Learn Kalaallisut in Greenland: Methods and Resources for Expats

Published on April 27, 2026 and written by Cyril Jarnias

Settling in Greenland isn’t just about taming the ice, the polar night, or supermarket prices. Above all, it means entering a country where the language, Kalaallisut, structures daily life, Inuit culture, and even political debates. For an expatriate, learning the local language is much more than a “plus” on a résumé: it’s a condition for true integration.

Understanding Greenland’s Linguistic Landscape

Even before opening a textbook, it’s helpful to know what linguistic environment you’re stepping into. Greenland is officially monolingual… but socially very multilingual.

Kalaallisut: The Heart of Daily Life

Kalaallisut, often referred to as “Greenlandic” in everyday speech, is the country’s sole official language. It belongs to the Eskimo-Aleut language family, closely related to Canadian Inuit languages like Inuktitut. It is estimated that around 56,000–57,000 people speak it, meaning virtually the entire Greenlandic population uses it.

The language plays a central identity role. It was affirmed as the sole official language in 2009, after a long period when Danish dominated administration, schools, and higher education. Today, institutions, media (national radio Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa, newspapers like Sermitsiaq), politics, and community life rely primarily on Kalaallisut.

Dialects: One Country, Several Ways of Speaking

Under the term “Greenlandic”, there are actually three major dialect groups:

– Kalaallisut (or West Greenlandic): the standard variety, language of administration and media, spoken in most towns along the west coast (Nuuk, Sisimiut, Ilulissat, Qaqortoq, etc.).

– Tunumiisut (or East Greenlandic): spoken around Ammassalik and Ittoqqortoormiit, with noticeably different forms and vocabulary.

– Inuktun (or Thule dialect): spoken in the far north, close to Canadian Inuit varieties.

The three are not interchangeable “accents”: lexical differences are significant. A frequently cited example is the word “humans”: inuit in standard Kalaallisut, inughuit in Inuktun, iivit in Tunumiisut. For an expatriate, the priority remains standard Kalaallisut, but knowing these dialects exist sheds light on the variations you’ll hear while traveling.

The Role of Danish and English

Danish is the country’s second language, very present in secondary and higher education, administration, certain health services, the economy, and relations with Denmark. Many Greenlanders are bilingual Kalaallisut–Danish, but a significant portion of the population has limited Danish skills, especially in smaller settlements.

For an expatriate, the realistic combination is as follows:

– Short-term: English and/or Danish for administrative procedures and work, plus a foundation of survival phrases in Kalaallisut.

– Medium-term: systematic learning of Kalaallisut for social life, understanding local media, and accessing cultural codes.

A “Difficult” Language… But Highly Regular

Kalaallisut is reputed to be one of the most complex languages for a French or English speaker. This reputation is deserved in some respects, but misleading in others. Understanding its logic transforms the “mountain” into a clearly marked trail.

A Polysynthetic Language: When a Sentence Fits in One Word

The most disorienting feature for an expatriate is its polysynthetic nature. Concretely, where French strings several words together (“he begins to have good weather”), Kalaallisut attaches pieces (suffixes) to a root to form a single word.

A frequently cited example is qaqqaqaqaaq: from qaqqaq (“mountain”), the language adds various meaning elements to arrive at something like “there really are a lot of mountains”. Similarly, Illu (“house”), illuliu (“build a house”), illuliuinnarpoq (“he/she only builds houses“) illustrate this ability to stack suffixes.

It is estimated that there are between 400 and 500 derivational suffixes (which create new meanings) and nearly 318 inflectional suffixes (which mark person, mood, case, etc.). On average, a common word contains three to five morphemes. This gives the impression of an “endless” language, but the construction is highly regular. Once you learn how to cut up and analyze these words, you stop seeing them as opaque blocks.

Ergativity and Grammar: No Tenses, but Relationships

Grammatically, Kalaallisut operates on an ergative–absolutive alignment. Without going into technical details, this means that:

For a beginning expatriate, this isn’t the first thing to master, but it explains why grammars don’t look like Indo-European language textbooks.

Other important peculiarities:

– Nouns decline in 8 cases (absolutive, ergative, instrumental, allative, ablative, locative, prolative, equative) and sometimes carry possessive markers.

– Verbs mark person and number of both subject and object on a single word (“bipersonal” inflection), and conjugate in 8 moods (indicative, interrogative, imperative, optative, conditional, causative, contemporative, participial).

– The language does not have grammatical tenses like past or future; time is expressed through adverbs (ullumi “today”, aqagu “tomorrow”…) or derivational suffixes like -sima- or -nikuu- (perfective values).

– A system of “fourth person” handles cross-references in complex sentences (switch-reference).

The sentence structure (subject–object–verb word order) is fairly stable, but the bulk of the grammar lies inside the word. This is precisely what good Kalaallisut courses teach you to “disassemble.”

For the Kalaallisut learner

Pronunciation: Three Vowels, Many Surprising Consonants

Phonetically, Kalaallisut is based on a reduced vowel system – three vowels /a/, /i/, /u/ – but a rich consonant inventory, with sounds unusual for a French speaker.

Some key elements:

– Three basic vowels (/i/, /u/, /a/) which can be short or long (written double: aa, ii, uu).

– A single diphthong /ai/, only at the end of a word.

– Consonants articulated at several places: labial, alveolar, palatal, velar, and uvular.

Among the characteristic sounds:

– /q/: uvular plosive, a “k” very far back in the throat, like in Classical Arabic.

– /ɬ/: voiceless lateral fricative, similar to Welsh “ll,” appearing notably in Illillu (“you’re welcome”).

– /χ/: uvular fricative, comparable to the German “ch” in Bach.

– Affrications, for example, /t/ pronounced ts before /i/.

The following table summarizes some useful pronunciation correspondences for beginners.

Good news for the expatriate: pronunciation is very regular once the system is mastered, as the modern orthography (reformed in 1973) is designed to match the spoken language in central Kalaallisut.

Why an Expatriate Should Really Learn Kalaallisut

Faced with a language so different from French, it is tempting to fall back on English or Danish. Yet, the return on investment for Kalaallisut is considerable.

Social Integration and Daily Life

In smaller towns and villages, life revolves around a close-knit community. Conversations at the supermarket, the harbor, the post office, or during a kaffemik (a social gathering with coffee and cakes) take place in Kalaallisut. Knowing how to say more than Qujanaq (“thank you”) completely changes your status: you are no longer seen just as “the passing expat,” but as someone making an effort to join the circle.

Access to Employment and Professional Life

In a context where the government regularly considers language requirements for public sector employees, mastering Kalaallisut becomes a strategic asset. Some political proposals have even suggested that new non-Greenlandic-speaking civil servants take mandatory language courses with a final exam.

Many positions in administration, education, social services, healthcare, media, or culture already require knowledge of Kalaallisut, or at least consider it a decisive advantage over other candidates. For an expatriate planning a long-term career in Greenland – beyond temporary foreign expert missions – learning the local language is a nearly unavoidable investment.

Understanding Inuit Culture from the Inside

Kalaallisut is not just a communication tool; it is also the vehicle for memory, myths, humor, wordplay, and even the Inuit worldview. Polysynthesis, for example, allows for the creation of very long words, loaded with descriptive nuances, untranslatable in a single French word.

A Daily Act of Decolonization

Finally, in a country marked by a history of Danish linguistic domination, choosing to learn Kalaallisut is concrete support for the revitalization and centrality of an Indigenous language. Many Greenlandic researchers and activists advocate for higher education, administration, and public services to operate more in Kalaallisut. An expatriate who learns this language becomes, de facto, part of that movement of recognition.

Laying the Groundwork: Greetings, Numbers, Time

Even if your goal is to take an intensive course later, it makes sense to start with a “survival kit” you can use from the moment you arrive.

Greeting, Thanking, Apologizing

Some common phrases, with their approximate pronunciation in French (adapted for English context, we’ll use English phonetics):

These expressions, even if poorly pronounced at first, create a favorable climate. Don’t hesitate to repeat them in shops, on transportation, at work. Most of your interlocutors will willingly switch to English or Danish to continue the conversation, but the simple act of having opened in Kalaallisut makes a real difference.

Talking About Time, Days, and Seasons

Knowing how to orient yourself in time is very useful in work or appointment contexts. Some frequent words:

These words can be integrated into simple sentences you will learn with structured courses.

Numbers: Surviving at the Supermarket and with Bills

The Greenlandic numeral system is historically based on 20 (inuk naallugu – “a complete human being”). Today, for practical uses, standard forms are widely used. Knowing at least 1 to 12 allows you to shop without resorting to Danish.

For prices, you will also see the words koroonit (Danish crowns) and oorit (cents). Learning to say “how much does it cost?” and recognizing basic numbers immediately simplifies daily life.

Choosing Your Strategy: Self-Study, Networking, or Structured Courses

Once these basics are in place, the important thing for an expatriate is to define a realistic learning strategy based on available time, length of stay, and professional goals.

The Intensive-Progressive Model: “Learn Greenlandic with Per Langgård”

One of the most serious resources for structured Kalaallisut learning is the online program “Learn Greenlandic with Per Langgård.” It is a set of courses designed on a scientific basis, accessible for free for the content itself, with possible fees to join structured study networks.

Key points:

– The material covers approximately 500 hours of gradual progression.

– The program is designed for self-study, but emphasizes the importance of not learning in isolation.

– It is strongly recommended to work with a study partner or to join a learning network.

The method suggests setting aside each week:

– 2 to 3 hours for individual study (grammar, exercises, memorization),

– 2 to 3 hours for group or pair work (conversation, mutual correction, oral practice).

After about 300 hours of work, roughly one year at this pace, the author estimates that a learner can:

– have a small functional vocabulary,

– have an intuition of word formation rules,

– start recognizing fragments of language in their environment (signs, announcements, conversations).

To go further, the program offers:

– tutorials led by tutors (themselves former advanced students),

– groups formed from 8 enrolled students,

– a 14-week beginner tutoring with weekly meetings,

– a 24-week intermediate tutoring with meetings every two weeks.

Membership in these study networks (access to videoconferences, recordings, support) is paid: 1,200 DKK for network participation and 500 DKK extra for an individual exam and official diploma. For an expatriate who wants to prove their Kalaallisut level to an employer, this certification can be valuable.

Structured Courses and Support: LearnGreenlandic, LinguaShop, and Others

Another organization, LearnGreenlandic, offers courses in Kalaallisut and Danish at several levels, with instruction in English, Danish, and/or Greenlandic. A welcome feature for an expatriate:

– possibility of courses online and in-person in Nuuk,

– standardized courses by level (Course Level 1, Level 2, Level 3),

– possibility of tailor-made modules for specific groups (companies, project teams, etc.).

Learner testimonials highlight:

– a solid grammar foundation,

– use of modern materials (Quizlet, shared documents),

– consideration of specific dialects (e.g., the Qaanaaq variety).

– a complete Greenlandic pack (course + audio) for about 38.90 USD,

– MP3 audio files for beginners (18.80 USD),

– a workbook of over 50 pages (16.60 USD for PDF version),

– a PDF dictionary of common words (6.60 USD),

– an online vocabulary game (8.20 USD),

– grammar lessons with PDF (15.80 USD).

The company claims you can reach a basic conversational level and read simple texts in 2 to 4 weeks with regular work. For an expatriate already on the job, these resources can serve as a motivating supplement, even if they don’t replace in-depth work on polysynthetic morphology.

Mobile Apps: uTalk, Master Any Language, and Others

To start or maintain vocabulary, several mobile apps exist in Greenlandic (often listed as “Greenlandic” or “Kalaallisut”).

uTalk Classic – Learn Greenlandic (EuroTalk Ltd):

– paid app (about 7.99 USD or 99.00 kr),

– focuses on learning essential words and phrases,

– content recorded by native speakers,

– interactive games, adaptive system to user level,

– ability to record your own pronunciation,

– offline use (handy in remote areas with unstable network),

– covers basic themes: first words, food and drink, colors, numbers, body parts, time, shopping, general phrases, countries.

Master Any Language – Kalaallisut

– free app developed by Enterprise Matchmakers, LLC,

– focused on self-directed learning with games, quizzes, and memorization exercises,

– interface in English, modest size (19.1 MB),

– well suited for light but regular work on words and expressions.

These apps have a clear utility for the expatriate:

– consolidating basic vocabulary,

– familiarizing yourself with pronunciation (as a complement to more detailed resources),

– filling short time slots (waiting in line, commuting…).

However, they neither replace a structured course (like Learn Greenlandic with Per Langgård or LearnGreenlandic) nor real interaction with native speakers.

Supplementary Online Courses: Grammar and Culture

You can also find online courses, often in English, such as:

– a course titled “Learn Greenlandic, part of the Eskimo family of languages and Inuit Culture”,

– paid (14.99 USD),

– focused on basics (introductions, greetings, colors, food, numbers),

– emphasizes the link between language and Inuit culture, economy (fishing, mining, tourism, agriculture), and extreme living conditions;

– resources like “An Introduction to West Greenlandic” (detailed grammar of West Kalaallisut),

– divided into parts: word formation, sentence formation, endings/pronouns,

– emphasizes systematic word decomposition rather than rote memorization.

These courses are particularly suitable for expatriates who like to understand the structure of a language before speaking, or who have a linguistics background.

Building a Realistic Study Plan in Greenland

Having resources is not enough: you need a progression plan compatible with your professional and personal reality.

The Two-Year Horizon for True Fluency

Based on the estimates from Per Langgård‘s program:

– 1. First year (~300 hours)

– goal: build a lexical foundation and an intuition of morphology;

– typical results: understand sentence fragments, read some signs, begin to follow simple exchanges, introduce yourself, ask basic questions.

For an employed expatriate, this time frame is reasonable. It does, however, require weekly discipline: 4 to 6 hours per week (individual + group) for two years. Compare that with the benefits: social integration, professional opportunities, linguistic autonomy.

Combining Self-Study, Courses, and Immersion

An effective plan can be organized into three components:

– 1. Grammatical and morphological foundation

– follow a structured course (Learn Greenlandic, LearnGreenlandic, Stian’s grammar…);

– work each week: read the lesson, do written exercises, decompose long words encountered in daily life.

– 3. Real interaction

– participate in a study network (online tutorial, conversation group, motivated colleagues);

– use every daily situation: say Aluu at the supermarket, Qujanaq at the checkout, try a sentence in Kalaallisut before switching back, if necessary, to English.

This combination allows you to benefit from both the regularity of the language (discovered through grammar) and its living reality (encountered on the street, at work, hunting, or on excursions).

Practical Tips for Expatriates: Learning in Real Greenlandic Life

The quality of immersion offered by Greenland is paradoxical: you are surrounded by Kalaallisut, but the temptation to stay in an English/Danish-speaking bubble is strong. A few principles can help.

Create “Linguistic Rituals”

Rather than relying on abstract willpower, it’s effective to create rituals:

– always greet in Kalaallisut, even at the office;

– choose one day a week where you try to order in Greenlandic at the café or cafeteria (Kaffemik, qujanaq, etc.);

– listen to a national radio news bulletin in Kalaallisut each morning, even without understanding everything;

– note down one word encountered daily on the street (poster, sign, packaging) and break it down in the evening with your course or a speaker.

turn the city, the village, the fjord into an open-air classroom.

These micro-habits

Rely on the Kindness of Native Speakers

The majority of Greenlanders are very aware that their language is difficult for a foreigner. They are used to approximations, sound confusions, and shaky constructions. The important thing is to show that you own your mistakes.

Some useful attitudes:

– warn your interlocutor: Kalaallisut oqalusinnanngilanga (“I don’t speak Greenlandic well”), then try anyway;

– ask for confirmation: Ilaa ? (“isn’t that so?”) to check you understood;

– accept that the conversation sometimes switches back to Danish or English, without giving up on later inserting fragments of Kalaallisut.

Managing Difficulty: Focus on Regularity

Faced with the length of some words – a Greenlandic word of 153 letters is often cited – it is tempting to get discouraged. However, grammarians insist: Kalaallisut is a highly regular language. Rather than getting lost in the anecdote of “the longest word in the world,” it is more productive to:

– learn to segment a word into morphemes: root + suffixes,

– identify suffixes that recur constantly (e.g., for “to say,” “to think,” “can,” “to want”),

– understand that “word-sentences” are not monsters, but transparent grammatical LEGO blocks once you know the pieces.

Resources like An Introduction to West Greenlandic or Per Langgård‘s courses precisely emphasize this analytical approach.

Conclusion: Learning Kalaallisut, a Winning Bet for Expatriates

Learning Kalaallisut in Greenland is anything but trivial. It is a demanding investment – two years of regular effort to achieve real fluency – but the benefits are considerable:

The tools exist: scientific online courses, tutorials, apps, textbooks, vocabulary games. The environment itself is incredibly rich: a society where 80 to 90% of inhabitants have Kalaallisut as their first language, dynamic media, and small but warm communities.

What remains is the personal decision, and above all, consistency. For an expatriate ready to commit, Greenland offers something rare: the chance to become one of the very few non-Greenlanders able to speak a living Inuit language daily. In a world where many Indigenous languages are endangered, this is an experience that is professional, human, and ethical, of exceptional value.

Cyril Jarnias

Cyril Jarnias is an independent expert in international wealth management with over 20 years of experience. As an expatriate himself, he is dedicated to helping individuals and business leaders build, protect, and pass on their wealth with complete peace of mind.

On his website, cyriljarnias.com, he shares his expertise on international real estate, offshore company formation, and expatriation.

Thanks to his expertise, he offers sound advice to optimize his clients' wealth management. Cyril Jarnias is also recognized for his appearances in many prestigious media outlets such as BFM Business, les Français de l’étranger, Le Figaro, Les Echos, and Mieux vivre votre argent, where he shares his knowledge and know-how in wealth management.

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