English→Southern Quechua

Translate English to Southern Quechua like a local.

Peruvian Southern Quechua is recognizable by its three-way plain, aspirated, and glottalized stop contrast, Cusco-Collao suffixes, and Spanish loans adapted to Quechua grammar.

Going the other way? Southern Quechua to English

474 local dialects

AIRTranslate on iPhone choosing between Quechua varieties

What locals actually say

Where’s the bathroom?

Baño maypitaq kachkan?

Baño is the everyday Peruvian Spanish loan, while -taq marks the focused question in the familiar spoken pattern.

Let’s go, it’s getting dark.

¡Hakuchu, tutayakushanña!

Hakuchu is the Cusco-Collao go-on-let’s-go expression; -sha marks the ongoing change and -ña adds “already.”

Grandma, wait for me!

¡Awicha, suyaykuway!

Awicha is the affectionate Peruvian family word for grandmother, and -kuway makes suyay “wait” a request to wait for me.

How much is this?

Kayqa hayk'ataq?

The Southern Quechua word hayk'a means how much, while -taq marks the focused interrogative.

After you cross the bridge, turn left.

Chakata chimpaspa, lluq'iman tikray.

Lluq'i means left and preserves the Southern Quechua glottalized q'; -spa links the crossing to the following instruction.

Please pass me the salt.

Kachita haywaykuway, ama hina kaspa.

Kachi means salt, and ama hina kaspa is a Southern Quechua politeness formula meaning please.

My mother is cooking.

Mamaymi yanuchkan.

The progressive suffix -chka- in yanuchkan signals an action happening now, while -mi presents it as directly known.

Are you coming with us tomorrow?

Paqarin ñuqaykuwan hamunkichu?

Ñuqaykuwan uses the exclusive we suffix -yku with -wan, signaling us but not you; -chu marks the yes-or-no question.

Notes like these come with every AIRTranslate translation, so you learn why locals phrase it that way as you go.

How Southern Quechua differs

Southern Quechua (Cusco-Collao) in official Peruvian orthography.

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Choosing Spanish (Peru) from 471 local variants

Localization Notes explaining why locals say it that way