Counting to 20 and Quantifying Objects

Allin p'unchaw! Welcome to your next lesson.

Introduction

In our last session, we learned how to make nouns plural using the suffix -kuna. This allows you to talk about "cats" (mishikuna) or "your houses" (wasiykichikkuna).

Today, we'll explore another fundamental way to express quantity: by using numbers. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to count from 1 to 20 and use these numbers to quantify objects, fully addressing this lesson's learning outcome. This will give you more precision when describing the world around you.

The Quechua word for "numbers" is yupaykuna, which comes from the verb yupay (to count).

¡Yupasun! (Let's count!)

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1. Numbers 1 to 10

Let's start with the basics. The numbers from one to ten are the building blocks for all other numbers.

First, let's get familiar with the words and their pronunciation. The following resource provides a list of numbers from 0 to 10 with audio clips for each one.

Here is the list for your reference. You may notice some resources use huk and others use huq for "one." Both are correct and represent slight dialectal variations; we will use huk for consistency.

• 1: huk
• 2: iskay
• 3: kimsa
• 4: tawa
• 5: pichqa
• 6: suqta
• 7: qanchis
• 8: pusaq
• 9: isqun
• 10: chunka

To further reinforce your pronunciation, this short video provides a clear and paced repetition of the numbers.

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2. Numbers 11 to 20

Once you know the numbers 1-9 and the word for 10 (chunka), forming the numbers from 11 to 20 is very logical.

The Pattern for 11-19

The numbers 11 through 19 are formed by combining chunka (10) with a number from 1 to 9, and adding a special suffix. The structure is:

chunka + unit (1-9) + suffix

The suffix changes depending on the last letter of the unit number:

• If the unit number ends in a vowel (e.g., kimsa, tawa), you add the suffix -yuq.
• If the unit number ends in a consonant (e.g., huk, iskay), you add the suffix -niyuq.

The -ni- part is a "euphonic particle," meaning it's added to make the word flow better phonetically.

Let's see this rule in action.

Here is the complete list from 11 to 20:

• 11: chunka hukniyuq (10 + 1 + niyuq)
• 12: chunka iskayniyuq (10 + 2 + niyuq)
• 13: chunka kimsayuq (10 + 3 + yuq)
• 14: chunka tawayuq (10 + 4 + yuq)
• 15: chunka pichqayuq (10 + 5 + yuq)
• 16: chunka suqtayuq (10 + 6 + yuq)
• 17: chunka qanchisniyuq (10 + 7 + niyuq)
• 18: chunka pusaqniyuq (10 + 8 + niyuq)
• 19: chunka isqunniyuq (10 + 9 + niyuq)

Forming 20

The number 20 follows a different, simpler pattern based on multiplication. It is literally "two tens."

• 20: iskay chunka (two-ten)

This multiplicative pattern is the foundation for all the tens (30, 40, 50, etc.), which you'll see in future studies. For example, 30 is kimsa chunka (three-ten).

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3. Quantifying Objects

Now, let's use these numbers to count things. The structure is simple and mirrors English:

Number + Noun

For example:

• kimsa wasi - three houses
• pichqa allqu - five dogs
• chunka hukniyuq llama - eleven llamas

Numbers and the Plural Suffix -kuna

In the previous lesson, you learned to use -kuna to make nouns plural. When you use a number (other than huk, one), the noun is already understood to be plural. Because of this, the -kuna suffix is often considered redundant and is frequently omitted.

Both forms are generally correct, but leaving out -kuna is very common.

• tawa quwi is the same as tawa quwikuna. (four guinea pigs)
• iskay runa is the same as iskay runakuna. (two people)

Let's look at a resource that provides some practice with this.

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4. Self-Assessment

Let's check your understanding. Write out the Quechua for the following numbers and phrases.

Part A: Write the numbers

1. 7
2. 12
3. 16
4. 20

Answers

1. qanchis
2. chunka iskayniyuq
3. chunka suqtayuq
4. iskay chunka

Part B: Quantify the objects

1. One cat (mishi)
2. Eight mountains (urqu)
3. Fifteen flowers (t'ika)
4. Nineteen people (runa)

Answers

1. huk mishi
2. pusaq urqu (or pusaq urqukuna)
3. chunka pichqayuq t'ika (or chunka pichqayuq t'ikakuna)
4. chunka isqunniyuq runa (or chunka isqunniyuq runakuna)

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Conclusion

¡Allin llamk'asqa! (Good work!)

Today you've learned a crucial skill for expressing specific quantities in Quechua.

Key Takeaways:

• You learned the numbers from 1 to 10: huk, iskay, kimsa, tawa, pichqa, suqta, qanchis, pusaq, isqun, chunka.
• You mastered the pattern for numbers 11-19: chunka + unit + -yuq (for vowel endings) or -niyuq (for consonant endings).
• You learned that 20 is iskay chunka.
• To quantify an object, you place the number before the noun (e.g., iskay wasi). The plural suffix -kuna is often omitted in this case.

Preview of the Next Lesson:
We are now ready to complete our module on "Possession, Plurals, and Family." In the next lesson, we will learn the Quechua terms for immediate family members (mother, father, sibling) and combine this new vocabulary with the possessive suffixes you already know.

Tupananchiskama! (Until we meet again!)