There are 2 main ways to form interrogative sentences:
- With interrogative pronouns
- With the suffix -chu
Quechua sentences
Grammar 13: The suffix -chu in negative sentences
To form negative sentences in Quechua we need the suffix -chu which is used to indicate the denied element of the sentence (word or phrase), therefore there is no a fixed word to which it is added. We must also add the word ‘mana‘ (no).
In the lesson about the verb Kay we saw that for the third person the suffix -mi/-n was used, now we will also need this suffix, which has the function of emphasizing the sentence or phrase that accompanies it. So, to form negative sentences we will need to add this suffix to ‘mana’ obtaining: ‘manan‘.
With the following example you will realize that turning a positive sentence into a negative sentence is almost as easy as when in English we add the word ‘not’ or ‘don’t’.
Grammar 10: Quechua sentences. Suffix -TA
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:
Grammar 9: Imperative sentences in Quechua
Giving orders or instructions is one of the easiest ways to express ourselves.
To make direct commands, requests, orders, instructions, or supplications in Quechua simply use the endings -y, -ychis, -chun, -chunku and -sun.
For example: ¡hamuy! means ¡come!
Wait a minute, didn’t we agree that “hamuy” was an infinitive? 🤨 You’re right. What happens is that the ending “-y” has several functions, including the infinitive and the imperative.😌