Introduction Quechua Language 1/8

Introduction Quechua Language

I have prepared a simple gramar course of 8 lessons.

Remember that in coming to Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and other places where this language is spoken, people are extremely pleased if you can talk with them in their own language, be it even on a simple level.If you have any comments titqaq@gmail.com

  Quechua, Simplified Language Course lesson 1.

Table of alphabet and pronunciation

a	As in father	Apu (mountain), para (rain)
i	As in see	Sipas (young woman)
u	As in hoot or soon	Apu, Puma, unu (water) An u becomes more like o Kamayuq is heard as kamayoq
y	As in weed	Wasi-yki (your house)
e	Does not exist	(when written it is spoken as i
(o)	As in dog, but almost same spoken as u	Allqo (dog) or allqu (look also under u)
ay	As in “ai” or as in day, but with stronger a	Tayta (father) Ayni, Mesayoh; mesayoq
uy	See text**
B	As in bed	Baratu (cheap)
C	Does not exist
ch	As in chew	Chullu (cap with earflaps)
D	As in Doodoo	Domingu (sunday) only in borrowed words from Spanish
F	Only in borrowed words from Spanish	Fasil (simple)
G	As in Golf	Gubyirnu (government)
H	Begin of word: as in head	Huk (one)
h or         q	Middle/end of word: As in loch or soft q	Kama-yuq (boss)
J	Does not exist	Only in names borrowed from Spanish
K	As in Canada	Karu (far)
L	As in life	Lawa (soup)
ll	Spoke as ly lyou	Llama (lama)
M	As in major	Mayu (river)
N	As in name	Nina (fire)
ñ	As in canyon	Ñan (road)
P	As in Peter	Patrun (boss)
Q	As in cover	Qanchis (seven)
R	As in rover	Rumi (stone)
S  -sa	As in sorrow infix -sa as -sha or -sia	Samay (to rest) kasani (I am)
T	As in tower	Tawa (four)
V	Does not exist
W	As in wall	Wallpa (chicken)
X	Does not exist
y	Begin of word as in yes	Yaku (water
y	Other places as i
z	Does not exist

Quechua Lesson 1

Lesson 1 (Ñawpaq ñiqin yachay)

An important part of the language of the street and daily life is numbers and counting.

0	ch’usah,(empty)
1	uk, huk,
2	iskay
3	kimsa or kinsa
4	tawa, chuscu
5	phiska or pisqa
6	suqta
7	qanchis
8	pusaq
9	isqun
10	chunka

Here we encounter a difficulty in pronounciation. Normally you can pronounce as you read. There are some exceptions. For example in Suqta, the q is pronounced as in Loch (lake in Scotland, England). The Ch in Chunka is pronounced as in chew. (see the table of pronunciation in the Introduction)

11	Chunka-huk-ni-yuq
12	Chunka-iskay-ni-yuq
13	Chunka-kinsa-yuq
14	Chunka-tawa-yuq
15	Chunka-pisqa-yuq
16	Chunka-suqta-yuq
17	Chunka-qanchis-ni-yuq
18	Chunka-pusaq-ni-yuq
19	Chunka-isqun-ni-yuq
20	Iskay chunka

The suffix –yuq, (also written as –yoq, yuh or yoh) means “with.” Later on this suffix will be used frequently. Here it says that there is ten-with- etc. Another typical feature can be seen here as well. After a vowel, -yoh can be used, but after a consonant the euphonic particle –ni is inserted first. So it is not chunka-qanchis-yuq*, which does not feel right in Quechua, but chunka-qanchis-ni-yuq. Whenever –yoh or any other suffix is used, if the basic already composed word ends on a consonant, the euphonic particle –ni is infixed in the word. Here is an example in which the Spanish word amiga (female friend) becomes amiga-y (my female friend). In plural this becomes: amiga-s-ni-y, my (female) friends. The –s is a plural marker, derived from the Spanish language and often used for these borrowed words. For the use of the euphonic particle –ni, -ay or -uy as a diphthong is a consonant. For example chunka-iskay-ni-yoh and not chunka-iskay-yoh (although I have seen that too!).

Numbers go on:

20	Iskay chunka
30	Kimsa chunka
40	tawa chunka, et cetera
100	pachaq
120	Pachaq iskay-chunka-yuq
200	Iskay pachaq
300	kimsa pachaq et cetera
1000	waranqa
2000	Iskay waranqa et cetera
2010	Iskay waranqa chunka-yuq
2008	Iskay waranqa pusaq-ni-yuq
2012	Iskay waranqa chunka-iskay-ni-yuq
2100	Iskay waranqa pachaq-ni-yuq

Note: the last number, even if it is plain 10 or 100 is always written with –(ni)-yuq.

On this basis you can count and haggle in the marketplace and in shops. It is my experience that, if you know something of the language and you can count in it, you always get a better price. The people simply love it when someone speaks to them in their own language, even at this level of haggling in the marketplace! Learn this by heart, and you will see, and be amazed at the results!

Asking what something costs is simple: Haykataq solis? Hayka is a question word, meaning, “how much?” Note that the question marker –chu (of which later more) is never used in combination with question words.

When you want to say “first,” “second,” and so forth, the word ñiqin (ñeqen) is added: 2nd is iskay ñiqin, 3rd is kimsa ñiqin, etc.

As an exercise you might do some numbers on your own: Learn the numbers 0-10 by heart, as well as the numbers 10 to 100. Then try to say your telephone number in Quechua.

Arithmetics

To add: goes with the suffix -wan. 3+4=7: kimsa-wan tawa, qanchis-mi. -mi is an euphonic particle that expresses certainty of the speaker. Chunka iskayniyuqwan iskay chunka tawayuq, kimsa chunka pusaqniyuqmi. (12+24=36)

To distract: there are several way to express. This is rather complicatated. I present one method: chunka-manta pusah-ta qorqo-spa, iskay qipan. literally: ten-off eight-object marker taken-away, two stay behind. Qurqu-y means to take away, or reap; qipa-y or qhipay means to stay behind.

To multiplay: this goes with kuti, (times): iskay kuti tawa, pusaqmi, Litterally: 2 times 4, 8-euphonic particle.

To divide: there are 2 ways, with rakisqa (divided) with the suffix -pi, or takasqa (struck), or with the suffix -man or -wan: chunka iskay-ni-yuq kimsa-pi raki-sqa, tawa-m. Or chunka iskay-ni-yuq kimsa-wan taka-sqa, tawa-m. The suffix -pi means: in. So litterally: 12 3-in divided = 4. Or 12 3-with struck = 4. -m is the euphonic particle that expresses certainty of the speaker.