Stacked markers
On this page
From the end: end-relative ordinal marker #- / uo
To count from the last place (penultimate, starting with the last one), use marker uo (writing #-). Count back within the same generation (no exponent). Speech uses the marker vowels in u-first order: #- is spelled and pronounced ruo before its digit syllables and ending (e.g. gruodol). The number’s role-letter-plus-r cluster distinguishes it from join uo.
zanal gruodol.z-book | g-2nd-from-end"There is a second-to-last book."
| Form | Reading |
|---|---|
g#-1 | 1st from the end: same referent as last place, framed as counting from the end (English Starting with the last one) |
g#-2 | 2nd from the end / penultimate |
g#-3 | 3rd from the end / antepenultimate |
g~#-2 | about 2nd from the end |
g@#-2 | conventional / titled penultimate (etc.) |
g=#-2 | resume that prior end-relative place |
g#- | unspecified end-relative rank (zero groups) |
grodol = numbered 2nd (from the start); gruodol = 2nd from the end. Last place as a landmark is a digitless exponent (digitless and exponents).
On /v/, /h/, /y/, and /x/:
| Form | Reading |
|---|---|
h#-2 | for the 2nd-from-last time / the penultimate time |
v#-2 | place / come in 2nd from the end |
y#-2 | Penultimate! / Second from last! |
x#-1 | 1st-from-end point: / Starting with the last one: |
x#-2 | 2nd-from-end point: / penultimate item: |
Stacked markers
When a number identity needs two marker vowels, write the symbols in their conventional order and pronounce the vowels with u first. The letter spelling and speech therefore use rue for a negative digit-string label (#_) and rua for a symmetric error bound (+-). A negative label identifies a value below zero, such as a basement floor; +-N gives an uncertainty of plus or minus N. These stacked forms work with the ordinary number endings.
Write the role letter, symbol stack, then digits: gruebal labels a floor numbered −1; gruagel gives an uncertainty of ±3.
| Symbol stack | Spelled and spoken marker | Use |
|---|---|---|
#_ | r-u-e | A digit-string label whose value is negative (for example, a below-ground floor label). |
+- | r-u-a | A symmetric error bound of ±N. |
#- | r-u-o | Count from the end (from the end). |
_# | r-o-e | A calendar date, day then month then year (time). |
These four are the whole set. The other two standard stacks, r-a-o and r-a-e, are not used. Labels carry no sign (a dialing code +44 is written _44), and a count and a rank are separate markers on separate words.
Ambient magnitude (casual)
In careful writing, an omitted exponent means ones-place (gragel = 3). Prefer writing the exponent when the magnitude matters.
In casual measure-heavy talk, a stretch of conversation may set an ambient order of magnitude (often an engineering e3 / e6 / …). Numbers written without an exponent are then heard at that magnitude until you cancel it. A topic change starts a new stretch, so bare numbers go back to ones until an ambient decade is set again.
Writing e0 says ones outright and cancels the ambient magnitude:
| In a stretch where ambient OoM = 3 | Reading |
|---|---|
g+3 (casual ambient) | three at ambient → often 3×10³ |
g+3e3 | three at 10³ (exp explicit) |
g+3e0 | three at OoM 0 → 3×10⁰ = 3 (break out of ambient) |
g+e0 | ones-band amount (bare OoM), not ambient thousands |
Write Ne0 (any nonzero mantissa N) to insist on ones. Formal prose that never sets an ambient magnitude rarely needs e0: leave it out when ones are already clear.
Practice
Short drills for Advanced. Try each item before opening Show answer.
Setting: a parking garage
New words:
| English | Ageben | Cue |
|---|---|---|
| car | ugaval | 🚗 |
| parking | ebahal | 🅿️ |
Review:
| English | Ageben |
|---|---|
| Azozon | azozon |
| Alazun | alazun |
| Ahelan | ahelan |
| see | vayebel |
| sit | vehohel |
| stand | vuzuvel |
English → Ageben
1. A second-to-last car stands.
Show answer
zugaval gruodol vuzuvel.
[z-car | g-2nd-from-end] | v-stand
2. Ahelan sees parking −2. (a label below zero)
Show answer
zahelan debahal gruedol vayebel.
z-Ahelan | [d-parking | g-negative-label-2] | v-see
3. Alazun sees three cars, give or take one.
Show answer
zalazun dugavalx gragel gruabal vayebel.
z-Alazun | [d-car-x | g-three | g-plus-minus-1] | v-see
Ageben → English
1. zebahal gruodol.
Show answer
z-parking | g-2nd-from-end
There is a second-to-last parking stall.
2. zugavalx g+3e0.
Show answer
🔊 zugavalx grawamoyagel.
z-car-x | g-3e0
Three cars sit at ones. (not ambient thousands)
3. x#-2 zazozon vehohel.
Show answer
🔊 xruodol zazozon vehohel.
x-2nd-from-end.short | z-Azozon | v-sit
Penultimate item: Azozon sits.
Pick one
1. There is a second car. zugaval grodol. or zugaval gruodol.
Show answer
zugaval grodol.
z-car | g-2nd
ro counts from the start; ruo would be second from the end.
What changes
1. zugavalx gragel. / zugavalx g+3e0.
Show answer
z-car-x | g-three
🔊 zugavalx grawamoyagel.
z-car-x | g-3e0
The first is three at ones unless an ambient thousands stretch is in play; e0 insists on ones.
Reference tables
Lookup grids that restate forms taught above; nothing here is new.
Examples inventory
Preferred writing first; the spoken form follows, often with its syllables in parentheses (exact -l unless noted).
| Value | Preferred writing | Spoken |
|---|---|---|
| plural / more than one | g+ | gral (g + ra + l; see digitless) |
about several (>1) | g~+ | gram |
| ones band (1–9) | g+e0 | grawamol (ra + wa + mo + l; see bare OoM) |
| three at asserted OoM 0 | g+3e0 | grawamoyagel (ra + wa + mo + ya + ge + l) |
| thousands band (1000–9999) | g+e3 | grawagel (ra + wa + ge + l) |
| 2nd from the end / penultimate | g#-2 | gruodol (ruo + do + l) |
| 1st from the end / Starting with the last one | g#-1 | gruobal (ruo + ba + l) |
| for the penultimate time | h#-2 | hruodol |
| Penultimate! | y#-2 | yruodol |
| 2nd-from-end point: | x#-2 | xruodol |
| Starting with the last one: | x#-1 | xruobal |
| take 2nd from the end | v#-2 | vruodol |
| some end-relative rank | g#- | gruol |
| some negative amount | z- | zrul |
| some rank | g# | grol |
| some code (object) | d_ | drel |
| how many? / some amount | g=+ | grar (digitless -r) |
| which place? / some place | g=# | gror |
| what code? / some code | d=_ | drer |
| increase (unspecified) | v+ | vral |
| increase a bit | v~+ | vram |
| multiple times | h+ | hral |
| a few times | h~+ | hram |
| at some clock/date | h_ | hrel: unspecified when under bare hro; ≠ har |
| More! | y+ | yral |
| 3 | g+3 | gragel (g + ra + ge + l) |
| −3 | g-3 | grugel (g + ru + ge + l) |
| 3 (as subject) | z+3 | zragel |
| −3 (as object) | d-3 | drugel |
| of size 12 | b+12 | brabadol (b + ra + ba do) |
| room 12 (modifier) | g_12 | grebadol (g + ro + ba do) |
| 139 | g+139 | grabagenal (ra + ba ge na) |
| 27e12 | g+27e12 | grawabadoyadorel (ra + wa ba do ya + do re) |
| e9 (bare) | g+e9 | grawanal (ra + wa na; no ya) |
| 50e-6 | g+50e-6 | grawuvoyazamol (ra + wu vo ya + za mo) |
| −1e9 −265e3 −4 | g-1e9,265e3,4 | gruwanayabathewageyadovozathehul: ru; groups: wa na ya ba · the · wa ge ya do vo za · the · hu |
| $5860.04 → 5e3 + 860 + 4e-2 | g+5e3,860,4e-2 | grawageyazatheluvomothewudoyahul: wa ge ya za · the · lu vo mo · the · wu do ya hu |
| 2nd | g#2 | grodol; title-like the Second… may take -n (g@#2 / grodon) |
| penultimate | g#-2 | gruodol |
| about 27e6 | g~+27e6 | grawavoyadorem (wa vo ya do re, ending -m) |
| phone 555-123-4567 | d_555,123,4567 | drezazazathebadogethehuzavorel (d + ro + za×3 · the · ba do ge · the · hu za vo re + l) |
| scientific 5.2487083e-4 | g+5.2487083e-4 | grawuhuyazayedohuluremolugel (ra + wu hu ya + za ye + do hu lu · re mo lu · ge) |
| 25% | g+25% | gradozayol (g + ra + do za yo + l) |
| +2 pp | g+2%* | gradoyul (ra + do yu) |
| neutral point 1 / 2 | x#1, x#2 | xrobal, xredol (x + re + …) |
| end-relative point 2 | x#-2 | xruodol (x + rue + do) |
| corroborating item 3 | x+3 | xragel (x + ra + ge) |
| independent item 2 | x-2 | xrudol (x + ru + do); ≠ x#-2 |
| regarding agenda 12 | x_12 | xrebadol (x + ro + ba do) |
| as in (2) above (neutral) | x=#2 | xrodor (ending -r) |
| three times / ×3 | h+3 | hragel (h + ra + ge) |
| ÷3 / every third | h-3 | hrugel (h + ru + ge) |
| at 15:30 | h_15,30 | hrebazathegemol (h + ro + ba za · the · ge mo); bare hro = time |
| for the third time | h#3 | hrogel (h + re + ge) |
| Three! (label / score) | y_3 | yregel (y + ro + ge) |
| Three more! | y+3 | yragel (y + ra + ge) |
| Three short! / Three fewer! / −3! | y-3 | yrugel (y + ru + ge) |
| twenty-seven! (label) | y_27 | yredorel (y + ro + do re) |
| First! (place cheer) | y#1 | yrobal (y + re + ba) |
In a sentence, the role letter attaches to that single number word (see Parts of speech on numbers; e.g. direct-object digit-string: d_…).