Possessive Suffixes in Quechua

Allin p'unchaw! (Good day!) Welcome to your next lesson in learning Quechua.

Introduction

This lesson marks the beginning of Module 3, where we'll explore how to talk about possession, family, and counting. Today, we will focus on the first and most fundamental aspect of this: expressing ownership.

Today's Goal: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to use the Quechua possessive suffixes -y, -yki, -n, -nchik, -yku, -ykichik, and -nku to show who owns an object.

In previous modules, you've seen how Quechua adds suffixes to words to build meaning, like using -mi for direct knowledge or -pi for location. We will now learn a new set of suffixes that attach directly to nouns to function like "my," "your," "his/her," and so on.

Let's begin! ¡Qallarisun!

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1. Expressing Possession: The Basics

In English, we use separate words like "my," "your," or "our" before a noun to show possession (e.g., "my house"). In Quechua, this is achieved by adding a suffix to the noun itself. The suffix changes depending on the person who is the possessor.

There are two main rules for applying these suffixes, depending on whether the noun ends in a vowel or a consonant. Let's start with the most common case: nouns ending in a vowel.

Nouns Ending in a Vowel

To understand this core concept, please read the first part of the grammar section from the resource "Yachana 14" by Quechua Tinkuy.

As you saw in the reading, the suffixes are attached directly to the noun. Here is a summary of the suffixes for vowel-ending nouns, using wasi (house) as our example:

Pronoun	Noun + Suffix	English
Ñuqa	wasi**-y**	my house
Qan	wasi**-yki**	your house
Pay	wasi**-n**	his/her house
Ñuqanchik	wasi**-nchik**	our house (inclusive)
Ñuqayku	wasi**-yku**	our house (exclusive)
Qankuna	wasi**-ykichik**	your (plural) house
Paykuna	wasi**-nku**	their house

A key feature to remember is the distinction between -nchik (inclusive "our," meaning "yours and mine") and -yku (exclusive "our," meaning "mine and others', but not yours").

For example:

• wasi**nchik** - our house (I'm talking to someone who also lives in the house)
• wasi**yku** - our house (I'm talking to someone who does not live in the house)

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2. The Rule for Consonants

What happens if the noun you want to possess ends in a consonant? Quechua has a simple and consistent rule for this. You insert a "linker" syllable, -ni-, between the noun and the possessive suffix.

Let's return to the same resource to see this rule in action.

The pattern is the same as before, but with -ni- added. Let's look at the word yawar (blood) as another example:

Pronoun	Noun + Suffix	English
Ñuqa	yawar**-ni-y**	my blood
Qan	yawar**-ni-yki**	your blood
Pay	yawar**-ni-n**	his/her blood
Ñuqanchik	yawar**-ni-nchik**	our blood (inclusive)
Ñuqayku	yawar**-ni-yku**	our blood (exclusive)
Qankuna	yawar**-ni-ykichik**	your (plural) blood
Paykuna	yawar**-ni-nku**	their blood

This rule is very consistent, making it a reliable pattern to follow.

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3. Possessives in Context

Now let's see how these possessed nouns fit into complete sentences. The possessive suffix attaches first, and then other suffixes you've learned (like -pi for location) can be added after it.

Read the two short dialogues from the "Yachana 14" resource. Try to spot the possessed nouns and understand their meaning in the conversation.

In Dialogue 1, you saw:

• Wasi**y**pi kashani. - I am in my house.
  • Root: wasi (house)
  • Possessive: -y (my)
  • Locative: -pi (in/at)
• Chaqra**y**pi kashani. - I am in my farm.
• chaqra**yku**ta yapunqaku. - They will plow our (exclusive) farm.
  • Here, the suffix -ta marks the farm as the direct object of the verb. We will study this suffix in detail in Module 5.

In Dialogue 2, you saw:

• wawa**yki**chu kay warma? - Is this child your child?
• yawar**niy** kay warma. - This child is my blood. (Notice the -niy for a consonant-ending word).

Quick Practice

Let's try applying these rules. Based on what you've learned, how would you say the following?

1. "my dog" (dog = allqu)
2. "your town" (town = llaqta)
3. "his/her path" (path = ñan)
4. "our (inclusive) star" (star = ch'aska)

Answers

1. allqu-y
2. llaqta-yki
3. ñan-ni-n
4. ch'aska-nchik

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4. Self-Assessment Exercises

To solidify your understanding, please complete the short exercises provided in the "Yachana 14" resource. This is a great way to test your ability to form possessed nouns and use them in a sentence.

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Conclusion

Tukusunchis! (Let's finish!)

In this lesson, you've learned one of the most important grammatical features of Quechua: expressing possession with suffixes.

Key Takeaways:

• Possession is shown by adding suffixes to nouns, not by using separate words.
• For nouns ending in a vowel, you add -y, -yki, -n, -nchik, -yku, -ykichik, -nku.
• For nouns ending in a consonant, you insert -ni- before the same set of suffixes (e.g., -niy, -niyki, -nin).
• The inclusive -nchik ("our," including the listener) and exclusive -yku ("our," excluding the listener) are an essential distinction.

Preview of the Next Lesson:
So far, we've attached possessive suffixes directly to nouns, like wasin ("his/her house"). In the next lesson, we will learn how to be more specific by naming the owner, as in "Pedro's house." This involves using another suffix, -pa, to create what is sometimes called a "double possession" structure (e.g., Pedropaq wasin).

Allinllachu? I hope you found this lesson clear and useful. Tupananchiskama! (Until we meet again!)