In this unit you will learn the past tense, specifically for an action that took place in the past and that the speaker has witnessed (no one told them) and that they are certain of. For this we use the suffix ra or rqa depending on the variant that we use. For example, in the Cusco Collao, we will use the suffix ra and in the Ayacucho Chanka variant the suffix rqa.

Ready?

¡Qallarisun! / Let's get started!

Next, we will look at the following structure:

Quechua Cusco Collao (ra): Ñuqa takirani (I sang)
Ñuqa                 taki-ra-ni
1st Person     taki base verb + ra (past) + ni 1st person verbal marker 

Quechua Cusco Collao (ra): Qan rantiranki (she/he bought)
Qan                   ranti-ra-nki
2nd Person    ranti base verb + ra (past) + nki 2nd person verbal marker (nki)

Quechua Ayacucho Chanka (rqa): Ñuqa takirqani (I sang)
Ñuqa                 taki-rqa-ni
1st Person     taki base verb + rqa (past) + ni 1st person verbal marker

Quechua Ayacucho Chanka (rqa): Qan rantirqanki (you bought)
Qan                   ranti-rqa-nki
2nd Person    ranti base verb + rqa (past) + nki 2nd person verbal marker

Each personal pronoun has a different determined verbal marker. Next, we will look at the conjugation with the suffixes ra or rqa that indicate past tense, for this we will conjugate the verb pukllay (to play).

Infinitive verb: pukllay
Verbal root: puklla

Note: Remember that the use of the dashes (-) are not part of Quechua writing, they are used to separate the grammatical structure for a better reading and understand for the student.

RA suffix (Quechua Cusco – Collao)	RQA suffix (Quechua Ayacucho – Chanka)	English
Ñuqa puklla-ra-ni	Ñuqa puklla-rqa-ni	I played
Qan puklla-ra-nki	Qan puklla-rqa-nki	You played
Pay puklla-ra-n	Pay puklla-rqa-n	She/he played
Ñuqanchis puklla-ra-nchis	Ñuqanchis puklla-rqa-nchis	We played (including the listener)
Ñuqayku puklla-ra-yku	Ñuqayku puklla-rqa-yku	We played (excluding the listener)
Qankuna puklla-ra-nkichis	Qankuna puklla-rqa-nkichis	You (pl) played
Paykuna puklla-ra-nku	Paykuna puklla-rqa-nku	They played

In the following graphics we will conjugate the past tense suffixes ra and rqa for each personal pronoun, pay attention to the suffix itself, as well as the verbal ending whether it is 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person (ni, nki, n, nchis, yku, nkichis, nku):

Singular – Ch’ulla

I	Ñuqa puklla-ra-ni
You	Qan puklla-ra-nki
She/He/It	Pay puklla-ra-n

Plural – Ashka

We (inclusive)	Ñuqanchis puklla-ra-nchis
We (exclusive)	Ñuqayku puklla-ra-yku
You (plural)	Qankuna puklla-ra-nkichis
They	Paykuna puklla-ra-nku

Singular – Ch’ulla

I	Ñuqa puklla-rqa-ni
You	Qan puklla-rqa-nki
She/He/It	Pay puklla-rqa-n

Plural – Ashka

We (inclusive)	Ñuqanchis puklla-rqa-nchis
We (exclusive)	Ñuqayku puklla-rqa-yku
You (plural)	Qankuna puklla-rqa-nkichis
They	Paykuna puklla-rqa-nku

Let's look at more examples of the use of the suffixes ra and rqa which indicate the past.

As you noted, the past tense in Quechua is represented by the suffixes ra and rqa, however in the following exercises, we will only use the suffix ra. For this, keep in mind the structure we have learned in this unit:

Ñuqa yachachirani (I taught)
Ñuqa yachachi-ra-ni
(subject)  yachachi verb + ra past tense marker and ni is the 1st person marker who does the action).

Qan yachachiranki (you taught)
Qan yachachi-ra-nki
(Subject) (yachachi verb + ra past tense marker and nki is the marker of the second person that does the action).

Next, we will learn the term «chaymanta» which refers to "next, after", this term serves as a connector when we narrate the principal activities that we did before, pay attention to the suffix RA which indicates the past, for example:

¿Ima-ta-n qayna p’unchay ruwaranki? (what did you do yesterday?):

Ñuqa qayna p’unchay wasiypi quinuata qosaywan wayk’urani
CHAYMANTA lomo saltadu-ta arrustawan wayk’urani
CHAYMANTA limonadata upyarani
CHAYMANTA huq manzanata mikhurani
CHAYMANTA huq taparata ñawinchasharani
CHAYMANTA correukunata qelqarani
CHAYMANTA vinuta qosaywan upyarani
CHAYMANTA Sicuanipi taytamamayta waqyarani
CHAYMANTA parkipi ñañaykunawan futbolta pukllarani
CHAYMANTA puñurani.

Yesterday I cooked quinoa in my house with my husband
AFTER I cooked lomo saltado with rice
NEXT I drank lemonade
NEXT I ate an apple
NEXT I read a book
NEXT I wrote a message
NEXT I drank wine with my husband
NEXT I called my parents in Sicuani
NEXT I played soccer with my sisters in the park
NEXT I slept.

Next, pay attention to the narration of the activities in the third person: ¿Imatan Katherin qayna p’unchay ruwaran? / what did Katherin do yesterday?

She/he qayna p’unchay wasi-n-pi wallpata qosa-n-wan wayk’uran
CHAYMANTA challwatawan papatawan wayk’uran
CHAYMANTA cocacolata upyaran
CHAYMANTA huq naranjata mikhuran
CHAYMANTA huq taparata ñawincharan
CHAYMANTA correukunata qelqaran
CHAYMANTA vinuta ñaña-n-wan upyaran
CHAYMANTA Oruropi taytamama-n-wan parlaran
CHAYMANTA parkipi ñañankunawan futbolta pukllaran
CHAYMANTA puñuran

Yesterday she cooked with her husband . . .
NEXT they cooked fish and potatoes
NEXT she drank coke
NEXT she ate an orange
NEXT she read a tapara
NEXT she wrote a message
NEXT she drank wine with her sister
NEXT she spoke with her parents in Oruro
NEXT she played soccer with her sister in the park
NEXT she slept.

Carefully observe the image, pay attention to each photo and the order that they are completed throughout the day. Imagine that you are the protagonist of each activity. According to each image, write in your notebook which activities are done in each photo, remember to narrate in the first person (ñuqa), additionally to use the word "chaymanta" como conector:

Tapu-ku-y-kuna – Key questions for a conversation

• ¿Maypi-n tiyaranki? = Where did you live?
• ¿Hayk’aq-mi yacharanki? = When did you learn?
• ¿Piwan-mi llank’a-ra-nki? = Who did you work with?
• ¿Imamanta-n rimaranki? = What did you talk about?
• ¿Ima-ta-n wayk’uranki? = What did you cook?

Qosa	husband
Rantiy	to buy
Yachachiy	to teach / to instruct
Chaymanta	after
Qayna p’unchay	yesterday
Uqyay	to drink
Ñawi	eye
Qelqay	to write
Tayta	father
Mama	mother
Puñuy	to sleep
Challwa	fish
Tapara	book
Parlay	to speak

In the following examples you will see that we are using the locative PI which refers to a place, for example: Qosqopi (in Cusco), Austinpi (in Austin), mercadupi (in the market).

In the same way, we are using the accusative marker TA that indicates the direct object of transitive verbs (for more detail see unit 8), for example: t’anta – t’antata (bread), carnaval – carnavalta (carnival), quinua – quinuata (quinoa), fútbol – futbolta (soccer). These exercises will serve to see the use of the past with more detail and the locative PI as well as the accusative marker TA.