There are 2 main ways to form interrogative sentences:
- With interrogative pronouns
- With the suffix -chu
The suffix chu
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’.