Asking "What Is This/That?"

¡Allinllachu! Welcome back.

In our last lesson, we learned how to use the demonstratives kay (this) and chay (that) to point out and describe things, forming sentences like Kay wasiqa hatunmi (This house is big). This was a great step in being able to talk about the world around you.

But what happens when you see something and don't know what it is? Today's lesson will give you the tool to ask. Our goal is to ask and answer 'what is this/that' questions using 'ima' (what). By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to have a simple, interactive exchange to identify objects, a fundamental skill for any conversation.

1. The Question Word: Ima (What)

The key to asking "what" questions is the interrogative word ima. In Quechua, question words are often followed by the suffix -taq. This suffix helps to focus the question. So, ima becomes imataq.

Let's look at a resource that introduces ima and shows how it's used to build the exact questions we want to learn.

As you saw in the reading, the structure is straightforward and combines words we now know.

2. Asking the Question: Imataq kay?

Let's break down the structure of the question "What is this?":

Imataq kay?

• Ima: The question word "what".
• -taq: The suffix used with question words.
• kay: The demonstrative "this" (something near the speaker).

To ask "What is that?", you simply swap kay for chay:

Imataq chay? (What is that?)

An Important Rule: No -chu with Question Words

The resource pointed out a critical rule: When an interrogative particle is used, the question marker –chu cannot be used.

You'll remember from previous lessons that -chu is used to form yes/no questions (e.g., Allinllachu? - "Are you well?"). However, when you use a question word like ima, pi (who), or maypi (where), you do not add -chu.

• Correct: Imataq kay?
• Incorrect: Imataq kaychu?

Think of it this way: ima already signals that you are asking a "what" question, so the yes/no marker -chu is not needed.

3. Answering the Question

Now that you can ask the question, let's look at how to answer. The good news is, you already know the structure! It's the same one we used in the last lesson to identify objects.

Let's imagine a short conversation:

Person A: (Pointing to a dog at their feet) Imataq kay?
(What is this?)

Person B: (Confirming what it is) Kayqa allqum.
(This is a dog.)

Notice the answer uses the -qa topic marker on the demonstrative and the -m evidential suffix on the noun. This is the pattern for stating something you know directly.

Let's try another one:

Person A: (Pointing to a house across the street) Imataq chay?
(What is that?)

Person B: Chayqa wasim.
(That is a house.)

Remember the rule for the evidential suffix:

• Use -m after a vowel (e.g., allqu**m**, wasi**m**).
• Use -mi after a consonant (e.g., liwru**mi - it is a book).

4. Practice

Let's put this into practice. Use the vocabulary you know to form the questions and answers for the following scenarios.

Vocabulary review:

• wasi (house)
• allqu (dog)
• misi (cat)
• punchu (poncho)
• t'ika (flower)
• liwru (book)

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Activity 1: Asking the question

1. You are pointing to a flower at your feet. What question do you ask?
2. You are asking about a poncho your friend is holding. What question do you ask?

(Pause to think of your answers.)

Answers:

1. Imataq kay?
2. Imataq chay?

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Activity 2: Answering the question

1. Someone points to a book in your hands and asks, Imataq kay? How do you respond?
2. Someone points to a cat a few feet away from you and asks, Imataq chay? How do you respond?

(Pause to think of your answers.)

Answers:

1. Kayqa liwrumi.
2. Chayqa misim.

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Activity 3: Full Exchange

Imagine you are at a market. You point to an object and ask what it is. Your friend answers. Write out the two-line dialogue for this scenario:

• Scenario: You point to a poncho.

(Pause to write the dialogue.)

Dialogue:

• You: Imataq kay?
• Friend: Kayqa punchum.

Excellent! You can now successfully ask for and provide the names of objects.

Conclusion

In this lesson, you've learned a fundamental conversational skill: asking what something is.

Key Takeaways:

• The question word for "what" is ima.
• To ask "What is this/that?", use the patterns Imataq kay? and Imataq chay?.
• The suffix -taq is commonly attached to question words.
• When using a question word like ima, you do not use the yes/no question suffix -chu.
• Answers follow the identification pattern we've already learned: Kayqa [noun]-m. or Chayqa [noun]-mi.

Preview of the Next Lesson:

We've been using the suffix -mi (or -m) to make statements about things we know for sure, like when identifying an object you can see. This is called an "evidential" suffix because it marks the evidence for your statement. In our next lesson, we will explore this concept more deeply. We will solidify our understanding of -mi for direct knowledge and introduce a new suffix, -si, which is used to report information you've heard from someone else. This will allow you to be more precise about your sources of information.

Tupananchiskama! (Until we meet again!)