spelling" can also be found in the back of Dr. Rubino's Ilokano book.

Practice your counting and you will be ready to ask for prices, as well as tell time and have general conversation. Remember there is no shame in using your fingers when you are learning to count. People will still be impressed that you are learning.

Until next time. Ditakayon.

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