The English uses the structure: Subject – Verb – Object (SVO), for example in the sentence ‘Maria is listening to music‘, the subject would be ‘Maria‘, the verb ‘is listening‘ and the object ‘music‘. This is the most usual in English, but it is such a flexible language that the order can vary without losing its naturalness.
In Quechua the order is different: Subject – Object – Verb (SOV), for example, the sentence of the previous paragraph in Quechua would be: ‘Maria, music is listening’, in Quechua this is the most usual, although like English It can be flexible in certain circumstances.
Due to this structure, suffixes that denote the object are needed, let’s start with the suffix -ta:
1. Suffix -ta: Mark the direct and indirect object
Simply add the suffix -ta to the object (direct or indirect) of the sentence. How do you translate the suffix -ta? Although it has several functions, it can sometimes be translated as: to. But, when translating into English many times it has no equivalent.
Well, the time has come to put into practice the verbs and conjugations we have learned, we will also learn new words, pay attention to how Quechua sentences are formed.
I recommend you review the lesson of possessive pronouns and that of the present continuous.
First let’s see how the same action is expressed with the different grammatical people, we will conjugate in the present continuous and past continuous, and we will also see how the possessive endings are applied:
2. Examples with the verb yanapay (to help)
| Noqa taytayta yanapashani | I am helping mi padre |
| Qan taytaykita yanapashanki | You are helping your dad |
| Payqa taytanta yanapashan | He/She is helping his/her dad |
| Noqanchis taytanchista yanapashanchis | We are helping our dad (of all speakers) |
| Noqayku taytaykuta yanapashayku | We are helping our dad (no of addresses) |
| Qankuna taytaykichista yanapashankichis | You [guys] are helping your dad |
| Paykunaqa taytankuta yanapashanku | They are helping their dad |
Regarding the correct way to form sentences in the third person look at this lesson.
Now let’s increase the level a little, in the previous table for each grammatical person we use their respective possessive, now we will use the possessive of a different grammatical person than the performer of the action or we will not use possessive, and we will also use the plural and the pronouns will be tacit or omitted.
Vocabulary we will use:
- Waka: Cow
- Michiy: Graze (cattle)
| Wakakunata michishani | [I] am grazing cows |
| Wakaykuta michishanki | [You] are grazing our cow[s] (they are not yours) **There is ambiguity regarding the number of cows, it can be singular or plural, the context determines it. |
| Wakanchiskunata michishan | [He/She] is grazing our cows (they belong to him/her too) |
| Wakaykunata michishanchis | [We] are grazing my cows (the hearers and the speaker participate in grazing the cows of the speaker) |
| Wakankuta michishayku | [We] are grazing their cow[s] **There is ambiguity regarding the number of cows, it can be singular or plural, the context determines it. |
| Wakakunata michishankichis | [You people] are grazing cows |
| Wakaykikunata michishanku | [They] are grazing your cows |
3. Examples with the verb yachay (to learn)
There are many times where you have to use -ta in Quechua, but in English there is no word or expression that translates this suffix.
For example if someone says: “Noqa t’antata rantishani”, this translates to: “I am buying bread”, if we translate “-ta” to “to” it would result: “I am buying to bread”, which does not make much sense in English.
This shows that the suffix -ta does not necessarily mean “to”, but it marks the direct (or indirect) object of the sentence, that is its main function. Let’s look at some examples in the past continuous:
Vocabulary we will use:
- Runa simi: Quechua, literally “people’s language or people’s tongue”.
- Yachay: to know, to learn.
| Runa simita yachasharani | [I] was learning Quechua |
| Runa simita yachasharanki | [You] were learning Quechua |
| Runa simita yachasharan | [He/She] was learning Quechua |
| Runa simita yachasharanchis | [We] were learning Quechua (including the addressee) |
| Runa simita yachasharayku | [We] were learning Quechua (not including the addressee) |
| Runa simita yachasharankichis | [You people] were learning Quechua |
| Runa simita yachasharanku | [They] were learning Quechua |
As you can see, in these cases the suffix -ta has no equivalent, in most cases this will be so.
4. Miscellaneous examples
Let’s look at a miscellaneous examples:
GP means: Grammatical person.
| Quechua | English | GP |
| Noqa t’antata rantirani | Yo bought bread | Noqa |
| Qolqeta churashanki | [You] are putting money | Qan (omitted) |
| Juan wakaykuta michishan | Juan is grazing our cows (not the hearer’s) | Pay |
| Sumaqta kawsashanchis | [We] are living nicely [including the addressee] | Noqanchis (omitted) |
| Runa simita yachashayku | [We] are learning Quechua [not including the addressee] | Noqayku (omitted) |
| P’achaykichista t’aqsasharankichis | [You people] were washing your clothes | Qankuna (omitted) |
| Runakuna nishuta llank’ashanku | The people is working hard (a lot) | Paykuna |
| Noqa qosayta munakuni | I love my husband | Noqa |
| Sinchita manchakuranki | [You] got very scared | Qan |
| Ana turanta yanapashan | Ana is helping her brother | Pay |
| Takikunata uyarishanchis | [We] are listening to songs [including the addressee] | Noqanchis |
| Sara lawata mikhurayku | [We] ate corn soup [not including the addressee] | Noqayku |
| Waynuta tususharankichis | [You guys] were dancing Huayno | Qankuna |
| Mankaykikunata maqchinqaku | [They] will wash your pots | Paykuna |
New vocabulary we learned in these examples:
- T’anta: bread
- Qolqe: silver, money
- Sumaq: nice, beautiful, good, exquisite, delicious (one of the words with the most beautiful meaning of Quechua, not only refers to something beautiful in appearance, but to something nice, delightful)
- P’acha: clothes, do not confuse with “pacha” (earth)
- Nishu: a lot, much
- Sinchi: a lot, much
- Taki: song
- Sara lawa: corn soup, if you prepare it well it is really delicious😊
- Waynu: Huayno (a Peruvian folk dance)
- Manka: pot
- Manchakuy: get scared
I hope I’ve been clear enough, if you have any questions let me know in the comments.