Number shape
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Word shape
Beginner already built one word: role letter, marker, digit syllables, ending. The same four slots hold every free number you meet next (a number word on its own, not built onto a content root).
[PoS] + r + V + ( group ( the + group )* )? + [ending]
group = [exponent?] [mantissa digits?]- PoS: the role letter (part of speech), as on any other word.
- Number marker: consonant r plus a vowel V. V is a single vowel at this stage. The cluster of role letter plus
ris a number-only letter-cluster exception. The marker always comes straight after the role letter, sogrorelis the seventh (rankro, then digit 7re). - Zero or more digit groups: each group is an optional exponent (the order of magnitude piece) and optional mantissa digits (the ordinary digits). A group always has at least one of those two pieces. Digits sit next to each other with no x between them. A sign, when there is one, applies once to the whole word. With no groups, the word is digitless: it says what kind of number it is, but not its value.
- Group separator: each group after the first opens with
the(the spoken comma). - Ending:
-l/-m/-n/-r.
Speech always uses the fully spelled form. Writing also has a shorthand for numbers with two or more digits (g+12); zero, one digit, or none stays spelled (gragel, gral).
Related form: naming a group of people or things uses -x on an ordinary noun.
Parts of speech on numbers
Beginner put the number after a noun (three cats). You can also put the number word on its own in other slots: as the subject, as the object, or as the extra noun under a host.
Change only the first letter. The marker and digits stay the same, and on these four role letters the number still means a plain amount, rank, or code.
zragel vezuvel.z-three | v-sleep"Three are sleeping."
| Prefix | Use | English |
|---|---|---|
/ɡ/ | modifier after the noun | three cats, the second page, room 12 |
/z/ | subject | the value, code, or rank as subject |
/d/ | direct object | a code being dialed or a value being stated |
/b/ | extra noun | of size 12; host on + a label |
Marker vowel (referential identity)
Beginner already used ra (how many) and ro (which place from the start). The marker vowel V completes that set: it says whether the word is a count, a rank, or a string of digits, and on a count it also gives the sign of the whole number. The table shows each marker's shorthand symbol in parentheses. Forward ordinal o matches rank join o.
| Ageben | Use | English | Cue |
|---|---|---|---|
a (+) | positive scalar (count or measure amount) | g+3 three cats; g+ plural / more than one; z+3 three (subj); b+12 of size 12 | a ≈ add |
u (-) | negative scalar | d-3 −3 (obj); z- some negative amount; g-2 signed measure on a noun | u ≈ undo |
o (#) | ordinal / rank from the start | g#2 the second page; g# some rank; z#2 second (rank as subject) | o ≈ rank |
e (_) | digit-string / label (phones, IDs, “read the digits”) | d_5551234; d_ some code; g_12 room 12-style; b_… under a host relation | e ≈ choice (one string) |
Each number word is one kind of number, set by its marker. In preferred writing, the marker is + / - / # / _.
Sign
| Identity | How sign works |
|---|---|
Scalar (a / u, written + / -) | Sign is V. Multi-group scalars share one sign for the whole word (e.g. −1 000 265 004 is one ru word). |
Forward ordinal (o, written #) | Direction from the start |
Digit-string (e, written _) | Labels are unsigned. |
Number endings
Beginner already used exact -l. The other endings mark about, a conventional title, or a repeat of a number you already gave. Speech keeps the ending letter. Shorthand writing shows the ending as a mark right after the role letter (the same marks as on spans).
| Written | Spoken | Use | Cue |
|---|---|---|---|
(none): g+3, g+ | -l | exact, newly stated (default) | -l stands behind the amount |
~ after PoS: g~+3, g~+ | -m | approximate / non-literal (“about N”) | -m leaves the hold open |
@ after PoS: g@#2 | -n | conventional designation (titles, official labels, the Second…) | -n names the number |
= after PoS: g=+3, g=#2, d=_12 | -r | resume of a previously stated number, code, or rank (at least one digit) | -r points back |
A resume needs at least one digit: grager = that three again; grodor = that second one again. Use the same marker as the number you repeat. Digitless -r (grar) is not a resume: like a standalone join -r, it is some number in a statement and which number? in a question. = is never combined with ~ or @.
zalazun dragel vayebel. zazozon drager vayebel.z-Alazun | d-three | v-see . z-Azozon | d-←three | v-see"Alazun sees three. Azozon sees those three too."
Writing (preferred shorthand)
Beginner spelled every number out (gragel, gradomol). Writing also has a shorthand for the ending, marker, and body: g+3 for gragel, g+20 for gradomol. Both writings name the same word. Running text uses shorthand once a number has two or more digits; zero, one digit, or none stays spelled. Tables use shorthand for every row, so patterns line up.
[PoS] + [~|@|=]? + [marker] + [body?]Ending marks (second slot, after PoS)
These are the same marks, with the same meanings, as on spans: ~ soft, @ proper. A resume uses =.
| Mark | Speech ending | Job | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| (none) | -l | exact (default) | g+3, g+, g#2, d_12 |
~ | -m | approximate / soft | g~+3, g~+, g~+12, g~#2 |
@ | -n | conventional | g@#2, g@_12 |
= | -r | resume (digit) / blank | g=+3, g=#2, g=+ |
A hedged conventional number (both @ and ~) is written with @ only, as on spans. = is never combined with another mark. A spelled word shows its ending as the last letter (gragel, gram) instead of a mark.
Marker (not written as r+V)
| Symbol | Speech | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
+ | ra | Positive scalar |
- | ru | Negative scalar |
# | ro | Ordinal (from the start) |
_ | re | Digit-string |
Put the marker symbol right after the ending mark (or right after the role letter when there is no mark), before the digits (or last, when there are no digits): g+3, g~+3, g=+, d_12, d=_, g@#2. A _ label never takes a sign (Sign).
Body
| Speech | Preferred writing |
|---|---|
| (no digit groups) | (empty after marker) g+, g~-, g=#, d_ |
Digit syllables (ba…mo) | Arabic 0–9 |
For long values, break into digit groups of at most three mantissa digits; all groups still sit in one word after a single marker.
Starter examples
Common values in shorthand, as tables write them. Speech always uses the fully spelled form.
| Value | Writing | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| plural / more than one | g+ | more than one (digitless ra) |
| three (modifier) | g+3 | three (on a noun) |
| three (subject) | z+3 | three |
| −3 (object) | d-3 | −3 |
| second (modifier) | g#2 | the second |
| about 3 | g~+3 | approximate (-m) |
| how many? / some amount | g=+ | digitless -r blank |
| that three again | g=+3 | -r resume (needs a digit) |
| room 12 | g_12 | digit-string label |
Style (numeric vs spelled)
Both writings name the same word. Choose the surface by one test: how many digits does the word have? Count every digit, including exponent digits.
| Word | Prefer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Free number with two or more digits | shorthand | g+12, g#12: a value to scan and compare |
| Free number with one digit or none | spelled | gragel three, grodol second, gramol zero, gral more than one, drar how many; reads as a word, as English writes three |
Digit-string label or code (_) | shorthand | d_5, d_12: a code, not an amount (English Room 5) |
| Numeric prefix | spelled (required) | shorthand before x and a root does not form a word |
| Inventory tables | shorthand | patterns are easy to scan |
Side by side: number words next to each other (a range, a list of values) share one writing. If any of them needs shorthand, write them all in shorthand: z+3 al z+12, not zragel al z+12.
Speech and writing drills that teach the shorthand itself still show one-digit shorthand.
A free number in shorthand shows its ending as a mark after the role letter (g~+3); spelled out, it shows the ending as its last letter (gragem). A number built onto a content root is always spelled out (NUM) and never takes the marks ~ / @ / =.
Number as verb / adverb / interjection / discourse
You can use a number as the action (add three), as how often (three times), as how likely (70% likely), as a shout (Three more!), as a list label (point 2:), or as a place on a scale (second biggest). Put the same number word on /v/, /h/, /th/, /y/, /x/, or /w/. The role letter picks the use; the marker still says count, rank, or code.
On /ɡ/, /z/, /d/, and /b/, the number stays a plain amount, rank, or code (marker vowel).
Number as verb (by marker)
On /v/, the marker decides which action the number names.
| Marker | Verb sense |
|---|---|
ra | Add N / increase by N: transitive add N of (object) / increase (object) by N; intransitive grow by N when the patient is clear from context. |
ru | Remove N / decrease by N: transitive remove N of (object) / decrease (object) by N; intransitive shrink by N. |
ro | Take / assign rank N (from the start): intransitive place Nth / come in Nth; transitive put (object) in Nth place / rank as Nth. |
re | Enter / dial / input that digit-string: type the code, dial the phone number, key the ID. Object (if any) is the channel or device; the digits are in the verb. |
To set a quantity to a value, use an ordinary verb with the number as its object or as an adverb. For multiply and divide, use an ordinary verb plus h+N / h-N.
Endings still apply (-m ≈ about that amount/code/rank, -r resume with a digit; digitless vrar / vrer is a blank).
Number as adverb (by marker)
On /h/, the marker decides what kind of adverb the number is.
| Marker | Writing | Adverb sense |
|---|---|---|
ra | h+N | Multiplicative / factor: N times; ×N; by a factor of N (alone, or with ordinary multiply). |
ru | h-N | Inverse / partition: ÷N; into N parts; 1/N as often; every Nth (alone, or with ordinary divide). |
ro | h#N | Nth occurrence of the event (from the start): for the Nth time; on the Nth try (clause-event ordinal, not discourse list independence). |
re | h_… | Clock and date (a calendar ordinal). Channel, frequency, and other codes use a host relation + /b/ (or /ɡ/ on a noun). |
zalazun vowurol hragel.z-Alazun | v-walk | h-three"Alazun walks three times."
Worked examples: hragel three times; hrugel ÷3 / into 3; hrogel for the third time. A frequency code goes after a relation word: on (on /h/) + b_101.
Endings still apply (-m ≈ about that many times / that clock or date, -r resume with a digit; digitless hrar how many times? / hrer when? is a blank). Relative %-change factors use h+… (e.g. ×1.5).
Number as interjection (by marker)
On /y/, a number is a shout (Three more!, a score). Number cheers sit with the other opening /y/ words (before the act word, when a clause follows) or alone as a whole turn with no act word.
| Marker | Writing | Interjection sense |
|---|---|---|
ra | y+N | Quantity addition: Three more!; Ten more! (add N to the relevant count / tally / order). |
ru | y-N | Deficit / shortfall call: Three short!; Three fewer!; Down by 2!; −3! (mirror of y+). |
ro | y#N | Place / rank cheer (from the start): First!; Second! (podium / place shout). |
re | y_… | Digit-label / magnitude call-out: Three!; B-12!; five-five-five!; score, bingo, code, or ID as a bare reading of the digits (not “N more”). |
English Three! naming a score or count is yrel. Three more! (increment the tally) is yral.
Worked examples: y_3 Three!; yragel Three more!; yrugel Three short!; yrobal First!.
Endings still apply (-m fuzzy about three more!, -n conventional call name, -r resume a prior shout’s value, with a digit).
Compare with: statement / question / command words in the speech-act section.
Number as discourse marker (by marker)
To number the points of a list (point 2:, firstly) or to cite a label (item 12), put the number on /x/, the linker that opens a sentence. The marker says how the point stands toward the other points: # is a plain numbered step, + backs up an earlier point, and - is a new, independent line of support. _ cites a label instead. None of these is part of the sentence's own roles, unlike /ɡ/ the second page or /h/ three times.
| Marker | Writing | Discourse sense |
|---|---|---|
ro | x#N | Neutral point N: numbered item from the start, no independence framing (point N:, note N:, bare (N)). |
ra | x+N | Corroborating item N: backs, restates, or same-directions an earlier item (corroborating N:, echoing N:). Legitimate for emphasis, clarity, teaching, or a related source, not a new line of support. |
ru | x-N | Independent item N: a new line of support or consideration (independent N:, distinct N:). Would still matter if other listed items were gone. |
re | x_… | Cite a discourse label: agenda item, section code, slide, ticket id (digits as label, not independence framing) (regarding item 12; under 3.2). |
Ordinary firstly / secondly is x#N. The marker does not say whether a point argues for or against; say that in ordinary words (or with evidentiality on the claim).
Worked examples: xrodol point 2:; xradol corroborating 2:; xrudol independent 2:.
Endings still apply (-l newly stated item, -r as in (N) above (with a digit; digitless xror is a blank), -n titled item name, -m fuzzy around item N).
Number as degree (by marker)
On /w/, a number sits in the degree slot right before an adjective or adverb (clause). Only the ordinal marker gives a new reading: w#N (N from 2) is the place on that scale, in a superlative frame (zazozon zol wrodol gelazem Azozon is the second biggest). A count or a fraction on /w/ (w+3) is not used: a factor goes on /h/ (hradol twice, factor).
Number as stance (by marker)
/th/ + number is your stance on the whole claim: how likely you think it is, or which numbered source it rests on. Spoken, it starts thr…, as in English three.
zalazun vowurol th+70.🔊
zalazun vowurol thraremol.z-Alazun | v-walk | th-70-percent-likely
"Alazun is probably walking." (I'd put it at 70%)
| Marker | Writing | Stance sense |
|---|---|---|
ra | th+N | Likelihood N percent: th+70 70% likely; th+99 99% likely. The digits are already a percent, 0–100; do not add %. |
ra / ru | th+ / th- | likely / unlikely, with no figure |
re | th_N | According to source N: a footnote, reference, or exhibit label (th_3 per [3]). Digitless th_ = per a source you do not name. |
ro | th#N | N-th hand (N from 2): how many hands stand between the event and you, on any channel that is not first-hand (th#3 third-hand, a tertiary source). |
For 30% unlikely, give the likelihood of the claim itself (th+70). A minus with digits (th-N) and an end-relative rank (th#-N) are not used, and neither is th#1: first-hand is a channel word.
Endings still apply: -m about that likelihood (th~+70 roughly 70%), -n a conventional level (th@+95 at the 95% confidence level), -r the same likelihood as before (th=+70); digitless thrar asks how likely? under question, and thror asks how many hands?
Practice
Short drills for Intermediate. Try each item before opening Show answer. Use shorthand for two or more digits (g+12, g#12); spell zero, one digit, or none (gragem, grodol, gral).
Setting: a sports stadium
New words:
| English | Ageben | Cue |
|---|---|---|
| seat | uzohel | 💺 |
Review:
| English | Ageben |
|---|---|
| Azozon | azozon |
| Alazun | alazun |
| Ahelan | ahelan |
| trophy | odoral |
| see | vayebel |
| sit | vehohel |
| run | veruvol |
| punch | vabuvul |
English → Ageben
1. There are about three seats.
Show answer
zuzohelx gragem.
z-seat-x | g-three.about
2. Alazun runs three times.
Show answer
zalazun veruvol hragel.
z-Alazun | v-run | h-three
3. Point 2: Azozon sits.
Show answer
xrodol zazozon vehohel.
x-2nd | z-Azozon | v-sit
4. Alazun removes three from the score.
Show answer
zalazun dodoram vrugel.
z-Alazun | d-score | v-minus-three
5. Azozon is probably throwing a punch. (I'd put it at 70%)
Show answer
zazozon vabuvul th+70.
🔊 zazozon vabuvul thraremol.
z-Azozon | v-punch | th-70-percent-likely
6. Alazun sees three seats, and Azozon sees those three.
Show answer
zalazun duzohelx gragel vayebel xal zazozon drager vayebel.
[z-Alazun | [d-seat-x | g-three] | v-see | x-and | z-Azozon | d-←three | v-see]
Ageben → English
1. zrodol dodoral vayebel.
Show answer
z-2nd | d-trophy | v-see
The second one sees the trophy.
2. y_3.
Show answer
🔊 yregel.
y-_3
Three! (a score or label)
3. zahelan vehohel hrogel.
Show answer
z-Ahelan | v-sit | h-3rd
Ahelan sits for the third time.
4. zahelan duzohelx g~+30 vayebel.
Show answer
🔊 zahelan duzohelx gragemom vayebel.
z-Ahelan | [d-seat-x | g-30.about] | v-see
Ahelan sees about thirty seats.
Pick one
1. Alazun sees about four seats. zalazun duzohelx grahum vayebel. or zalazun duzohelx grahul vayebel.
Show answer
zalazun duzohelx grahum vayebel.
z-Alazun | [d-seat-x | g-four.about] | v-see
-m makes the number approximate; -l is exact.
2. Ahelan sees seat 5. (its label) zahelan duzohel grezal vayebel. or zahelan duzohel grazal vayebel.
Show answer
zahelan duzohel grezal vayebel.
z-Ahelan | [d-seat | g-_5.spelled] | v-see
A label is a digit string, marker re; ra would count five.
Fix it
1. There is a fifth seat. zuzohel grazal.
Show answer
zuzohel grozal.
z-seat | g-5th
A place in a series is a rank, marker ro; ra counts.