Quechua grammar
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Quechua
Quichwa is basically a SOV structure language, but sometimes it is written like SVO because of the influence of spanish language. It's algo an agglutinant and polisynthetic language, so you can join verbs + suffixes to make longer and more complex words, or adjectives + nouns. In spoken quechua, this has a limit, but it's proved that you can theorically analyze a verb in a maximum of eighteen particles (+ root).
Quechua, just like japanese, uses particles to diferentiate modes. It even has a topic marker, "qa". The basic particles are: -qa (topic marker, it means basically "it is..."). -ta (accusative. you use it also to make complexer verbs, like "learning to think"). -h (genitive. this one is used just like latin genitive, but the order is like in japanese, that is, backwards: you say ullquh unun, that is water of the mountain, ullqu means mountain, unu, water. the -n is a reiterative original from quechua). in ayacucho, peru, you use pa. other places use pah. -pi (locative. it means at, in or on). in huancayo, peru, you use traw -paq (dative. it means for) -wan (instrumental)
the not so basic particles are: -manta, piqta (ablative. it means "from") -kama (it means "until") -rayku (it means "because of") -nta (it means "through") -kuna (this automatically makes a plural of a noun) -taq/-ri (this signs are interrogative signs) -ña (this sign is an exclamation sign or adversative sign. it means "it's not like that") -yá (it means in spanish "pues". in english it could mean something like a "because you know", and it increases the level of commitment you have into what you're saying).
More particles in the affix section.
Verb particles and conjugation
this is the typical order of a quechwa phrase:
noun-qa object-paq noun-ta verb
all verbs are basically declined in present, future and potential (i can...). and all of the verbs are regulars. example: PRESENT rima-ni (I speak) rima-nki (you speak) rima-n (he, she, it speak) rima-nchik (we and you speak) rima-yku (we but not you speak) rima-nkichik (all of you speak) rima-nku (they speak)
FUTURE rima-saq (I'll speak) rima-nki (you speak) rima-nqa (he'll speak) rima-sunchik or rima-sun (we and you will speak) rima-saqku (we but not you will speak) rima-nkichik (all of you speak) rima-nqaku (they speak)
As you can see there is no real difference about second person plural. you just know when is future from the context.
To make past tenses and other you use particles:
-rqa- (between the root and present tense conjugation, it makes simple past). in cuzco, they use -ra- this particle is really important because it works like a general preterit. you won't hear things like "i have gone" but "i went" in qwichwa.
-shka- (the use is the same as rqa, it makes present continuous or proggresive, that is "i'm going", i.e. "rishkani"). some places use -sha- or -sa- there, like bolivian quechua.
-sqa- (the use is the same as rqa, it makes past perfect, that is "i had gone", i.e. "risqani"). when you use sqa as last particle of a word, it makes participle.
-spa (just like -sqa makes participle, you can put -nqa as a last particle in it would be as if you had placed -ing).
Counting
The numbers are: one---huh or huk, it depends of dialect. two---iskay or ishkay, idem. three-kimsa. four-tawa. five-pishqa, pichqa. six-suqta. seven-qanchis, kanchis. eight-pusaq. nine-isqun, ishkun. ten-chunka, trunka. hundread-pachak, pachaq. thousand-waranka. million-hunu.
you count just like in japanese: you say three ten to say thirty. but the unit numbers are always before the particle -yuq. So, twenty is iskay chunka, but twenty three is iskay chunka kimsayuq. if pronouncing a number it finishes in consonant or -y, you use -niyuq. so you say twenty one, iskay chunka huhniyuq, twenty two, iskay chunka iskayniyuq, etc.
-ñiqi (this particle makes ordinal any number. huhñiqi = first)
when counting in quechua you don't pluralize the subject. so, when saying "two persons", you just say "iskay nuna".
Word agglutination
Normally, verbs will be like this: root - tense particle - connective particle- nuance particle - personal conjugation.
And nouns like this: adjective - noun - pronoun particle - pluralizer particle
The nuance particle are mostly -yu-, -yku-, -ru, -ri-, -ra-, -mu- and -pu-. the first five can increase politeness, the others cahnge the entire meaning of the verb. example: apay - carry apamuy - carry (from there) = bring aparqamuni - I brought
ripuni - i go (because i'll feel sorry or I'll be punished if i don't)
lluqsirun - he just went out.
wawa - baby waway - my baby wawaykuna - my babys
The pronoun particles are a way of genitive case. But they can mean "of ---" or "to--- ", depending of context. they amke everyday talk a lot easier.
-y- of mine (my house, wasay/ my houses, wasaykuna) -yki- of yours (your house, wasayki) -n- his -nchik- ours and yours -yku - ours but not yours -ykichik yours of all of you -nku theirs
To make "ours", you say "mine and ours", so our babies is wawaykunanchik. To make "Yours" it is "yours and theirs" so your babies is like wawaykikunanku
But, it's important to know that you use -wa- to say dative "to me" and -su- to say "to you".
Verbs to be and to have
The verb kay, just like japanese verb "da" or polite "desu", it's not really the verb to be, because mostly it is not used that way and a lot times you just omit it. But when you do so, the verb to be is not implied within the topic marker, but in other particle, -mi/-m. Ex: Ñoqa Charlesmi, means I'm Charles. Ñoqa Claram, means I'm Clara.
When you use this particle, -mi, it's like saying "It is Charles that I am". Using this logic we have things like these: Tantatami munani (It is bread that i want, but you translate it "I want BREAD") Tantata munani (I WANT bread) Tantapimi munani (It is in the bread that i want)
The verb kay more often means "to exist". This works as the verb "to have", but you use it this way: wasiy kan, lit. "my house exists", but it means "i have a house". kunan wawayki kan, lit. "now your baby exist", but it means "you have a baby now"
You never use the conjugation "kan" like "(It) is". This inflection is only for the use i just explained.
You can create the verb "to have" also using -yuq kay. This is easier but it's not widely spoken. Allqoyuq kani lit. "i am have dog". but it means "i have a dog".
Adjectives
As explained above, adjectives are part of the aglutinant face of this language, so you don't have to use genitive -pa, -hpa or -h in a lot of cases. This is because making adjectives using genitive are a little expensive. Even so, you have the two cases: hatunmayu big river machupiqchu old bird allpamayu earth river wiraqucha oil well (Inca Garcilazo's joke)
Titus-hpa Wasin the house (his) of Titus Charles-hpa lapiznin the pencil (his) of Charles
when you have any trouble using pronoun particles, because you just can't pronunciate them, you need to place -ni before them. it avoids further confusions too.
Negation
You can deny in three different ways: - To say Manachu or Mana -chu before the sentence. - To say Ama -chu if you wan't to suggest something shouldn't be done. - To say Ama and the noun. This is a clear "Don't". Ex: Manachu hamunki? (Aren't you coming?, lit. You don't come?) Ama lluqsiychikchu (Don't go. Don't mix -ychik with "-nchik" or "-ykichik") Ama qella (Don't lie, lit. Not lie)
Double negation form (Spanish Yo no tengo a nadie) it's strange to the language.
Imperative
-y (singular) -ychik (plural) Ex: Takiy (You, sing) Takiychik (All of you, Sing)
