K'Iche' Grammar

BASIC K¢ICHE¢GRAMMAR

38 LESSONS

James L. Mondloch

April 1999

FORWARD

Among the indigenous languages of the Americas, The K¢iche¢an languages occupy a prominent place both in regard to number of speakers and in respect to their historical significance. Presently the speakers of K¢iche¢an languages (K¢iche¢, Kaqchikel, Tz¢utujil, Sakapulteko, and Sipakapense) number almost one million, compared to approximately 600,000 speakers of all the Amerindian languages of the United States and Canada. By all accounts the Popol Vuh written by a K¢iche¢ noble in the sixteenth century, is our most valuable first-hand account of the myths and oral history of Pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica. The Title of the Lords of Totonicapan, the Rabinal Achi dance drama, and the Annals of the Cakchiquels are other K¢iche¢an documents of the highest significance for scholars dealing with history and mythology of Pre-Columbian America.

Despite the importance of K¢iche¢an languages, modern linguistic descriptions of these languages are relatively scanty. For example, there is no published connection of K¢iche¢ texts, nor is there an adequate dictionary of the modern dialects. Although some reasonably accurate pedagogical materials are available (Wick & Cochojil Gonzales, Spoken Quiche Maya; David Fox, Lecciones Elementales en Quiche), they are either unsuited for non-linguists (Wick) or offer only a superficial introduction to the grammar of the language.

Basic K¢iche¢ Grammar, by James L. Mondloch, fills a gap in our descriptive materials by providing an extensive and accurate survey of the principle grammatical structures of K¢iche¢, explained in a thorough, yet non-technical manner. The author has spent more than nine years in K¢iche-speaking communities and so is able to provide a wealth of examples and detailed commentaries on actual usage. This is a pedagogical rather than a reference grammar; it is organized around graded grammatical lessons accompanied by drills and exercises. It should prove extremely valuable both to linguists and non-linguists alike who wish to acquire a speaking and reading knowledge of modern K¢iche¢, or to those who want only to find out about the structure of the language.

William Norman & Lyle Campbell

i

TABLE OF CONTENTS

page

Forward ................................................................................................................................... i

Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................... ii

Introduction .............................................................................................................................. v

List of Abbreviations and Symbols ........................................................................................... vi

Lesson 1: The K¢iche¢ Alphabet ................................................................................................ 1

Lesson 2: The Non Verbal Sentence ......................................................................................... 11

Lesson 3: Pluralization of Non Verbal Sentences ...................................................................... 14

Lesson 4: Personal Pronouns and the Non Verbal Sentence ....................................................... 17

Lesson 5: Adjectives Modifying Nouns ..................................................................................... 20

Lesson 6: Questions: Converting Affirmative Sentences Into Questions .................................... 23

Lesson 7: Possessive Pronouns ................................................................................................. 25

Lesson 8: Possessive Pronouns Continued ............................................................................... 27

Lesson 9: Intransitive Verbs in Incompleted Action ................................................................... 30

Lesson 10: Intransitive Verbs in Completed Action and Declension of Prepositions “-umal” and -uuk¢ .................................................................................................... 34

Lesson 11: Intransitive Verbs Continued .................................................................................... 38

Lesson 12: Imperatives in the Simple Intransitive Verbs ............................................................. 41

Lesson 13: Negatives ................................................................................................................. 45

Lesson 14: The Particle “Wi’ (“U”, “Wu”) With Direction and Location Words ..................... 49

Lesson 15: Transitive Verbs -- Class 2 -- Whose Roots Begin With Consonants andEnd With Vowels In Incomplete Action In Voice 1 .................................................. 52

Lesson 16: Class 2 Transitive Verbs Whose Roots Begin With Consonants inCompleted Action In Voice 1 ................................................................................... 60

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Lesson 17: Class 2 Transitive Verbs in Voice 1 Whose Roots Begin With a Vowel ..................... 63

Lesson 18: Imperatives of Transitive verbs -- Class 2 -- Voice 1 and the Reflexives ................... 66

Lesson 19: Class 2 Transitive Verbs in Voice 2 .......................................................................... 70




Lesson 23: Special Sub-Classes of Class 2 Transitive Verbs and The Use of SeparatedPersonal Pronouns for Emphasis ............................................................................... 93

Lesson 24: The Demonstrative Articles and Relative Pronouns: Wee, Lee, Rii ............................98

Lesson 25: The Demonstrative Pronouns: Wa¢, La¢, Ri¢ .............................................................103

Lesson 26: Class 1 Transitive Verbs in Voices 1 and 2 in Incompleted and Completed Aspectsand Intensification of Adjectives With “-Alaj” ..........................................................108

Lesson 27: Class 1 Transitive Verbs in Voice 1 Imperatives and Use of the Progressive Action Word “Katajinik .......................................................................................... 115

Lesson 28: Class 1 Transitive Verbs in Voice 2 ......................................................................... 122

Lesson 29: Class 1 Transitive Verbs in Voices 3 and 4 .............................................................. 127

Lesson 30: Class 1 Transitive Verbs in Voice 5 and Use of “B¢anik” With Spanish Verbs............133

Lesson 31: The Negative Imperative and Other Negative Forms .................................................137

Lesson 32: Perfect Aspect of Class 1 and 2 Transitive Verbs in Voices 1 and 2 and SpecialCase of Eta¢maxik (TV2) -- To Be Learned ............................................................. 142

Lesson 33: Perfect Aspect of Intransitive Verbs and Classes 1 and 2 Transitive Verbs in Voices 3, 4, and 5 ................................................................................................... 148

Lesson 34: Stative Intransitive Verbs in Incomplete, Completed, Imperative, Perfect andStative Aspects ....................................................................................................... 155

Lesson 35: Nominalized Forms of Simple and Stative Intransitive Verbs and Class 1 and 2Transitive Verbs in Voices 2 and 4 .......................................................................... 163

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Lesson 36: Formation of Person Agents With Simple Intransitive Verbs and Class 1 and 2 Transitive Verbs in Voices 1 and 4 and the Uses of the Familiar Prefixes“A” and “Al” With Proper Names ......................................................................... 172

Lesson 37: Formation of Nouns From Adjectives And Unpossessed Forms of ObligatorilyPossessed Nouns ..................................................................................................... 181

Lesson 38: Directional and Locational Adverbs Loq, B¢iik, and Kanoq and Conjugationof Irregular Class 2 Transitive Verb Ajawaxik -- “To Be Wanted”, To Be Loved”,and Use of Auxiliary Verbs Kowinem and Ajawaxik ............................................... 186

Vocabulary: K¢iche¢ to English ...................................................................................................195

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INTRODUCTION

This grammar is presented with the goal of making available a much more complete and useable presentation of the K¢iche¢ language than has yet been published. It is my hope that this work will be of value to its readers in their study of K¢iche¢.

After studying and speaking the K¢iche¢ language for some eight years I decided it was time to write down in an orderly fashion some of my ideas about the structure of the language. Much of the analysis found in this grammar is not mine, but rather is the work of other dedicated students of K¢iche¢. Some few of the ideas are my own.

When I began my study of K¢iche¢ I used the available works written on the language; especially the grammars of David Fox, Stanley Wick, Adrian Chávez and Brasseur de Bourbourg. As I progressed in my knowledge of the language I came upon many points of grammar, especially in the verb structure, that were not touched upon in these works. For this reason I began constructing my own grammatical analysis of the language. In this study I have attempted to make a rather complete analysis of the K¢iche¢ verb system based on the everyday speech of the people. Many of the unresolved grammatical problems that I encountered while studying the language have been resolved, at least to my satisfaction, in this present analysis. Another problem I had to face in attempting to describe the Nahualá-Ixtahuacán dialect of K¢iche was that of vowel length. The modern grammars of the language (Fox, Wick) are of dialects with a six-vowel system. However, the Nahualá-Ixtahuacán dialect has a ten-vowel system. With the help of Dr. William Norman I have attempted to accurately record vowel length in this present work.

Needless to say, no grammatical analysis of any language is ever complete. This grammar is intended to be a pedagogical rather than a reference work. A more thorough treatment of the phonology of the language is necessary (e.g. vowel shortening, contractions, the phonological properties of the phoneme /h/,etc.). Yet this grammar should serve as a useful complement to the already existing works.

I wish to express my gratitude to all who have helped me in the preparation of this work. Above all, I thank the K¢iche¢ speakers, especially those from Nahualá, Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán and Santo Tomás la Unión, Suchitepéquez, who have so patiently mentored me in their language. A greater gift they could not have given me. For in sharing with me their language they opened their hearts in friendship.

My thanks to Father Eugene Hruska who so patiently and with much effort helped me to formulate my ideas in the clearest possible fashion. It was his prodding that made me begin constructing this grammar, and his continual help and encouragement that enabled me to finally finish it. These lessons bear the mark of his careful revision and constructive criticism.

I also owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. William Norman for the long hours he invested in the correction and revision of this grammar. And finally, I especially thank my wife, Maria Tahay Carrillo, herself a native K¢iche¢ speaker, who so patiently helped me in formulating this present work.

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS

(adj) adjective(adv) adverb(conj) conjunction(dem) demonstrative(dem art) demonstrative article(dem pro) demonstrative pronoun(dir) direction(exclam) exclamatory word(form) formal address form(indef art) indefinate article(inter) interrogatory word(iv) simple intransitive verb(n) noun(num) number(part) particle (not translatable)(per pro) personal pronoun(pl) plural(plu fam) second person plural, familiar address form (ix)(plu form) second person plural, formal address form (alaq)(pn) obligatorily possessed noun(poss pro) possessive pronoun(prep) preposition(pro) pronoun(rel pro) relative pronoun(sing) singular(sing-fam) second person singular, familiar address form (at)(sing-form) second person singular, formal address form (laal)(Span) Spanish loan word(sv) stative intransitive verb(tv) transitive verb(tv1) transitive verb -- Class 1(tv2) transitive verb -- Class 2(tv2-b¢a¢) transitive verb -- Class 2 with -b¢a¢ termination in Voice 1

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LESSON ONE

THE K¢ICHE¢ ALPHABET

The K¢iche¢ alphabet consists of the following sounds:

aa Closely resembles the “a” in “father.

aaj -- reed paar -- skunkchaaj -- ash laal -- you (sing-form)

(See footnote 1)

a A rapidly pronounced “a” resembling the “u” in “but”.

aj -- fresh corn ear ak¢ -- chickenkar -- fish jal -- dried ears of corn

b¢ There are two forms of b¢:

b¢1 -- Formation: This sound is formed by pulling air from the mouth back into the throat while pronouncing an English “b” and at the same time

momentarily closing the throat before opening the lips to say the “b” sound.

Occurrence -- This sound is found before vowels.

b¢e -- road ab¢aj -- rockb¢a -- gopher ub¢een -- tamale with beans inside

b¢2 -- Formation: Made by holding the breath while making a “p” sound, and releasing the air in the mouth between the lips with a small puff of air.

Occurrence -- Before consonants or at the end of an utterance.

jab¢ -- rain sib¢ -- smokesub¢ -- corn tamale aab¢ -- hammock

* The glottal stop (¢) always follows the letter b¢ in written K¢iche¢.

ch Like the “ch” in “church.

cho -- lake chiim -- woven bagwach -- face, front wo¢ch -- my house

1

ch¢ Pronounced with the tongue in the same position as for the “ch”, but now the throat is closed and only the air remaining in the mouth is used to produce this

“glottalized” (produced with the throat closed) sound.

Hold your breath and practice making the “ch¢” and “ch¢o”:

ch¢ ch¢ ch¢ ch¢ ch¢ ch¢ ch¢o ch¢o ch¢o ch¢o ch¢o ch¢o

ch¢o -- mouse puuch¢ -- matter from eyesjach¢ -- corn harvest ch¢iich¢ -- any metallic object

ee Pronounced like the “ai” in “bait”.

lee -- the (demon art) cheech -- for himeera -- place where wheat is thrashed wee -- mine (belonging to me)

(See footnote 1)

e A rapidly pronounced (short) “e” approximately like the “e” in “bet”.

ek¢ -- chicken (Santa Tomás la Unión)k¢el -- green parrot

ii Like the “ee” in “deed”.

piim -- thick riib¢ -- himselfsiip -- woodtick wiij -- my back

(See footnote 1)

i A rapidly pronounced “i”.

sib¢ -- smoke in -- I

j Somewhat resembles the “h” sound in “hot” but pronounced deep in the throat with a scraping sound.

jat -- go! jooj -- a black birdajiij -- sugar cane iij -- measles

k Like the “c” in “cat.

ko -- hard keem -- weavingkuuk -- squirrel ki -- maguey plant

(See footnote 2)

2

k¢ Pronounced with the tongue in the same position as for the “k”, but now the throat is closed and only the air in the mouth is used to produce this glottalized” (produced

with throat closed) sound.

Hold you breath and practice making “k¢” and “k¢a”

k¢ k¢ k¢ k¢ k¢ k¢ k¢ k¢ k¢ k¢a k¢a k¢a k¢a k¢a k¢a k¢a

k¢a -- bitter k¢ook¢ -- fragrantk¢i -- many k¢olok¢ik -- sphericalk¢aak¢ -- new k¢ab¢ak¢ik -- gaping (mouth)

l There are two l’s:

l1 -- Formation: Like the “l” in English but with the tip of the tongue placed immediately behind the upper front teeth.

Occurrence: Found before vowels.

lo -- perhaps laawaalo -- seriously sickLuu¢ -- Peter (name) lik¢ilik -- spread out

l2 -- Formation: Formed with the tongue in the same position as it is for “l1”, but is said without voicing (whispered) and in the air in

the mouth is blown out over the top sides of the tongue while saying this sound.

Occurrence -- Before consonants or at the end of utterances.

aal -- heavy yaab¢iil -- sicknessjul -- hole te’l -- torn

m Like the “m” in English.

am -- spider amoolo -- flypoom -- copal maam -- grandfather

n Closely resembles the “n” in English.

naan -- ma’am nuwaa -- my tortillasiin -- bamboo aninaq -- quickly

oo Like the “o” in “phone”.

ooj -- avocado pooy -- scarecrowlool -- grasshopper q¢ooq¢ -- type of squash

(See footnote 2)

3

o A rapidly pronounced (short) “o”.

oj -- we kon -- foolishkoj -- lion ch¢ok -- black bird

p Like the “p” in “spot”.

poom -- copal puum -- a type of black birdpoop -- straw mat peepe -- butterfly, moth

(See footnote 2)

p vs. b¢: It is often hard for a beginner in the language to distinguish between “p” and “b¢”. The following constrasting words will help in hearing and pronouncing the difference:

sib¢ -- smoke b¢o¢j -- clay cooking potsiip -- woodtick po¢j -- a type of tree

jab¢ -- rain kolob¢ -- ropepoop -- straw mat ch¢oop -- pineapple

q A “k” sound produced deep in the throat. In order to produce this sound it may help to put the tip of the tongue down in the bottom of the mouth near the root of the tongue, and then, forcing the back of the tongue as deep as possible into the throat, pronounce a “k”.

aaq -- pig waaqib¢ -- sixb¢aaq -- bone b¢aqiil -- body

(C.f. footnote 2)

q¢ Pronounced with the tongue in the same position as for the “q”, but now the throat is closed and only the air remaining in the mouth is used to produce the “glottalized” (produced with the throat closed) sound. In Nahualá the mouth air is pulled back into the throat to produce this sound. In other dialects the mouth air is forced outward to produce it.

Hold your breath and practice making “q¢” and “q¢a”:

q¢ q¢ q¢ q¢ q¢ q¢ q¢ q¢ q¢a q¢a q¢a q¢a q¢a q¢a q¢a

q¢an -- yellow aq¢ab¢ -- nightq¢iij -- day, sun q¢eq -- blackwaaq¢ -- my tongue q¢aaq¢ -- fire

4

r There are two r’s:

r1 -- Formation: Like the Spanish “flip r” as in “pero”, or the “tt” in the English name ‘Betty”.

Occurrence -- Occurs between two vowels.

toroom -- open eera -- place for thrashing wheatwaraal -- here joron -- cold

r2 -- Formation: Like the Spanish “trilled r” as in “perro”, but without voicing (whispered).

Occurrence -- Found whenever the “r” is not found between two vowels.

rax -- green paar -- skunkri¢ -- that one karna¢t -- passion fruit

s Like the “s” in English

t A “t” pronounced with the tip of the tongue directly behind the upper front teeth.

tap -- crab ataam -- earlyjat -- go! taat -- sir

(See footnote 2)

t¢ Pronounced with the tongue in the same position as for the “t”, but now the throat is closed and only the air remaining in the mouth is used to produce this “glottalized” (produced with the throat closed) sound.

Hold your breath and practice making “t¢” and “t¢a”:

t¢ t¢ t¢ t¢ t¢ t¢ t¢ t¢ t¢a t¢a t¢a t¢a t¢a t¢a t¢a

b¢it¢ -- a tearing sound t¢u¢y -- cooking pott¢oot¢ -- snail jat¢iim -- tied

tz Like the “ts” in “sits”.

tzi -- soaked kernals of corn tzatz -- thicktzaam -- liquor patzapik -- shaggy

5

tz¢ Pronounced with the tongue in the same position as for the “tz”, but now the throat is closed and the air remaining in the mouth is used to produce this “glottalized” (producedwith the throat closed) sound.

Hold your breath and practice making “tz¢” and “tz¢a”:

tz¢ tz¢ tz¢ tz¢ tz¢ tz¢ tz¢a tz¢a tz¢a tz¢a tz¢a tz¢a tz¢a

tz¢i¢ -- dog suutz¢ -- cloudatz¢aam -- salt patz¢an -- dried plant stalk

uu Like the “oo” of “boot”

uul -- landslide puum -- a kind of birdsuuq -- scum puuch¢ -- matter from eyes

(See footnote 2)

u A rapidly pronounced (short) “u”.

us -- gnat jul -- holesub¢ -- corn tamale k¢uch -- buzzard

w There are two w’s:

w1 -- Formation: Like the “w” in English.

Occurrence -- Before vowels.

wa -- tortilla yawaab¢ -- sick oneawaal -- your child (woman) oyowaal -- anger

w2 -- Formation: Somewhat like the “oof” in “aloof”, but the “f” is pronounced withthe two lips rather than with the lower lip and upper front teeth.


teew -- cold uleew -- land, earthrajaaw -- its owner utiw -- coyote

x Like the “sh” in “English”.

xaan -- adobe aweex -- corn plantingoxib¢ -- three xoot -- earthen shingles or cooking plate

6

y There are two y’s:

y1 -- Formation: Like the “y” in “yes”

Occurrence -- Before vowels.

yaab¢iil -- sickness iyoom -- midwifeyaak -- fox saneyeb¢ -- sand

y2 -- Formation: Like pronouncing the “ee” of “beet” immediately followed by the “h” of “hot”, but with the “h” pronounced directly behind the upper front teeth.


pooy -- scarecrow xu¢y -- stingyt¢o¢y -- woven cap t¢u¢y -- cooking pot

¢ “Glottal stop” is formed by quickly closing and opening the throat, like in saying the word “bottle” in the following way: “bo’l”. To pronounce “bottle” this way, first the “bo” of “bottle” is said, then the breath is held for a short moment before relaxing the

throat muscles and saying the “l”. It is like this: “bo” -- hold breath -- “l”

b¢aa¢ -- well!, oh! tapa¢l -- a type of fruitja¢ -- water t¢u¢y -- cooking potwachi¢iil -- my companion *kin¢eek -- I goub¢e¢eel -- correctness *kix¢eek -- you go

* In this grammar glottal stops are almost never written before vowels, even though any word beginning with a vowel in K¢iche¢ is preceded by a glottal stop (e.g.,

¢ak¢ -- chicken).

Footnotes to Lesson One:

1. Final Short Vowels: Any short vowel which occurs at the end of an utterance is followed by abreathy “h” almost as if the vowel were said a second time in a whispered

manner.

b¢ah -- gopher choh -- lakeb¢eh -- road puupuh -- balloontzih -- soaked kernals of corn

2. Aspiration: If the consonants “k”, “p”, “q”, and “t” occur before vowels they are pronounced with a minimum of air escaping from the mouth (unaspirated) as in the “c” of “scare”,

the “p” of “spot”, and the “t” of “stake”.

kaa -- grinding stone pooy -- scarecrowko -- hard apanoq -- over there

7

qeech -- ours tap -- crabaqan -- foot maataam -- late

If these consonants “k”, “p”, “q”, and “t” occur before other consonants or at the end of an utterance, they are pronounced with a noticeable amount of air escaping from the mouth (aspirated) as in the “c” of “tic”, the “p” of “up”, and the “t” of “at”.

pa¢k -- cracked hands tap -- crabxok la¢ -- that one entered siip -- woodtick

aaq -- pig at -- youuq -- skirt po¢t -- woven blouse

OPTIONAL DRILLS:

Listed below are some exercises to further the mastery of some of the more difficult sounds for those needing extra drill.

1. Regular vs. Short Vowels:

aa -- a

aaj -- reed chaaj -- ashaj -- fresh corn chaj -- pine

b¢aatz¢ -- calendar day k¢aat -- cargo netb¢atz¢ -- thread k¢at -- calendar day

aak¢ -- type of grain oq¢aab¢ -- an edible greenak¢ -- chicken uq¢ab¢ -- his hand

kaawaaj -- you want it pataan -- servicekawaaj -- I want it patan -- head strap

ee -- e

eek¢ -- bromeliad cheech -- for himek¢ -- chicken (Santo Tomás la Unión) k¢el -- a green parrot

ii -- i

siip -- woodticksib¢ -- smoke

8

oo -- o

ooj -- avocado poom -- copaloj -- we kon -- stupid

q¢inoom -- rich k¢ook¢ -- fragrantq¢inom -- a type of fruit ch¢ok -- black bird

k¢ooj -- mask q¢oor -- corn doughkoj -- lion q¢or -- lazy

uu -- u

uul -- landslide k¢uul -- blanketus -- gnat jul -- hole

suuq -- scum puuch¢ -- matter from eyessub¢ -- corn tamale k¢uch -- buzzard

2. Distinguishing k, k’, q, and q’ in hearing and speaking.

kook¢ -- finely ground kuuk -- squirrelk¢ook¢ -- fragrant kuuk¢ -- with them

quuk¢ -- with usq¢aaq¢ -- fire kuq -- their skirtsqaaq¢ -- our tongues quq -- our skirtskaaq¢ -- their tongues q¢uuq¢ -- quetzal birdk¢aak¢ -- newkaak¢ -- their grain kolik -- to be defended, savedqaaq¢ -- our grain k¢olik -- to be put awaykaaq -- their pig qolik -- to be scraped, scratchedqaaq -- our pig q¢olik -- to be picked (coffee, etc.)kaak¢ -- their chickenqaak¢ -- our chickenkaq -- redk¢aq -- flea

3. Glottal Stops:

che -- for him kuulik -- he arriveschee¢ -- tree, wood ku¢lik -- they arrive

ja -- house kab¢alka¢tik -- you roll over and overja¢ -- water kubalkatiij -- he rolls over and over

tzi -- soaked kernals of corn ixoqiib¢ -- womentz¢i¢ -- dog i¢xoqiib¢ -- women (in 3rd plural)

9

STRESS RULES: In K¢iche¢ words are not generally stressed on the last syllable (e.g., tinamít -- “town”; kixqatzukuúj -- “we look for you”). However, small particle-like words are generally not stressed unless they are the last word in an utterance (e.g., with the adverbial particle, na -- “later”: kimb¢eé na chwé¢q; utterance final -- kimbeé ná). The stress rules for the language are more complex than what has just been stated, but since this is an introductory grammar, no more will be said about stress here.

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS:

1. Saqarik. Morning Greeting.

2. Xee q¢iij. Afternoon greeting.

3. Xok aq¢ab¢ Night greeting

*4. Laa utz awach? How are you?

5. Utz, maltyoox. E k¢u rii at? Fine, thank you. And you?

* Note: All expressions using second person singular or plural will here be found in the familiar at and ix forms. If these same expressions are to be said in the formal laal and alaq

forms, the appropriate changes must be made.

10

LESSON TWO

THE NON VERBAL SENTENCE

In K¢iche¢ there is no verb "to be" ("ser," in Spanish). Sentences which normally depend on the verb "to be" in English are formed in K¢iche¢ simply by using the subject and modifier without expressing the verb "to be".

MODELS:

A. Saq lee ja.(White the house) or The house is white.

B. K¢a¢n lee tz¢i¢.(Mean the dog) or The dog is mean.

VOCABULARY

ja (n) house, buildingtz¢i¢ (n) dogchee¢ (n) tree, woodachi (n) manixoq (n) womanawach (n) your external appearance, face , front, state of beingelaq¢oom (n) thiefutz (adj) good itzeel (adj) bad, evilk¢a¢n (adj) meannim (adj) bigch¢uti¢n (adj) smallniich¢ (adj) smallsaq (adj) white, clearq¢eq (adj) blacklee (dem art) the -- present to the vision of the speaker or spoken of as if present

K¢ICHE¢ TO ENGLISH

1. Q¢eq lee tz¢i¢.2. Elaq¢oom lee achi.3. Niich¢ lee ixoq.4. K¢a¢n lee elaq¢oom.

11

5. Nim lee ja.6. Utz lee achi.7. Saq lee chee¢.8. Niich¢ lee tz¢i¢.

* NOTE: Frequently words ending in a vowel followed by words beginning in a vowel will fuse these two vowels in the following manner:

v1# #v2c - v2¢c; e.g., lee achi = la¢chi -- “the man”

lee elaq¢oom = le¢laq¢oom -- “the thief”

rii utaat = ru’taat – “his/her father”

Such contractions, however, do not occur with vowel initial monosyllabic nouns, e.g.:

lee ak¢ -- “the chicken”, or lee uul -- “the landslide” would never be contracted to la¢k¢ or lu¢l.

ENGLISH TO K ¢ ICHE ¢

1. The house is big.2. The woman is white.3. The dog is mean.4. The man is big.5. The man is mean.6. The dog is white.7. The man is good.8. The tree is big.9. The woman is good.10. The tree is small.11. The dog is good.12. The tree is white.13. The thief is bad.14. The dog is a thief.15. The man is a thief.16. The woman is a thief.17. The house is white.

12

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS:

1. Jas kuub¢iij What do you say? (What’s new?)

Maaj. or Na k¢oo taj. Nothing.

2. Chaya¢aa rutzil uwach rii awachajiil. Give greetings to your husband.

3. Laa maaj k¢ax chawe? Are you feeling well?

Xaq jee wa¢ nub¢anoom, maltyox chee rii Dyoos. I’m doing alright thanks be to God.

4. K¢ate¢ oj wa¢. Here we are (we just arrived)

13

LESSON THREE

PLURALIZATION OF NON VERBAL SENTENCES

In general, there are three different elements that may be present in the pluralization of non verbal sentences. Sometimes all of these elements are present, and sometimes only one or two are present.

MODELS

1. Some nouns and some adjectives have their own proper plural forms:

achi = man achijaab¢ = men ak¢aal = child ak¢alaab¢ = childrench¢uti¢n = little ch¢uti¢q = little ones nim = big nima¢q = big ones

As a general rule only human nouns have plural forms. And since these plurals are formed quite irregularly, in each instance they must be memorized; e.g.,

ali “girl” altomaab¢ “girls”ala “boy” alab¢oom “boys”

2. The particle "taq", which is a pluralizer, can be inserted into the sentence:

Saq taq lee ja.

The houses are white.

3. The pluralizer for "living (moving) things" in the third person is "ee". Sometimes this precedes the word to be pluralized.

Ee nima¢q (taq) lee tz¢i¢.

The dogs are big.

SPECIAL NOTE: Should a noun begin with a vowel, when pluralizing, the "ee" is not expressed. But the first vowel of the noun has a glottal catch following it. (See asterisked note, p. 12)

E¢laq¢omaab¢(taq) lee a¢chijaab¢.

The men are thieves.

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VOCABULARY

ak¢aal (n) childak¢alaab¢ (n) childrenajchaak (n) workerajchakiib¢ (n) workerskotz¢i¢j (n) flower, candlesak¢aaj (adj, n) ambitious, ambitious onesak¢ajiib¢ (adj, n) ambitious, ambitious onesq¢or (adj, n) lazy, lazy oneq¢oriib¢ (adj, n) lazy, lazy oneskaq (adj) redrax (adj) green, bluenim (adj) bignima¢q (adj) big (pl)ch¢uti¢n (adj) small (sing)ch¢uti¢q (adj) small (pl)ixok (n) woman ixoqiib¢(n) womenachi (n) man achijaab¢ (n) menelaq’oom (n) thief elaq¢omaab¢ (n) thieves


1. Rax taq lee kotz¢i¢j.2. Ee nima¢q (taq) lee ak¢alaab¢.3. Saq taq lee ja.4. Ee q¢oriib¢ (taq) lee ak¢alaab¢.5. A¢jchakiib¢ (taq) lee achijaab¢.6. Rax taq lee chee¢.7. Ee k¢a¢n (taq) lee tz¢i¢.8. Ee sak’ajiib¢ (taq) lee ixoqiib¢.9. Ee sak¢ajiib¢ taq lee ajchakiib¢.10. Ee nima¢q (taq) lee tz¢i¢.

ENGLISH TO K¢ICHE¢

1. The children are good.2. The workers are lazy.3. The women are ambitious.4. The men are workers.5. The workers are thieves.6. The children are lazy ones.7. The women are ambitious ones.8. The dogs are mean.9. The trees are big.10. The flowers are red.11. The trees are small.12. The houses are red.

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13. The candles are white.14. The flowers are blue.15. The dogs are white.

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Laa xatpeetik? Did you come? (small talk -- asks when someone arrives)

Xinpeetik. I came

2. Laa ix k¢oolik? Are you there? (asked when approaching a house to enter)

Oj k¢oolik. We’re here.

3. Ee na. So long. (a short greeting when meeting someone on the road or passing by his house)

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LESSON FOUR

PERSONAL PRONOUNS AND THE NON VERBAL SENTENCE

There are eight independent personal pronouns. These, used in conjunction with a predicate noun or a predicate adjective, form another type of non verbal sentence. It should be noted that the model and schema below is not the only correct way of forming these types of non verbal sentences.

MODEL

In in achi.I am a man.

SCHEMA

In (in) achi I am a man Oj (oj) achijaab¢ We are menAt (at) achi You are a man Ix (ix) achijaab¢ You are menRii are¢ achi He is a man Rii a¢re¢ a¢chijaab¢ They are men.Laal (laal) achi You (form) are a man Alaq (alaq) achijaab¢ You (form) are men

VOCABULARY

in (per pro) Iat (per pro) yourii are¢ (per pro) he, she, itlaal (per pro, form) you (form)oj/uj (per pro) weix (per pro) you pluralrii a¢re¢ (per pro) theyalaq (per pro, form) you (form)


1. Oj oj nima¢q.2. Rii are¢ elaq¢oom. 3. In in utz.4. Alaq alaq ixoqiib¢.5. At at ch¢uti¢n.

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6. At at elaq¢oom.7. Rii a¢re¢ ee tz¢i¢.8. Laal laal nim.9. Ix ix utz.10. Rii are¢ k¢a¢n.


1. I am a woman.2. They are women.3. She is a woman.4. You (form) are a woman.5. We are women.6. You (pl) are women.7. You (sing) are a woman.8. You (form) are women.9. I am a thief.10. You (form) are a thief.11. We are thieves.12. You are thieves.13. They are thieves.14. You (form) are thieves.15. You are a thief.16. It is a dog.17. They are dogs.18. I am good.19. You are good.20. She is good.21. He is good.22. They are small.23. She is mean.24. I am bad.25. You (form, sing) are good.26. They are good.27. He is a thief.28. You (pl) are mean.29. We are big.30. They are bad.

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USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Jas ab¢i¢? What is your name?

In alWe¢l. I’m Manuela.

2. Janipaa¢ ajunaab¢? How old are you?

B¢elejeeb¢ nujunaab¢. I’m nine years old.

3. Jawi¢ k¢oo wi lee awo¢ch? Where is you house?

Pa Niwala¢ k¢oo wi. It’s in Nahualá.

4. Jawi¢ katpee wi? Where do you come from.

Pa Niwala¢ (kimpee wi). (I come) from Nahualá.

5. Jachin rii ataat? Who is your father?

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LESSON FIVE

ADJECTIVES MODIFYING NOUNS

We saw previously a sentence “Nim lee ja” -- The house is big. Now we would like to modify “ja” with the adjective “white” -- saq. We put the adjective first followed by the noun, generally with an “a” between the two to aid in pronunciation. Therefore “saq + ja” becomes “saqa ja” -- The white house.

If the noun begins with a vowel, the “a” between the adjective and noun becomes a glottal after the first vowel of the noun, e.g. Nim a¢chi -- Big man. (See asterisked note, p. 12).

Nim lee saqa ja The white house is big

Nim a¢chi The big man

If we pluralize the noun and modifier, then we use the particle “taq” between the adjective and the noun:

Saqa taq ja

The white houses

It should be noted that to say “the white houses” (saqa taq ja) is not the same as saying “the houses are white” (saq taq lee ja), as we saw in Lesson Three.

If the adjective has a plural form, it must be used, e.g.,

Nimaq taq ja The big houses

Ch¢utiq taq chee¢ The small trees

Note that in the above examples, before “taq” the plural forms like “nima¢q” become “nimaq” and “ch¢uti¢q” become “ch¢utiq”.

VOCABULARY

ala (n) boyali (n) girlalab¢oom (n) boysaltomaab¢ (n) girlsab¢aj (n) rockkotz¢i¢j (n) flower, candletz¢ikin (n) bird

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yawaab¢ (adj, n) sick, sick onesyawab¢iib¢ (adj, n) sick, sick onesko (adj) strong, hardq¢an (adj) yellowq¢eq (adj) black


1. Kaqa taq ja.2. Saqa taq kotz¢i¢j.3. Ala lee yawaab¢ a¢k¢aal.4. Ko lee q¢eq a¢b¢aj.5. Laal laal sak¢aaj a¢jchaak.6. Ch¢uti¢n lee saqa kotz¢i¢j.7. Ee utz lee q¢ana taq tz¢ikin.8. Ix ix sak’aja winaq.9. Yawaab’ le nim a¢chi.10. Nima’q taq le chee’.


1. Red House.2. Big man.3. Mean dog.4. Lazy woman.5. Yellow bird.6. Sick children.7. Ambitious worker.8. Black rock.9. White flower.10. Red houses.11. Big men.12. Mean dogs.13. Lazy women.14. Yellow birds.15. Sick children.16. Ambitious workers.17. Black rocks.18. White flowers.19. The red house is big.20. The big man is mean.21. The mean dog is white.22. The ambitious women are good.23. The yellow birds are bad.24. The black rock is hard.

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25. The sick child is a boy.26. The lazy worker is a man.27. The big men are mean.28. The white flower is small.29. The red houses are big.30. The mean dogs are white.31. The lazy women are small.32. The yellow birds are bad.33. The sick children are boys.34 The black rocks are hard.35. The white flowers are small.36. The lazy workers are men.

USEFUL EXPRESSONS

1. Laa ee k¢as ataat, anaan? Are your father and mother living?

2. Laa ee k¢oo awachalaal? Do you have brothers and sisters?

3. Ix janipaa¢ ix k¢oo pa ja? How many of you are in the family?

Oj waqiib¢. We are six

4. Laa ix aalaxik ruuk¢? How are you related to him (her)?

Je¢, oj aalaxik. Yes, we are related.

5. Jas kixk¢aman ruuk¢? How are you related to him (her).

Aree inchaaq¢. He’s my younger brother.

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LESSON SIX

QUESTIONS: CONVERTING AFFIRMATIVE SENTENCES INTO QUESTIONS

Note that in the preceding lessons, we learned to say “Saq lee nima ja” (The big house is white). This is a simple statement. To make this a question, one merely places the question word “laa” in front of the utterance, as seen in the basic sentence below:

Laa saq chi lee nima ja?(Is white now the big house?)Is the big house white now?

VOCABULARY

juyub¢ (n) mountaintinamit (n) town, nationchaak (n) workb¢e (n) roadab¢i¢ (n) your nameri¢j (adj, n) grown, grownupri¢jaab¢ (adj, n) the grown up oneschi - chik (adv) now, againk¢ax (adv, n) difficult, painful, sufferingjas, jasa (inter) what


1. Laa k¢a¢n chi lee ixok? 2. Laa nim lee achi?3. Laa ee nima¢q lee elaq¢omaab¢?4. Laa kaq a¢b¢aj lee juyub¢?5. Laa ch¢uti¢n lee ixoq?6. Laa saq lee chee¢?7. Laa yawaab¢ lee ri¢j?8. Laa nim a’q taq lee tinamit?9. Laa ee q¢oriib¢ taq lee alab¢oom?10. Laa saq taq lee kotz’i¢j?11. Laa yawaab¢ chi lee achi?12. Jasa lee ab¢i¢?13. Laa laal laal ajchaak?

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1. The work is difficult.2. Is the work difficult?3. The town is big.4. Is the town big?5. The child is grown up now.6. Is the child grown up now?7. The man is sick now.8. Is the man sick now?9. The mountain is red rock.10. Is the mountain red rock?11. The white dog is mean now.12. Is the white dog mean now?13. The boys are lazy now.14. Are the boys lazy now?15. The little girls are good.16. Are the little girls good?17. The roads are difficult.18. Are the roads difficult?19. The men are good workers.20. Are the men good workers?

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Laa at k¢ulanik? Are you married?

Jee¢, in k¢ulanik. Yes, I’m married.

2. Laa ee k¢oo awalk¢u¢aal? Do you have children? (asked to a man)

Ee k¢oolik. I do have.

3. Laa ee k¢oo awaal? Do you have children? (asked of a woman)

4. Ee janipaa¢. How many (children do you have)?

Ee jo¢ob¢. Five

5. Laa konojel ee k¢ask¢oj? Are they all alive?

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LESSON SEVEN

POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS

We recognize the sentence “ K¢a¢n lee tz¢i¢.” (The dog is mean). In the model below, we see a new element appearing with “tz¢i¢.” The “nu” indicates “my.”

*Sib¢alaj k¢a¢n lee nutz¢ii¢.

My dog is very mean.

SCHEMA OF POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS

nutz¢ii¢ my dog qatz¢ii¢ our dogatz¢ii¢ your dog itz¢ii¢ your dogutz¢ii¢ his, her dog kitz¢ii¢ their dogtz¢i¢ la your (form) dog tz¢i¢ alaq your (form) dog

In isolated form, the possessives are:

nu- my qa- oura- your i- youru- his, hers ki- theirla your (form) alaq your (form)

The “nu” occasionally becomes “in”, e.g.:

intaat -- my fatherinchaaq¢ -- my younger sibling

*Notice that when the word tz’i’ ‘dog’ is possessed, the vowel is lengthened nutz’ii’. A large number of nouns in Quichè undergo vowel lengthening when possessed: wa ‘tortilla’, nuwaa ‘my tortilla’, laq ‘clay dish’, alaaq ‘your clay dish’. Other nouns do not undergo under go this vowel lengthening process: tz’ikin ‘bird’, kitz’ikin ‘their bird’.

Phrases with nouns as the possessors of the possessed nouns, such as “the boy’s dog”, or “the girls’ birds” are formed as follows: u-tz’ii’ lee ala ki-tz’ikin lee altomaab’ his-dog the boy their-bird(s) the girls

VOCABULARYtaat (n) father, sir (direct address when referring to Sir)naan (n) mother, madam (direct address when referring to Madam)pwaq (n) moneykeej (n) horseme¢s (n) catb¢aaq (adj, n) thin, bone, needlejoron (adj, n) cold, cool, waterrax (adj) green, blue

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choom (adj) fatsib¢alaj (adv) very, a lot

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1. Sib¢alaj nim lee akeej.2. Laa k¢a¢n lee me¢s la?3. Ee q¢eq taq lee nukeej.4. Laa utz chi lee ichaak?5. Laa ee b¢aaq chi lee tz¢i’ alaq, taat?6. Sib¢alaj nim chi nupwaaq.7. Nim a¢chi lee intaat.


1. Your dog is very mean.2. His horse is white.3. Our father is very good.4. Her cat is small.5. Their work is very difficult.6. My cat is yellow.7. Your (form, sing) horse is thin.8. Their mother is sick.9. Our cat is very fat.10. His horses are big.11. Your (form, pl) money is much (big).12. Their fathers are mean.13. Your mothers are good.14. My dogs are sick.15. Your (form, pl) works are difficult.16. Their trees are very green now.17. The rocks are very cold.18. Their town is big.19. My horse is white.20. His trees are green.

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Janipaa chi rik¢iil lee nee? How many months old is the baby?

2. Laa k¢oo awuleew? Do you have land?

Jee¢, k¢oolik. Yes, I do.

3. Janipaa ka¢aam awuleew? How many cuerdas of land do you have?

Xaa kajib¢ ka¢aam. Just four cuerdas.

4. Jas atikom chuwach? What have you planted on it?

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LESSON EIGHT

POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS (Continued)

In the preceding lesson, we studied possessive pronouns. The possessive pronouns used in that lesson are the forms that are used when the object possessed started with a consonant, (e.g., tz¢i¢, taat, etc.). If the object possessed begins with a vowel, then a different set of possessives are used.

SCHEMA

wixoqiil my wife qixoqiil our wivesawixoqiil your wife iwixoqiil your wivesrixoqiil his wife kixoqiil their wivesixoqiil la your (form) wife ixoqiil alaq your (form) wives

In isolated forms, then, the possessives are:

w- my q- ouraw- your iw- yourr- his, her k- theirla your (form) alaq your (form)

MODEL

Utz lee wixoqiil.

My wife is good.

If the owner or possessor is expressed, then the ownership or possession is expressed in the following way:

Utz¢ii¢ lee ala. Lee rixoqil lee watz.(His dog the boy) (His wife my older brother)The boy’s dog. My older brother’s wife.

VOCABULARY

wa (n) corn substance, food in generalriki¢l (n) dish of food that accompanies tortillasatz¢iaaq (n) clothing, clothwinaq (n) personixoqiil (pn)* wifeachajiil (pn) husbandatz (pn) older siblingchaaq¢ (pn) younger sibling

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o¢ch (pn) house, homek¢aak¢ (adj) newk¢i (adj) much, manylaawaalo (adj) bad from sickness or naturepa (prep) in, into, toward, to fromkamiik (adv) todayiwiir (adv) yesterdaychwe¢q (adv) tomorrow

* (pn) -- a noun which is obligatorily possessed


1. Yawaab¢ lee rachajiil lee watz.2. Saq lee ro¢ch lee achi.3. Laa ee utz lee kixoqiil lee achijaab¢?4. Sib¢alaj nima¢q taq lee o¢ch alaq.5. Saq taq lee qatziaaq.6. Laa k¢aak¢ lee saqa o¢ch la?7. Ee k’a’n taq lee kachajiil lee ixoqiib¢.8. Sib¢alaj laawaalo lee taat la kamiik.9. Sib¢alaj q¢or a¢chi lee rachajiil lee ratz lee ali.10. Laa yawaab¢ chi lee uchaaq¢ lee ixoqiil la?


1. The worker’s wife is mean.2. The woman’s husband is sick.3. The woman’s clothes are new.4. The boy’s food is much. (The boy’s have much food.)5. Yesterday, the girl’s mother was sick.6. Our father’s white house is new.7. Their mother’s older sister is a fat woman.8. The children’s dog is small.9. The cat’s house is wood.10. The woman’s mother is very sick.11. The boy’s dogs are many.12. Are you the man’s older brother?13. Are the people’s houses in the town big?14. Are your (form) father’s clothes new?15. Does their father have much money ? (Is their father’s money much?)16. Is the girl’s dish of food cold now?

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17. Are you the child’s father?18. Was the boy’s father sick yesterday?19. Is his horse sick?20. The worker’s food is cold.21. Yesterday, the flowers were white.

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Kojee b¢aa na. We have to go now. (when departing)

2. Ee b¢aa¢. Well, I’m going. (when departing)

3. Ja¢ee. Alright.

4. Jat b¢aa¢. Well, go then.

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LESSON NINE

INTRANSITIVE VERBS IN INCOMPLETED ACTION

In K¢iche¢ there are two main types of verbs, transitive and intransitive:

INTRANSITIVE VERBS: These verbs express an action and the subject of the action (e.g., I run). In verbs, there is both an incompleted action or a completed action. In this lesson we will be dealing with intransitive verbs in incompleted action.

TRANSITIVE VERBS: These verbs express a subject, the action and the receiver of the action: subject, verb and object. We will study these in a later lesson.

INTRANSITIVE VERBS IN INCOMPLETED ACTION

The intransitive verb of this type is made up of the following elements:

+ aspect + person + verb root ± termination

(The + sign before an element means that it must be present)(The ± sign before an element means that it may be present)

ASPECT: (This word we are using rather than the word “time”)It seems better to speak of an incomplete action rather than speaking of a present time. The idea here is that the action is not yet been done, or if begun, is not yet finished. This action is always marked by the prefix k-.

PERSON: Person is the second element of the intransitive verb. The person in these verbs is expressed by the personal pronouns that we learned before:

in I oj weat you ix yourii are¢ he rii a¢re¢ theylaal you (form) alaq you (form)

These same person markers are used in the intransitive verb with the exception of the third persons and the “laal”, which becomes “la”:

in I oj weat you ix youØ* he ee theyla you (form) alaq you (form)

*The symbol Ø indicates that there is no marker, i.e. it is “zero”.

ROOT: The root is the heart of the verb which gives it meaning, and is unchanging if the verb is regular (most K¢iche¢ verbs are regular).

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TERMINATION: In K¢iche¢, if the intransitive verb is the final word of the clause, it will be terminated with “ik”, or “k” if the last letter of the root happens to be a vowel (e.g., keeb¢eek). This termination marker “ik” or “k” does not appear if to mean anything -- it simply indicates that the verb is at the end of the clause.

MODEL

Chwe¢q keeb¢ee lee achijaab¢ pa tinamit.

Tomorrow the men go to town.

In the model the verb is keeb¢ee.

+ aspect + person + root ± termination

+ k + “ee” + b¢ee - no termination here

SCHEMA


k im b¢ee k I gok at b¢ee k you goka Ø b¢ee k he, she goeska -- b¢ee la -- you go (form)k oj b¢ee k we gok ix b¢ee k you gok ee b¢ee k they goka -- b¢ee alaq -- you go (form)

As we have said above, there is no third person singular marker. So in the third person singular, we would get “k + -- + b¢ee +k,” which means we would have “kb¢eek.” Since the kb¢ is too difficult to pronounce, there is an “a” inserted . This is also true with the laal and alaq forms.

The person in the verb is ordinarily sandwiched between the aspect and the root. However, with the formal forms the endings always come after the verb root. Hence the “ik” disappears (e.g., kab¢ee la or kab¢ee alaq).

Study the conjugations of the verbs “to go” and “to walk.”

kimb¢eek* I go kojb¢eek we gokatb¢eek you go kixb¢eek you gokab¢eek he, she, it goes keeb¢eek they gokab¢ee la you go (form) kab¢ee alaq you go (form)kimb¢iinik* I walk kojb¢iinik we walkkatb¢iinik you walk kixb¢iinik you walkkab¢iinik he, she, it walks keeb¢iinik they walk

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kab¢iin la you walk (form) kab¢iin alaq you walk (form)

* When the verb root begins with the letter b¢ or the letter p, the first person singularelement “in” becomes “im”, i.e., kimb¢eek -- I go; kimpeetik -- I come.

VOCABULARY

b¢ee (iv) to gob¢iin (iv) to walkpeet (iv) to comekoos (iv) to become tiredqaaj (iv) to go downwa¢ (iv) to eatch¢aaw (iv) to talkka¢y (iv) to see, to looknuum (iv) to be hungrychakun (iv) to workkam (iv) to diewar (iv) to sleepjab¢ (n) rainchaak (n) workaninaq (adv) fastchwe¢q (adv) tommorrow


1. Kojb¢ee pa tinamit chwe¢q.2. Keewar lee ak’alaab¢ pa lee nima ja.3. Keekam lee itzeel taq tz¢i¢ pa juyub¢.4. Sib¢alaj aninaq kixch¢aawik.5. Laa kawa¢ alaq pa qo¢ch kamiik?6. Keekoos lee ixoqiib¢ pa b¢e.7. Kapee nima jab¢ kamiik.8. Laa kanuum chi la?9. Keepee chi lee kixoqiil lee achijaab¢ kamiik.10. Sib¢alaj kinka¢y pa b¢e.11. Keeb¢ee lee a¢jchakiib¢ pa chaak chwe¢q.12. Laa kachakun la pa tinamit?

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1. The man goes to work today.2. I’ll come again tomorrow.3. We go down to the house.4. You (form, sing) become tired on the road.5. The big horse walks fast.6. The boy will come from town tomorrow.7. The rain will come today.8. We will go again to the white house.9. The thin man goes to work tomorrow.10. I am a worker.11. I’ll come to work tomorrow.12. Will your father travel in the hills today?13. We are sick. We will become tired on the road.14. The little boy is hungry.15. The man talks fast.16. The children eat fast.17. The little girl sleeps in her older sibling’s house.18. The old man (nim a¢chi) goes down to the town.

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Chaawila¢ awiib¢. Watch yourself. (when departing)

2. Mattzaaqik. Don’t fall. (said to one departing or met on road)

3. Chab¢anaa kwenta. Be careful. (said to one departing)

4. K¢oo b¢aa rii Dyoos, Taat. There is a God (to protect you), Sir. (said when departing)

Ja¢ee, Taat. K¢oo rii Dyoos. (answer to above)

5. Ch¢ab¢eej chik. We’ll talk again. (when departing)

6. Chwe¢q chik. Until tommorrow. (when departing)

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LESSON TEN

INTRANSITIVE VERBS IN COMPLETED ACTION AND

DECLENSION OF PREPOSITIONS “-umaal” AND “-uuk¢”

Intransitives in completed action

We saw that for the intransitive verbs in incompleted action, that the “k” (ka) was the marker. To form the intransitive verb in completed action, just substitute “x” for the marker “k” (ka) - - the remainder of the verb remains unchanged.

Review the formula given in the last chapter:


Conjunction of the verb “to die” in completed action

xinkamik I died xojkamik we diexatkamik you died xixkamik you diedxkamik he, she, it died xeekamik they diedxkam la you died (form) xkam alaq you died (form)

Remember it is better not to think of the action or aspect markers as time markers. They are not, strictly speaking, showing time, but rather whether an action is complete or

incomplete.

Note that the “ka” in the third person singular in incompleted action becomes “x” only in completed action and not “xa”. The “a” is no longer needed to facilitate pronunciation.

The prepositions “-umaal” and “-uuk¢”

Prepositions such as these - - “umaal” (by, because of, by agency of) and “uuk¢” (with) are declined in K¢iche¢. To decline, use the same person markers as used for the possessive pronouns. Since the roots of these prepositions begin with a vowel (umaal, uuk’), use the same person markers that were used for possessives that precede vowels.

Declension of “umaal”

w-umaal by me q-umaal by usaw-umaal by you iw-umaal by your-umaal by him, her, it k-umaal by themumal la by you (form) umal alaq by you (form)

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Declension of “uuk¢”

w-uuk¢ with me q-uuk¢ with usaw-uuk¢ with you iw-uuk¢ with your-uuk¢ with him, her, it k-uuk¢ with themuk¢ la with you (form) uk¢ alaq with you (form)

NOTE: Many words in K¢iche¢ that end in -VVC when they occur at the end of an utterance. When these words are not final in an utterance, their final vowel is frequently shortened, to -VC. The prepositions umaal and uuk¢ follow this pattern;

rumaal “by him” rumal lee achi “by the man”

ruuk¢ “with him” ruk¢ lee achi “with the man”

MODEL

Xb¢ee lee wuuj wumaal.

The document went by me (i.e., I sent it).

VOCABULARY

q¢ab¢ar (iv) to become drunktzaaq (iv) to fallk¢uleel (n) enemywuuj (n) paper, bookja¢ (n) water, river, aguardienteaal (pn) a woman’s childno¢jiim (adv) slowly (alternate form of no¢jimaal)aninaq (adv) quicklyumaal (prep) by, by the agency of, because of uuk¢ (prep) with (declined like umaal)wee (conj) ify (conj, Span) and


1. Xq¢abar lee achi y xtzaaq pa ja.2. Wee katb¢ee wuuk¢, aninaq kojb¢eek.3. Sib¢alaj k¢ax lee nima b¢e wee kaqaaj jab¢.4. Laa katb¢ee pa chaak chwe¢q?5. Wee ee yawab¢iib¢chi lee ak¢alaab¢, utz keepeetik.

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6. Iwiir xojwa¢ ruk¢ lee achi pa ro¢ch.7. No¢jimaal xpee lee ajchaak pa b¢e.8. Lee ee nimaq taq winaq xeeb¢ee pa tinamit kuk¢ lee ak¢alaab¢.9. Lee q¢ana me¢s xtzaaq pa lee ja¢ rumal lee k¢a¢na tz¢i¢.10. No¢jiim kab¢iin lee achi pa taq b¢e.11. Wee kab¢ee la wuk¢ pa chaak, kakoos la.


1. I slept yesterday in the mountains (pa juyub¢).2. I went to town with my mother.3. The man became drunk because of me.4. Did you eat with the people yesterday?5. If you (pl) come quickly, I’ll eat with you.6. Because of the rain, the children fell on the road.7. We will go with you (laal) to town.8. Your father will die if you go.9. The workers got drunk because of their enemies.10. The mother slept in the house with her child.

SUBSTITUTION DRILL

1. I came with him from town yesterday. Ximpee ruk¢ pa tinamit iwiir.

2. You (at) came “ “ “ “ “ .

3. The girls came “ “ “ “ “ .

4. You (alaq) came “ “ “ “ “ .

5. We traveled with him to town yesterday.

6. The workers traveled “ “ “ “ “ .

7. The letter was sent (went) by him. Xb¢ee lee wuuj rumaal.

8. “ “ “ “ “ by the boys.

9. “ “ “ “ “ by you (ix).

10. “ “ “ “ “ by us.

11. “ “ “ “ “ by you (alaq).

12. Will you go with me tommorrow? Laa katb¢ee wuk¢ chwe¢q?

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13. Laa ____________ ____________ chwe¢q? the boys go with the man

14. Laa ___________ ___________ chwe¢q? the dog go with the boy

15. Xqaaj lee achi quk ¢ pa tinamit iwiir. The man went down with us to town yesterday.

16. _________________ ________________ pa tinamit iwiir. You went down (ix) with your mother

17. ____________________ _______ pa tinamit iwiir. The children went down with us

18. _________________ ______________ pa tinamit iwiir. You went down (laal) with your horses

19. ____________ ________________ pa tinamit iwiir. I went down with the big people

20._______ _________________________ I ate with the sick child yesterday.

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Dyoos katuk¢a¢nik. God is the one who sustains you. (to one departing)

2. Jo¢. Let’s go.

3. Joo wuuk¢. Go with me.

4. Jat. Go.

5. Katojo¢. Come here.

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LESSON ELEVEN

INTRANSITIVE VERBS WHOSE ROOTS BEGIN WITH VOWELS

If you look back at the last two lessons, you will notice that all of the verb roots that we used began with consonants (e.g., wa¢, koos, b¢iin). There are also many simple intransitive verbs whose roots begin with vowels.

The vowel initial verbs are conjugated the same in the incompleted and completed action as the verbs starting with a consonant, except in the third persons. In the third person singular of verbs beginning with consonants, we get the “a” to facilitate pronunciation. It comes between the aspect and the root (e.g., kab¢iinik “he walks”). In the verbs beginning with a vowel, the “a” is no longer necessary to aid pronunciation because the root already begins with a vowel (e.g., kuuxlanik “he rests”; koopanik “he arrives there”). This is also true in the laal and alaq forms (kuuxlan la “you rest”; koopan alaq “you all arrive there”).

In the third person plural we have seen that the person marker is “ee”. However, in Nahuala and Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan, when the verb root begins with a vowel, the “ee” disappears and is replaced by a glottal catch immediately after the initial vowel of the root (e.g., ku¢xlanik “they rest”).

Conjugation of uuxlan “to rest”

Incomplete Action

Kinuuxlanik I rest Kojuuxlanik we restKatuuxlanik you rest Kixuuxlanik you restKuuxlanik he rests Ku¢xlanik they restKuuxlan la you rest (form) Kuuxlan alaq you rest (form)

Completed Action

Xinuuxlanik I rested Xojuuxlanik we restedXatuuxlanik you rested Xixuuxlanik you restedXuuxlanik he rested Xu¢xlanik they restedXuuxlan la you rested (form) Xuuxlan alaq you rested (form)

NOTE: If the intransitive verb root is monosyllabic and begins with a vowel, the vowel is lengthened in the third person singular in incomplete aspect; e.g. kuulik “he arrives”.If the root has more than one syllable, the initial vowel is lengthened in all its finiteforms; e.g. kinoopanik “I arrive there”.

MODEL

Rajawaxik kinuuxlan pa q¢iij.It is necessary that I rest at noon.

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VOCABULARY

uuxlan (iv) to restul (iv) to arrive (here)oopan (iv) to arrive (over there)aatin (iv) to bathek¢ayib¢al (n) market placeb¢eenaq¢iij (adj) afternoon, in the afternoonrajawaxik (adv) necessary, necessitypa q¢iij (adv) noon, daytime, during the daytimechaaq¢ab¢ (adv) at nightya (adv) now (Spanish loan word)waraal (adv) herejee la¢ (adv) over there


1. Lee winaq ku¢xlan pa taq ko¢ch chaaq¢ab¢.2. Laa kojaatin pa ja¢ kamiik?3. Laa koopan la pa tinamit kamiik?4. Ku¢l lee kitaat lee ak¢alaab¢ kamiik b¢eenaq¢iij.5. Xuuxlan alaq pa b¢e iwiir.6. Kinoopan pa k¢ayib¢al pa q¢iij.7. Rajawaxik kojoopan jee la¢ chaaq¢ab¢.8. Laa kuul la waraal chwe¢q?9. Wee kuuxlan lee ala pa b¢e, koopan pa ro¢ch chaaq¢ab¢.10. Ka¢tin lee ak¢alaab¢ pa ja¢.11. Rajawaxik aninaq koopan alaq pa k¢ayib¢al.


1. The man rested yesterday in the afternoon.2. The man rests today in the afternoon.3. The woman arrived here at home (pa ja).4. The woman arrives here at home.5. The children arrived over there at noon yesterday.6. The children arrive over there at noon today.7. You (laal) bathed in the river at night.8. You (ix) bathe in the river at night.9. It is necessary that I arrive here at the market place at noon.10. They arrived (here) in town yesterday.11. They will arrive here in town tomorrow.

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USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Laa katb¢ee wuuk¢? Are you going with me?

2. Kimb¢ee awuuk¢. I’m going with you. (I want to go with you)

3. Kimb¢eek, ri¢. I’m going right away.

4. Jawi katb¢ee wi? Where are you going?

5. Kimb¢ee chuwa ja. I’m going home.

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LESSON TWELVE

IMPERATIVES IN THE SIMPLE INTRANSITIVE VERBS

We have seen that the simple intransitive verbs in completed action have the aspect marker “x” and those in incompleted action have the aspect marker “k”.

The marker for the imperative is “ch” or “k”, either of which is acceptable. In the imperative of the third person there is no aspect marker in the singular form (See Special Note below).

Likewise, we have seen that there is a termination marker for both the completed and incompleted forms. It is “ik”. Remember that this disappears when the verb is not utterance final.

In the imperative of these verbs, the termintion marker is “-oq” when the verb is in utterance final; it is “-a” when the imperative is not utterance final.

SCHEMA OF THE IMPERATIVE (Utterance Final)

+ chinwaroq (kinwaroq) let me sleep kojwaroq let us sleepkatwaroq sleep kixwaroq sleepwaroq let him sleep cheewaroq let them sleepwara la sleep ++ war a¢laq sleep

+ the first person singular imperative form is rarely found++ in the second person formal plural, the normal form would be wara alaq -- but a fusion of the

vowels takes place giving us the form war a¢laq

Using the same verb below, we will use the exclamatory “b¢aa¢” following the imperative. Note now how the “oq” termination changes to “-a” when another word follows the imperative.

SCHEMA OF THE IMPERATIVE (Not Utterance Final)

chinwara b¢aa¢ well, let me sleep kojwara b¢aa¢ well, let us sleepkatwara b¢aa¢ well, sleep kixwara b¢aa¢ well, sleepwara b¢aa¢ well, let him sleep cheewara b¢aa¢ well, let them sleep

+ wara b¢aa la well, sleep ++ wara b¢a¢ laq well, sleep

+ note that the “b¢aa¢” comes between the verb and the person marker “la” and the glottal stop on “b¢aa” disappears

++note that the same vowel fusion takes place in this second person formal plural form, as noted above

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SPECIAL NOTE: In the third person singular form of the imperative, there is no aspect marker for those verbs that start with a consonant. However, for those verbs that begin with a vowel, the “ch” form is used. Apparently the native speaker doesn’t like to begin the imperative with a vowel form. This rule is also applicable to the “laal” and “alaq” forms.

Below is the conjugation of a verb in the imperative. This verb stem begins with a vowel -- “uxlan” -- to rest.

SCHEMA OF THE IMPERATIVE -- UXLAN (Utterance Final)

chinuuxlanoq let me rest kojuuxlanoq let us restkatuuxlanoq rest kixuuxlanoq restchuuxlanoq let him rest chu¢xlanoq let them restchuuxlana la rest chuuxlan a¢laq rest

SCHEMA OF THE IMPERATIVE --UXLAN (Not Utterance Final)

chinuuxlana b¢aa¢ well, let me rest kojuuxlana b¢aa¢ well, let us restkatuuxlana b¢aa¢ well, rest kixuuxlana b¢aa¢ well, restchuuxlana b¢aa¢ well, let him rest chu¢xlana b¢aa¢ well, let them restchuuxlana b¢aa la well, rest chuuxlana b¢a¢ laq well, rest

VOCABULARY

eetz¢an (iv) to playeel (iv) to leaveaq¢an (iv) to climbq¢i¢taj (iv) to become boredpax (iv) to breaklaq (n) clay dishwarab¢al (n) sleeping placewo¢qib¢al (n) eating placenimaq¢ab¢ (adv) in the morningb¢aa¢ (adv) well, oh!puwi¢ (prep) on top of it, on his head

panuwi¢ above me, on my head, on top of mepawi¢ above you, on your head, on top of youpuwi¢ above him (her, it), on his head, on top of himpawi¢ la above you, on your head, on top of youpaqawi¢ above us, on our heads, on top of uspiwi¢ above you, on your heads, on top of youpakiwi¢ above them, on their heads, on top of thempawi¢ alaq above you, on your heads, on top of you

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1. Achijaab¢, kixeela pa lee warab¢al.2. Kojb¢iina pa k¢ayib¢al nimaq¢ab¢.3. Paxa lee laq wee kapaxik.4. Kataatina pa q¢iij.5. Ch¢aawa lee achi wuuk¢.6. Chu¢xlana lee winaq pa lee wo¢qib¢al chaaq¢ab¢.7. Kojwara b¢aa jee la¢ kamiik.8. Ak¢alaab¢, kixaq¢ana puwi¢ lee chee¢.9. Chuuxlana la waraal, taat.10. Ka¢y a¢laq waraal, naan.


1. Let’s rest here in the market place.2. Let the children play in the eating place.3. Rest (laal) in the sleeping place, sir.4. Climb up (at) in the tree.5. Go out of the town, sirs (alaq).6. Let the cat climb up on top of the house.7. Play in the market, children (ix).8. Well look (at) over there!9. If you get bored, get bored (see # 3 above)

SPECIAL EXERCISES: Change the verbs in the following sentences into imperatives, rewriting the entire sentence.

1. Ke¢tz¢an lee ak¢alaab¢ pa k¢ayib¢al.2. Kojaq¢an puwi¢ lee chee¢.3. Kaqaaj alaq pa lee tinamit.4. Kuul lee achi waraal pa q¢iij.5. Xpax lee laq pa ja.6. Kuuxlan la jee la¢, taat.7. Xixeel pa ja.8. Katwar waraal pa wo¢qib¢al chwe’q.9. Xeq¢i¢taj lee ak¢alaab¢ pa juyub¢.

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USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Jampaa chi katpeetik? When are you coming again?

2. Kimpee chi chwe¢q. I’ll come again tomorrow.

3. Chaakowij b¢iik. Hurry along. (to someone departing)

4. Kataan loq. Come here quickly.

5. Chaakowij loq. Come here quickly. or Hurry back.

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LESSON THIRTEEN

NEGATIVES

The negativizing form in K¢iche¢ is “na-----ta(j)”, with the word or words to be negativized sandwiched between them. Not only verbs, but nouns, pronouns, adjectives adverbs and prepositions can be negativized.

The negative form “na-----taj” is used if “taj” is the last word in the utterance.

The negative form “na-----ta” is used when the “ta” is followed by some other word in the utterance.

MODELS

A. With Verbs: Na kojwar taj. We don’t sleep.

Na kojwar ta waraal. We don’t sleep here.

+ Na kawar ta la. You don’t sleep.

+ with the “laal” and “alaq” forms, the second element of the negative goes between the the verb and the pronoun.

B. With Nouns: Na ee winaq taj. (They are) not people.

Na ee winaq ta la¢. (They are) not people -- those ones.

Na nim i¢xoq taj. (She is) not a big woman.

Na nim i¢xoq ta lee ali. The girl (is) not a big woman.

C. With Pronouns: Na in taj It is not I.

Na in elaq¢oom taj. I am not a thief.

D. With Adjectives: Lee achi, na k¢a¢n taj. The man, he is not mean.

Na k¢a¢n ta lee achi. The man is not mean.

E. With Adverbs: Na chwe’q taj. (It is) not tomorrow.

Na chwe’q ta kimpeetik. (It is) not tomorrow that I come.

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F. With Prepositions: Na wuk’ taj. Not with me.

Na ruk¢ ta lee achi. Not with the man.

NOTE: These are just some of the possible word orders in the models. Word order and which words are negativized can be changed for emphasis.

VOCABULARY

ok (iv) to enteroq¢ (iv) to cryux (iv) to becomekar (n) fishchikop (n) animalajk¢aay (n) sellerajk¢ayiib¢ (n) sellerschaniim (adv) right now, quicklywa¢ (dem) this one, these -- very close to the speakerla¢ (dem) that one, those -- present to the vision or speaker, or spoken of as if it

were present


1. Na yawaab¢ ta lee saqa keej.2. Na kakam ta lee ak¢uleel.3. Na kojb¢ee ta pa k¢ayib¢al chaniim.4. Na ke¢tz¢an ta lee alab¢oom pa juyub¢.5. Na kixoq¢ taj, ak¢alaab¢.6. La¢, na kab¢ee ta pa chaak nimaq¢ab¢.7. Na me¢s ta la¢.8. Na kitaat ta wa¢.9. Na nuwuuj taj.10. Na tz¢i¢ taj.11. Na k¢ax taj.12. Na oj elaq¢omaab¢ taj.13. Na a¢re¢ taj.14. Na ix taj.15. Na b¢eenaq¢iij taj.16. Na aninaq ta keeb¢iin lee ixoqiib¢.17. Na nim ta lee chee¢.18. Na ee saq ta lee tz¢i¢.

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1. I am not going.2. That one will not die.3. The sick one does not go out from (pa) the house.4. We do not become tired because of the work.5. Boys, don’t play here.6. You (laal) do not go over there today.7. You (at) will not eat in the market tomorrow.8. Those are not animals.9. This is not my book.10. The worker is not a lazy one.11. The woman is not an ambitious one.12. The men are not thieves.13. The mountain is not rock.14. That is not a dog.15. You (at) are not good.16. We are not lazy.17. He is not sick.18. You (alaq) are not big.19. You (ix) are not workers.20. I am not a child.21. They are not women.22. We are not thieves.23. She is not fat.24. The horses are not white.25. The children are not sick.26. Not quickly do the boys come.27. Not in the morning are we going to the market.28. Not slowly do I go.29. Not today will you (laal) die.30. Not yesterday did you (ix) come.

K¢ICHE¢ DRILL: Change the following underlined parts of the sentences into negatives, rewrite the entire sentence and translate to English.

1. Keekam lee kar aninaq.2. Kojb ¢ ee awuk¢ pa k¢ayib¢al.3. Kab ¢ iin la pa b¢e.4. Keeb ¢ e lee a¢chijaab¢ pa juyub¢.5. Ka ¢ tin lee i¢xoqiib¢ pa ja¢.6. Kixeetz ¢ an nimaq¢ab¢ pa iwo¢ch.7. Kab ¢ ee alaq pa chaak beenaq¢iij.8. Tz ¢ i ¢ la¢.9. Elaq ¢ oom lee ak¢aal.10. Nim i ¢ xoq lee rixoqiil.

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11. Q ¢ or a¢chi.12. Chooma tz ¢ i ¢ lee chikop.13. Nuwaa la¢.14. At elaq¢oom.15. Alaq ajk¢ayiib¢.16. In yawaab¢.17. Are ¢ elaq¢oom.18. Oj oj q¢oriib¢.19. Laal choom.20. In k¢a¢n.21. Aninaq xeeb¢ee lee ak¢alaab¢.22. Chaniim xo¢k lee ajk¢ayiib¢ pa ja.23. Iwiir ximpee pa k¢ayib¢al.

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Chinawiye¢j na jub¢iiq¢. Wait for me a second.

2. Kinteri¢ b¢i chawiij. I’m going to tag along after you.

3. Xpee nuwaraam. I’ve become sleepy.

4. Xinkoosik. Kojuuxlana na jub¢iiq¢. I’ve become tired. Let’s rest a minute.

5. Jasa ora chaniim? What time is it now?

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LESSON FOURTEEN

THE PARTICLE “WI” (“U”, “WU”) WITH DIRECTION AND LOCATION WORDS

In K¢iche¢ there are a number of directional words or phrases such as: where, to, from, into, etc., which indicate movement toward or away from a person, object, or place. Also there are words or phrases which indicate locations: e.g., here, there, where, in, on, under, besides, etc.

In a clause, if these directional or locational words are placed before the verb of the clause, then the directional or locational particle “wi” generally follows immediately after the verb, as in the first model below.

If the directional or locational word or phrase follows the verb, the “wi” particle is not used.

At times if this particle is followed by other words and spoken at an ordinary or fast pace, it becomes “u” or “wu”. For the sake of simplicity, we shall for now only use “wi”.

The particle “wi” performs a number of other functions in the language that are beyond the scope of this basic grammar.

MODELS

Jawi’ katb¢ee wi? Pa k¢ayib¢al kimb¢ee wi.Where you go (to)? To market place I go (to).Where are you going? I am going to market.

VOCABULARY

ook¢ow (iv) to pass by, to go bywa¢kat (iv) to take a pleasure walk (“pasear”, in Spanish)k¢iis (iv) to end, terminate, finishk¢aslemaal (n) lifeswaan (n) gully, canyonnee¢ (n) babyjawi¢ (adv) wherewaraal (adv) herech--ee (ch) (prep) to, from

Declension of ch--e(ch)*

chwee (ch) at me, to me, from me ch-q-ee (ch) at, to, from usch-aw-ee (ch) at you, to you, from you ch-iw-ee (ch) at, to, from youch-ee (ch) at him, to him, from him ch-k-ee (ch) at, to, from themch-ee (ch) la at you, to you, from you ch-ee (ch) alaq at, to, from you

* The last “ch” is optional

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1. Pa tinamit ximpee wi.2. Jawi¢ xeepee wi lee ak¢alaab¢?3. Pa juyub¢ kojb¢iin wi.4. Ruk¢ lee achi xatb¢ee wi.5. Waraal kawa¢ wi la.6. Pa b¢e xk¢iis wi uk¢aslemaal lee achi.7. Cheech lee ajchaak xpee wi lee pwaq.8. Jawi¢ kab¢ee wi alaq?9. Jee la¢ xtzaq wi lee nee¢.10. Pa lee nima ja kinok wi.


Write the following sentences in K¢iche¢ putting the directional or locational word or phrase first.

1. Where do you (ix) come from?2. The boy went to work.3. We play with the children.4. The river (ja¢) passes in the gully.5. I look at the man.6. You (alaq) take a pleasure walk in the hills (pa juyub¢).7. The hardship (k¢ax) comes from the people.8. Where do the women walk to?9. The women walk in the market.10. Are you (at) going to the market today?


Change the following sentences so that the direction or location word or phrase comes first for emphasis and place “wi” in its proper place and translate them to English.

1. Kab¢ee la pa k¢ayib¢al.2. Xkoos lee wachajiil pa chaak.3. Kojwa¢kat pa b¢e.4. Kixka¢y chiqeech.5. Laa kapee alaq pa tinamit?6. Laa katb¢ee ruk¢ lee ataat?7. Xinwa¢ kuk¢ lee winaq8. Xeewar waraal iwiir.9. Lee tz¢i¢ ke¢tz¢an pa lee ja.10. Kook¢ow lee ch¢iich¢ (automobile) pa lee nima b¢e.

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USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Laa aree b¢e wa¢ ka¢ee pa tinamit? Is this the road that goes to town?

2. Jasa ora xatpee chila¢? What time did you leave from there (to come here)?

Xinpee a las tres b¢eenaq¢iij. I came (left) from there at three in the afternoon.

3. Jasa ora xatul waraal? What time did you arrive here?

Xinul pa taq umooy. I arrived at dusk.

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LESSON FIFTEEN

TRANSITIVE VERBS -- CLASS 2 -- WHOSE ROOTS BEGIN WITH CONSONANTS

AND END WITH VOWELS IN INCOMPLETE ACTION IN VOICE 1

In this chapter. we shall begin by explaining each part of the chapter heading, above. Then we shall show the structural make-up of these verbs. And finally we present give some conjugations as models.

Explanation of Chapter Heading

1. Transitive Verbs

We have seen that intransitive verbs are those which have only two main elements in the verb phrase, namely subject and verb (e.g. The man fell). Transitive verbs are those verbs

which by their nature may have three elements in the verb phrase, namely subject, object and verb (e.g. The man sells bread).

2. Classes of Quiche Transitive Verbs

Class 1: Verbs of this class are those transitive verbs whose roots end in consonants and are of one syllable (monosyllabic). Examples are: “-b¢an-” -- to do, make; “-chay-” -- to

hit, strike.

Class 2: Verbs of this class are those transitive verbs whose roots end in vowels and are of more than one syllable (polysyllabic). Some examples of Class 2 verbs are: “-kayi-” -- to

sell, “-siipa-” -- to give as a gift.

NOTE: In this grammar, we are first going to treat of Class 2 transitive verbs because their structure is less complex.

3. Transitive Verb Roots Which Begin With Consonants

Transitive verbs may have roots which begin with consonants. This is true for Class 1, e.g.,“b¢an-” -- to do, “-chay-” -- to hit. It is also true for Class 2, e.g., “-kayi-” -- to sell,“-siipa-” -- to give as a gift. In this chapter we are treating of Class 2 verbs that start in aconsonant and end in a vowel. In a later lesson, we shall treat of those Class 2 verbs whoseroots start with a vowel.

4. In Incomplete Action

We have seen the distinction between complete action and incomplete action in Lesson Nine.Incomplete action generally means that the action has not yet been done, or if begun, has not yet been finished.

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5. Voice 1

In K¢iche¢, there are five voices for transitive verbs. Each of these five voices is a way of placing emphasis or focus on one or more of the main elements of the clause with the

transitive verb (i.e., subject, verb or object).

Voice 1, with which we are dealing in this lesson places equal emphasis on all three of the elements: subject, verb and object. Later in this lesson we shall see the marker for Voice

1.

STRUCTURE OF CLASS 2 VERBS IN VOICE 1

Verbs of this type, namely transitive verbs, Class 2, in Voice 1 are made up of :

+ aspect + object + subject + root + voice marker

1. Aspect

When we studied intransitive verbs in Lesson Nine, we saw the distinction between complete and incomplete aspect. The same two aspects exist in transitive verbs with the same meaning and the same markers: “ka-” (“k-”) for incomplete action and “x-” for complete. In this lessonwe are dealing with incomplete action.

2. Object

When we talk of object we should note that even though the object may be expressed as a separate word (e.g., I killed the men), in K¢iche¢ the object is also always expressed in the verb in the object position as a pronoun (it, him, her, them, etc.). For example, “I killed (them) the men.” with the “them” placed in the object slot of the verb.

The object markers for transitive verbs are the same as the subject markers for the intransitive verbs:

-in- me -oj- us-at- you -ix- you-Ø- him, her, it -ee (¢)- them la you alaq you

3. Subject

The third element in the formula is the subject of the transitive verb in Voice 1. The following are the subject markers when the verb root begins with a consonant. In a later lesson we shall see that when the root begins with a vowel, a slightly different set of subject markers is used.

-in- I -qa- we-aa- you -ii- you-uu- him, her, it -ki- they la you alaq you

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It should be noted that these subject markers are the same markers that we have already learned as possessives for nouns whose roots begin with consonants (with the exception of the first person singular where “nu-” becomes “-in-”).

4. Root

The root is the fourth element of the verb according to our formula and it is the heart of the verb phrase, giving it its real meaning.

In this lesson, we are dealing only with Class 2 roots (i.e., polysyllabic and terminating in vowels) which begin with consonants.

5. Voice Marker

The last element in our formula for Class 2 verbs in Voice 1 is that which indicates we are using Voice 1. This marker is “-j.” This “-j” never disappears from the verb.

CONJUGATION OF A MODEL CLASS 2 VERB IN VOICE 1

+ Voice+ Aspect + Object + Subject + Root Marker = Full Form

k- -at- -in- -tzukuu- -j = katintzukuujyou I look for I look for you.

k- -Ø- -in- -tzukuu- -j = kintzukuujhim I look for I look for him.

k- -in- -tzuku- -j la = kintzukuj la*I look for you I look for you.

k- -ix- -in- -tzukuu- -j = kixintzukuujyou I look for I look for you.

k- -ee- -in- -tzukuu- -j = kentzukuujthem I look for I look for them.

k- -in- -tzuku- -j alaq = kintzukuj alaq*I look for you I look for you.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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+ Aspect + Object + Subject + Root Marker = Full Form k- -in- -aa- -tzukuu- -j = kinaatzukuuj

me you look for You look for me.

k- -Ø- -aa- -tzukuu- -j = kaatzukuujhim you look for You look for him.

k- -oj- -aa- -tzukuu- -j = kojaatzukuujus you look for You look for us.

k- -ee- -aa- -tzukuu- -j = ka¢tzukuuj**them you look for You look for them.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------k- -in- -uu- -tzukuu- -j = kinuutzukuuj

me he looks for He looks for me.

k- -at- -uu- -tzukuu- -j = katuutzukuujyou he looks for He looks for you***.

k- -Ø- -uu- -tzukuu- -j = kuutzukuujhim he looks for He looks for him.

k- -oj- -uu- -tzukuu- -j = kojuutzukuujus he looks for He looks for us.

k- -ix- -uu- -tzukuu- -j = kixuutzukuujyou he looks for He looks for you***.

k- -ee- -uu- -tzukuu- -j = ku¢tzukuuj**them he looks for He looks for them.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------k- -in- -tzuku- -j la = kintzukuj la

me look for you You look for me.

ka- -Ø- -tzuku- -j la = katzukuj lahim look for you You look for him.

k- -oj- -tzuku- -j la = kojtzukuj laus look for you You look for us.

k- -ee- -tzuku- -j la = keetzukuj lathem look for you You look for them.

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+ Aspect + Object + Subject + Root Marker = Full Form

k- -at- -qa- -tzukuu- -j = katqatzukuujyou we look for We look for you.

ka- -Ø- -qa- -tzukuu- -j = kaqatzukuujhim we look for We look for him.

ka- -qa- -tzuku- -j la = kaqatzukuj lawe look for you We look for you.

k- -ix- -qa- -tzukuu- -j = kixqatzukuujyou we look for We look for you.

k- -ee- -qa- -tzukuu- -j = keeqatzukuujthem we look for We look for them.

ka- -qa- -tzuku- -j alaq = kaqatzukuj alaqwe look for you We look for you.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------k- -in- -ii- -tzukuu- -j = kiniitzukuuj

me you look for You look for me.

k- -Ø- -ii- -tzukuu- -j = kiitzukuujhim you look for You look for him.

k- -oj- -ii- -tzukuu- -j = kojiitzukuujus you look for You look for us.

k- ee- ii- -tzukuu- -j = ki¢tzukuuj**them you look for You look for them.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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+ Aspect + Object + Subject + Root Marker = Full Form

k- -in- -ki- -tzukuu- -j = kinkitzukuujme they look for They look for me.

k- -at- -ki- -tzukuu- -j = katkitzukuujyou they look for They look for you.***

ka- -Ø- -ki- -tzukuu- j = kakitzukuujhim they look for They look for him.

k- -oj- -ki- -tzukuu- -j = kojkitzukuujus they look for They look for us.

k- -ix- -ki- -tzukuu- -j = kixkitzukuujyou they look for They look for you.***

k- -ee- -ki- -tzukuu- -j = keekitzukuujthem they look for They look for them.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------k- -in- -tzuku- -j alaq = kintzukuj alaq

me look for you You look for me.

ka- -Ø- -tzuku- -j alaq = katzukuj alaqhim look for you You look for him.

k- -oj- -tzuku- -j alaq = kojtzukuj alaqus look for you You look for us.

k- -ee- -tzuku- -j alaq = keetzukuj alaqthem look for you You look for them.

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* Class 2 transitive verbs in Voice 1 in incomplete and complete aspects end in --vvj if they are the last word in a clause; if not, the vowel becomes shortened; i.e. --vj (kintzukuuj -- “I look for it”, kintzukuj lee achi “I look for the man”).

** In order to avoid ee + aa for “you - them”, this form becomes “a¢.” The same logic as we saw in ee achijaab¢ = a¢chijaab¢. Likewise ee + uu becomes u’, and ee + ii becomes i’.

*** “He looks for you”, “They look for you”; with the laal and alaq forms is not used in this voice. Later we will see how this is said.

SPECIAL NOTE: Inanimate and non self moving (non living) things are not pluralized in the verb as either subject or object. For example: Kakitzukuj taq lee ab¢aj -- “They look for rocks”. In K¢iche¢, since the object is inanimate, its corresponding object marker in the verb is singular. The plural number of the object is then expressed outside of the verb with “taq”.

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VOCABULARY

k¢ayi (tv) to sellchaji (tv) to take care of, guardkamisa (tv) to killloq¢o (tv) to lovetzuku (tv) to look for, searchjastaq (n) thingk¢isik¢ (n) goatmaltyoox (n) thankswa (n) tortilla in general, food made from grain doughalk¢u’aal (pn) child or children of a couple, or of a manaal (pn) child or children of a womanxaa (adv) just (contrary to what is expected or hoped for)

e.g., you just sold it (unexpected)


1. Kink¢ayij lee tz¢i¢.2. Kojkichajij lee qataat qanaan.3. Maltyoox kinloq¢oj la, taat.4. Laa xaa ki¢kamisaj lee tz¢ikin?5. Na katzukuj ta alaq, naan.6. Lee achi sib¢alaj ku¢loq¢oj lee ralk¢u¢aal.7. Lee kixoqil lee a¢chijaab¢ kakik¢ayij wa pa k¢ayib¢al.8. Kixqatzukuj chwe¢q pa tinamit.9. Keeqachajij lee qak¢isiik¢ pa juyub¢.10. Lee alab¢oom kakik¢ayij kijastaaq pa tinamit.


1. Your (ix) father and mother love you.2. The boys kill the birds.3. We sell tortillas in the market place.4. You (alaq) women really take care of your children.5. I’ll just look for you (laal) tommorrow.6. Thanks, you (at) take care of my houses.7. Will (do) you (alaq) take care of us, sirs?8. The thieves look for things in the house.

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SPECIAL DRILL

Change the subject and object markers in the following model sentence as indicated:

1. katkichajiij they take care of youyou (at) meI themwe you (laal)

2. keeqatzukuuj we look for themI themHe you (at)You (alaq) us

3. ku¢k¢ayiij He sells themWe sell housesYou (ix) sell your dogsI sell my big horse

EXTRA DRILL

1. Write ten sentences in K¢iche¢ using in each one a Class 2 transitive verb in Voice 1 in incomplete action

2. Conjugate the following Class 2 transitive verbs in Voice 1 in incomplete action using all the possible subject-object combinations. Do not look at the model in this lesson while

doing this excercise: kamisachajiloq¢o

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS:

1. Laa naj k¢oo wi lee awo¢ch? Is your house a long ways away?

Jee¢, naj k¢oo wi. Yes, its a long ways.

2. Jasa ora kojoopanik? What time will we arrive?

Ya mero kojoopanik. We are almost there.

3. Ya xojulik. We’ve arrived (at our destination).

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LESSON SIXTEEN

CLASS 2 TRANSITIVE VERBS WHOSE ROOTS BEGIN WITH

CONSONANTS IN COMPLETED ACTION IN VOICE 1

When we dealt with the idea of completed action in the intransitive verbs, we saw that the aspect marker for the incompleted action was k- (ka-). This changed to x- for completed action.

The same aspect marker x- is used for completed action in Class 2 transitive verbs whose roots begin with a consonant in Voice 1. The other components remain unchanged; see examples below.

a. Kinq¢aluj lee ak¢aal. Xinq¢aluj lee ak¢aal.I hold in arms the child I held in arms the child.

b. Katkiloq¢ooj. Xatkiloq¢ooj.They love you. They loved you.

MODEL SENTENCE

Lee ajyuq¢aab¢ xeekiyuq¢uj lee kikarne¢laab¢ pa juyub¢ iwiir.

The shepherds - they herded them - their sheep in the hills yesterday.

The shepherds herded their sheep in the hills yesterday.

VOCABULARY

yuq¢u (tv) to shepherdq¢alu (tv) to hold in armspaxi (tv) to breaksiipa (tv) to give as a giftajyuuq¢ (n) shepherdajyuq¢aab¢ (n) shepherdskarne¢l (n) sheep (sing)karne¢laab¢ (n) sheep (pl)laq (n) clay dishleme¢t (n) bottleareetaq (conj) whenonojeel (n) all of, every (c.f. below)

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ronojeel qonojeel all of us1. all of them iwonojeel all of you

e.g. ronojel taq chee’ konojeel all of themall of the trees onojel alaq all of you

2. every, eachRonojeel winaq kakamik.Every person dies.

Ronojel q¢iij kapeetik.Each day comes.


1. Lee ixoqiib¢ xeekiq¢aluj lee kaal pa ja iwiir.2. Xaa xiipaxij ronojel taq lee leme¢t areetaq xixeetz¢anik.3. Laa pa swaan xeeyuq¢uj wi la lee karne¢laab¢ la?4. Sib¢alaj utz lee kotz¢i¢j xqasipaj chkee lee ak¢alaab¢. 5. Xu¢kamisaj lee k¢a¢na taq tz¢i¢ lee ala (note word order -- verb, object, subject).6. Xaa xensipaj lee ch¢utiq taq chikop cheech alaq.7. Laa xiik¢ayij taq lee ijastaaq pa k¢ayib¢al iwiir?8. Xeechajij lee alk¢u¢al alaq pa qo¢ch iwiir.9. Iwonojel xi¢yuq¢uj lee ichikoop.10. Lee ee tz¢i¢ xeekikamisaj konojel taq lee me¢s pa qatinamiit.


1. The boys gave the clay dishes as a gift to their mother.2. All of you (alaq) herded your sheep in the gullies yesterday.3. Did you (ix) break the bottles yesterday?4. The bad dogs killed our sheep (pl).5. You held my child (woman’s) in your arms when you arrived here yesterday.6. The children broke all the clay dishes when they played in the house.7. I took care of the children in my house.8. We gave the little dogs as gifts to the girls.9. Every day the woman sold tortillas in the market.10. The rocks killed the sheep.

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Laa k¢a k¢oo na karaaj kojoopanik? Is there still some to go before we get there.K¢a k¢oolik. There’s still some to go.

2. Sib’alaj k¢ax lee b¢e waraal. The road is very difficult here.

3. Puqlaaj lee b¢e. The road is dusty.

4. Xaq¢o¢l lee b¢e. The road is muddy.LESSON SEVENTEEN

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CLASS 2 TRANSITIVE VERBS IN VOICE 1 WHOSE ROOTS

BEGIN WITH A VOWEL

When we studied possessive pronouns in Lessons Seven and Eight, we saw that nouns that begin with consonants took one set of pronouns, and those which began with vowels took another set, both sets having identical meaning.

When we studied transitive verbs, Class 2, Voice 1, whose roots began with a consonant, we saw that the subject pronouns corresponded exactly with the possessive pronouns used with nouns that began with consonants.

In K¢iche¢, there are a number of Class 2 verbs that begin with vowels. Correspondingly, we now use as subject markers those possessive pronouns that are used for nouns which begin with vowels.

-w- (-inw-) I -q- we-aaw- you -iiw- you-r- he -k- they la you alaq you

The models we saw in Lesson Fifteen remain the same except for the change of these person markers. This change occurs, then, when the root begins with a vowel.

MODEL CONJUGATION

ka-w-eesaaj/ I take it out ka-q-eesaaj we take it outk-inw-eesaajk-aaw-eesaaj you take it out k-iiw-eesaaj you take it outka-r-eesaaj he takes it out ka-k-eesaaj they take it outk-eesaj la you take it out k-eesaj alaq you take it out

MODEL SENTENCES

a. Lee ixoq xreesaj lee atz¢iaq puk¢olib¢al (pa + uk¢olib¢al).The woman -- she took it out -- the clothes from (in) their placeThe woman took the clothes out from their place.

b. Kinweerej lee sii¢ pa wuleew.I haul it -- the firewood -- on my landI haul the firewood on my land.

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VOCABULARY

esa (tv) to remove, take out, take awayelesa (tv) alternate form of esaelaq¢a (tv) to steal, roboq¢e (tv) to cry abouteqa (tv) to carry a loadere (tv) to haulb¢o¢j (n) cooking utensils made of claykamyon (n) truck (Spanish loan)kars (n) jail (Spanish loan)k¢olib¢al (n) place, dwelling place puk¢olib¢al in its placesii¢ (n) firewoodnee¢ (n) babyeqa¢n (n) load, cargouleew (n) land, earth, ground, soilq¢ab¢areel (n) drunk personwee (conj) if


1. Lee alab¢oom xkelaq¢aj lee usii¢ lee achi.2. Lee achi xroq¢ej uwach lee rixoqiil areetaq xkamik.3. Ronojel q¢iij kaqeqaj nimaq taq eeqa¢n.4. Laa xesaj la lee wa pa k¢ayib¢al?5. Xaa xiiwoq¢ej uwach lee yawaab¢.6. Na kelaq¢aj ta alaq lee uleew.7. Ix ix ajchakiib¢, kiiwerej lee uleew pa lee kamyon.8. Pa juyub¢ kakelaq¢aj wi lee sii¢ lee elaq¢omaab¢.9. Wee kelaq¢aj la lee uleew, kab¢ee la pa kars (jail).10. Xqelesaj lee q¢ab¢areel pa ja.


1. You (ix) carry firewood in the hills.2. We haul rocks to the gully.3 They cried over their mother.4. I robbed a clay pot in the house.5. The woman removed the dog from the house.6. You (alaq) robbed the land from the man.7. You (at) carry the baby in the market.8. The workers robbed us.9. We removed the drunk person from our house.10. You (laal) cried over your wife.

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SPECIAL DRILL

A. Conjugate the verb oq¢e (to cry) in all eight persons, using --- third singular object pronoun in Voice 1 in both complete and incomplete action

B. Conjugate the verb eqa (to carry a load) in all eight persons, combining each of the eight with all of the possible object pronouns (as in grammar Lesson Fifteen). Do this in Voice 1 in both complete and incomplete action.

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Sib’alaj paqalik lee b¢e. The road is steep uphill.

2. Sib’alaj xulanik lee b¢e. The road is steep downhill.

3. Utz lee b¢e. The road is good.

4. Ix janipaa kixb¢eek? How many of you are going?

Oj jo¢oob¢. We are five.

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LESSON EIGHTEEN

IMPERATIVES OF TRANSITIVE VERBS -- CLASS 2 -- VOICE 1

AND THE REFLEXIVES

IMPERATIVES OF THE TRANSITIVE VERBS CLASS 2 -- VOICE 1

In our study of the imperatives of intransitive verbs in Lesson Twelve, we saw two main points:

1. The regular imperative marker, k-, was replaced by ch- in the third person singular, for verbs whose roots begin with vowels:

. chuxlanoqlet him rest!

2. The termination marker that indicated “imperative” was -oq (-a): katwaroq

go to sleep!

For imperatives of transitive verbs in Voice 1, ch- is also the marker. However, the -oq is not the termination marker. Class 2 verbs in Voice 1 retain the -j termination marker.

IMPERATIVE CONJUGATION -- TRANSITIVE VERBS -- CLASS 2 -- VOICE 1

tijo -- to teach

+ qatijooj let us teach himchaatijooj teach him chiitijooj teach himchuutijooj let him teach him chikitijooj let them teach him

+ tijoj la teach him + tijoj alaq teach him

+ NOTE: We notice that in the first person plural and in the la and alaq forms that the ch- does not occur when the object is third person ( him, her, or it). However, if the verb root should begin with a vowel, then the ch- does occur: e.g., chesaj la -- take it out.

If the object is other than third person singular, then the ch- is always used:

chintijoj la -- teach mecheetijoj la -- teach them

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THE REFLEXIVES

The reflexive word in K¢iche¢ is -iib¢, meaning “self”.

Declension of Reflexive -iib¢

wiib¢ myself qiib¢ ourselvesawiib¢ yourself iwiib¢ yourselvesriib¢ him(her, it)self kiib¢ themselvesib¢ la yourself ib¢ alaq yourselves

In our model sentence below, we see: “Qatijoj qiib¢ chee lee chaak.” which means, “Let’s teach ourselves about the work.” We see that qatijoj qiib¢ means “Let’s teach ourselves.” In the verb the object pronoun is -Ø-, or third person singular. The reflexive word qiib¢ is a noun and is the direct object of the verb. It is therefore marked as the direct object within the verb with -Ø-.

The use of the reflexive can be seen in the conjugation below. It is used with all eight persons here with a verb in incomplete action:

kintijoj wiib¢ I teach myself kaqatijoj qiib¢ we teach ourselveskaatijoj awiib¢ you teach yourself kiitijoj iwiib¢ you teach yourselveskuutijoj riib¢ he teaches himself kakitijoj kiib¢ they teach themselveskatijoj ib¢ la you teach yourself katijoj ib¢ alaq you teach yourselves

NOTE: In the la and the alaq forms, the pronouns la and alaq are not repeated twice as logic might dictate (e.g., katijoj la ib¢ la and katijoj alaq ib¢ alaq), but as in the above conjugation (katijoj ib¢ la and katijoj ib¢ alaq). This is also true for la and alaq verb forms if the direct object is also possessed by the same pronoun:e.g., kachajij la lee tz¢i¢ la, “you take care of your dog” would ordinarily become kachajij lee tz¢i¢ la, with the first la dropping out. However, it is permissible to use both la’s and alaq’s ifone so wishes.

VOCABULARY

tijo (tv) to teach someonech¢aab¢e (tv) to talk to someonetzijo (tv) to tell about something, to talk about somethingkajma (tv) maintain, sustain, servechaku (tv) to work somethingchaaq¢ (n) younger siblingchikop (n) animaljuun (indef art) an, one

` -iib¢ (n) selfwiib¢ myself qiib¢ ourselvesawiib¢ yourself iwiib¢ yourselvesriib¢ him(her, it)self kiib¢ themselvesib¢ la yourself ib¢ alaq yourselves

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MODEL SENTENCES

a. Chaachajij lee achaaq¢, ali.take care of him -- your younger brother -- girlTake care of your younger brother, girl.

b. Qatijoj qiib¢ chee lee chaak.Let’s teach ourselves about the work.

DRILLS

A. Change the following sentences into imperatives by changing the verb to the imperative form and then translate the entire sentence.

1. Kachajij ib¢ alaq.2. Kaatijoj awiib¢.3. Keeqakajmaj lee qalk¢u¢aal.4. Ki¢ch¢ab¢ej lee winaq.5. Kaaloq¢oj lee taat la.6. Xaakamisaj lee chikop.7. Xqach¢ab¢ej lee achi.8. Kiichajij lee ichaaq¢.9. Xeech¢ab¢ej alaq konojel lee winaq.10. Katzijoj la lee utza chaak.

B. Combine each verb with the reflexive pronoun given in each exercise, putting the verbs in the imperative mood and give translations.

Example: esa -- awiib¢chaawesaj -- awiib¢

1. chaji -- ib¢ alaq2. oq¢e -- iwiib¢3. kajma -- ib¢ alaq4. esa -- qiib¢5. oq¢e -- riib¢6. ch¢aab¢e -- qiib¢7. loq¢o -- ib¢ la8. tijo -- awiib¢9. kamisa -- kiib¢

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1. Take care of (chaji) yourself (laal), sir.2. Teach your (at) children every day.3. Work (alaq) the land in the hills (pa juyub¢).4. Let’s tell about the thief.5. Speak with (ix) the woman.6. Let him carry the firewood.7. Remove yourself (laal) from the house.8. Carry (at) the baby in your arms.9. Love (ix) one another (yourselves).10. Let’s kill the goat.11. Take care of (at) me.12. Love them (laal)!13. Talk to us (ix)!14. Kill (alaq) the animals!15. Take care of (laal) your daughter, madam!16. Talk to (at) me!17. Let us talk to them!18. Take us away (at)!19. Kill it (ix)!20. Work (laal) the land!

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Jawi katkanaj wi kaanoq? Where are you going to get off?

2. Teren kan lee qachi¢iil. Our companion is following along behind.

3. Kattzukuxik. Someone is looking for you.

4. Katch¢aab¢exik. Someone is talking to you (if he doesn’t hear).

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LESSON NINETEEN

CLASS 2 TRANSITIVE VERBS IN VOICE 2

What is the meaning of Voice 2? We saw before that “voice” in K¢iche¢ verbs is a way of spotlighting one or more of the three elements of the verb phrase -- subject, verb or object. For example,in Voice 1 we saw that the spotlight was equally on all three elements, namely, the subject, verb, and object.

Voice 2 now switches and puts the emphasis on the object. We now get the verb and the object in theverb phrase. For example, in the word: “kinkunaxik” -in- is the object and -kuna- is the verb root and-xik- is the termination. Kinkunaxik approximately means “I am cured”. The Voice 2 is somewhat similar to the passive voice in English, and is usually translated that way into English.

It should be noted that with Class 2 transitive verbs, Voice 2 has its own specific termination marker which is -xik. This replaces the termination marker -j of Voice 1 verbs. The -ik of -xik disappears if the verb is not the final word in the utterance.

It should also be noted that the forms and/or persons in this voice are conjugated in the same way as intransitive verbs both in the incompleted and completed action aspects.

CONJUGATION OF THE TRANSITIVE VERB -- CLASS 2 -- VOICE 2

Kuna -- to cure

Incompleted Aspect

kinkunaxik I am cured kojkunaxik we are curedkatkunaxik you are cured kixkunaxik you are curedkakunaxik he is cured keekunaxik they are curedkakunax la you are cured kakunax alaq you are cured

Completed Aspect

xinkunaxik I was cured xojkunaxik we were curedxatkunaxik you were cured xixkunaxik you were curedxkunaxik he was cured xeekunaxik they were curedxkunax la you were cured xkunax alaq you were cured

Imperative

kojkunaxoq let us be curedkatkunaxoq let you be cured kixkunaxoq let you be curedkunaxoq let him be cured cheekunaxoq let them be curedkunaxa la let you be cured kunax a¢laq let you be cured

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In the English passive voice, we can have an agent. For example, “He was cured by the man”. “By the man” is the agent. In Voice 2 to express agent or by whom the action was done, we use the preposition -umaal (c.f. Lesson Ten for declension). Therefore, in K¢iche¢ we can say:

Xkunax lee yawaab¢ rumal lee ajq¢iij.

He was cured -- the sick one -- by the diviner

The sick one was cured by the diviner.

In English, we can also say that he was cured “by you”, “by me”, or “by us”. In K¢iche¢, in this voice, the agent can only be expressed by the third person:

a. Xkunax lee yawaab¢ rumal lee ajq¢iij.He was cured --the sick one -- by him -- the divinerHe (the sick one) was cured by the diviner.

b. Xkunax lee yawaab¢ kumal lee ajq¢ijaab¢.He was cured --the sick one -- by them -- the divinersThe sick one was cured by the diviners.

In order to express the idea that I, we, or you cured someone, we must return to Voice 1:

Xinkunaj lee achi. I cured the man.

Xatinkunaaj. I cured you.

It is not correct in K¢iche¢ to say the following:

Xkunax lee yawaab¢ wumaal by me“He the sick one was cured” awumaal by you

umal la by youqumaal by usiwumaal by youumal alaq by you

NOTE: We noted in Lesson Fifteen that one cannot correctly have the third person subject andsecond person formal object combination in Voice 1. If one is speaking in the formal formand wishes to say “he or they cure you” (formal singular or plural), then one common way todo this is to use Voice 2:

kakunax la rumaal you are cured by himkakunax la kumaal you are cured by themkakunax alaq rumaal you (pl) are cured by himkakunax alaq kumaal you (pl) are cured by them

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VOCABULARY

NOTE: From now on all Class 2 transitive verbs will be listed under Voice 2 with the -xik termination marker.

kunaxik (tv) to be curedchomaxik (tv) to be thought, to be planned, to be arrangedeeta¢maxik (tv) to be learnedtz¢aapixik (tv) to be closed, locked upjosq¢ixik (tv) to be cleanedmajixik (tv) to be begunmulixik (tv) to be gathered togetherajq¢iij (n) divinerajq¢ijaab¢ (n) divinersch¢aab¢al (n) language, Christian doctrine ch¢a¢ooj (n) fight, disputeuchii¢ (n) his mouth, openinguchii ja (n) door (of the house)chee¢ (n) wood, tree, jailchee¢ (adj) rigid, inflexibleeskwela (n) school (Spanish loan)


1. Xmajix jun nima chaak iwiir kumal lee a¢chijaab¢.2. Katz¢aapix lee uchii ja rumal lee ixoq.3. Xjosq¢ix lee uleew kumal lee a¢jchakiib¢.4. Chwe¢q kachomax lee ch¢a¢ooj.5. Rajawaxik keeta¢max lee ch¢aab¢al kumal konojel lee winaq.6. Chwe¢q kamulix taq ab¢aj pa lee chaak.7. Xelaq¢ax lee pwak pa ja rumal jun elaq¢oom.8. Pa eskwela (school) keetijox wi lee a¢k¢alaab¢.9. Keech¢aab¢ex lee ee yawab¢iib¢ rumal lee ajq¢iij.10. Xtzijox lee ch¢a¢ooj kumal lee alab¢oom.11. Xkamisax lee nima chikop rumal lee qataat.12. Xeetz¢aapix lee elaq¢omaab¢ pa chee¢ kumal lee winaq.13. Xojelaq¢ax rumal lee itzeel a’chi.14. Xelesax alaq pa chaak kumal lee kitaat lee ak¢alaab¢.15. Xixch¢aab¢ex pa b¢e rumal lee ajyuq¢.16. Ak¢aal, xaa xattz¢aapix pa ja rumal lee anaan.17. Xoq¢ex awach rumal lee awachajiil.

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1. The children are carried in arms by their fathers.2. It is necessary that the bottles be sold.3. The clay pots were broken by the sellers on the road.4. We will be locked in jail by the bad men.5. Every day the girls are taught at school.6. You (alaq) were talked about by our mother yesterday.7. You (laal) are served by your wife.8. I was carried (packed on back) by the big man.9. The firewood is hauled by the boys in the morning.10. The land was worked by my father.11. You (ix) were cried over by your mother.12. The thief will be looked for in the hills by the men.

DRILLS

1. Replace the appropriate words in the blanks.

kinchajix rumal intaatI am taken care of by my father

a. _________________ rumal _________you are taken care of your father

b. _________________ rumal ________we are taken care of our father

c. __________________ kumal _________they are taken care of their father

d. _____________________ kumal _________you (ix) are taken care of your father

e. _______________ rumal ________he is taken care of his father

2. Change all of the verbs from Voice 1 into Voice 2, leaving the person-objects the same and substituting “rumaal” or “kumaal” for the subject.

a. Xinuutijoj lee achi.b. Katkiloq¢oj lee ataat anaan.c. Lee ala xreet¢amaj lee ch¢ab¢al.d. Kojkich¢aab¢ej lee ak¢alaab¢.e. Xkimajij lee ch¢a¢ooj lee winaq.f. Lee ixoqiib¢ xeekimulij lee kaal.g. Lee ajq¢iij xixuutz¢apij pa chee¢.

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USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Laa k¢oo rii ataat pa ja? Is you father at home?

K¢oolik. He is.

Na k¢oo taj. He isn’t.

2. Jawi b¢eenaq wi rii ataat? Where has your father gone?

B¢eenaq pa chaak. He has gone to work.

3. Jasa ora kuulik? What time will he arrive here?

Wee ne kuul pa taq a las kwatro. Maybe he’ll arrive at four o’clock.

4. Kimpee chi na pa jun rato. I’ll come back in a while.

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LESSON TWENTY


MEANING OF VOICE 3

Both Voice 2 and Voice 3 have many of the qualities of the passive voice in English. In both of these voices, the object or the recipient of the action of the verb is given emphasis. Thedifference between Voice 2 and Voice 3 is that the action done to the object receives adifferent emphasis.

In Voice 2 the focus is placed on the object with the emphasis on the action done to the object.

In Voice 3 we still have the spotlight focused on the object of the verb phrase, but now we arenot concentrating so much on the action done to it as we are on emphasizing the condition or state of the object, resulting from the action done to it. Therefore in Voice 2 kak¢ayixik means “it is sold”, or “someone sells it”. In Voice 3 kak¢ayitajik means “it will get sold” or “it will finish being sold”.

Voice 3 emphasizes the “becoming” (coming to be in a state).

FORMATION OF VOICE 3

We saw that the marker for:

Voice 1 is “-j”

Voice 2 is “-x(ik)”

The marker for Voice 3 is “-taj(ik)”

Verbs in this voice are conjugated exactly like intransitive verbs.

CONJUGATION -- kunaxik (tv) -- to be cured

Incompleted Action

kinkunatajik I shall get cured kojkunatajik we shall get curedkatkunatajik you will get cured kixkunatajik you will get curedkakunatajik he will get cured keekunatajik they will get curedkakunataj la you will get cured kakunataj alaq you will get cured

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Completed Action

xinkunatajik I got cured xojkunatajik we got curedxatkunatajik you got cured xixkunatajik you got curedxkunatajik he got cured xeekunatajik they got curedxkunataj la you got cured xkunataj alaq you got cured

Imperative Action

kojkunatajok let us get curedkatkunatajok get cured kixkunatajok get curedkunatajok let him get cured cheekunatajok let them get curedkunataja la get cured kunataj a¢laq get cured

SPECIAL NOTE: In English, we can say such things as “it can be learned”, or “it can be arranged”. In K¢iche¢, one of the ways of expressing approximately the same idea is by using Voice 3 in incompleted action. For example: keta¢matajik -- “it can be learned”;kachomatajik -- “it can be arranged.”

THE STATIVE ASPECT

We have until now seen three aspects of intransitive and transitive verbs, namely, incomplete, completed, and the imperative.

In Voice 3 there is a new aspect that is peculiar to this voice: Stative Aspect. What does this Stative Aspect mean? We saw in the first part of this lesson that in Voice 3 in both completed and incompleted action we have emphasis on the state of the object resulting from an action to be done or that was done to it. In the Stative Aspect the emphasis is still on the state of the object, but now with no mention of the action that put the object in that state.

The Stative Aspect has its own particular marker. c.f. 4 below:

1. Incompleted Action aspect marker k-, ka-2. Completed Action aspect marker x-3. Imperative action aspect marker k/ch---ok4. Stative Aspect aspect marker -tal (ik)

CONJUGATION OF STATIVE ASPECT

in kunatalik I am cured oj kunatalik we are curedat kunatalik you are cured ix kunatalik you are curedkunatalik he is cured ee kunatalik they are curedkunatal la you are cured kunatal alaq you are cured

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EXPRESSION OF AGENT WITH “umaal”

In Voice 3 the agent of the action can be expressed in all eight persons by the preposition “umaal” -- by me, you, him

Xk¢ayitaj lee wa awumaal.finished being sold the tortillas by youThe tortillas were finished being sold by you.

K¢ayital lee wa qumaal.are sold the tortillas by usThe tortillas are sold (in the state of being sold) by us.

MODEL SENTENCE

1. Areetaq xk¢ayitaj lee kaxlan wa kumal lee ajNawala¢iib¢, xeetzalij pa kitinamiit.

when it was finished being sold-- bread -- by them--the Nahualenians –they returned to their town

When the bread was finished being sold by the Nahualenians, they returned to their town.

2. A¢jlatal konojel lee winaq waraal rumal k¢atb¢al tziij.

They are counted-- all of the people – here-- by it -- the government

All the people here are counted by the government

VOCABULARY

tzalij (iv) to returntzalixik (tv) to be returnedajlaxik (tv) to be countedb¢ixik (tv) to be saidporoxik (tv) to be burnedrajiil (n) moneyrajaaw (n) its ownerkaxlan wa (n) breadk¢atb¢al tziij (n) court house, governmentmayestr (n) teacher (Spanish loan)wee ne’ (adv) perhaps, maybechi (conj) thataree chi (conj) in order that

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1. Areetaq xporotaj lee ja rumal lee rajaw, xtz¢aapix pa chee¢.2. Xeechomataj lee winaq pa k¢atb¢al tziij.3. Areetaq xb¢itaj la¢ rumal lee achi xumajij ch¢a¢ooj.4. Xtzalitaj lee rajiil chee lee rajaaw rumal lee elaq¢oom.5. A¢jlatal lee winaq waraal pa tinamit rumal lee mayestr.6. Keeta¢mataj lee jun chaak, wee sak¢aaj juun.7. Eqatal lee nee¢ rumal unaan.8. Areetaq xb¢itaj chwee chi na kak¢ayix ta lee uleew, xintzalij pa wo¢ch.9. Wee karelaq¢aj lee pwak lee ak¢aal, wee ne katz¢aapitaj pa chee¢.10. Lee k¢isik¢ kakimulij kiib¢ pa b¢e aree chi na keekamisataj ta rumal lee tz¢i¢.


1. When the work was finished being planned by us, we returned home.2 The child is (in the state of) being cared for by his father.3. We go to work in the morning in order that the land will get cleaned quickly.4. If the fight gets resolved (chomaxik) quickly in the court house, it (the fight) will end (k¢iis) over

there.5. If you (ix) take care of yourselves on the road, you won’t get killed.6. The pot was returned to its place by the woman.7. Yesterday, the man’s clothes got burned.8. The man says that the children have become taught about (chee) the doctrine.9. Maybe I’ll go if the money gets returned to me.

ADDITIONAL DRILL

Change the following verbs of Voice 1 into Voice 3 keeping the same objects and expressing the subjects by “-umaal” in its appropriate form. Translate the new sentences into English.

1. Xqaporoj lee chaak iwiir.2. Lee achijaab¢ kakitzalij lee pwak cheech lee rajaaw.3. Keechomaj la lee winaq pa k¢atb¢al tziij.4. Lee ala xinuuch¢ab¢ej pa b¢e.5. Xi¢mulij lee chikop pa koral (corral) aree chi na ke¢laqax taj.6. Ka¢jlaj alaq lee winaq pa tinamit.7. Areetaq ximb¢ij wa¢ chkeech lee ajchakiib¢, xeeb¢ee pa chaak.8. Xuutz¢aapij uchii lee ja lee ala.9. Areetaq kaqatz¢aapij uchii ja, na ko¢k ta lee winaq.10. Xaamajij chaak iwiir.

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USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. K¢oo jun nutajkiil awuuk¢. I have an errand with you.

2. Jasa lee atajkiil? What is your errand?

3. Laa k¢oo atajkiil? Do you have an errand? (do you want something?)

4. Jasa kaawaaj? What do you want?

5. Jachin xataqow loq? Who sent you here?

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LESSON TWENTY ONE


We have seen that the different voices in K¢iche¢ verbs are ways of putting emphasis on one or more of the three elements of the transitive verb clause. We are now going to treat of Voice 4. This voice is used when one wishes to place the emphasis on the ACTION of the verb clause with secondary emphasis on the actor, with no object mentioned (except indirectly, as we shall see).

Since we have in this voice only subject and verb expressed, this voice resembles an intransitive verb. It may help to think of this voice as a way of intransitivizing transitive verbs.

We saw that in each of the various voices, there are different markers:

Voice 1 -j chaku-jVoice 2 -x chaku-x(ik)Voice 3 -taj chaku-taj(ik)Voice 4 -n chaku-n(ik)

The marker for Voice 4 is -n(ik).

To see how this voice works, observe following sentences:

If we use verb chakuxik ‘to work’in voice 1, we might say:

Lee achijaab’ kakichakuj le uleew pa juyub’..The men they-work the land in hillsThe men work the land in the hills.

Note that in Voice 1, the verb expresses the object, ‘the land’ obligatorily both in K¢iche¢ and in the English translation. If we use this verb in Voice 4 in the same sentence, only excluding the object we get:

Keechakun lee achijaab’ pa juyub’They-work the men in hillsThe men work in the hills.

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In English, as in K¢iche, we have the verb expressed along with the subject of the verb. The object is excluded. In K¢iche¢, as in English, many transitive verbs can be used without objects. To do this in K¢iche¢, one uses Voice 4.

Voice 4 verbs behave exactly as intransitive verbs in their formation.

Incomplete Action

+aspect +subject +root +marker +termination

k in q¢ojoma n ik I play (music)k at q¢ojoma n ik you play (music)ka -- q¢ojoma n ik he plays (music)ka -- q¢ojoma n la you play (music)k oj q¢ojoma n ik we play (music)k ix q¢ojoma n ik you play (music)k ee (¢) q¢ojoma n ik they play musicka -- q¢ojoma n alaq you play (music)

Completed Action


x in q¢ojoma n ik I played (music)x at q¢ojoma n ik you played (music)x -- q¢ojoma n ik he played (music)x -- q¢ojoma n la you played (music)x oj q¢ojoma n ik we played (music)x ix q¢ojoma n ik you played (music)x ee (¢) q¢ojoma n ik they played musicx -- q¢ojoma n alaq you played (music)

Imperatives


k- at- q¢ojoma- n- ok (a) play (music)Ø- q¢ojoma- n- ok (a) let him play (music)

q¢ojoma- n- a la play (music)k- oj- q¢ojoma- n- ok (a) let us play (music)k- ix- q¢ojoma- n- ok (a) play (music)ch ee (¢)- q¢ojoma- n- ok (a) let them play (music)

q¢ojoma- n- a¢laq play (music)

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Several peculiarities of verbs in this voice should be noted

1. Not all transitive verbs are used in this voice. They can all be theoretically formed in Voice 4, but many are not used. Apparently, to the native speaker they make no sense. There are several Class 2 verbs which we have seen which theoretically can be formed, but may not be used:

kinwesaj “I take it out” correctkinesanik “I take out” incorrect

kinwoq¢ej “I cry over him” correctkinoq¢enik “I cry over” incorrect

Note that in the examples just given, their translation into English is incorrect unless the object is expressed. Many of the transitive verbs which cannot be used in this voice have corresponding intransitive verbs which are used in their place; e.g. instead of kinoq¢enik, “I cry over, which is not used, we use the intransitive verb, kinoq¢ik, “I cry”. In the verbch¢aab¢exik, “to be spoken to”, we find we cannot say kinch¢aab¢enik, “I speak to”. In this case the corresponding intransitive verb is used to express the idea: kinch¢aawik, “I speak”.

2. When using a verb in this voice, one must note whether the subject of the sentence is now the doer of the action or becomes the receiver of the action. For example, in

the verb kamisaxik, “to be killed”, if we use this verb in Voice 4 we get kinkamisanik, “I kill”. We see that the subject “I” in this case is still the active agent of the act of killing. However, if we use the

verb raqixik, “to be broken open”, in Voice 4 we get kinraqinik, “I break open”. Here we seethat the subject is now the receiver of the action rather than the doer. Putting this verb in Voice 1, we get an active agent: kinraqij lee ab¢aj, “I break open the rock”. If we reflect uponthis idea, we can see that we do approximately the same thing in English. We don’t have tolook farther than the last two examples. In “I kill him” and “I kill”, we have the subjects asdoers of the action in both cases. In “I break open the rock” and “I break open”, we have thedoer of he action in the first sentence becoming the receiver of the action in the second example. And so it is in K¢iche¢. Some verbs whose subjects become recipients of the actionin Voice 4 have corresponding intransitive verbs which express the same identical meaning.For example, we saw that karaqinik means “it breaks open”. There is a correspondingintransitive verb, karaqarob¢ik, which might be approximately translated as “it becomes broken open”. For all practical purposes these two forms are interchangeable.

3. We mentioned above that no object is expressed directly in Voice 4. However, one may use an object indirectly at times in this voice. This is done by using the preposition ch-ee (ch-eech), “to or for me, you, him”. We have seen that we can say: kinuuloq¢oj lee intaat, “my father loves me”. In Voice 4, we can express the same idea by saying kaloq¢on lee intaatchwee, “my father loves (to) me”. The difference seems to be that in Voice 4 we are placingmost of the emphasis on his act of loving, and the one who is the object of this act is only ofsecondary importance. This mechanism of expressing the object indirectly with Voice 4 isused very commonly in two cases:

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a. To avoid confusion which arises in Voice 1 in trying to say “I + verb + you (laal)”, e.g. “I look for you”, as distinct from “you (laal) + verb + me”, e.g. “you look for me”. InK¢iche¢, both of these sentences come out identically in Voice 1: Kintzukuj la. In order to avoid this ambiguity, the K¢iche¢ speaker will often switch to Voice 4 when using“in” with “laal”. Then it is immediately clear who is the subject and who is the object: Kintzukun chee la, “I am looking for you”; and Katzukun la chwee, “You are looking forme”.

b. We saw when talking about Voice 1 that third person subjects cannot be used with laal or alaq as objects. One cannot correctly say: kuutzukuj la, “He is looking for you”. In the study of Voice 2 we saw that one way to express this idea is to use Voice 2: e.g.

katzukux la rumaal, “you are being looked for by him”. Another way to express this idea is to use Voice 4: Katzukun chee la, “He is looking for you”.

MODEL SENTENCE

Keeq¢ojoman lee ajq¢ojomaab¢ pa tak nimaq¢iij.

they play -- the marimba players -- at fiestas

The marimba players play at fiestas.

VOCABULARY

sik¢ixik (tv) to be called, to be invitedq¢ojomaxik (tv) to be played (a musical instrument), especially a marimbaraqixik (tv) to be broken or burst opentaatab¢exik (tv) to be listened toelaq¢ik (tv) Voice 4 of elaq¢axic (tv) -- to be stolen or robbed (irregular)b¢isoxik (tv) to be sad aboutb¢ixaxik (tv) to be sung ch¢o¢jixik (tv) to be fought overchakuxik (tv) to be workedajq¢ojoom (n) marimba playerajq¢ojomaab¢ (n) marimba playersnimaq¢iij (n) fiesta, big dayb¢irin (n) gunny sackpaam (pn) stomach, insidemajaa¢ (adv) not yetxaq (adv) no more than, only, justjas chee (inter) why?jas chemna (inter) why not?rumal rii because of that (past), because

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1. Na keechakun ta lee winaq pa taq nimaq¢iij.2. Keeb¢ison lee ak¢alaab¢ rumal rii xkam lee kinaan.3. Majaa kasik¢in lee achi chee la, taat.4. Xaq kojtaatab¢enik areetaq kojch¢aab¢ex kumal lee qamayestr.5. Xtz¢aapin lee uchii ja.6. Ronojel q¢iij kixk¢ayin pa k¢ayib¢al.7. Jaschee keeb¢ixan lee ak¢alaab¢ pa ja?8. Xraqin upaam lee k¢isik¢ rumal rii xaa yawaab¢.9. Keetzukun lee tz¢i¢ pa taq juyub¢.10. Laa keetzukun lee winaq chee la, taat?11. Jaschemna keeqan alaq?


Use only Voice 4 in the verbs

1. I work with my father every day in the hills.2. The children listen to the teacher.3. Why didn’t the door to the house close?4. The men do not think (chomaxik), they only rob.5. The gunny sack burst open when it fell.6. You (at) are sad because you fought with your wife.7. The boys are looking for you, sirs (alaq).8. The marimba players still do not play at the fiestas.9. Why don’t your children work with you in the hills, sir (laal)?10. Where do your dogs hunt, boys?

DRILLS

Change the verbs in the following sentences into Voice 4 omitting the objects. Rewrite and translate each sentence into English.

1. Lee a¢k¢alaab¢ kakib¢isoj uwach lee kinaan.2. Kaqachakuj lee quleew ronojel q¢iij.3. Kiiq¢ojomaj lee q¢ojoom pa lee nimaq¢iij.4 Jaschee xaq ka¢welaq¢aj lee winaq?5. Lee a¢chijaab¢ kakik¢ayij leme¢t pa k¢ayib¢al.6. Keeqatzukuj lee itzeel taq chikop pa taq juyub¢.7. Ku¢kamisaj lee tz¢ikin lee me¢s.8. Lee achi xuuraqij lee b¢rin (make sure in this sentence that the bag is the thing that bursts).9. Keeqaj alaq lee b¢o¢j pa taq b¢e.10. Cha¢wajlaj lee achikoop.

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Change the following sentences from Voices 1 and 2 into Voice 4 expressing the object indirectly withch-ee. Translate the new sentence into English.

1. Kaqasik¢ij la, naan.2. Xkamisax lee tz¢i¢ rumal lee achi.3. Katzukux alaq kumal lee ak’alaab’.4. Kintzukuj la (“la” is the object here).5. Kinloq¢oj alaq (“in” is the object).6. Kachajix lee pwaq kumal lee alab¢oom.7. Majaa kaqataatab¢ej lee achi.8. Tzukuxa la rumal lee ali.9. Chiichomaj lee ik¢aslemaal.10. Kojukunaj lee ajq¢iij.

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Katok u¢loq. Come on in here.

2. Kat¢uyuloq. Sit down.

3. Katk¢oola na jub¢iiq’. Stay around awhile longer.

4. Jasa kulaab¢anaa chi¢? What have you come here to do?

5. Janipaa q¢iij ka¢b¢anaa chila? How long are you going to be there?

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LESSON TWENTY TWO


REVIEW OF THE MEANING OF VOICE

The voices in K¢iche¢ transitive verbs are ways of putting emphasis on one or more of the three main elements of the verb phrase: subject, verb, or object.

a. Voice 1: emphasis is put equally on all three elements -- subject, verb and object

b. Voice 2: emphasis is put on the object (similar to the passive voice in English)

c. Voice 3: emphasis is on the condition or state of the object

d. Voice 4: emphasis is on the verb (like intransitive verbs)

VOICE 5

Meaning

This fifth voice of the K¢iche¢ transitive verb is again placing emphasis on one of the elements of the verb phrase. In Voice 5, the emphasis is placed on the subject or agent of the action. In English to place the emphasis on the subject of the verb phrase, we would say: “I myself took the boy to school”. “I myself” being the phrase we use to emphasize the subject or agent of the action. Likewise, we can do this with the other persons in English: “you yourself”, “he himself”, “we ourselves”, etc. To get this kind of emphasis in K¢iche¢, we use Voice 5.

Formation of Voice 5

In Voice 5 all three main elements are obligatorily present: subject, verb, object. However, in every instance at least subject or object must be a third person (singular or plural) or laal or alaq. In the event that both subject and object are other than third person or other than laal or alaq, then this voice cannot be used for emphasizing the subject. We shall see in the next lesson other ways of emphasizing the persons in the verbs.

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SCHEMA:

Separated Subject +aspect +object +subject +root +voice ±terminationPronouns marker

in I Incomplete in- me in- I ----- -n (-ik)at you k- (ka-) at- you at- you ----- -n (-ik)are¢ (are) he Ø- him Ø- he ----- -n (-ik)laal you Complete la you la- you ----- -n (-ik)oj we x- oj- us oj- we ----- -n (-ik)ix you ix- you ix- you ----- -n (-ik)a¢re¢ (a¢ree) they Imperative ee- them ee- they ----- -n (-ik)alaq you ch- (rare) alaq you alaq you ----- -n (-ik)

Note in the schema above that the separated subject pronoun is to emphasize the subject of the verb and must agree with the subject within the verb in person and number. Rarely, this separated subject may appear immediately following the verb rather than before it. In the third person singular or plural, if a noun is present as the subject, then the separated subject, are’/a’re’, may or may not be used, e.g. “aree lee achi” or “lee achi”.

Sample Conjugation of a Class 2 Verb in Voice 5 in Incompleted Action Using All Possible Forms

Kuna: -- to cure, to heal

1. With “in” as subject

a. With object third person singular -- “zero”In kinkunanik. I myself cure him.

b. With object second person formal -- “laal”In kinkunan la. I myself cure you.

*c. With object third person plural “ee”In kinkunan lee a¢chijaab¢. I myself cure the men.

d. With the object second person plural formal -- “alaq”In kinkunan alaq. I myself cure you.

2. With “at” as subject

a. With object third person singular -- “zero”At katkunanik. You yourself cure him.

b. With object third person plural “ee”At katkunan lee a¢chijaab¢. You yourself cure the men.

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3. With “zero” (third person singular) as subject

a. With object first person “in”Aree kinkunanik. He himself cures me. Aree lee achi kinkunanik. The man is the one who cures me.

b. With object second person singular “at”Aree katkunanik. He himself cures you. Aree lee achi katkunanik. The man is the one who cures you.

c. With object third person singular -- “zero”Aree kakunanik. He/she himself/herself cures him/her/it. Aree lee achi kakunanik. The man is the one who cures him/her/it.

d. With object second person singular formal -- “laal”Aree kakunan la. He/she himself/herself cures you. Aree lee achi kakunan la. The man is the one who cures you.

e. With object first person plural “oj”Aree kojkunanik. He/she himself/herself cures us. Aree lee achi kojkunanik. The man is the one who cures us.

f. With object second person plural “ix”Aree kixkunanik. Heshe himself/herself cures you. Aree lee achi kixkunanik. The man is the one who cures you.

g. With object third person plural “ee”Aree keekunanik. He/she himself/herself cures them. Aree lee achi keekunanik. The man is the one who cures them.

h. With object second person plural formal -- “alaq”Aree kakunan alaq. He/she himself/herself cures you. Aree lee achi kakunan alaq. The man is the one who cures you.

4. With “laal” as the subject

a. With object first person singular “in”Laal kinkunan la. You yourself cure me.

b. With object third person singular -- “zero”Laal kakunan la. You yourself cure him/her. Laal kakunan la lee achi. You are the one who cures the man.

c. With object first person plural “oj”Laal kojkunan la. You yourself cure us.

d. With object third person plural “ee”Laal keekunan la. You yourself cure them. Laal keekunan la lee achijaab’. You are the one who cures the men.

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5. With “oj” as subject

a. With object third person singular -- “zero”Oj kojkunanik. We ourselves cure him. Oj kojkunan lee achi. We are the ones who cure the man.

b. With object second person singular formal -- “laal”Oj kojkunan la. We ourselves cure you.

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*c. With object third person plural “ee”Oj kojkunanik We are the ones who cure them/him. Oj kojkunan lee a¢chijaab¢. We ourselves cure the men.

d. With object second person plural formal -- “alaq”Oj kojkunan alaq. We ourselves cure you.

6. With “ix” as subject

a. With object third person singular -- “zero”Ix kixkunanik. You yourselves cure him. Ix kixkunan lee achi. You are the ones who cure the man.

*b. With object third person plural “ee”Ix kixkunanik. You are the ones who cure them/him. Ix kixkunan lee achijaab¢. You are the ones who cure the men.

7. With “ee” (third person plural) as subject

In this person, the separated subject pronoun, a¢re (a¢ree), or a plural noun is often the only clue that the subject is plural

a. With object first person singular “in”A¢ree kinkunanik. They themselves cure me. Lee ixoqiib’ kinkunanik. The womenare the ones who cure me.

b. With object second person singular “at”A¢ree katkunanik. They themselves cure you. Lee ixoqiib’ katkunanik. The women are the ones who cure you.

c. With object third person singular -- “zero”A¢ree keekunanik. They themselves cure him/her/it/them. Lee ixoqiib’ keekunanik. The women are the ones who cure him/her/it/them.

d. With object second person singular formal --”laal”A¢ree keekunan la. They themselves cure you. Lee ixoqiib’ keekunan la. The women are the ones who cure you.

e. With object first person plural “oj”A¢ree kojkunanik. They themselves cure us. Lee ixoqiib’ kojkunanik. The women are the ones who cure us.

f. With object second person plural “ix”A¢ree kixkunanik. They themselves cure you. Lee ixoqiib’ kixkunanik. The women are the ones who cure you.

*g. With object third person plural “ee”A¢ree keekunan lee a¢chijaab¢. They themselves cure the men. Lee ixoqiib’ keekunan le achijaab’. The women are the ones who cure the men.

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h. With the second person plural formal -- “alaq”A¢ree keekunan alaq. They themselves cure you. Lee ixoqiib’ keekunan alaq. The women are the ones who cure you.

*NOTE: Here where the object is third person plural, the marker is now “zero”, as in the third person singular (instead of “ee”, which is the ordinary third person plural marker). The fact that the object is plural can only be discovered from the separated object word that is plural (e.g.,

‘men’).

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ADDITIONAL NOTES

It can easily be seen that the structure of Voice 5 verbs very closely resembles that of Voice 4, especially due to the fact that they have the same termination marker, “-n”. In spite of the confusingly similar structure between the two voices, their meanings are quite different and can easily be distinguished from the environment in which the verb is used.

To conjugate a Class 2 verb in Voice 5 in completed action, as in all other cases we have seen, the “k-” (“ka-”) is changed to “x-”

Incompleted Completed

in kinkunanik I myself cure him in xinkunanik I myself cured himat katkunanik you yourself cure him at xatkunanik your yourself cured himaree kakunanik he himself cure him aree xkunanik he himself cured him

Class 2 verbs whose roots begin with vowels are conjugated in Voice 5 exactly as those whose roots begin with consonants, e.g.:

eqaxik, (tv), to carry on back, to pack:

In kineqan lee yawab¢.

I myself carry the sick one.

SOME COMMON USES OF VOICE 5

1. With interrogatory word jachin (who?):

It is very common to use this voice when asking a question about the subject of the sentence/clause when the introductory word is jachin ‘who’.

Jachin xkunan lee yawaab¢? Who was the one who cured the sick one?Jachin xatkunanik? Who was the one who cured you?

2. Commonly used in answering questions about the subject:

Aree lee ajq¢iij xkunanik. The diviner himself cured him.Lee intaat xinkunanik. My father himself cured me.

3. When asking if such and such a person did the action that has an object

Laa aree lee achi kakunan la? Is the man himself the one who cures you?Are¢. He (is) the one.

Laa at katkunan lee yawab¢? Are you yourself the one who cures the sick person?Na in taj. It (is) not I.

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4. With “k’oo”, a verb that means ‘there is someone or something” and “maaj”, a verb that means “there is none”, “there is nothing”, “there is no one”.

K’oo kinkunanik. There is someone who cures me.

Laa maaj keekunan lee winaq? Is there no one who cures the people?Maaj (keekunanik). There is no one who cures them.

VOCABULARY

k¢asuxik (tv) to be awakenedxib¢ixik (tv) to be frightenedwartisaxik (tv) to be put to sleepramixik (tv) to be cutjat¢ixik (tv) to be tiedtuukur (n) owlxib¢ineel (n) ghostxib¢inelaab¢ (n) ghostsch¢iich¢ (n) any metallic object, machete, carkolob¢ (n) ropealaj (adj) small (alternate form is “laj”. When “laj” is word final in an utterance,

it becomes “la¢j”)chee (prep) with (instrumentality)jachin(aq) (inter) who

Jachin chqee (ch) who of usjachin chiwee (ch) who of youjachin chkee (ch) who of themjachin cheech alaq who of you


1. Aree lee qataat xojk¢asun nimaq¢ab¢.2. Laa k’oo xramin lee laj chee¢?3. A¢ree lee xib¢inelaab¢ keexib¢in lee winaq pa taq b¢e.4. Laa aree lee alk¢u¢al la xsipan lee pwaq chee la?5. Jachin xjat¢in lee laj tz¢i¢ pa ja?6. Ee jachin taq lee ixoqiib¢ keek¢ayin wa pa k¢ayib¢al?7. Laa alaq xwartisan alaq lee laj ak¢aal pa ja?8. Aree Dyoos kojloq¢onik.9. Ix xixjat¢in lee keej chee kolob¢.10. Jachin chqeech kak¢asun lee qanaan?

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1. Did you yourselves (ix) tie the cats in the house?2. Did you (laal) yourself frighten us?3. Which one of you (alaq) cuts the little trees on the hill?4. Which one of us will put the child to sleep tonight?5. They are ghosts that frightened the children yesterday.6 The boy’s father himself killed the owl because it was an evil animal.7. It was the thief himself who took the machete from its place.8. Are you (ix) the ones who are going to take care of our house tomorrow?9. No one takes care of the sick people in their house.10. Is there no one of them to go with us to market tomorrow?

ADDITIONAL DRILL

Answer the following questions in K¢iche¢

1. Laa k’oo xramin lee kolob¢?2. Laa ix xixchajin lee ak¢alaab¢ iwiir?3. Laa aree lee kitaat lee ak¢alaab¢ xk¢ayin lee tz¢i¢ chiweech?4. Laa alaq xporon lee chaak pa juyub¢?5. Jachin chiweech xmulin lee ab¢aj pa tinamit iwiir?6. Laa a¢ree lee nimaq taq a¢chijaab¢ xeemulin lee winaq pa q¢atb¢al tziij?7. Laa aree lee ataat xattijon chee lee ch¢aab¢al?8. Laa aree lee ajq¢iij kakunan lee yawaab¢ chwe¢q?9. Jachin chqeech katzukun lee qasii¢ pa swaan?10. Laa laal xtz¢aapin la uchii lee ja areetaq xojb¢ee pa k¢ayib¢al?

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Kojwo¢oq. Let’s eat.

2. Katwo¢oq. Eat.

3. Chatijaa lee awaa. Eat your food.

Maltyoox. Thank you.

4. Maltyoox chee qawaa. Thanks for our food.

Dyoos xyo¢wik. God is the one who gave it.

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LESSON TWENTY THREE

SPECIAL SUB-CLASSES OF CLASS 2 TRANSITIVE VERBS AND

THE USE OF THE SEPARATED PERSONAL PRONOUNS FOR EMPHASIS

Special Sub-Classes of Class 2 Transitive Verbs

We have seen that the Class 2 roots end in vowels (a, e, i, o, and u). There are two sub-classes of Class 2 verbs whose endings vary slightly from those we have already seen for verbs which simply end in vowels. Other than this one variation they are conjugated exactly as the Class 2 verbs.

Example1. Types Whose Roots End In: -a¢ uk¢a¢ -- to carry

-e¢ iye¢ -- to wait for-i¢ tewechi¢ -- to bless-o¢ yo¢ -- to shoo away-u¢ q¢u¢ -- to cover up with

Now we shall see how these Class 2 roots which end in the vowel + glottal stop (¢) are terminated in each of the five voices.

Voice 1 Endings

Utterance Final

-a¢aj kinwuk¢a¢aaj. I carry it-e¢ej kinwiye¢eej. I wait for him.-i¢ij kintewechi¢iij. I bless him.-o¢oj kinyo¢ooj. I shoo him out.-u¢uj kinq¢u¢uuj. I cover up with it.

Not Utterance Final

- a¢j kinwuk¢a¢j la¢. I carry that.- e¢j kinwiye¢j na. I’ll wait for him awhile.- i¢j kintewechi¢j la¢. I’ll bless that one.- o¢j kinyo¢j la¢. I’ll shoo that one away.- u¢j kinq¢u¢j la¢. I’ll cover up with that.

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Voice 2 Endings

-a¢x(ik) kuuk¢a¢xik. It will be carried.-e¢x(ik) kiye¢xik. He will be waited for.-i¢x(ik) katewechi¢xik. He will be blessed.-o¢x(ik) kayo¢xik. He will be shooed away.-u¢x(ik) kaq¢u¢xik. It will be used to cover up with.

Voice 3 Endings

-a¢taj(ik) kuk¢a¢tajik. It will become carried.-e¢taj(ik) kiye¢tajik. He’ll become waited for.-i¢taj(ik) ktewechi¢tajik. He will become blessed.-o¢taj(ik) kayo¢tajik. He will become shooed away.-u¢taj(ik) kaq¢u¢tajik. It will become used to cover up with.

Voice 4 Endings

-a¢n(ik) (lacking in this verb)-e¢n(ik) kiye¢nik. He waits.-i¢n(ik) katewechi¢nik. He blesses.-o¢n(ik) (lacking in this verb)-u¢n(ik) (lacking in this verb)

Voice 5 Endings

-a¢n(ik) in kinuk¢a¢nik. I myself carry it.-e¢n(ik) in kiniye¢nik. I myself wait for him.-i¢n(ik) in kintewechi¢nik. I myself bless him.-o¢n(ik) in kinyo¢nik. I myself shoo him away.-u¢n(ik) in kinq¢u¢nik. I myself cover up with it.

2. Types Whose Roots End In -b¢a¢

Examples of such roots: kulub¢a¢ -- to marry offt¢uyub¢a¢ -- to seat

Below are the appropriate endings for each of the five voices. A model form of the verb kulub¢a¢,“to marry off”, will be given following each voice.

Voice 1 Ending: -b¢a¢ kuk¢ulub¢a¢. He marries him off.

-b¢aa kuk¢ulub¢aa lee ralk¢u¢aal. He marries his child off.

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Voice 2 Ending: -b¢ax(ik) xeek¢ulub¢axik. They were married off.

Voice 3 Ending: -b¢ataj(ik) xixk¢ulub¢atajik. You got married off.

Voice 4 Ending: -b¢an(ik) kojk¢ulub¢anik. We are match makers.

Voice 5 Ending: -b¢an(ik) laal xk¢ulub¢an la. You yourself married him off.

The Use of the Separated Personal Pronouns for Emphasis

The separated personal pronouns that we saw in Lesson Twenty Two [in, at, (rii) are’, laal, oj, ix, (rii) a’re¢, and alaq can be used in any situation where we wish to emphasize the person in some utterance.

1. In non-verbal sentences:

We have seen how to say “in in achi”, -- “I myself am a man”, which can also be said “in achi in”. The duplication of the in seems to give more emphasis to the person. It can also be correctly said “in achi”, -- “I am a man”, without the duplication of the pronoun to give it emphasis. This same duplication of the pronoun for emphasis can be done in all eight pronouns.

2. In intransitive verbs and Voice 4 to emphasize the subject:

Here the pronoun is placed immediately before or immediately following the verb. “Oj kojch¢aawik” or “kojch¢aaw oj” both mean “We ourselves speak”. The separated pronoun is also used for asking and answering questions with intransitive verbs and in Voice 4:

Q: Laa ix xixtzaaqik? Were you the ones who fell?A: Jee¢ oj (xojtzaaqik). Yes, we were (the ones who fell).

Q: Jachin kachakun wuuk¢? Who will work with me?A: Aree lee ala kachakun awuuk¢? It is the boy who will work with you.

3. In Voice 1 to emphasize the subject:

In katinchajiij. or Katinchajij in. I myself take care of you.

Jachin kinloq¢onik Who loves me?In katinloq¢ooj. I myself love you.

4. In Voice 1 to emphasize the object:

Ix xixqach¢aab¢ej. or Xixqach¢aab¢ej ix. You are the ones we spoke to.

Jachin xuuch¢aab¢ej? Who did he speak to?Oj xojuuch¢aab¢ej We are the ones he spoke to.

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5. In voices 2 and 3 to emphasize the object:

Alaq xkunax alaq rumaal. You yourselves were cured by him.

Jachin xchomatajik? Who was tried?Aree lee qanaan xchomatajik. It was our mother who was tried.

6. With nouns to emphasize possession:

Nuwuuj in la¢. It is mine that book there.

7. With prepositions to emphasize the object:

Xsiipax chwee in. To me it was given.(Xsiipax in chwee.)

NOTE: Another way of emphasizing some element of a phrase is by putting it first in the utterance:

Wuk¢ xpee wi. With me he came.Pa ja kimb¢ee wi. To the house I am going.Aninaq xpeetik. Quickly he cameAree lee intaat xuukunaj lee achi. It was my father the man cured.

MODEL SENTENCE

1. Chinawiye¢j na juch¢iin, k¢atee k¢u ri¢ kojb¢ee pa k¢ayib¢al.

Wait for me -- still a bit -- and after that we’ll go to the market

Wait for me a bit yet and then we’ll go to the market

2. Panuwi¢ in xtewechi¢n wi Dyoos.

Upon me myself he blessed God

It was upon me God gave his blessing.

VOCABULARY

tewechi¢xik (tv) to be blessediye¢xik (tv) to be waited for (Voice 4 has two forms: iye¢nik and iye¢b¢ik)k¢ulub¢axik (tv) to be married offuk¢a¢xik (tv) to be carriedterne¢xik (tv) to be followed, to be continuedch¢aqab¢axik (tv) to be made wett¢uyub¢axik (tv) to be seatedq¢u¢xik (tv) to be covered up with

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yo¢xik (tv) to be shooed awayteem (n) chair, benchk¢uul (n) blanketak¢ (n) chickenjuch¢iin (adv) a bit, momentk¢atee k¢u ri¢ (adv) and after that, and thenna (adv) first, still, yet, later, for awhile, have tojee¢ (adv) yesja¢ii¢ (adv) no

(or simply “no”)

DRILLS

1. Write out the conjugation of the following verbs for the eight persons in all aspects in all five voices. Do this exercise twice. The first time with only the verb (e.g., kintewechi¢iij) and the second time with the verb followed by the particle “na” (e.g., kintewechi¢j na). Give the English translation for each form.

iye¢xik (tv) to be waited forterne¢xik (tv) to be followedch¢aqab’axik (tv) to be made wet

2. Translate the following questions to English, then answer them in K¢iche¢ and translate them again into English (e.g. “Laa at xatb¢ee pa chaak iwiir?” -- Was it you who went to work yesterday? “Jee¢, in”. -- yes, it was I.) (“Laa kakunaj lee yawaab¢ kamiik?” -- Are you going to cure the sick one today? “Na kinkunaj ta in”. -- No I won’t cure him yet.

a. Jachin xpee iwuk¢ pa chaak iwiir?b. Laa ix xixch¢aqab¢ax rumal lee jab¢?c. Jawi kojkiye¢j wi lee alab¢oom chwe¢q?d. Laa katerne¢j na la lee chaak?e. Laa aninaq kak¢ulub¢ax lee ala rumal utaat?f. Jachin kuk¢a¢n lee wa pa k¢ayib¢al?g. Laa xixwa¢ik areetaq xixt¢uyub¢ataj rumal lee itaat?h. Laa chwe¢q kaqakunaj na lee qanaan?i. Laa aree lee k¢uul kiq¢u¢j chaaq¢ab¢?

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Laa xatutzirik? Are you finished (eating)?

Jee¢, Xinutzirik. Yes, I’m finished

2. Kinuum chik. I’m hungry.

3. Kachaqij nuchii¢. I’m thirsty.

4. Laa kak¢ayix wa waraal? Is food sold here”

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LESSON TWENTY FOUR

THE DEMONSTRATIVE ARTICLES AND

RELATIVE PRONOUNS: WEE, LEE, RII

DEMONSTRATIVE ARTICLES

In K¢iche¢ the articles which we translate in English as “the” are also demonstratives (like “this” and “that” in English) in K’iche’. We have already used frequently in this grammar one of the demonstratives, namely lee -- the (that one present to the speaker or spoken of as if it were present). There are three of these demonstrative articles. The proximity (physical or psychological) of the object spoken about to the speaker is shown by the article used with it.

wee the (this one very near to me)

lee the (that one present to the vision or spoken of as if present)

rii the (that one not present to the vision)

In the following examples we can see how these articles are used:

1. Utz wee nutz¢ii¢. The (this one very near me) my dog is good.

2. Utz lee nutz¢ii¢. The (this one present to our vision) my dog is good.

3. Utz rii nutz¢ii¢. The (that one not present to my vision) my dog is good.

Wee, Lee, and Rii as Relative Pronouns

The three demonstrative articles are also used as relative pronouns with the following meanings:

wee “who” (this one who), “which” (this one which) very close to speaker or just now done

lee “who” (that one there who), “which” (that one there which) present to the vision of speaker or just recently done

rii “who” (that one who), “which” (that one which) not present to the speaker, not yet done or done in the past

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In the following examples, we can see how the relative pronouns are used:

wee: “which” -- used with things very close to the speaker

Utz wee nutz¢ii¢ wee xisipaj chwe.good the my dog -- this one-- you gave meThis is a good dog which you gave me.

“who” -- used with persons very close to speaker

Utz wee achi wee xinkunanik.good the man – this one – the one who cured meThis man who cured me is good.

lee: “which” -- used with things present to, or recently seen by the speaker

Utz lee nutz¢ii¢ lee xiisipaj chwee.good the my dog -- that one -- you gave meThat dog there which you gave me is a good one.

“who” -- used with persons present to or recently seen by the speaker

Utz lee achi lee xinkunanik.good the man -- that one – the one who cured meThat man there who cured me is good.

rii: “which” -- used with things not present

Utz rii nutz¢i¢ rii xiisipaj chwee.good the my dog -- that one --you gave meThe dog which you gave me is good.

“who” -- used with persons not present

Utz rii achi rii xinkunanik.good the man -- that one –the one who cured meThat man who cured me is good.

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NOTE: In the above examples the articles used with the nouns match the relative pronouns used with them.

wee achi wee this man wholee achi lee that man there whorii achi rii that man who

It should be noted that this is not always the case. We may get various combinations:

lee achi riiwee achi rii the man whowee achi lee

Be aware that these variations exist. In a simple grammar such as this, we will not attempt to explain this complex grammatical problem.

The relative pronouns can also be used with verbs:

wee: Chitatab¢eej (jasa) wee kimb¢iij.Listen to (what) –this which --I sayListen to this which I say.

lee: Chitatab¢ej (jasa) lee kimb¢iij.Listen to (what) –that which --I sayListen to that which I say.

rii: Chitatab¢ej (jasa) rii kimb¢iij.Listen to (what) –that which --I sayListen to that which I say.

MODEL SENTENCE

1. Xpee lee achi lee xinkunaj kab¢ijiir.he came the (that) man --that one who -- I cured the day before yesterdayThe man whom I cured the day before yesterday came.

2. Chinimaj (jasa) wee kimb¢ij chiwe.obey -- (what) -- this which -- I say to youObey this which I am saying to you.

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VOCABULARY

nimaxik (tv) to be obeyed, respectedkeej (n) horseojeer (adv) a long time agokab¢ijiir (adv) the day before yesterdaywee (rel pro) this one who, this one whichwee (dem art) the (this one)lee (rel pro) (that one there) who, (that one there) whichlee (dem art) the (that one there)rii (rel pro) that one who, that one whichrii (dem pro) the (that one)


1. Xkam rii kitaat lee ak¢alaab¢ ojeer.2. Utz wee ak¢aal; kinuunimaj.3. K¢ax lee xb¢ij la chee lee achi.4. Laa majaa kapee rii itaat pa juyub¢?5. Ojeer kaatin rii ixoq pa ja¢ ronojel q¢iij.6. Kamik keechakun pa tinamit lee winaq lee xeek¢ayin lee keej chwee.7. Rii ixoq rii xixkunanik, sib¢alaj kixuuloq¢ooj.8. Kaqajat¢ij lee tz¢i¢ rii xkamisan rii jun me¢s.9. Xul lee achi rii xch¢aab¢en la cab¢ijiir.10. Kuunimaj lee ak¢aal jasa rii kab¢ix chee rumal rii utaat.11. Na utz taj wee kinchakuuj.12. Kaq¢i¢taj lee utaat lee ak¢aal chee lee kub¢ij lee ralk¢u¢aal.


1. This man cured me a long time ago.2. It is good that which you said to the people in the city hall the day before yesterday.3. The man who spoke to you yesterday will come today in the afternoon.4. The horse which you sold me is sick now.5. The children obeyed that which their father said to them.6. That boy who left the day before yesterday works here.7. The father of my wife died a long time ago.8. Has your older brother still not arrived from town?9. It is necessary that the man who gave me this horse go with us to the court house.10. The child whom you cured a long time ago is sick again.

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USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Laa maaj k¢ax chawe? Is there nothing wrong with you?

Maaj. Nothing.

2. Jas k¢ax chawe? What’s wrong with you?

3. K¢ax nujoloom. My head hurts

“ nuwach. My eye(s) hurt.

“ nuxkin. My ear(s) hurt.

“ nuware. My tooth aches.

“ nuqul. My throat hurts.

“ nupaam. My stomach hurts.

4. K¢oo pamaaj chwe. I have diarrhea.

K¢oo kaqa pamaaj chwe. I have dysentery (bloody diarrhea).

K¢oo kumatz chwe. I have rhumetism.

Maaj nuchuq¢aab¢ I don’t have any strength.

5. Na karaj ta nuwaa? I don’t have an appetite.

6. Laa akunam awiib¢ Have you cured yourself (taken medicine)?

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LESSON TWENTY FIVE

THE DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS:

WA¢, LA¢, RI¢

We have already seen such sentences as: Chikop wa¢. This is an animal.Me¢s la¢. That (one there) is a cat.

Wa¢ in the above example means “this”La¢ in the above example means “that (one there)”

There is a third one of these demonstratives which completes the set of three , namely, ri¢, “that” (not present).

wa¢ “This” (very close to the speaker) is the demonstrative pronoun which is the companion of the demonstrative article “wee”, which we saw in the last lesson.

la¢ “That” (one there) (present to the vision of the speaker , or spoken of as if it were) -- is the demonstrative pronoun which is the companion of the demonstrative article “lee”, which we saw in the last lesson.

ri¢ “That” (not present to the vision of the speaker , or some action done in the past time or not yet done) -- is the demonstrative pronoun which is the companion of the demonstrative article “rii”, which we saw in the last lesson.

Some Common Uses of Wa¢, La¢, and Ri¢

A. Used alone as “this” or “that” as substitutes for the names of persons, things or actions.

wa¢ With Persons: Ajchaak wee ala. Ajchaak wa¢.This boy is a worker. This is a worker.

With Things: Nim wee ab¢aj. Nim wa¢.This rock is big. This is big.

With Actions: Utz wee kinchakuj. Utz wa¢.This which I am This is good.laboring over is good.

la¢ With Persons: Xkoos lee achi. Xkoos la¢That man got tired That (one) got tired.

With Things: K¢a¢n lee tz¢i¢. K¢a¢n la¢.That dog is mean. That (one) is mean.

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la¢ With Actions: Utz lee xub¢ij lee achi. Utz la¢.That which the man That is good.said is good.

ri¢ With Persons Jachin rii achi? Jachin ri¢?Who is that man? Who is that?

With Things: Xpax rii b¢oj. Xpax ri¢.That pot broke. That broke.

With Actions K¢ax rii kach¢aawik. K¢ax ri¢.That way in which That is harsh.he talks is harsh.

B. Used with their companion demonstrative articles, wee, lee, and rii to intensify the demonstratives.

wa¢ + wee wa¢ wee achi. this man here.

la¢ + lee la¢ lee achi. that man there.

ri¢ + rii ri¢ rii achi. that very man. (Intensifies the object spoken of even though not present.)

NOTE: As above, these three can also be used with persons, things or actions.

C. Used with are¢ (aree ---), “he”, “she”, or “it”, or with a¢re¢ (a¢ree ---) “they” (for living things)

are¢ + wa¢ Aree wa¢ nuwuuj. (or) Aree nuwuuj wa¢. “this is” This is (it) my book.

a¢re¢ + wa¢ A¢ree wa¢ raal. (or) A¢ree raal wa¢. “these are” These are (they) her children.

are¢ + la¢ Aree la¢ kuuchakuuj. (or) Aree kuchakuj la¢. “that is” That is what he labors over.

a¢re¢ + la¢ A¢ree la¢ lee waal. (or) A¢ree waal la¢. “those are” Those are my children.

are¢ + ri¢ Aree ri¢ ko¢ch. (or) Aree ko¢ch ri¢. “that is” That (not present) is their house.(not present)

a¢re¢ + ri¢ A¢re ri¢ajk¢ayiib¢. (or) A¢re ajk¢ayiib¢ ri¢.“those are” Those (not present) are sellers.(not present)

NOTE: These forms can be used as substitutes for persons, things or actions.

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D. Used with je¢ to indicate manner, or direction. Je¢ is approximately translated as “this (that) way.

jee wa¢ Manner-- Jee wa¢ rii nukeej in.“like this” My horse is like this.

Direction-- Jee wa¢ katpeetik.“this way” Come this way

jee la¢ Manner-- Jee la¢ xub¢ij lee achi chwee.“like that, Like that, there, he said it to me. there”

Direction-- Xeeb¢ee lee winaq jee la¢.“that way” The people went that way.

jee ri¢ Manner-- Jee ri¢ kachakun rii achi.“like that” Like that the man works.

Direction--This form will not be treated for the present.

NOTE: In this Lesson and in Lesson 24 we have studied in some detail some of the demonstratives and their uses in K¢iche¢. There remains much to be said about this peculiarity of the language, but the treatment of such complex grammatical problems is beyond the scope of this grammar.

VOCABULARY

wa¢ (dem pro) this, this one (very close to the speaker)la¢ (dem pro) that there, that one there (present to the vision of the speaker,

or spoken of as if it were)ri¢ (dem pro) that one, that very one (not present to the speaker; a future,

past, or hypothetical event)wa¢ wee (dem pro) this very, this --- herela¢ lee (dem pro) that --- thereri¢ rii (dem pro) that very (intensifies the object spoken of even though not

present)are¢ (aree --) (per pro) he, she, ita¢re¢ (a¢ree --) (per pro) theyaree wa¢ (dem) this is it, this isa¢ree wa¢ (dem) these are they, these are --aree la¢ (dem) that there is it, that there is --a¢ree la¢ (dem) those there are they, those there are --aree ri¢ (dem) that is it, that is --a¢ree ri¢ (dem) those are they, those are --jee wa¢ (manner, dir) this way, like thisjee la¢ (manner, dir) like that there, that way therejee ri¢ (manner, dir) like that

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1. Nima chaak wa¢ wee kaqachakuuj.2. Jachin la¢?3. Kapee chi na ri¢ chwe¢q.4. La¢ xojuuch¢ab¢ej iwiir.5. Jas chee na kiisipaj ta wa¢ chqee?6. Chajij alaq ronojel la¢ lee ximb¢ij cheech alaq.7. Aree ri¢ nutz¢ii¢ rii xink¢ayij chee rii achi.8. Laa aree la¢ rii tinamit rii kab¢ee wi na la?9. Aree wa¢ xuub¢ij rii intaat chwee areetaq ximb¢ee ruk¢ pa chaak.10. A¢ree la¢ ee raal lee ixoq lee xch¢aaw quk¢ iwiir.11. Jee la¢ keel lee b¢e ka¢ee pa tinamit.12. Jee ri¢ kach¢aaw lee watz.13. Kixook¢owa jee wa¢.14. Xo¢k¢ow ri¢ rii winaq.15. K¢ax xuub¢ij ri¢ rii achi chwee.16. Utz jee la¢ kab¢ij la.17. Kanuum chi la¢ lee ala.18. Laa aree wa¢ awatz¢iaaq?


1. This one is sick.2. This man here will go with us tommorrow.3. That man there gave us the land as a gift.4. These are the man’s horses.5. That is our house there.6. Those (not present) are good children.7. My house is like that one there.8. The sick one was cured over there.9. The boy’s clothes are like these.10. That one died yesterday.11. That one (visible) will come again.12. That book there is new.13. Enter (alaq) over there.14. The market in my town is like that one (not present).15. This which I am saying is good.16. You (at) close the door of the house like this.

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USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Utz kaakunaj awiib¢. You should cure yourself (take medicine).

2. Janipaa chi umajim lee yaab¢iil chawee? How long have you been sick?

3. Wemna katkunax aninaq, katnimatajik. If you don’t get medical attention quickly, you’ll get worse.

4. Laa k¢oo kunab¢al katajin kaatijo? Are you taking medicine?

5. Chaatijaa oxib¢ pastiya pa jun q¢iij: Take three pills a day: one in the morning, jun nimaq¢ab¢, jun b¢eenaq¢iij, jun one in the afternoon, and one in the night.chaaq¢ab¢.

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LESSON TWENTY SIX

CLASS 1 TRANSITIVE VERBS IN VOICES 1 AND 2 IN INCOMPLETE

AND COMPLETED ASPECTS AND

INTENSIFICATION OF ADJECTIVES WITH -ALAJ

Transitive Verbs

In Lessons 15 through 23 we studied Class 2 transitive verbs in all five voices in incomplete, completed and imperative aspects. Class 2 transitive verbs, we saw, are those whose roots end with vowels.

We will now begin with the study of Class 1 verbs. Class 1 verbs are those whose roots are monosyllabic and end either in consonants or glottal stops.

Class 1 verbs, like Class 2 verbs, are conjugated in the five voices in the incomplete, completed and imperative aspects. The voices and the aspects for Class 1 verbs have the same identical meanings that they have for Class 2 verbs. The only difference between the two classes is the slight difference in their formation which we will see below.

Two Sub-classes of Class 1 Verbs

Sub-class A: Roots which end in consonants, other than glottal stops. E.g.:

k¢ut -- show; b¢an -- do, or make

Sub-class B: Roots which end in glottal stops. E.g.:

su¢ -- wipe; ya¢ -- give; to¢ -- help

Generally, these two subclasses are conjugated identically except in rare instances which will be pointed out when encountered.

Meaning of Voice 1

In K¢iche¢ we have five voices for transitive verbs. Each of these five voices is a way of placing emphasis or focus on one or more of the main elements of the clause with the transitive verb: subject, verb, or object.

Voice 1, with which we are dealing in this lesson, places equal emphasis on all three of the elements: subject, verb, and object, as we saw in Lesson 15.

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Of Incomplete and Completed Action

In the K¢iche¢ verbs it is better to talk of aspects of an action rather than of time (see Lessons 9and 10). The aspect markers we have seen so far in the verb indicates whether the action is incomplete (marked by a “k-” or “ka-”) or whether it is completed (marked by “x-”).

FORMULA

+aspect +object +subject +root ±termination

Incomplete in in (w) u if vowel ink- (ka-) at aa (aw) root is u

--- uu ( r)la la la

Completed oj qa (q) o if vowel inx- ix ii (iw) root is other

ee (¢) ki (k) than ualaq alaq alaq

In the formula it should be noted that the only difference between Class 1 verbs and Class 2verbs appears in the termination marker. In Class 2 verbs we saw that the termination in Voice 1was -j immediately following the root (e.g. kinweesaaj --I take it out) or -a¢ as we saw in Lesson 23 (e.g., kinch¢aqab¢a¢ -- I wet it).

In Class 1 verbs, the termination marker for Voice 1 is the termination “u” or “o”. The termination marker u is used for a verb whose root vowel is u; otherwise o is used for all verbs.

Model Conjugation of Four Class 1 Verbs:

Two in sub-class A, one whose root vowel is u and one whose root vowel is not u; two in sub-class B, one whose root vowel is u, and one whose root vowel is not u -- in Voice 1 -- incomplete and completed aspects (here the object will always be third person singular).

Sub-class A -- Root Vowel u: k¢ut -- show

Incomplete Aspect

kink¢utu I show it kaqak¢utu we show itkaak¢utu you show it kiik¢utu you show itkuuk¢utu he shows it kakik¢utu they show itkak¢ut la you show it kak¢ut alaq you show it

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Completed Aspect

xink¢utu I showed it xqak¢utu we showed itxaak¢utu you showed it xiik¢utu you showed itxuuk¢utu he showed it xkik¢utu they showed itxk¢ut la you showed it xk¢ut alaq you showed it

Sub-class A -- Root Vowel Other Than u: b¢an --make or do

Incomplete Aspect

kimb¢ano I do it kaqab¢ano we do itkaab¢ano you do it kiib¢ano you do itkuub¢ano he does it kakib¢ano they do itkab¢an la you do it kab¢an alaq you do it

Completed Aspect

ximb¢ano I did it xqab¢ano we did itxaab¢ano you did it xiib¢ano you did itxuub¢ano he did it xkib¢ano they did itxb¢an la you did it xb¢an alaq you did it

Note: Class 1A transitive verbs always have a short vowel in the root in voice 1.

Sub-class B -- Root Vowel u: su¢ --wipe

kinsu¢u I wipe it kaqasu¢u we wipe itkaasu¢u you wipe it kiisu¢u you wipe itkuusu¢u he wipes it kakisu¢u they wipe itkasu¢ la you wipe it kasu¢ alaq you wipe it

Completed Aspect

xinsu¢u I wiped it xqasu¢u we wiped itxaasu¢u you wiped it xiisu¢u you wiped itxuusu¢u he wiped it xkisu¢u they wiped itxsu¢ la you wiped it xsu¢ alaq you wiped it

Sub-class B-- Root Vowel other than u: to¢ -- help

Incomplete Aspect

kinto¢o I help him kaqato¢o we help himkaato¢o you help him kiito¢o you help himkuuto¢o he helps him kakito¢o they help himkato¢ la you help him kato¢ alaq you help him

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Completed Aspect

xinto¢o I helped him xqato¢o we helped himxaato¢o you helped him xiito¢o you helped himxuto¢o he helped him xkito¢o they helped himxto¢ la you helped him xto¢ alaq you helped him

In the four model verbs conjugated above, if the verb is not final in an utterance, the u and o termination ordinarily disappear:

kink¢utu I show it Kink¢ut lee chaak. I show the work.kimb¢ano I do it Kimb¢an lee chaak. I do the work.kinsu¢u I wipe it Kinsu¢ lee watz¢iaq I wipe my clotheskinto¢o I help him Kinto¢ lee achi I help the man.

Intensification of Adjectives With -alaj

In Lesson Four we saw that the adjectives can be intensified with the use of the adverb “sib¢alaj” (b¢alaj), which means “very”.

nim = big sib¢alaj nim = very big.

Another way to intensify adjectives which also gives the meaning of “very” is to attach -alaj to the end of the adjective.

nim = big nimalaj = very bigk¢a¢n = mean k¢a¢nalaj = very meanutz = good utzalaj = very gooditzeel = evil itzelalaj = very evilk¢ax = difficult k¢axalaj = very difficult

The difference in usage between (1) sib¢alaj + adjective and (2) adjective + alaj:

(1) is used when the adjective is equated with the noun:

Sib¢alaj nim lee tz¢i¢. The dog is very bigSib¢alaj saq lee ja¢. The water is very clear.

(2) is used when the adjective modifies the noun:

nimalaj tz¢i¢ very big dogsaqalaj ja¢ very clear water

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VOCABULARY

b¢an (tv1)* make, dok¢ut (tv1) showto¢ (tv1) helpsu¢ (tv1) wipeloq¢ (tv1) buyya¢ (tv1) give (ya when not final)ketzal (n) Guatemalan monetary unitjuun (num) oneke¢eb¢ (num) two (keb¢ when not final)oxib¢ (num) threekajib¢ (num) fourjo¢oob¢ (num) five (job¢ when not final)jee --- jasa so --- as (jee kib¢an ix jasa rii kimb¢an in. = So do as I do.)ch-wach (prep) before, in front of

Chuwa ja = in front of the house, homeKimb¢e chuwa ja. = I am going home.

chnuwach in front of mechawach in front of youchuwach (chuwa) in front of him, herchwach la in front of youchkawach in front of uschiwach in front of youchikiwach in front of themchwach alaq in front of you

*From now on in the vocabulary all Class 1 transitive verbs will be labeled (tv1), and all Class 2 transitive verbs will be labeled (tv2).

MODEL SENTENCES

1. Ronojel q¢iij lee ee keeb¢ a¢chijaab¢ kakib¢an lee k¢axalaj kichaak pa juyub¢.every day the two men -- they do it the very hard their work -- in hillsEvery day the two men do their very hard work in the hills.

2. Lee ixoq xuuk¢ut lee k¢aak¢ atz¢iak chuwach lee raal ali.the woman she showed the new clothes before her child daughterThe woman showed her new clothing to her daughter.

3. Rii utzalaj ala kojuuto¢ chee rii chaak.the very good boy he helps us with the workThe very good boy helps us with the work.

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K¢ICHE TO ENGLISH

1. Xaa kaab¢an k¢ax chkeech lee o¢xib¢ awalk¢u¢aal rumal rii katq¢ab¢arik.2. Xinkito¢ lee winaq areetaq xojb¢ee pa kayib¢al.3. Jee kab¢an alaq, jasa wa¢ wee kimb¢ano, ri¢.4. Xqayaa job¢ ketzal chiweech, rajiil lee k¢isik¢ xqaloq¢ chiweech.5. Xsu¢ la uchii lee b¢oj chee lee atz¢iaq.6. Lee a¢jchakiib¢ keekiloq¢ na ee kajib¢ chomalaj taq keej.7. Kiik¢ut lee rajaaw lee nimalaj uleew chqawach.8. Laa chwach alaq xuub¢an wi rii ch¢a¢ooj rii ala?9. Jawi kaqato¢ wi qiib¢ chuwach lee jun k¢ax?10. Rii qanaan kareesaj na puk¢olib¢al rii pwaq rii xuuyaa rii qataat cheech.11. Chiib¢iij jasa lee xkik¢ut lee imaystr chiwach.12. Lee kitaat kinaan lee a¢k¢alaab¢ kakik¢ut rii utzalaj taq chaak chkiwach lee kalk¢u¢aal.13. Iwiir xinloq¢ la¢ lee q¢analaj me¢s chee jun achi rii kachakun wuuk¢.14. Jachin kato¢ alaq pa k¢ayib¢al?15. Aree wa¢ xyaa la chwee iwiir.16. Kojb¢ee na chuwa ja. Rajawaxik kaqato¢ qataat chila¢.


1. Tommorrow the men are going to show me the very difficult work.2. This which I give you (laal) is very good.3. You (ix) helped us two days with the work.4. We wipe the bottle with the very white cloth.5. The three very good children are going home. It is necessary that they make their father’s firewood

there.6. Did the diviner help you (at) in the face of the very big difficulty?7. So help one another (ix) as I help you.8. You (alaq) bought the very big tree from its owner.9. These are the very white flowers the woman gave us.10. The thieves do a lot of harm in their lives.11. So show the very good works to your children as your parents showed them to you a long time ago.12. I am going home. I have to make my father’s tortillas in order that he go to work.13. That man there is the one we helped with the work.14. Slowly the children showed themselves to us first, and after that they spoke to us.15. What do you (laal) do every day when you go to town?

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USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Jas uwach kunab¢al katajin kaatijo? What kind of pills are you taking?

2. Laa k¢oo q¢aaq¢ chawiij? Do you have temperature?

K¢oolik. I have.

Maaj. I haven’t.

3 Chaab¢anaa jachike rii kuub¢ij lee doctor chawee. Do whatever the doctor tells you.

4. Mach¢it awiib¢. Don’t do anything to make yourselfworse.

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LESSON TWENTY SEVEN

CLASS 1 TRANSITIVE VERBS IN VOICE 1 IMPERATIVES

AND USE OF THE PROGRESSIVE ACTION WORD “KATAJINIK”

Imperatives

The imperatives for Class 1 transitive verbs in Voice 1 are formed according to the following formula:

Imperative Marker* Object** Subject** Root Termination***

ch- in in (w)(k-) at aa (aw)

--- uu (r)la laoj ka (k)ix ii (iw)ee (¢) ki (k)alaq alaq

*The imperative marker can be either “ch”, which is the more acceptable or common form, or simply the “k” sound. With the first person plural and with the “laal” and “alaq” forms, the “ch” does not occur when the object is third person singular (him, her it). In the “laal” and “alaq” forms, the imperative marker is only used if the verb root should begin with a vowel (chilaa la = see). If the object is other than third person singular, then the “ch” (“k”) is always used (see model conjugations below).

**The “laal” or “alaq” forms of the verbs, either as subject or object, always appear immediately after the verb and are never found in the place where the other six subject and six object pronouns occur.

***See below for a detailed discussion of the terminations for the imperatives for Class 1 transitive verbs in Voice 1.

We saw that the termination for Class 2 verbs in Voice 1 was always “-j”, even with the imperatives. The termination for Class 1 imperatives in Voice 1 is determined by the vowel occuring in the root of the verb as follows:

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Root Vowel Imperative Termination

a a¢ (aa--)b¢an b¢ana¢

e a¢ (aa--)mes mesa¢

i a¢tij tija¢

o o¢ (oo--)loq¢ loq¢o¢

u u¢ (uu--)k¢ut k¢utu¢

We will now take two examples for roots containing each of the five vowels, five for Subclass A and five for Subclass B, and conjugate them in the imperative in Voice 1 using always the third person singular object for simplicity.

NOTE: When the imperative is not utterance final, the glottal stop is retained if the following sound is a vowel, but the glottal stop is lost if the next sound is a consonant. Whenever the glottal stop is lost, the vowel of the imperative suffix becomes long (e.g., b¢anaa la).

Subclass A

1. Root vowel “a” -- b¢an --do, make

qab¢ana¢ let’s do itchaab¢ana¢ do it chiib¢ana¢ do itchuub¢ana¢ let him do it chkib¢ana¢ let them do itb¢anaa la do it ban a¢laq do it

2. Root vowel “e” -- mes -- sweep

qamesa¢ let’s sweep itchaamesa¢ sweep it chiimesa¢ sweep itchuumesa¢ let him sweep it chkimesa¢ let them sweep itmesaa la sweep it mes a¢laq sweep it

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3. Root vowel “i” -- il -- see

Root of this verb begins with a vowel and is conjugated exactly like Class 2 verbs whose roots begin with vowels (see Lesson 17).

qila¢ let’s see itchawila¢ see it chiwila¢ see itchirila¢ (rila¢) let him see it chkila¢ let them see itchilaa la see it chil a¢laq see it

4. Root vowel “o” -- loq¢ -- buy

qaloq¢o¢ let’s buy itchaaloq¢o¢ buy it chiiloq¢o¢ buy itchuuloq¢o¢ let him buy it chkiloq¢o¢ let them buy itloq¢oo la buy it loq¢o¢ alaq buy it

5. Root vowel “u” -- k¢ut -- show

qak¢utu¢ let’s show itchaak¢utu¢ show it chiik¢utu¢ show itchuuk¢utu¢ let him show it chkik¢utu¢ let them show itk¢utuu la show it k¢utu¢ alaq show it

Subclass B

1. Root vowel “a” -- ya¢ (ya)-- give

qaya¢a¢ let’s give itchaaya¢a¢ give it chiiya¢a¢ give itchuuya¢a¢ let him give it chkiya¢a¢ let them give itya¢aa la give it ya¢a¢ alaq give it

(ya¢ alaq)

2. Root vowel “e” --no example found

3. Root vowel “i” -- q¢i¢--withstand

qaq¢i¢a¢ let’s bear itchaaq¢i¢a¢ bear it chiiq¢i¢a¢ bear itchuuq¢i¢a¢ let him bear it chkiq¢i¢a¢ let them bear itq¢i¢aa la bear it q¢i¢a¢ alaq bear it

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4. Root vowel “o” -- to¢ -- helpqato¢o¢ let’s help him

chaato¢o¢ help him chiito¢o¢ help himchuuto¢o¢ let him help him chkito¢o¢ let them help himto¢oo la help him to¢o¢ alaq help him

5. Root vowel “u” -- su¢ -- wipe

qasu¢u¢ let’s wipe itchaasu¢u¢ wipe it chiisu¢u¢ wipe itchuusu¢u¢ let him wipe it chkisu¢u¢ let them wipe itsu¢uu la wipe it su¢u¢ alaq wipe it

Progressive Action Marker “katajinik” (“tajin”)

1. Meaning

In English we express progressive action (action going on at the time spoken of) with the verb “to be” + “ing” form of the main verb. “The man is working” in present time, or “The man was working” in past time.

In K¢iche¢ this same idea is expressed with the progressive action word “katajin(ik)” followed bya transitive or intransitive verb in its proper person always in the incomplete aspect because ofthe progressive nature of the action.

2. Use

a. To express progressive action in present time, “katajin + verb” in incomplete aspect is used. The context tells that the action is progressing in present time.

Katajin k¢ul lee winaq chaniim.

The people are arriving now.

b. To express progressive action in past time , “katajin + verb” in incomplete action is used, but the context shows that it is in the past time.

Katajin kajosq¢ix lee uleew areetaq xinoopan chila¢.

The land was being cleared when I arrived over there.

The completed aspect “x-” in “xinopanik” indicates that “Katajin kajosq¢ix” is in the past time.

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c. To express progressive action in future time, “katajin + verb” in incomplete action is used, but the context shows that it is future time.

Katajin keewa¢ lee winaq areetaq kojok pa ja.

The people will be eating when we enter the house.

d. At times “katajin” may be used without other verbs:

Katajin jab¢. It’s raining.

Katajin lee q¢ojom. The marimba is playing.

NOTE: “katajinik” can be used with intransitive and transitive verbs in all five voices:

1) With intransitive verbs

Katajin kojwa¢ik.We are eating.

2) With transitive verbs -- Voice 1

Katajin kixuukunaj lee itaat.You father is curing you.


Katajin kinkunax waraal.I am being cured here.


Katajin keekunataj lee ee yawab¢iib¢.The sick ones are getting cured.


Laa katajin kakunan lee ajq¢iij chee la”Is the diviner curing you.


Laal katajin kakunan la lee aq¢aal.You yourself are curing the child.

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VOCABULARY

mes (tv1) sweepil (tv1) see, look aftertij (tv1) eatq¢i¢ (tv1) bear, withstandaj¢iik¢ (n) maid, servant, paid by the monthaj¢ik¢aab¢ (n) maids, servantspruuta (n) fruitpaam (n) stomach, insidewaaqiib¢ (num) sixwuquub¢ (num) sevenwajxaqiib¢ (num) eightb¢elejeeb¢ (num) ninelajuuj (num) ten

upa ja inside of a house, household

ch-pam (prep) inside of --

chnupaam inside of me chqapaam inside of uschapaam inside of you chipaam inside of youchupaam inside of him chkipaam inside of themchpaam la inside of you chpaam alaq inside of you

MODEL SENTENCES

1. Tijaa lee wa la taat, ya hora chik kojb¢eek.eat it the food -- you sir -- now time -- we goEat your food, sir; it is now time for us to go.

2. Katajin kuumes upa lee ja lee aj¢iik¢ areetaq xojok chupaam.she is sweeping inside the house -- the maid -- when we entered -- inside itThe maid was sweeping inside the house when we entered it.


1. Chawila¢ upaam lee waqiib¢ pruuta, wee utz.2. Katajin kakiq¢i¢ k¢ax lee ee b¢elejeeb¢ achijaab¢ rumal rii keeqa¢n.3. Qamesaa na upa lee ja, k¢atee k¢u ri¢ kojb¢ee pa nimaq¢iij.4. Chi¢laa la la¢ lee ee wajxaqiib¢ winaq lee katajin keeb¢in jee la¢.5. Rii taat, naan, rajawaxik chkik¢utuu rii utza taq chaak chkiwach lee ee kalk¢u¢aal.6. Xwilo chi lee ee lajuuj chikop katajin kakitij lee pruta pa lee wulew areetaq xinoopan pa chaak.7. Chiitijaa lee iwa areechi kiiq¢i¢ lee b¢ee.8. Chi¢wilaa lee ak¢alaab¢ pa ja, ix aj¢ik¢aab¢.

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9. Cheeloq¢o¢ alaq rii ee waquub¢ karne¢laab¢ rii katajin keek¢ayix jee la¢.10. Chuuk¢utuu na lee chaak chkiwach lee aj¢iq¢aab¢ lee achi, k¢atee k¢u ri¢ kaqayaa uwaa.11. Chinaato¢o chee lee eeqa¢n.12. B¢anaa b¢aa alaq jasa rii xb¢ix cheech alaq iwiir.13. Yaa la rii pruuta chkee lee chikop areechi ku¢x (becomes) choma¢q.14. Qato¢oo qiib¢ pa qak¢aslemaal.15. Chaya¢a¢ uwaa lee achi, kanuum chik.


1. Show yourself (laal) to the doctor in order that he cure you.2. Wipe (at) the inside of the cooking pot in order that I put the food (riki¢l) in it.3. Help one another (alaq) with the very hard work.4. Let the man show the road to the eight boys who are passing in front of his house.5. Eat your (laal) food first and then we’ll help you.6. See (ix) those ten men there; they are working with me.7. Let’s do the work which our fathers gave us yesterday.8. Let those eight men buy their tortillas in the market.9. Give (at) us the six machetes that are necessary for us.10. Let them help us nine days in the work.11. We were making our firewood when the shepherds arrived there with us.12. We aren’t going to go yet; we are helping our father.13. Why are the women making the tortillas at night?14. The girl was sweeping the inside of the house when she was called by her mother.15. The boys are buying clothes in the market.

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Laa xaq jee¢ ub¢anom lee yab¢il chawe. Are you getting along alright? (asked of a sick person)

2. Laa kuya chi awech? Are you feeling better now?

3. Laa xtani lee yab¢il chawe? Has your sickness passed?

4. Kulnuta chi atzijol chwe¢q. I’ll come to visit you again tommorrow.

5. Chatija¢ awa arechi kape achuq¢ab¢. Eat your food in order that you get your strength back.

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LESSON TWENTY EIGHT


Meaning of Voice 2

We have already seen that “voice” in K¢iche¢ is a way of spotlighting one or more of the three main elements of the verb phrase -- subject, verb, or object. Voice 2 is used when one wishes to place emphasis or spotlight on the object of the verb phrase. It is somewhat similar to the passive voice in English.

Formation

We saw that the marker for Voice 2 verbs in Class 2 is “-x(ik)” attached to the verb root. Class 1 verbs have no such marker attached to the root, but are conjugated exactly as intransitive verbs in incomplete and completed aspects:

+Aspect +Person +Root ± ik

k- (ka-) inincomplete at

---la

x- ojcompleted ix

ee (¢)alaq

In incomplete and completed aspects both subclasses A and B are conjugated identically.

IncompleteSubclass A Subclass B

kinch¢aayik I am hit kinto¢ik I am helpedkatch¢aayik you are hit katto¢ik you are helpedkach¢aayik he is hit kato¢ik he is helpedkach¢aay la you are hit kato¢ la you are helpedkojch¢aayik we are hit kojto¢ik we are helpedkixch¢aayik you are hit kixto¢ik you are helpedkeech¢aayik they are hit keeto¢ik they are helpedkach¢aay alaq you are hit kato¢ alaq you are helped

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CompletedSubclass A Subclass B

xinch¢aayik I was hit xinto¢ik I was helpedxatch¢aayik you were hit xatto¢ik you were helpedxch¢aayik he was hit xto¢ik he was helpedxch¢aay la you were hit xto¢ la you were helpedxojch¢aayik we were hit xojto¢ik we were helpedxixch¢aayik you were hit xixto¢ik you were helpedxeech¢aayik they were hit xeeto¢ik they were helpedxch¢aay alaq you were hit xto¢ alaq you were helped

Imperative

In the imperatives, the formation of the two subclasses varies slightly, but only from the root onward.

Subclass A: formed exactly like imperatives of intransitive verbs

kojch¢ayok let us be hitkatch¢aayok be hit kixch¢aayok be hitch¢aayok let him be hit cheech¢aayok let them be hitch¢aaya la be hit ch¢aay a¢laq be hit

Subclass B:

The formation of the Voice 2 imperatives in this subclass is best shown simply by giving two examples each for the roots having each of the five vowels. In the first example in each case, the verb will be utterance final. In the second example, the verb will not be utterance final. Vowel length is not regularfor the root vowels in this subclass.

1. Root vowel “a” -- ya¢ -- to give

Utterance Finalkojyo¢ok let us be given

katyo¢ok be given kixyo¢ok be givenyo¢ok let it be given cheeyo¢ok let them be givenyo¢ka la be given yo¢k a¢laq be given

Not Utterance Final

kojyo¢ka chee let us be given to himkatyo¢ka chee be given to him kixyo¢ka chee be given to himyo¢ka chee let him be given to him cheeyo¢ka chee let them be given to himyo¢ka la chee be given to him yo¢k a¢laq chee be given to him

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2. Root vowel “e” -- no example found

3. Root vowel “i” -- q¢i¢ -- to be tolerated, to be withstood

Utterance Finalkojq¢i¢ok let us be tolerated

katq¢i¢ok be tolerated kixq¢i¢ok be toleratedq¢i¢ok let him be tolerated cheeq¢i¢ok let them be toleratedq¢i¢o¢ka la be tolerated q¢i¢o¢k a¢laq be tolerated

Not Utterance Final

katq¢i¢o¢ka rumaal be tolerated by himq¢i¢o¢ka rumaal let him be tolerated by himq¢i¢o¢ka la rumaal be tolerated by himkojq¢i¢o¢ka rumaal let us be tolerated by himkixq¢i¢o¢ka rumaal be tolerated by himcheeq¢i¢o¢ka rumaal let them be tolerated by himq¢i¢o¢k a¢laq rumaal be tolerated by him

4. Root vowel “o” -- to¢ -- to help

Utterance Final

kojto¢ok let us be helpedkatto¢ok be helped kixto¢ok be helpedto¢ok let him be helped cheeto¢ok let them be helpedto¢ka la be helped to¢k a¢laq be helped

Not Utterance Final

kato¢ka rumaal be helped by himto¢ka rumaal let him be helped by himto¢ka la rumaal be helped by himkojto¢ka rumaal let us be helped by himkixto¢ka rumaal be helped by himcheeto¢ka rumaal let them be helped by himto¢k a¢laq rumaal be helped by him

5. Root vowel “u” -- su¢ -- to wipe

Utterance Finalkojsu¢ok let us be wiped

katsu¢ok be wiped kixsu¢ok be wipedsu¢ok let it be wiped cheesu¢ok let them be wipedsu¢ka la be wiped su¢k a¢laq be wiped

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Not Utterance Final

katsu¢ka rumaal be wiped by himsu¢ka rumaal let it be wiped by himsu¢ka la rumaal be wiped by himkojsu¢ka rumaal let us be wiped by himkixsu¢ka rumaal be wiped by himcheesu¢ka rumaal let them be wiped by himsu¢k a¢laq rumaal be wiped by him

VOCABULARY

ch¢ayik (tv1) to be hitb¢a¢ik (tv1) to be chewedch¢ajik (tv1) to be washedti¢ik (tv1) to be bitten (by animals)chapik (tv1) to be taken hold of, to be caught, to be begunq¢ab¢ (n) hand, handsxa¢n (n) mosquitoti¢iij (n) meat (ti¢ -- when possessed by eater, e.g. “nuti¢ -- my meat to eat)chíla b¢aa¢ (common expression) well look

NOTE: From now on all Class 1 verbs will be listed in Voice 2 -- “ik” form:

e.g., ch¢ayik (tv1) to be hit

MODEL SENTENCES

1. Xch¢aaj lee atz¢iaq kumal lee ixoqiib¢ pa ja¢.

it was washed -- the clothes -- by them -- the women -- in the river

The clothes were washed in the river by the women

2. Cheechaapa rii a¢chijaab; xaq keekich¢ay rii kixoqiil.

let them be grabbed -- the men -- just they hit them -- the their wives

Let the men be grabbed; they just hit their wives.

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1. Xeeti¢ lee ak¢alaab¢ kumal lee xa¢n.2. Ronojel q¢iij cheech¢aaja lee ak¢alaab¢ kumal lee kinaan.3. Kixch¢aaya kumal lee itaat wee kib¢an k¢ax chkee lee ichaaq¢.4. Xojchaap chee qaq¢ab¢ rumal qanaan areetaq xojb¢ee pa kayib¢al.5. Rajawaxik kab¢a rii ti¢iij areetaq katiijik.6. Utz ka¢il la (kiil la) rumal lee doctor chwe¢q, xaa laal yawaab¢.7. Chíla b¢aa¢, na kimb¢e taj.8. Keech¢aay lee o¢xib¢ alaj taq ak¢alaab¢ rumal lee kitaat wee keeb¢ee pa nimaq¢iij.9. Na kixti¢ ta kumal xa¢n wee kiiq¢u¢j lee k¢ul chaaq¢ab¢.10. Laa xto¢ alaq kumal lee alk¢u¢al alaq pa lee chaak?


1. We’ll be helped with the load by our older brother.2. Was the money given to the workers by the owner of the work?3. I am taken by the hand by my mother when I go with her to the market.4. The clothes are being washed by the little girls in the river.5. If the meat is chewed, it won’t do one harm (to one).6. Did the mosquitoes bite you (alaq) when you bathed in the river?7. The doctor cured the man who was bitten by the dog.8. If the boys rob at the fiesta, they will be caught.9. The inside of the house was being swept when its owner arrived there.10. Who was hit by the child on the road.

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Jas ub¢i wa¢? What is this called?

2. Jas ub¢ixiik wa¢ pa ichaab¢al? How do you say this in your language?

3. Jas uwach wa¢? What is this?

4. Jas upataan wa¢ What is this used for?

5. Na weeta¢m ta mas ich¢aab¢al. I don’t understand your language very well.or

Na kintaa ta mas ich¢aab¢al.

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LESSON TWENTY NINE

CLASS 1 TRANSITIVE VERBS IN VOICES 3 AND 4

Voice 3

Voice 3, like Voice 2, has the spotlight focused on the object of the verb phrase. However, Voice 3 emphasizes the condition or state of the object, resulting from the action done to it (see Lesson 20).

Formation

Incomplete and completed aspects:

Aspect Person Root Vowel* taj ik

k- (ka-) inincomplete at

---x- oj

completed ixee (¢)alaq

Stative aspect

Person Root Vowel* tal ik

Same Markerssee above

Imperative aspect

Aspect Person Root Vowel* taj ok

k-, ch same markersexcept in 3rd see above

sing., laal, alaq where it is zero

*Note: The vowel in the formulas is present between the root and the “taj” with some subclass A rootsto facilitate pronunciation: e.g., kak¢ututajik -- it will become shown. With others it is not needed: e.g., kab¢antajik -- it will get done. Roots which take this vowel must be memorized.There appears to be no simple fixed rule to predict its occurance. With subclass B roots, the vowel is never added: e.g., xto¢tajik -- he got helped; xsu¢tajik -- it got wiped.

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Conjugation of Voice 3

Two model verbs are conjugated in Voice 3: “ilik” (Subclass A) -- to be seen, and “to¢ik” (Subclass B) -- to be helped

Subclass A: “ilik” -- to be seen Subclass B: “to¢ik -- to be helped

Incomplete Aspect Incomplete Aspectkiniilitajik I will become seen kinto¢tajik I will get helpedkatiilitajik you will become seen katto¢tajik you will get helpedkiilitajik he will become seen kato¢tajik he will get helpedkiilitaj la you will become seen kato¢taj la you will get helpedkojiilitajik we will become seen kojto¢tajik we will get helpedkixiilitajik you will become seen kixto¢tajik you will get helpedki¢litajik they will become seen keeto¢tajik they will get helpedkiilitaj alaq you will become seen kato¢taj alaq you will get helped

Completed Aspect Completed Aspectxiniilitajik I became seen xinto¢tajik I became helpedxatiilitajik you became seen xatto¢tajik you became helpedxiilitajik he became seen xto¢tajik he became helpedxiilitaj la you became seen xto¢taj la you became helpedxojiilitajik we became seen xojto¢tajik we became helpedxixiilitajik you became seen xixto¢tajik you became helpedxi¢litajik they became seen xeeto¢tajik they became helpedxiilitaj alaq you became seen xto¢taj alaq you became helped

Stative Aspect Stative Aspectin ilitalik I am seen in to¢talik I am helpedat ilitalik you are seen at to¢talik you are helped ilitalik he is seen to¢talik he is helped ilital la you are seen to¢tal la you are helpedoj ilitalik we are seen oj to¢talik we are helpedix ilitalik you are seen ix to¢talik you are helpedi¢litalik they are seen ee to¢talik they are helpedilital alaq you are seen to¢tal alaq you are helped

Imperative Aspect Imperative Aspectchiniilitajok let me become seen chinto¢tajok let me become helpedkatiilitajok become seen katto¢tajok become helpedchiilitajok let me become seen to¢tajok let him become helpedchiilitaja la become seen to¢taja la become helpedkojiilitajok let us become seen kojto¢tajok let us become helpedkixiilitajok become seen kixto¢tajok become helpedchi¢litajok let them become seen cheeto¢tajok let them become helpedchiilitaj a¢laq become seen to¢taj a¢laq become helped

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Voice 4

Voice 4 is used when one wishes to place the emphasis on the action of the verb clause with onlysecondary emphasis given to the actor, with no direct object present (see Lesson 21).

Formation

Incomplete and completed aspects:

Aspect Person Root Vowel* n ik

k- (ka-) in Iincomplete at you

--- he, she, itla you

x- oj wecompleted ix you

ee (¢) theyalaq you

Imperative aspect

Aspect Person Root Vowel* n ok

k-, ch same markersexcept in 3rd sing., see above

laal, alaq where it is zero

*Note: With Subclass A roots, the vowel is always present: e.g., “kinsub¢anik” -- I decieve. When the root vowel is “u”, the vowel is also “u”. If the root vowel is “a”, the vowel is also “a”: e.g., “kach¢ayanik” -- he hits. If the root vowel is “e”, “i”, or “o”, the vowel is “o”: e.g.,

“kamesonik”-- he sweeps. With Subclass B roots, the vowel is not necessary: e.g., “Kalu¢n lee ak.” -- Thepig roots.

Conjugation of Voice 4

Subclass A: “mesik” (tv1) -- to be swept Subclass B: “su¢ik” (tv1) to be wiped

Incomplete Aspect Incomplete Aspectkimmesonik I sweep kinsu¢nik I wipekatmesonik you sweep katsu¢nik you wipekamesonik he sweeps kasu¢nik he wipeskameson la you sweep kasu¢n la you wipekojmesonik we sweep kojsu¢nik we wipekixmesonik you sweep kixsu¢nik you wipekeemesonik they sweep keesu¢nik they wipekameson alaq you sweep kasu¢n alaq you wipe

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Completed Aspect Completed Aspectximmesonik I swept xinsu¢nik I wipedxatmesonik you swept xatsu¢nik you wipedxmesonik he swept xsu¢nik he wipedxmeson la you swept xsu¢n la you wipedxojmesonik we swept xojsu¢nik we wipedxixmesonik you swept xixsu¢nik you wipedxeemesonik they swept xeesu¢nik they wipedxmeson alaq you swept xsu¢n alaq you wiped

Imperative Aspect Imperative Aspectchinmesonok let me sweep chinsu¢nok let me wipekatmesonok sweep katsu¢nok wipemesonok let me sweep su¢nok let him wipemesona la sweep su¢na la wipekojmesonok let us sweep kojsu¢nok let us wipekixmesonok sweep kixsu¢nok wipecheemesonok let them sweep cheesu¢nok let them wipemeson a¢laq sweep su¢n a¢laq wipe

Note: Just as we saw for Class 2 verbs (Lesson 21), there are also many Class 1 verbs that can theoretically be formed in Voice 4 but are not used because they make no sense to the native speaker.

VOCABULARY

riqik (tv1) to be found, to be encountered, to be metkuuriq tyeempo the time will arrivexuriq tyeempo the time arrivedtob¢anik (tv1) to be helped, (Voice 4 irregular: tob¢ik or tob¢anik)ti¢ik (tv1) to be bitten (animal bite), (Voice 4 irregular: tio¢nik)ch¢ajik (tv1) to be washed (2 forms Voice 4: irregular -- ch¢ajo¢manik -- to do

laundry; regular -- ch¢ajanik -- to wash oneself)tikik (tv1) to be planted (2 forms in Voice 4: tikonik, tikonajik)loq¢ik (tv1) to be bought (Voice 4 irregular: loq¢o¢manik)q¢olik (tv1) to be picked -- coffee, beans, etc. (Voice 4 irregular: q¢olowik)kape (n) coffeekinaq¢ (n) beansab¢iix (n) corn plantaweex (n) corn plantingya mero (adv) almost, nearly (Spanish)naqaaj (adv) near, nearby, close by (time wise)ch-naqaaj (prep) near

chnunaqaaj near me chqanaqaaj near uschanaqaaj near you chinaqaaj near youchunaqaaj near him chkinaqaaj near themchnaqaaj la near you chnaqaaj alaq near you

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MODEL SENTENCES

1. Xtikitaj rii abiix pa juyub¢ kumal lee achijaab¢.

it got planted -- the corn -- in hills --by them -- the men

The corn became planted by the men in the hills.

2. Lee alab¢oom keetob¢an na chee lee aweex areetaq kuuriq tyeempo cheech.

the boys -- they will help later -- with the corn planting -- when it meets time.

The boys will help with the corn planting when the time arrives for it.

K¢ICHE TO ENGLISH

1. Ku¢xlan na keeb¢ oxib¢ q¢iij lee a¢chijaab¢ areetaq kab¢antaj lee jach¢ kumaal.2. Katajin keeq¢olow rii i¢xoqiib¢ chunaqaaj lee tinamit.3. K¢ax keeti¢on lee ee tz¢i¢.4. Kojtob¢ana chkee lee qataat.5. Xtikitaj lee kinaq¢ puleew ruk¢ lee ab¢iix.6. Lee laj ali katajin kameson chqanaqaaj.7. Q¢olotaja lee kape aninaq; ya mero kapee jab¢.8. Laa xb¢antaj lee chaak umal alaq?9. Jachin chiweech xriqitaj pa nimaq¢iij.10. Xaq kixq¢i¢tajik wee kixb¢ee pa aweex quuk¢.11. Ya mero kuurik tyeempo kojb¢ee pa jach¢.12. In kintiko¢naj kuk¢ lee a¢chijaab¢ areetaq kakib¢an aweex chqanaqaaj.13. Na ya¢tal ta chiweech kixwa¢ kuk¢ nimaq taq winaq.


1. When the people finished eating (when the food got eaten by the people) they went to work again.2. Let’s help with the harvest when the time arrives for it.3. The girls pick near their mothers.4. The corn will become planted by the workers near our house.5. It’s almost time for the corn planting; the rain is near now.6. Did your (at) father hit you when you became found at the fiesta by him?7. It’s not for you (ix) (it’s not given to you) to hit your wives when you become drunk.8. Why were you buying in the market at night when we arrived there.9. The women do laundry near the big rock in the river.10. We don’t pass before that man’s house; his dog bites.11. These are the beans that got picked yesterday near the town.12. When the beans were bought by us, we gave them to our servants.

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USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Mas q¢aaq¢ kamiik. It’s hot today.

2. Mas teew kamiik. It’s cold today

3. Kapee jab¢. It’s going to rain.

4. Kimb¢ee nimaq¢ab¢. I’m going in the morning.

Kimb¢ee pa q¢ij. I’m going at noon.

Kimb¢ee b¢enaq¢ij. I’m going in the afternoon.

Kimb¢ee chaq¢ab¢ I’m going at night.

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LESSON THIRTY

CLASS 1 TRANSITIVE VERBS IN VOICE 5 AND

USES OF “B¢ANIK” WITH SPANISH VERBS

Voice 5 places the emphasis on the subject or agent of the verb phrase. In English we would express this idea like this: “I myself do it.” or “I am the one who does it.” (see Lesson 22).

We saw in Lesson 22 that the marker for Class 2 verbs in Voice 5 is “-n” immediately following the root. In Class 1 verbs the marker for Voice 5 is “-w” or “vowel + w” immediately following the root. The formula for Voice 5 in incomplete and completed action is:

separatedsubject pronoun +aspect +object* +subject* +root** ±vowel*** +w ±ik

in k- (ka-) in inat incomplete at at

are¢ --- ---laal la laoj x- oj ojix completed ix ix

a¢re¢ ee (¢) ee (¢)alaq alaq alaq

*Either subject or object must be 3rd person or “laal” or “alaq” as we saw in detail in Lesson 22.

**In subclass B the root in voice 5 takes the following forms:

Root vowel “a”: -o¢w (ik) ya¢ yo¢w (ik)

Root vowel “e”: No example found

Root vowel “i”: -i¢ow (ik) q¢i¢ q¢i¢ow (ik)ji¢ ji¢ow (ik)

Root vowel “o”: -o¢w (ik) to¢ to¢w (ik)

Root vowel “u” -u¢w (ik) su¢ su¢w (ik)

***This vowel is to aid pronunciation and is only found following subclass A roots:

If root vowel is “u”, vowel is “u”: k¢ut --- k¢utuwik

If root vowel is other than “u” (a, e, i, o), vowel is “o”.

b¢an -- b¢anowik tik -- tikowikb¢ey -- b¢eyowik loq¢ -- loq¢owik

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3. Model Verb (note: for simplicity the object will always be 3rd person singular -- zero.)

Subclass A: “k¢utik -- to be shown Subclass B: “ya¢ik” -- to be given

Incomplete Aspect Incomplete Aspectin kink¢utuwik I myself show it in kinyo¢wik I myself give itat katk¢utuwik you yourself show it at katyo¢wik you yourself give itaree kak¢utuwik he himself shows it aree kayo¢wik he himself gives itlaal kak¢utuw la you yourself show it laal kayo¢w la you yourself give itoj kojk¢utuwik we ourselves show it oj kojyo¢wik we ourselves give itix kixk¢utuwik you youselves show it ix kixyo¢wik you yourselves give ita¢ree keek¢utuwik they themselves show it a¢ree keeyo¢wik they themselves give italaq kak¢utuw alaq you yourselves show it alaq kayo¢w alaq you yourselves give it

Completed Aspect Completed Aspectin xink¢utuwik I myself showed it in xinyo¢wik I myself gave itat xatk¢utuwik you yourself showed it at xatyo¢wik you yourself gave itaree xk¢utuwik he himself showed it aree xyo¢wik he himself gave itlaal xk¢utuw la you yourself showed it laal xyo¢w la you yourself gave itoj xojk¢utuwik we ourselves showed it oj xojyo¢wik we ourselves gave itix xixk¢utuwik you youselves showed it ix xixyo¢wik you yourselves gave ita¢ree xeek¢utuwik they themselves showed it a¢ree xeeyo¢wik they themselves gave italaq xk¢utuw alaq you yourselves showed it alaq xyo¢w alaq you yourselves gave it

Imperative Aspect

We are not going to conjugate the Class 1 transitive verb in Voice 5 in the imperative aspectsince it is so rarely used.

Use of B¢anik With Spanish Verbs

As K¢iche¢ speakers come more and more in contact with Spanish, they begin to adopt many Spanish words into their own language. When a Spanish verb is taken into K¢iche and still usedas a verb, it is done by using the K¢iche¢ verb “b¢anik” -- “to be done, made” in the desired voice, aspect, and person with the infinitive of the borrowed Spanish verb following (“b¢anik” is one of the most commonly used verbs in the language).

Examples of “b¢anik” with a Spanish loan verb:

Voice 1: Ximb¢an engañar lee achi. I decieved the man.

Voice 2: Ximb¢an engañar rumal lee achi. I was decieved by the man.

Voice 3: Ximb¢antaj engañar rumal lee achi. I got decieved by the man.

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Voice 4: Not used with this particular Spanish loan word.

Voice 5. Lee achi ximb¢anow engañar. The man is the one who decieved me.

VOCABULARY

b¢eyik (tv1) to be delayedmuqik (tv1) to be buriedtojik (tv1) to be paid, to be paid forna¢ik (tv1) to be feltchayik (tv1) to be chosen, to be selected (conjugated as “tayik”)engañar, b¢anik (tv1) to be decievedkaminaq (n, adj) dead, dead onekaminaqiib¢ (n, adj) dead, dead onesmaataam (adv) latetayik (tv1) to be heard (irregular)

Voice 1: to (utterance final)taa (not utterance final)

Voice 2: Incomplete and Completed Aspectstaik (utterance final)taa (not utterance final)

Imperative Aspecttoq (utterance final)toqa (not utterance final)

Voice 3: taatajikVoice 4: taanik (rare)Voice 5: toowik

MODEL SENTENCES

1. Aree lee qanaan xtoow chqeech wee maataam kojpee pa k¢ayib¢al.

it is the our mother -- she herself -- asked it to us -- if late -- we come -- from market

It was our mother who asked us if we would come back late from market.

2. K¢ax kakib¢an lee winaq wee xaq kakib¢an engañar kiib.

bad they do it -- the people -- if just they decieve one another

The people do bad if they decieve one another.

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K¢ICHE TO ENGLISH

1. Maataam xixulik, jachin xixb¢eyow pa b¢e?2. In xinyo¢w lee kotz¢ij chee lee ak¢aal.3. Xecha o¢xib¢ chkee lee ee keej areechi kakeqaj kijastaq lee winaq.4. Jachin katowik jasa lee kimb¢ij chiwee?5. Wee ne keeniman lee ak¢alaab¢ wee alaq kak¢utuw alaq chkiwach.6. Xojb¢an engañar areetaq xb¢ix chqech chi kojtoj aninaq.7. Jachin chiwech keetojow lee a¢chijaab¢?8. A¢ree lee a¢chijaab¢ keemuquw lee kaminaq.9. Oj xojno¢wik areetaq xul lee xib¢inel chaq¢ab¢.10. Laal kato¢w la lee achi chwe¢q.


1. Are you (ix) the ones who are going to give me the money in order that I pay for the food?2. Shall we work with the man who selected us.3. We came late. It was our father who delayed us.4. You (at) were the one who decieved us when you gave us the money.5. Who will bury the dead ones?6. Who selected you (alaq) for the work in the court house?7. I myself felt it, that we helped the sick woman.8. Who wiped the inside of this pot with a rag?9. The people became delayed when they heard that there was no one to pay them.10. We are the ones who washed the clothes of the dead person when he was buried.

DRILL

Conjugate the verb “taik” in all eight persons in all three aspects (incomplete, completed, imperative) in the five voices and give the English translation for each.

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Xtik¢i” lee q¢iij. It’s noon time.

2. Xok umoy. It’s dusk.

3. Je¢l saq¢iij kamiik. It’s a lovely sunny day today.

4. Xel saq¢iij. The dry season has is over.

5. Xok q¢alaaj. The rainy season has begun.

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LESSON THIRTY ONE

THE NEGATIVE IMPERATIVE AND OTHER NEGATIVE FORMS

The Negative Imperatives

We have seen the imperative forms for the intransitive verbs and the two classes of transitiveverbs in the various voices (Lesson 13). Now we shall study the negative imperative for thesesame verbs.

Meaning:

The negative imperative in English can be translated in the following manner: “Let me not”,“Do not”, “Don’t”, “Let him not,” etc.

Formation:

The marker for the negative imperative is “m-”. In order to form the negative imperative withany verb in any voice or person, the “k-, ka-” incompletete aspect marker is exchanged for “m-”or “ma-” (“ma-” is used where the “ka-” is used in the incomplete aspect. Here, as in theincomplete aspect, it is used to facilitate pronunciation). This is the only change that occurs. Otherwise, the verbs are conjugated as we have seen in the incomplete aspect.

Conjugation of a Model Intransitive Verb

q¢ab¢ar -- become drunk

minq¢ab¢arik let me not get drunk mojq¢ab¢arik let’s not get drunkmatq¢ab¢arik don’t get drunk mixq¢ab¢arik don’t get drunkmaq¢ab¢arik let him not get drunk meeq¢ab¢arik let them not get drunkmaq¢ab¢ar la don’t get drunk maq¢ab¢ar alaq don’t get drunk

Conjugation of a Model Class 1 Transitive Verb in Voices 1, 2, 3, 4

ch¢ayik -- to be hit

Voice 1minch¢ayo let me not hit him maqach¢ayo let’s not hit himmaach¢ayo don’t hit him miich¢ayo don’t hit himmuuch¢ayo let him not hit him makich¢ayo let them not hit himmach¢ay la don’t hit him mach¢ay alaq don’t hit him

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Voice 2minch¢aayik let me not be hit mojch¢aayik let’s not be hitmatch¢aayik don’t be hit mixch¢aayik don’t be hitmach¢aayik let him not be hit meech¢aayik let them not be hitmach¢aay la don’t be hit mach¢aay alaq don’t be hit

Voice 3minch¢ayatajik let me not get hit mojch¢ayatajik let’s not get hitmatch¢ayatajik don’t get hit mixch¢ayatajik don’t get hitmach¢ayatajik let him not get hit meech¢ayatajik let them not get hitmach¢ayataj la don’t get hit mach¢ayataj alaq don’t get hit

Voice 4minch¢ayanik let me not hit mojch¢ayanik let’s not hitmatch¢ayanik don’t hit mixch¢ayanik don’t hitmach¢ayanik let him not hit meech¢ayanik let them not hitmach¢ayan la don’t hit mach¢ayan alaq don’t hit

Conjugation of Model Class 2 Transitive Verb in Voices 1, 2, 3, 4

elaq¢axik -- to be stolen, to be robbed

Voice 1mawelaq¢aaj let me not steal it maqelaq¢aaj let’s not steal it

(minwelaq¢aaj)maawelaq¢aaj don’t steal it miwelaq¢aaj don’t steal itmarelaq¢aaj let him not steal it makelaq¢aaj let them not steal itmeelaq¢aj la don’t steal it meelaq¢aj alaq don’t steal it

Voice 2minelaq¢axik let me not be robbed mojelaq¢axik let’s not be robbedmatelaq¢axik don’t be robbed mixelaq¢axik don’t be robbedmeelaq¢axik let him not be robbed me¢laq¢axik let them not be robbedmeelaq¢ax la don’t be robbed meelaq¢ax alaq don’t be robbed

Voice 3minelaq¢atajik let me not get robbed mojelaq¢atajik let’s not get robbedmatelaq¢atajik don’t get robbed mixelaq¢atajik don’t get robbedmeelaq¢atajik let him not get robbed me¢laq¢atajik let them not get robbed meelaq

¢ataj la don’t get robbed meelaq¢ataj alaq don’t get robbed

Voice 4 (irregular in this voice: elaq ¢ ik) minelaq¢ik let me not steal mojelaq¢ik let us not stealmatelaq¢ik don’t steal mixelaq¢ik don’t stealmeelaq¢ik let him not steal me¢laq¢ik let them not stealmeelaq¢ la don’t steal meelaq¢ alaq don’t steal

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Other Negative Forms

Laamna -- negative question word

We saw in Lesson 6 to ask a question in K¢iche¢ where there is no interrogative word used suchas “who”, “what”, etc., the word “laa” is placed at the beginning of the sentence to indicate a question (e.g., “Laa katb¢ee wuuk¢?” “Are you going with me?”). To form a negative question,the negative question word “laamna” is placed at the beginning of the sentence.

Laamna katb¢ee wuuk¢? Aren’t you going with me?

Laamna xuuyaa lee wuuj chawee? Did he not give you the paper?

Wemna -- “if not” is the negative form of “wee” (if)

Wemna kaqab¢an lee chaak, kojuuch¢ay qataat. If we don’t do the work, our father will hit us.

Wemna kojb¢eek, kab¢ison rii qanaan. If we don’t go, our mother will be sad.

Wee nemna -- “perhaps not” is the negative form of “wee ne” -- perhaps

Wee nemna kojkito¢ lee winaq. Perhaps the people won’t help us.

Wee kakam lee achi, wee nemna kakimuq lee winaq pa utinamiit.

If the man dies, perhaps the people won’t bury him in his town.

Pinemna -- “even though -- not” is the negative form of “pine” -- even though

Kinyaa wa¢ wee ch¢iich¢ chawee, pinemna utz.

I’ll give you this machete , even though it is not good.

Pinemna kab¢ee lee watz, kimb¢ee in pa k¢ayib¢al.

Even though my older brother doesn’t go, I’m going to the market.

Jas chemna -- “why not” (this is also said with “jas chee + na -- taj)

Jas chemna keewar lee winaq waraal? (Jas chee na keewar ta lee winaq waraal?)

Why don’t the people sleep here?

Jas chemna xub¢an lee riki¢l lee laj ali? (Jas chee na xub¢an ta lee riki¢l lee laj ali?)

Why didn’t the little girl make the meal?

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In the above five negative words, we can see that they were formed by adding “-mna” to their positive counterparts. There are other negative words which are formed in the same way, butonly these five will be introduced here.

MODEL SENTENCES

Jee mib¢an ix jasa kakib¢an lee ee nik¢aj chi winaq.

In the manner don’t you do it what they do the rest of he people.

Don’t you do what the rest of the people do.

Wemna katpee aataam, na katwiye¢j taj.

If not you come early, not I’ll wait for you.

If you don’t come early, I won’t wait for you.

VOCABULARY

kojik (tv1) to be put, believed, put onk¢amik (tv1) to be recieved, gottenteew (n) coldnik¢aj (n, adj) half

nik¢aj chik rest of, remainderaataam (adv) earlywee nemna (adv) perhaps notweemna (conj) if notpine (conj) even though, althoughpineemna (conj) even though -- not; although -- notjas chee (inter) why?jas chemna (inter) why -- notlaamna (inter) negative question word


1. Na kinchakun ta in, wemna kojto¢ik.2. Jas chemna kuuk¢am lee pwaq lee ala rii xsiipax chee rumal rii utaat?3. Wemna kul rii achi aataam, kojwarik.4. Laamna utz kaawil wa¢ wee keej? (utz + ilik -- “to like” -- visual judgement).5. Wemna kaaq¢i¢ lee eeqa¢n, kaab¢ij chee lee awatz, areechi katuuto¢ chee.6. Laamna xiimes upa lee ja iwiir?7. Wemna kakoj atz¢iaq la, teew kana¢ la.8. Wemna kojto¢taj chee lee chaak, wee nemna kojb¢ee iwuk¢ pa nimaq¢iij.9. Pinemna kinwa¢ in iwuk¢ chwe¢q, kawa¢ rii intaat.10. Jas chee na katob¢an ta alaq chkee lee winaq areetaq kakiriq kiib¢ pa q¢atb¢al tziij?

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1. Even though we fought over the land a long time ago, we still love one another.2. Why don’t you (laal) buy that firewood there.3. Aren’t you (ix) going to eat your beans?4. If we don’t give him the money, our father will hit us.5. Don’t place (at) the bottle near the rock.6. Let’s not work tommorrow.7. Let the man not do harm to his wife.8. Let us not do what the rest of the people do when they fight.9. Don’t cover up (laal) with the blanket yet, if you aren’t going to sleep.10. Don’t hit one another, children.

DRILLS

Convert the imperatives in the following sentences into negative imperatives and then rewrite the sentences and translate them into English.

1. War a¢laq pa ja kamiik.2. Kakojoo lee k¢aak¢ atz¢iaq.3. Chiiya¢aa lee nik¢aj chi riki¢l pa lee bo¢j.4. Chaatijaa lee awaa chaniim.5. Chinto¢oo la chee lee chak.6. Chuuchapaa lee ak¢ lee ak¢aal.7. Cheechaa la la¢ lee oxib¢ achijaab¢8. Katchakuna pa wuleew chwe¢q.

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Kana¢taj chwee. I remember it (it is remembered to me).

2. Kasachan chwee. I forget it (it is forgotten to me).

3. Laatz¢ nuwach. I am busy.

4. Tolon nuwach. I am free (not busy).

5. Kasaach nuk¢u¢x. I become upset.

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LESSON THIRTY TWO

PERFECT ASPECT OF CLASS 1 AND 2 TRANSITIVE VERBS IN VOICES 1 AND 2

AND SPECIAL CASE OF ETA¢MAXIK (TV2) -- TO BE LEARNED

Meaning of Perfect Aspect

A verb in this Perfect Aspect indicates that the action was begun in some past time and the action itself, or the effects of the action, continue up to the present time. The perfect in K¢iche¢ is somewhat similar to the perfect tense in English.

Formation

Classes 1 & 2 Transitive Verbs in Voices 1 & 2

The Voice marker in these cases is the termination “-m”.

Voice 1 (Voice 1 places emphasis in all three of the main elements of the verb phrase: subject, verb and object. See Lesson 15).

Object Subject Root Vowel* m

in nu (w)at a (aw)--- u (r) la laoj qa (q)ix i (iw)

ee(¢) ki (k) alaq alaq

* With Class 1 verbs this vowel is “o” unless the vowel in the root is “u”, and then this vowel becomes “u”. Class 2 verbs do not require this vowel.

Model Conjugations

For the sake of simplicity, we shall use only first person singular and second person singular (familiar) forms as objects.

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Class 1 Class 2Sublass A: ilik -- to be seen tzukuxik -- to be searched for

at wiloom I have seen you at nutzukuum I have searched for youin awiloom you have seen me in atzukuum you have searched for meat riloom he has seen you at utzukuum he has searched for youin ilom la you have seen me in tzukum la you have searched for meat qiloom we have seen you at qatzukuum we have searched for youin iwiloom you have seen me in itzukuum you have searched for meat kiloom they have seen you at kitzukuum they have searched for youin ilom alaq you have seen me in tzukum alaq you have searched for me

Subclass B: to¢ik -- to be helped

at nuto¢oom (at nuto¢m --) I have helped youin ato¢oom (in ato¢m --) you have helped meat uto¢oom (at uto¢m --) he has helped youin to¢m la you have helped meat qato¢oom (at qato¢m --) we have helped youin ito¢oom (in ito¢m --) you have helped meat kito¢oom (at kito¢m --) they have helped youin to¢m alaq you have helped me

Voice 2 (Places emphasis on the object of the verb phrase. See Lesson 19)

Formula

Person Root Vowel* minat--- laojixee (¢)alaq

* With Class 1 verbs this vowel is “o” unless the vowel in the root is “u” and then this vowel becomes“u”. Class 2 verbs do not require this vowel.

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Class 1 Class 2Sublass A: ilik -- to be seen tzukuxik -- to be searched for

in iloom I have been seen in tzukuum I have been searched forat iloom you have been seen at tzukuum you have been searched foriloom he has been seen tzukuum he has been searched forilom la you have been seen tzukum la you have been searched foroj iloom we have been seen oj tzukuum we have been searched forix iloom you have been seen ix tzukuum you have been searched fori¢loom they have been seen ee tzukuum they have been searched forilom alaq you have been seen tzukum alaq you have been searched for

Subclass B: to¢ik -- to be helped

in to¢oom (in to¢m --) I have been helpedat to¢oom (at to¢m --) you have been helpedto¢oom (to¢m --) he has been helpedto¢m la you have been helpedoj to¢oom (oj to¢m --) we have been helpedix to¢oom (ix to¢m --) you have been helpedee to¢oom (ee to¢m --) they have been helpedto¢m alaq you have been helped

Note: We saw in Lesson 23 a special type of Class 2 transitive verb which terminates in Voice 1 in “vowel plus glottal stop plus vowel plus “j”. In the perfect aspect in Voices 1 & 2 these types of Class 2 verbs are conjugated as follows:

terne¢xik (tv2) to be followed

Voice 1nuterne¢eem I have followed him

(nuterne¢m --) (if not utterance final)

Voice 2in terne¢eem I have been followed

(in terne¢m --) (if not utterance final)

Some Further Uses of the Perfect Aspect

1. Continued Action

In K¢iche¢ many verbs, when used in the Perfect Aspect, can express the idea of an action begun in past time and continuing into the present. This use of the Perfect is generally translated into English as an “ing” form of the verb:

Lee achi uchapom uch¢iich¢ areetaq xoq pa ja.The man was holding his machete when he entered into the house.

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Qeeqam lee kape areetaq xojb¢ee pa kayib¢al.We were carrying the coffee when we went to the market.

2. Verbal Adjective

At times the verb in the Perfect Aspect is used as an adjective:

Tzakom saqmo¢l. Cooked egg.

Elaq¢am pwaq. Stolen money.

3. Pluperfect Aspect

The Perfect Aspect is translated as the Pluperfect (“had”) when it is used in a sentence accompanied by a second verb phrase whose verb is in the Completed Aspect:

Kib¢anom chi kichaak lee achijaab¢ areetaq xeeqach¢aab¢eej.The men had already done their work when we spoke to them.

Qaloq¢om chi lee ja areetaq xaataa chee rajaaw.We had already bought the house when you asked its owner for it.

4. Future Perfect Aspect

The Perfect aspect is translated as the Future Perfect (“will have”) when it is used in a sentence accompanied by a second verb phrase whose verb is in the Incomplete Aspect:

Wee ne majim chi lee chomaal areetaq kojoopanik.Perhaps the meeting will have already begun when we arrive.

Ee qamulim chi lee ak¢alaab¢ pa ja areetaq ku¢l lee kinaan.We will have already gathered the children in the house when their mothers arrive.

Conjugation of eta¢maxik (tv2) -- to be learned (conjugated like any regular Class 2 verb):

Incomplete Aspect: kaaweeta¢maaj -- you learn it

Completed Aspect: xaaweeta¢maaj -- you learned it

Imperative Aspect: chaaweeta¢maaj -- learn it

Perfect Aspect aweeta¢maam -- you have learned it

However, with this verb there is an additional aspect, very similar in construction to the Perfect Aspect, and indicates that the subject is in the state of having learned something, or knows something. This Stative Aspect is conjugated as follows:

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weeta¢aam (weta¢m --) I know itaweeta¢aam (aweta¢m --) you know itreeta¢aam (reta¢m --) he knows iteeta¢m la you know itqeeta¢aam (qeta¢m --) we know itiweeta¢aam (iweta¢m --) you know itkeeta¢aam (keta¢m --) they know iteeta¢m alaq you know it

MODEL SENTENCES

1 Ojeer chi nuloq¢om wa¢ wee nutz¢ii¢.It’s been a long time since I’ve bought this dog of mine.

2. Lee nujii¢ ruk¢a¢m lee chiim areetaq xoopan chuwa wo¢ch.My son-in-law was carrying the bag when we arrived at my house.

3. Lee nub¢aluuk uk¢ayim chi rii uleew areetaq xqak¢ulub¢aa lee wanaab¢ ruuk¢.My brother-in-law had already sold the land when we married my sister to him.

VOCABULARY

b¢olik (tv1) to be roasted in firetzakik (tv1) to be cooked by boiling or cooked by steamsaq¢uul (n) plantainchomaal (n) fatness, meeting, plan, intentionachalaal (pn) sibling, near relativejii¢ (pn) son-in-lawb¢aluuk (pn) brother-in-lawanaab¢ (pn) sister (male’s)xib¢aal (pn) brother (female’s)ojeer (adj) a long time ago

ojeer chik its been a long time since --janipa¢ (inter) how many, how muchnaab¢e (num, adv) first, at firstk¢imuul (adv) many times


1. Qatijom tzakom saq¢uul pa kayib¢al.2. Lee nub¢aluuk u¢chajim lee ralk¢u¢aal pa ja areetaq xqach¢aab¢eej.3. B¢anom chi lee sii¢ rumal lee uxib¢aal lee ali areetaq kuutij uwaa.4. Lee laj ala reeqam uwaa areetaq xb¢ee pa chaak.5. Oj kiye¢m chi lee ee qachalaal areetaq xojok pa nimaq¢iij.

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6. Kamiik kojki¢kotik rumal rii qariqom qiib¢ kuk¢ wa¢ wee qachalaal.7. Ojeer chi uriqom yaab¢iil lee qanaan.8. Lee nujii¢ uk¢ayim rii ujastaaq rumal rii kaq¢ab¢arik.9. Naab¢e sib¢alaj kakito¢ kiib lee winaq; kamiik chik na kito¢m ta chi kiib¢.10. Lee wanaab¢ utzakom wa¢ wee saq¢uul chqeech.11. Janipaa chi relesam riib¢ lee ak¢aal pa chaak?12. Janipaa chi ayo¢m rii uwaa lee ala?


1. Who are you (at) waiting for (use perfect).2. The dead (perfect) man is buried (perfect) near the big tree. 3. The man was carrying (perfect) the money when he went to the meeting at night. 4. I don’t know the road that goes to town. 5. The door of the house was tied when we saw it. 6. I have helped you many times with the corn planting. 7. Why have you (laal) not done your work? 8. It has been a long time since the people have spoken to their relatives in town. 9. I was waiting for my friends in front of the house when its owner came. 10. The meeting had already begun when the men spoke to each other. 11. You (laal) were taking care of us (perfect) when our father went to work. 12. How long has it been since you (laal) have spoken to us?

SPECIAL DRILL

Conjugate the following verbs in the Perfect Aspect in Voice 1 (using all the possible subject-object combinations) and Voice 2.

1. loq¢oxik (tv2) to be loved2. to¢ik (tv1) to be helped3. tijoxik (tv2) to be instructed4. ilik (tv1) to be seen5. terne¢xik (tv2) to be followed

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Xk¢aj nuwach. I learned a hard lesson (won’t do it again).

2. Kinok iil chee. I fuss over him.

3. Keb¢ uk¢u¢x kuub¢ano. He does it unwillingly.

4. Ruk¢ uk¢u¢x kuub¢ano. He does it willingly (with all his heart).

5. Keel nuk¢u¢x chee. My heart goes out to him.

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LESSON THIRTY THREE

PERFECT ASPECT OF INTRANSITIVE VERBS AND CLASS 1 AND 2

TRANSITIVE VERBS IN VOICES 3, 4, AND 5

The Meaning of Perfect Aspect

As we saw in Lesson 32, a verb in the Perfect Aspect indicates that the action was begun in some past time and the action itself, or the effects of the action, continue up to the present time. The Perfect Aspect in K¢iche¢ is somewhat similar to the Perfect Tense in English.

Formation

Intransitive Verbs

Person Root i* naq

inat--- laojix

ee (¢)alaq

*With some verbs this “i” is used to facilitate pronunciation

Model Conjugation

in aatinnaq I have bathed oj aatinnaq we have bathedat aatinnaq you have bathed ix aatinnaq you have bathed aatinnaq he has bathed a¢tinnaq they have bathedaatinnaq la you have bathed aatinnaq alaq you have bathed

Transitive Verbs Classes 1 & 2 in Voices 3 & 4

Voice 3 places emphasis on the state of the object (see Lesson 20).

Voice 4 places emphasis on the action of the verb phrase (see Lesson 21)

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Person Root Vowel* Voice Marker naq

in tajat (Voice 3)---laoj nix (Voice 4)

ee (¢) alaq

*At times this vowel is present following Class 1 roots to help facilitate pronunciation

Model Conjugation (Voice 3)

Class 1 Class 2Subclass A: ilik -- to be seen kunaxik -- to be curedin ilitajnaq I have become seen in kunatajnaq I have become curedat ilitajnaq you have become seen at kunatajnaq you have become cured ilitajnaq he has become seen kunatajnaq he has become curedilitajnaq la you have become seen kunatajnaq la you have become curedoj ilitajnaq we have become seen oj kunatajnaq we have become curedix ilitajnaq you have become seen ix kunatajnaq you have become cured i¢litajnaq they have become seen ee kunatajnaq they have become curedilitajnaq alaq you have become seen kunatajnaq alaq you have become cured

Subclass B: to ¢ ik -- to be helped in to¢tajnaq I have become helpedat to¢tajnaq you have become helped to¢tajnaq he has become helpedto¢tajnaq la you have become helpedoj to¢tajnaq we have become helpedix to¢tajnaq you have become helped ee to¢tajnaq they have become helpedto¢tajnaq alaq you have become helped

Model Conjugation (Voice 4)

Class 1 Class 2Subclass A: ch ¢ ayik -- to be hit kunaxik -- to be curedin ch¢ayannaq I have hit in kunannaq I have curedat ch¢ayannaq you have hit at kunannaq you have cured ch¢ayannaq he has hit kunannaq he has curedch¢ayannaq la you have hit kunannaq la you have curedoj ch¢ayannaq we have hit oj kunannaq we have curedix ch¢ayannaq you have hit ix kunannaq you have curedee ch¢ayannaq they have hit ee kunannaq they have curedch¢ayannaq alaq you have hit kunannaq alaq you have cured

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Subclass B: su ¢ ik -- to be wiped in su¢nnaq I have wiped oj su¢nnaq we have wipedat su¢nnaq you have wiped ix su¢nnaq you have wipedsu¢nnaq he has wiped ee su¢nnaq they have wipedsu¢nnaq la you have wiped su¢nnaq alaq you have wiped

Transitive Verbs Classes 1 & 2 in Voice 5

Voice 5 places emphasis on the subject of the verb phrase. With Voice 5 subject, verb and object must all be present in the verb phrase (see Lesson 22).

Separated subject Object* Subject* Root Vowel** Voice i*** naqPronoun Marker

in in in wat at at (Class 1)are¢ --- ---laal la la noj oj oj (Class 2)ix ix ixa¢re¢ ee (¢) ee (¢)alaq alaq alaq

* In this voice either subject or object must be third person (singular or plural) or laal or alaq (see Lesson 22).

** This vowel is often present following Class 1 roots to facilitate pronunciation (see Lesson 30).

*** This “i” always follows the Voice 5 marker “w” for Class 1 verbs (-winaq), but is not used following the Voice 5 marker “n” for Class 2 verbs (-nnaq)

Model Conjugations (For the sake of simplicity the object will always be third person singular)

Class 1Subclass A: ch ¢ ayik -- to be hit in in ch¢ayowinaq I myself have hit himat at ch¢ayowinaq you yourself have hit himaree ch¢ayowinaq he himself has hit himlaal ch¢ayowinaq la you yourself have hit himoj oj ch¢ayowinaq we ourselves have hit himix ix ch¢ayowinaq you yourselves have hit hima¢re¢ ee ch¢ayowinaq they themselves have hit himalaq ch¢ayowinaq alaq you yourselves have hit him

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Subclass B: to ¢ ik -- to be helped in in to¢winaq I myself have helped himat at to¢winaq you yourself have helped himaree to¢winaq he himself has helped himlaal to¢winaq la you yourself have helped himoj oj to¢winaq we ourselves have helped himix ix to¢winaq you yourselves have helped hima¢re¢ ee to¢winaq they themselves have helped himalaq to¢winaq alaq you yourselves have helped him

Class 2kunaxik -- to be curedin in kunannaq I myself have cured himat at kunannaq you yourself have cured himaree kunannaq he himself has cured himlaal kunannaq la you yourself have cured himoj oj kunannaq we ourselves have cured himix ix kunannaq you yourselves have cured hima¢re¢ ee kunannaq they themselves have cured himalaq kunannaq alaq you yourselves have cured him

NOTE: We saw in Lesson 23 a special type of Class 2 transitive verb which terminates inVoice 1 in vowel plus ¢ plus vowel plus j. In the Perfect Aspect in Voice 5 these types ofClass 2 verbs are conjugated as follows:

Voice 5uk ¢ a ¢ xik (tv2) to be carried, to be supported in in uk¢a¢nnaq I myself have carried itat at uk¢a¢nnaq you youself have carried itaree uk¢a¢nnaq he himself has carried itlaal uk¢a¢nnaq la you yourself have carried itoj oj uk¢a¢nnaq we ourselves have carried itix ix uk¢a¢nnaq you yourselves have carried ita¢re¢ ee uk¢a¢nnaq they themselves have carried italaq uk¢a¢nnaq alaq you yourself have carried it

This type of Class 2 Transitive Verb can also be conjugated in Voices 3 & 4 in the Perfect Aspect, but these forms are so rarely used that they will not be included in this grammar.

Some Further Uses of the Perfect Aspect

1. Continued Action

In K¢iche¢ many verbs, when used in the Perfect Aspect, can express the idea of an action begunin past time and continued into the present. This use of the Perfect is generally translated into English as an “ing” form of the verb:

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Warnaq lee ak¢aal. The child is sleeping.

Wee ne peetnaq rii achi chaaniim. Maybe the man is coming now.

2. Verbal Adjective

At times the verb in the Perfect Aspect is used as an adjective:

Kaminaq tz¢i¢. Dead dog.

Saachinaq achi. Lost man.

3. Pluperfect Aspect

The Perfect Aspect is translated as the Pluperfect (“had”) when it is used in a sentence accompanied by a second verb phrase whose verb is in the completed aspect:

Kaminaq chi rii achi areetaq xojoopan pa ro¢ch.The man had already died when we arrived at his house.

Oj aatinnaq chik areetaq xojiwil pa b¢e.We had already bathed when you saw us on the road.

4. Future Perfect Aspect

The Perfect Aspect is translated as the Future Perfect (“will have”) when it is used in a sentence accompanied by a second verb phrase whose verb is in the incomplete aspect.

Oo¢kinaq chi lee i¢xoqiib¢ pa k¢ayib¢al areetaq keeqil chwe¢q.The women will have already entered the market when we see them tommorrow.

Rajawaxik ix ulinaq chik areetaq kojb¢ee oj.It’s necessary that you will have already arrived when we go.

MODEL SENTENCES

1. K¢iimuul oj ook¢owinaq waraal.We have passed here many times.

2. Areetaq b¢antajnaq che lee chaak kumaal lee a¢chijaab¢, xu¢xlanik.When the work had become done by the men, they rested.

3. Jachin eeqannaq la¢ lee sii¢?Who’s back packing that firewood there?

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VOCABULARY

aj (n) fresh cornchiim (n) woven bagchomaal (n) meeting, planq¢aaq¢ (n) fire, light, heatachi¢iil (pn) companion, friendmyeer (adv) earlier in the day-muul (adv) -- times

juumuul one timekaamuul two timesoxmuul three timesk¢iimuul many times

janipaa muul (inter) how many timesma (conj) becausexaa k¢u jee ri¢ (conj) and for that reason


1. Aree wanaab¢ tzakowinaq wee saq¢uul chqeech.2. Oxmuul in ch¢aawinaq ruk¢ lee achi pa taq¢aaj.3. Jachin yo¢winaq lee b¢olom aj chiweech?4. Laa myeer ulinaq alaq?5. Naab¢e sib¢alaj keechakun lee alab¢om; kamiik chik na ee chakunnaq ta chik.6. Paxnak taq lee saqmo¢l; xaa k¢u jee ri¢ na xinloq¢ taj.7. Oj tob¢annaq cheech alaq. Xaa jee ri¢ rajawaxik kojto¢ alaq kamiik.8. Iye¢b¢naq chi rii qachi¢iil areetaq xojoopan pa ro¢ch.9. Areetaq ya¢tajnaq chi lee aj pa lee q¢aaq¢ rumaal, lee ixoq xuutij uwaa.10. B¢antajnaq chi lee chomaal areetaq xkiyaj kiib¢ lee winaq.11. Warnaq lee ak¢aal chaaniim ma xaa yawaab¢.12. Laa k¢iimuul ix peetnaq waraal?


1. How many times has your (ix) companion come here?2. The child was sleeping (perfect) when the thief entered the house, and for this reason he did not

hear him.3. Three times I have helped on the coast with the corn planting.4. Who knows the road that goes to town?5. The money had already been placed in the bag because it was to be given (incomplete aspect)

to the man.6. Which one of you (ix) was carrying (perfect) the light when you went to town at night?7. I have worked many times on the coast.

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8. Were you (laal) resting (perfect) when your friend called you?9. The child has fallen three times here.10. It’s been a long time since I have passed by here.11. The boys are sick, and for that reason they have not played recently (chik).12. Are you the one (at) who has tied the dog in front of the house?

SPECIAL DRILL

Convert the verbs in the following sentences into Perfect Aspect.

1. Xinchakun chila¢.2. Xeepee lee a¢jchakiib¢ pa taq¢aaj.3. Kixwar jeela¢ pa ja.4. Kakam lee yawaab¢.5. Kook la pa kayib¢al.6. Xojto¢taj kumal lee qachalaal.7. Kiilitaj alaq kumal lee alk¢u¢al alaq.8. Kasik¢itaj lee achi rumal rachi¢iil.9. Xtzukutaj lee pwaq qumaal.10. Kab¢antaj rii chaak iwumaal.11. Keeloq¢o¢man lee ixoq¢iib¢ pa kayib¢al.12. Tob a¢laq chkee lee yawab¢iib¢.13. Xojq¢olow kuk¢ lee winaq.14. Xeetojon lee winaq cheech alaq.15. Jas chee xixch¢o¢jin kuk¢ lee iwachalaal?16. Jachin xk¢ayin la¢ lee uleew chee la?17. Laa ix kixloq¢ow lee kape chee lee ak¢aal.18. Oj xojrilow lee pwaq pa b¢e.19. Laa alaq kayo¢w alaq kiwaa lee winaq?20. Jachin chkeech lee winaq xixto¢w chee lee chaak?21. Laa ix xixtow lee chomaal pa q¢atb¢al tziij?

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Kak¢aman chwee. I get accustomed to it.

2. Kuk¢am uwach chwiij. He gets used to me.

3. Chawach k¢oo wi. It’s up to you.

4. Maaj wee chawee. What you do is none of my business.

5. Maaj awee chwee. What I do is none of your business.

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LESSON THIRTY FOUR

STATIVE INTRANSITIVE VERBS IN INCOMPLETE, COMPLETED

IMPERATIVE, PERFECT, AND STATIVE ASPECTS

Meaning

We have already studied intransitive Verbs in Lessons 9, 10, 11, 12, and 33. This type of intransitive verb which we have already studied in the above mentioned Lessons we shall from now on call Simple Intransitive Verbs in order to distinguish them from another type of intransitive verb which we shall now study. This new type we shall call Stative Intransitive Verbs.

What is the difference between the Simple Intransitive Verb we have already seen, and theStative Intransitive Verb?

First of all it should be noted that they are alike in the fact that they express only a subject andthe action done by it and do not express any direct object.

The difference is that the Simple Intransitive Verb expresses an action of a subject (I walk, i.e.,I do the action of walking), while the Stative Intransitive Verb expresses the state or condition which the subject is in (I’m seated, i.e., I am in a seated state), or the action which brings or brought the subject into that state (I sat down, i.e., I got into a seated state).

Conjugation

The stuctural difference between the two classes of intransitive verbs can be seen in the slightly distinct ways in which they are conjugated. We shall now see in detail the conjugation of the Stative Intransitive Verb.

Incomplete and Completed Aspects of Stative Verbs:

As we have seen, in K¢iche¢ it is better to talk of the aspects of an action rather than of time (see Lessons 9 and 10). The Incomplete Aspect indicates that the action is incomplete relative to the time being spoken about. The Completed Aspect indicates that the action is completerelative to the time spoken about.

The Stative Intransitive Verb in the Incomplete Aspect expresses the action which brings asubject into a certain state (I sit down, i.e., I get into a seated state). The Stative Intransitive Verb in the Completed Aspect expresses the action which brought a subject into a certain state(I sat down, i.e., I got into a seated state).

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The Stative Intransitive Verbs when conjugated in these two aspects use what we shall call the Active Root of Stative Verbs and is easily recognized by the fact that it always ends in“i¢ (k) (the “k”, like the “k” termination in Simple Intransitive Verbs, dissappears when theverb is not utterance final. However the i¢ is always retained since it is part of the root).

Some examples of Action Roots of Stative Intransitive Verbs are:

t¢uyi¢ -- sittak¢i¢ -- standq¢oyi¢ -- lie downk¢uli¢ -- marryk¢asi¢ -- live

Using the Active Root, the Stative Intransitive Verb in Incomplete and Completed Aspects is conjugated exactly like the Simple Intransitive Verb in these Aspects (see Lessons 9 and 10).

Model Conjugation: t¢uyi¢ -- sit

Incomplete Aspect of Stative Verbskint¢uyi¢k I sit kojt¢uyik we sitkatt¢uyi¢k you sit kixt¢uyi¢k you sitkat¢uyi¢k he sits keet¢uyi¢k they sitkat¢uyi¢ la you sit kat¢uyi¢ alaq you sit

Completed Aspect of Stative Verbsxint¢uyi¢k I sat xojt¢uyik we satxatt¢uyi¢k you sat xixt¢uyi¢k you satxt¢uyi¢k he sat xeet¢uyi¢k they satxt¢uyi¢ la you sat xt¢uyi¢ alaq you sat

In Imperative, Perfect, and Stative Aspects of Stative Verbs

The Stative Intransitive Verbs when conjugated in these three aspects use a second root of the verb which we shall call the Stative Root of the Stative Intransitive Verb.

The great majority of Stative Intransitive Verbs have Active Roots in one of the following two forms:

(1) Consonant plus vowel plus consonant plus i¢abbreviated as: CVC+i¢ (e.g., t¢uyi¢ -- sit).

(2) Consonant plus vowel plus ¢ plus i¢abbreviated as: CV¢+i¢ (e.g., ku¢i¢ -- sit).

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The Stative Roots are formed from these Active Root types in the following ways:

Active Root Stative Root Active Root Stative RootCVC+i ¢ CV*C+V*+l CV ¢ +i ¢ CV ¢ +l

tak¢i¢ tak¢al -- stand q¢a¢i¢ q¢a¢l -- leanpeni¢ penel -- coat thickly q¢e¢i¢ q¢e¢l -- turn lengthwiseq¢oyi¢ q¢oyol -- lie down cho¢i¢ cho¢l -- loosent¢uyi¢ t¢uyul -- sit ku¢i¢ ku¢l -- sit

* Note: The second vowel of the Stative Root is always the same as the first vowel of this root (e.g., tak¢al, t¢uyul). We see that the letter l marks the Stative Root in each of the above examples,(e.g., tak¢al, penel). However, if the second consonant in CVC + i¢ is l or r, then Vowel + n always takes the place of the usual l as the marker for the Stative Root:

k¢uli¢ k¢ulan -- marrycholi¢ cholan -- line upteri¢ teren -- followkori¢ koron -- loosen

Imperative Aspect of Stative Verbs

The Imperative Aspect for the Stative Intransitive Verb is formed exactly like the Imperative for the Simple Intransitive Verb (see Lesson 12), only now the Stative Root is used:

Model Conjugation

chinq¢oyoloq let me lie down kojq¢oyoloq let’s lie downkatq¢oyoloq lie down kixq¢oyoloq lie downq¢oyoloq let him lie down cheeq¢oyoloq let them lie downq¢oyola la lie down q¢oyol a¢laq lie down

Perfect Aspect of Stative Verbs

This aspect refers to some action begun in past time (relative to the time spoken of) and the action or the effects of the action continue up to the present (see Lesson 32).

This aspect of the Stative Verb is conjugated exactly like the Simple Intransitive Verb in the Perfect Aspect (Lesson 32), only now the Stative Root is used.

in t¢uyulinaq I have sat oj t¢uyulinaq we have satat t¢uyulinaq you have sat ix t¢uyulinaq you have sat t¢uyulinaq he has sat ee t¢uyulinaq they have satt¢uyulinaq la you have sat t¢uyulinaq alaq you have sat

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Stative Aspect of Stative Verbs

Unlike the Simple Intransitive Verbs, every Stative Intransitive Verb has a Stative Aspect whichis identical in meaning to the Voice 3 Stative Aspect of Transitive Verbs ending in tal (ik) (see Lesson 20). This Stative Aspect indicates that the subject of the verb phrase is in some condition or state (hence the name Stative Verb).

Conjugation

Person Stative Root ik*

inat---la**ojixeealaq**

* The ik ordinarily disappears if the verb is not utterance final.

** The la and alaq forms ordinarily follow the verb (see model conjugation below)

Model Conjugation

in t¢uyulik I am seated oj t¢uyulik we are seatedat t¢uyulik you are seated ix t¢uyulik you are seatedt¢uyulik he is seated ee t¢uyulik they are seatedt¢uyul la you are seated t¢uyul alaq you are seated

In the Stative Aspect the four plural forms (oj, ix, ee, and alaq) can generally have an alternate construction, having the same meaning as the plural forms we saw above (oj t¢uyulik -- we are seated, etc.).

Formation of Alternate Plural Form:

Action Root Type Action Root TypeCVC+i¢ CV¢+i¢

Standard Alternate Standard AlternatePlural Form Plural Form Plural Form Plural Form

t¢uyul t¢uyut¢uj q¢a¢l q¢a¢q¢ojtak¢al tak¢atoj q¢e¢l q¢e¢q¢ojq¢oyol q¢oyoq¢oj cho¢l cho¢chojmulan mulumul ku¢l ku¢kujk¢ulan k¢uluk¢uj

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The Meaning and Conjugation of the Stative Intransitive Verb -- k¢ooji”

K¢ooji¢ is one of the most important and frequently used verbs in K¢iche¢. It has several translations: to be (in place), to exist, there is (are), to have . Since this verb is so frequentlyused and because it is somewhat irregular, we shall conjugate it in all of the forms that we haveso far studied.

Incomplete Aspectkink¢ooji¢k I will be kojk¢ooji¢k we will bekatk¢ooji¢k you will be kixk¢ooji¢k you will bekak¢ooji¢k he will be keek¢ooji¢k they will bekak¢ooji¢ la you will be kak¢ooji¢ alaq you will be

Completed Aspectxink¢ooji¢k I was xojk¢ooji¢k we werexatk¢ooji¢k you were xixk¢ooji¢k you werexk¢ooji¢k he was xeek¢ooji¢k they werexk¢ooji¢ la you were xk¢ooji¢ alaq you were

Impertive Aspectchink¢ooloq let me be kojk¢ooloq let us bekatk¢ooloq be kixk¢ooloq bek¢olooq let him be chek¢ooloq let them bek¢oola la be k¢ool a¢laq be

Perfect Aspectin k¢oolinaq I have been oj k¢oolinaq we have beenat k¢oolinaq you have been ix k¢oolinaq you have beenk¢oolinaq he has been ee k¢oolinaq they have beenk¢oolinaq la you have been k¢oolinaq alaq you have been

Stative Aspect (Utterance Final)in k¢oolik I am oj k¢oolik we areat k¢oolik you are ix k¢oolik you arek¢oolik he is ee k¢oolik they arek¢oo la you are k¢oo alaq you are (laal k¢oolik) (alaq k¢oolik)

Stative Aspect (Not Utterance Final)in k¢oo waraal I am here oj k¢oo waraal we are hereat k¢oo waraal you are here ix k¢oo waraal you are here k¢oo waraal he is here ee k¢oo waraal they are herek¢oo la waraal you are here k¢oo alaq waraal you are here (laal k¢oo waraal) (alaq k¢oo waraal)

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Stative Aspect -- Negative Form “Maj”in maaj (na in k¢oo taj) I am notat maaj (na at k¢oo taj) you are notmaaj (na k¢oo taj) he is notmaaj la (laal maaj) (na k¢oo ta la) you are notoj maaj (na oj k¢oo taj) we are notix maaj (na ix k¢oo taj) you are notee maaj (na ee k¢oo taj) they are notmaaj alaq (alaq maaj) (na k¢oo ta alaq) you are not

1. Some Uses of the Stative Verb K¢ooji¢ -- to be (in place), there is (are):

a. K¢oo rii achi pa ja. The man is at home.

b. Na in k¢oo ta pa chaak areetaq xpee jab¢. I was not at work when it rained.

c. Xeek¢ooji¢ rii winaq pa nimaq¢iij. The people were at the fiesta.

d. Oj k¢oolinaq chila¢ pa tinamit. We have been there in town.

e. Ee maaj qachalaal areetaq xojoopan pa ko¢ch. Our relatives were not there when we arrived at their home.

2 To have

a. Kak¢ooji¢ na apwaq wee katchakunik. You will have money if you work.(“There will be later your money if you work”)

b. Maaj nuwaa. I have no food.

c. Laa ee maaj iiwachi¢iil? Don’t you have any companions?

d. Laa k¢oo k¢ax chawe? Do you have any pain?

e. Maaj (k¢ax chwee). I don’t (have pain).(answer to d.)

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MODEL SENTENCES

1. Janipaa chi ix k¢ulanik?For how long now are you married?

2. K¢oola na la. Na ka¢ee ta la chaaniim.Stay awhile more. Don’t go now.

3. Jawi katb¢ee wi? Maaj kimb¢ee wi.Where are you going? I’m not going anywhere.

4. Laa k¢ax at k¢oolik?Are you in pain.

5. Q¢ala ik¢u¢x chwiij chi kixinto¢o.Have confidence in me that I will help you.

VOCABULARY

t¢uyi¢ (sv) sittak¢i¢ (sv) standq¢oyi¢ (sv) liek¢uli¢ (sv) marryk¢ooji¢ (sv) be (in place), exist, there is (are), have (see model conjugation

above)maaj (sv) (verb k¢oji¢, negative form of Stative Aspect) there is notku¢i¢ (sv) sitcholi¢ (sv) line upxuli¢ (sv) go downpaqi¢ (sv) go upkori¢ (sv) loosencho¢i¢ (sv) loosenq¢e¢i¢ (sv) turn lengthwisemuli¢ (sv) gather togetherq¢a¢i¢ (sv) lean q¢a¢i k¢u¢x -- be consoled, confide (literal: “heart leans”)naj (sv) far, a long timek¢asi¢ (sv) live, be awake irregular form of k¢asi¢:

Imperative Aspect: katk¢asloq -- liveStative Aspect: at k¢aslik (at k¢as --)

Dyoos (n) Godaq¢ab¢ (n) night, early morningxaq (adv) only, just, (no more than)xewi (xeu --) (adv) only (of all possibilities, only this)

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1. Naj xojk¢ooji¢ pa tinamit areetak xojb¢ee pa nimaq¢iij.2. Ee k¢oo b¢elejeeb¢ ukarne¢laab¢ rii kitaat rii qachalaal.3. B¢iis ee k¢oo lee ak¢alaab¢ rumal rii xkam rii kitaat.4. Rajawaxik kaq¢a¢i qak¢u¢ux chriij Dyoos; xew rii are¢ kojto¢wik.5. T¢uyul a¢laq, Taat. Kojch¢aaw juch¢iin uk¢ alaq.6. Ee sib¢alaj winaq ee mulan pa kayib¢al; katajin keeloq¢o¢man chila¢.7. Laa ee k¢ask¢oj lee taat, naan alaq?8. Kixq¢oyoloq, ak¢alaab¢; ya hora chik kojwarik.9. Chwe¢q konojel rii a¢chijaab¢ keexuli¢ pa taq¢aaj. K¢oo jach¢ kakib¢an chila¢.10. Q¢e¢l lee nima chee¢ pa lee b¢e; xaa k¢u jee ri¢ na xojook¢ow ta jee la¢.11. Naj k¢oo wi lee tinamit chee lee wo¢ch.12. Cholan lee nimaq taq chee¢ chriij lee ja.13. Jun aq¢ab¢ xk¢asi¢ lee ixoq ruk¢ lee yawaab¢.14. Xkori¢ lee eeqa¢n chrij lee achi; na ko ta jat¢iim.15. Xaq ee tak¢atoj lee alab¢om chuwach lee ko¢ch areetaq xook¢ow lee kanaab¢.


1. Why don’t you lie down, mother, if you are tired?2. The woman was consoled when she saw her husband alive.3. Is your father home, children?4. Are you married to (ruk¢) the man who you were talking to yesterday?5. There is no one in the house.6. Have you (alaq) been in the town behind that mountain there?7. Sit down, children; there is something (k¢o) I am going to show you.8. The drunks sat a long time in front of the marimba.9. We were the only ones (xew rii oj) who stood up when we were called.10. All of the men were gathered in the court house when we sat down.11. The man stayed awake all night when he married off his daughter.12. Did no one speak when you asked who did it?

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Saq qawach chee. He is well known to us.

2. Janiik¢. I don’t know (answer to a question when reply not known).

3. Yaatal chwee, kinch¢aawik. I am worthy to speak.

4 Yupul uwachiil jachin xb¢anowik. It is not known who did it.

5. Saq uwachiil jachin xb¢anowik. It is known who did it.

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LESSON THIRTY FIVE

NOMINALIZED FORMS OF SIMPLE AND STATIVE INTRANSITIVE VERBS AND

CLASS 1 AND 2 TRANSITIVE VERBS IN VOICES 2 AND 4

In K¢iche, verbs both intransitive and transitive can be nominalized, i.e., they can be changedinto nouns and then behave as nouns (can be possessed, can be subjects or objects of verb phrases, or can be objects of prepositions). These nominalized verb forms are ordinarily translated into English as gerunds (“ing” forms, e.g., walking) or as infinitives. In this lesson we shall see some of these nominalized forms along with some of their more common uses.

Nominalized Forms of Simple and Stative Intransitive Verbs

Possessive Verb* Vowel -m** Pronoun Root Termination

nu (w)a (aw)u (r)laqa (q)i (iw)ki (k)alaq

* For Stative Verbs the Stative Root is used (Lesson 33)

** This vowel is ordinarily ee, but ocassionally it is aa or ii.

Models:

Simple:

Verb Root Nominalized Formin Vowel -m

wa¢ -- eat wa¢iim -- act of eatingwar -- sleep waraam -- act of sleepingb¢iin -- walk b¢iineem -- act of walkingka¢y -- look ka¢yeem -- act of lookingb¢ee -- go b¢eenaam -- act of walkingpeet -- come peeteem -- act of coming

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Stative:

Verb Root Nominalized Formin Vowel -m

t¢uyul -- sit t¢uyuleem -- act of sittingtak¢al -- stand tak¢aleem -- act of standingq¢oyol -- lie down q¢oyoleem -- act of lying downku¢l -- sit ku¢leem -- act of sittingk¢ulan -- marry k¢ulaneem -- act of marrying

Uses

(1) Object of Prepositions

(a) With pa -- to, for

Kojb¢ee pa wa¢iimWe are going to eat (for the act of eating).

Xeeb¢ee lee winaq pa ka¢yeem.The people went to look (for the act of looking)

Laa kixb¢ee quk¢ pa eetz¢aneem?Are you going with us to play (for the act of playing).

Xb¢ee lee ali pa k¢ulaneem.The girl went to get married (for the act of marrying).

(b) With chee -- from

Xinq¢i¢taj chee lee b¢ineem.I became bored from walking (from the act of walking).

Xeekoos lee achijaab¢ chee lee tak¢aleem.The men became tired from standing (from the act of standing).

(2) Subject of Verbs

Xpee nuwaraam.I¢m sleepy (my sleepiness came).

Lee paqaleem kub¢an k¢ax chqeech.The climb (act of going up) does us harm.

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(3) Object of Transitive Verbs

Peeteem kuub¢an lee ala chaanim.The boy is coming (does the act of coming) right now.

Xqamajij paqaleem chuwa lee juyub¢.We began going up (the act of going up) on the face of the mountain.

(4) Noun Phrases in Non-Verbal Sentences

K¢ax b¢ineem chaaq¢ab¢.Walking (act of walking) is hard at night.

Na utz ta ka¢yeem pa taq nimaq¢iij.Watching (the act of watching) at fiestas is not good.

Nominalized Forms of Class 1 & 2 Transitive Verbs in Voice 2

Formation

Possessive Verb* Termination** Pronoun Root

nu (w)a (aw) iku (r) (Class 1)laqa (q) xiki (iw) (Class 2)ki (k)alaq

* The Voice 2 nominalized forms of Class 1A transitive verbs always have a long root vowel (e.g. b¢aanik).

** The -ik suffix becomes -iik when possessed. The long ii may subsequently be shortened byregular phonological rules.

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Models:

Verb Root Nominalized Formin -ik or -xik

Class 1

b¢an -- do b¢aanik -- to be done (being done)ya¢ -- give ya¢ik -- to be given (being given)

Class 2

tzuku -- search for tzukuxik -- to be searched for (being search for)uk¢a¢ -- carry uk¢a¢xik -- to be carried (being carried)

Uses

(1) Object of Prepositions

With pa -- “to”, “for”

Kimb¢ee pa kunaxik chwe¢q pa tinamit.I’m going to be cured (for being cured) tommorrow in town.

Lee tz¢i¢ xaa kuuyaa riib¢ pa kamisaxik.The dog just gives himself to be killed (for being killed).

With chee -- “for”

Kojb¢ee chulooq¢iik* qawaa.We go to buy (for it to be bought) our food.

T¢uyul lee achi chila¢ chireye¢xiik* rii rixoqiil.The man is seated over there to wait for (her to be waited for) his wife.

Xk¢ooji¢ lee ak¢aal chuwa ja chuchajixiik* uchaaq¢.The child stayed in front of the house to take care of (for his to be cared for) hisyounger sibling.”

Xeepee lee qachalaal chi qach¢aab¢exiik*.Our relatives came to speak to us (for our being spoken to).

Laa kixb¢ee pa kayib¢al chi kik¢ayixiik* lee ikarne¢l?Are you going to market to sell (for them to be sold) your sheep?

Xeepaqi¢ lee achijaab¢ chuwi¢ lee juyub¢ chi keeqaxiik* lee yawab¢iib¢.The men went up on top of the mountain to carry (for them to be carried) thesick ones.

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*Note: In third person singular forms we get:

chee + ulooq¢iik chulooq¢iikchee + riye¢xiik chireye¢xiik(See note on page 12)

chi: e.g., chi qach¢aab¢exiik -- for our being spoken to


Rajawaxik kaqab¢an utzalaj kiloq¢oxiik lee qataat qanaan.It is necessary that we love our father and mother very much (we do very good theact of their being loved).”

Lee achi xuuchap uya¢iik lee pwaq chkee lee ajchakiib¢.The man began to give (the act of its being given) the money to the workers.

(3) Noun Phrases in Non-Verbal Sentences

Utz riliik la¢ lee juyub¢That mountain there is nice to look at (good its being seen).

K¢ax ub¢aniik lee chaak pa taq juyub¢.It is difficult to do (it to be done) the work in the hills.

Na k¢ax ta kichajixiik lee ak¢alaab¢.It is not difficult to take care of (their to be taken care of) the children.

Nominalized Forms of Class 1 & 2 Transitive Verbs in Voice 4

Formation

Possessive Verb nik Pronoun Root


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Models:

Verb Root Nominalized Formin -nik

Class 1toj -- pay tojonik* -- act of payingch¢aj -- wash ch¢ajanik -- act of washing

Class 2k¢ayi -- sell k¢ayinik -- act of sellingkuna -- cure kunanik -- act of curing

* With Class 1A verbs a vowel is placed between the root and -nik to facilitate pronunciation(e.g., tojonik, ch¢ajanik).

Uses

Object of Preposition

With pa -- “to”, “for”

Kab¢ee lee achi pa kunanik.The man goes to cure (for the act of curing).

Ee b¢eenaq lee ixoqiib¢ pa k¢ayinik.The women have gone to sell (for the act of selling).

(b) With chee -- “for”, “from”

Xq¢i¢taj lee ala chee rii tob¢anik.The boy got bored with helping (from act of helping).

Lee ajq¢iij kakowin chee lee kunanik. [kowin (tv) to be able]The diviner is able to cure (for the act of curing).


Wa¢ wee achijaab¢ kakib¢an k¢ayinik pa taq tinamit.These men here do selling (act of selling) in the towns.

Lee ali majaa kareeta¢maj rii uchapaniik.The girl still has not learned her work (her act of grasping with hands).

Kaqamajij chomanik pa k¢atb¢al tziij chwe¢q.We will begin planning (act of planning) in the court house tommorrow.

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(3) Noun Phrase in Non-Verbal Sentence

K¢ax lee tzukunik pa taq juyub¢.Searching (hunting) is difficult in the mountains.

Na utz ta lee kamisanik.Killing (act of killing) is not good.

NOTES:

1. Many Transitive verbs in Voice 4 and a few Simple Intransitive Verbs have irregularnominalized forms:

Intransitive

Verb Root Nominalized Form

oq¢ -- cry oq¢eej -- act of crying

Transitive

Verb Root Nominalized Form

loq¢ -- buy loq¢o¢manik -- act of buyingch¢aj -- wash ch¢ajo¢n -- act of washingeeqa -- back pack eeqa¢n -- act of packing (load)yaj -- scold yaaj -- act of scoldingelaq¢a -- rob elaq¢ -- act of robbing (robbery)chaku -- work chaak -- act of working (work)

2. Class 1 & 2 Transitive Verbs also have nominalized forms in Voices 1 & 3.However, these forms will not be studied in this preliminary grammar.

3. Simple and Stative Intransitive Verbs have an additional nominalized form which terminatesin -ik instead of vowel-m. Those forms will not be included in this grammar. However, itshould be kept in mind that many intransitive verbs have both of these forms (peteem, peetik),while others only have one or the other of the two (wa¢iim, -- act of eating; q¢ab¢arik -- actof getting drunk).

4. From now on all Simple and Stative Intransitive Verbs that have the nominalized vowel-mform will be listed in the vocabulary under this form. If a verb does not have this form, thenthe nominalized -ik form will be used.

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VOCABULARY

kowineem (iv) be ableq¢inomareem (iv) become richtanaleem (iv) stop, ceasekeemik (tv1) to be weavedch¢aakik (tv1) to be won, earnedpiilik (tv1) to be butcheredpaajik (tv1) to be weighedajk¢aay (n) sellerajk¢ayiib¢ (n) sellersq¢inoom (n, adv) rich, rich oneq¢inomaab¢ (n) rich onespo¢t (n) woven blousewaakax (n) cow, bullixiim (n) dry, shelled cornleej (n) tortillarajiil (n) its price, money

kapaqi¢ rajiil its price goes upkaqaaj rajiil its price goes down


1. Xuuchap paqaleem rajiil lee ixiim pa k¢ayib¢al.2. Nim aq¢ab¢ lee ajchakiib¢ kakichap uleem pa k¢ayib¢al.3. Xinkoosik; kimb¢ee na pa waraam.4. No¢jimaal lee ala xuub¢ij k¢ulaneem chee lee ali.5. Na kojkowin ta chuch¢aakiik qarajiil. Xa oj yawaab¢.6. Lee q¢inoom a¢chi xq¢inomar chee lee k¢ayinik.7. Lee nima waakax na kuuyaa ta riib¢ pa piilik.8. Jasa hora kab¢ee alaq chwe¢q chi kilooq¢iik lee ee aaq?9. Jampaa katpee chi chi qach¢aab¢exiik?10. K¢ax upaajiik lee ixiim.11. Ronojel q¢iij lee achi kab¢ee pa tzukunik pa taq juyub¢.12. Majaa kuuchap b¢iineem lee ak¢aal.13. Kapee na lee qachi¢iil chee rii kunaxik alaq.14. Xaa xyojtaj lee qach¢iich¢ (automobile). Chwe¢q kaqayaa pa suk¢umaxik.15. Na kuub¢an ta chi qaajeem rajiil lee wa.16. Chaab¢ana utzalaj ukeemiik lee po¢t.17. Na kojtani¢ ta chee lee b¢iineem.18. Lee q¢ab¢areel ojeer chi umajim ub¢aaniik k¢ax cheech urajiil.

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1. The girls have gone to bathe in the river.2. Weigh the corn well (do very good its act of being weighed the corn).3. The children are not able to walk in the hills.4. The girls go to market to help their mothers.5. Tommorrow our father is going to be cured.6. Yesterday the rich man began to butcher cows in front of the market.7. At what time is there entrance in the market (act of entering is made)?8. The sellers get bored from (chee) their being in markets.9. Yesterday the price of the dry shelled corn began going down.10. I was not able to buy the blouse.11. When will you (ix) go to see the men?12 The rich ones do not stop gathering their money (they do not stop for the its being gathered their

money).13. We have come to speak to you (alaq).14. Stay (be) (at) here to sell your tortillas.15. I haven’t started to sell in the market yet.16. It is necessary that you (alaq) go to eat with the men.17. The women are not able to back pack their children.

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Kintij nuchuq¢aab¢ chub¢aaniik. I’ll do my best to do it.

2. Kink¢is nuk¢u¢x chub¢aaniik. I’ll try one last time to do it.

3. K¢oo upataan chwee. It is useful to me.

4. Maaj upataan chwee. It is not useful to me.

5. Xaq wee wi chi in k¢a¢n. I am mean by nature (it is just the way I am that I am mean).

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LESSON THIRTY SIX

FORMATION OF PERSON AGENTS WITH SIMPLE INTRANSITIVE

VERBS AND CLASS 1 AND 2 TRANSITIVE VERBS IN VOICE 4 AND

THE USE OF FAMILIAR PREFIXES “A” AND “AL” WITH PROPER NAMES

Person agents can be formed from a good majority of the Simple Intransitive and Transitive Verbs in K¢iche¢. This phenomena is very much like what we have in English where a person agent can be formed by suffixing -er to the verb:

Verb Person Agent

walk walkerwatch watchersleep sleeperhelp helperkill killer

The general rule in K¢iche¢ for the formation of person agents is the suffixing of l or vowel + l to the verb root. We shall now see in more detail the formation and use of these person agents.

Person Agents for Simple Intransitive Verbs

Formation

+Root + eel

Root Person agent

b¢iin travel b¢iineel travelerka¢y look, watch ka¢yeel watcherkam die kameel one who diesook¢ow pass by ook¢oweel passerbyq¢ab¢ar get drunk q¢ab¢areel drunk

Uses

1. Functions as a Noun

Nimalaj q¢ab¢areel lee achi.The man is a big drunk.

Xaa in ka¢yeel xinpee pa nimaq¢iij.I came to the fiesta just as a watcher.

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Xaa oj kameel, xaa oj ook¢oweel pa wee uwach uleew.We are just ones who die, we are just passers-by in this world.(A common saying among the people)

2. Functions as an Adjective (not as common as 1)

b¢ineel ja¢ running water (rivers or streams).

Person Agents for Class 1 & 2 Transitive verbs in Voice 4

Formation

±Possessive +Root ±Vowel* +Voice +neel Marker


* At times this vowel is here after Class 1A roots to aid pronunciation (see Lesson 29).

Models:

Class 1

Root Person Agentch¢ay hit ch¢ayaneel hittersub¢ decieve sub¢uneel decieverkol save, defend koloneel savior, defender

Class 2

Root Person Agentkamisa kill kamisaneel killereeqa back pack eeqaneel back packerq¢alu hold in arms q¢aluneel one who holds in arms (God parent at

Baptism)

Note: Almost any Class 1 or Class 2 Transitive Verb that can be conjugated in Voice 4 will also have Person Agent forms in this voice.

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Uses:

1. Functions as a Noun

Rajawaxik kaqasik¢ij jun eeqaneel chee lee eeqa¢n.We must call a back packer for the load.

K¢oo jun ikoloneel pa q¢atb¢al tziij.You have a defender in the court house.

2. Functions as an Adjective (not as common as 1)

ch¢ayaneel a¢chi pugnacious man

kamisaneel tz¢i¢ killer dog

Notes:

1. There are some Simple Intransitive Verbs and many Transitive Verbs in Voice 4 that form the Person Agent in ways distinct from the one we just saw above:

Intransitive

Root Person Agentxojow dance ajxojoloob¢* dancer

Transitive

Root Person Agentchaku work ajchaak* workerelaq¢a rob elaq¢oom theifyuq¢u herd ajyuuq¢* shepherd

* aj prefix on words indicates origen or occupation, e.g.:

ajchaak -- worker;ajyuuq¢ -- shepherdajNiwala¢ -- from Nahuala;ajwaraal -- from here

2. Most Person Agents form plurals with the suffix -ab¢:

Singular Plural

q¢ab¢areel drunkard q¢ab¢arelaab¢ drunkardsch¢ayaneel hitter ch¢ayanelaab¢ hitters

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3. Class 1 & 2 Transitive Verbs in Voice 1 also have Person Agent forms, but they will not bepresented in this preliminary grammar.

Use of the Familiar Prefixes “A” and “Al” with Proper Names

Proper Names in General

First names used in K¢iche¢ for both sexes are generally Spanish first names adapted tothe K¢iche¢ sound system.

Spanish Name K ¢ iche ¢ Name Males

Manuel WeelJuan XwaanPedro Luu¢Tomás MaaxDiego (Santiago) Te¢kMiguel MikeelFrancisco Si¢sAntonio Tuun

FemalesManuela We¢lJuana Xwa¢nMicaela Mike¢lFrancisca Sika¢Magdalena Ma¢tCatarina TaliinDominga RamuuxPascuala Ku¢lIsabela Xe¢p

Familiar Versus Formal Contrast in Naming

We have seen that in K¢iche there are two ways of addressing a person: with the familiar “at” form , or the formal “laal” form.

This familiar - formal contrast is also employed when using people’s names, eitherdirectly in addressing them, or indirectly when speaking of them.

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1. Using Names on Familiar Basis (at)

a. For Boys or Men:

To use male names on a familiar basis “a” is prefixed to the desired name.This prefix “a” is a shortened form of ala -- boy.

Using this familiar form with the “a” prefix we get such forms as:

aWeel Manuel aLuu¢ PedroaXwaan Juan aMaax Tomás

b. For Girls or Women

To use female names on a familiar basis “al” is prefixed to the desired name. This prefix “al” is a shortened form of ali -- “girl.” In some towns (Samayac) the complete form, ali, is used in place of the shorter al.

Using this familiar form with the “al” prefix we get such forms as:

alWe¢l Manuela alMari¢y MariaalTaliin Catarina alRamuux Dominga

If one is addressed with the familiar “at”, then when speaking to him (her) or about him (her), the above forms (a & b) are used:

Laa katb¢ee wuuk aWeel? Are you going with me , Manuel?

Kab¢ee lee alWe¢l wuuk¢. Manuela is going with me.

2. Using Names on Formal Basis (laal)

a. For Men: To use male names on a formal basis the K¢iche¢ name is used without any prefix. The word taat -- “sir”, can be optionally placed immediately before the name for added respect.

Using the formal with laal we get such forms as:

(taat) Weel Manuel (taat) Luu¢ Pedro(taat) Xwaan Juan (taat) Maax Tomás

a. For Women: To use female names on a formal basis the K¢iche¢ name is used without any prefix. The word naan -- “ma¢am”, can be optionally placed immediately before the name for added respect.

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Using the formal with laal we get such forms as:

(naan) We¢l Manuela (naan) Mari¢y Maria(naan) Taliin Catarina (naan) Ramuux Dominga

If one is addressed with the formal “laal”, then when speaking to him (her) or about him (her), the above forms (a & b) are used:

Laa kab¢ee la wuuk¢, (taat) Weel?Are you going to go with me, Manuel?

Kab¢ee lee (naan) We¢l wuuk¢.Manuela is going with me.

MODEL SENTENCES

1. Ronojel q¢iij keeb¢ee lee chajinelaab¢ chuchajixiik lee kab¢iix.Every day the guards go to guard their corn.

2. Xaq wa¢kateel lee achi; maaj kuchakuuj.The man is just a wanderer,; he doesn’t work at anything.

3. Laa aweech wa¢ wee ja, aWeel?Is this house yours, Manuel?

4. Jampaa chi kapee la, Naan We¢l?When will you come again, Manuela?

VOCABULARY

jampa¢ (adv) whenuwach uleew (n) worldb¢iineel (n) travelerka¢yeel (n) watcherkameel (n) one who diesook¢oweel (n) passer-bywa¢kateel (n) wandererq¢ab¢areel (n) drunkardch¢ayaneel (n) hittersub¢uneel (n) deceiverkoloneel (n) defender, savioreeqaneel (n) back packerq¢aluneel (n) one who holds in arms, god-parent in Baptismkamisaneel (n) killerajxojoloob¢ (n) dancerWeel (n) Manuel

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Xwaan (n) JuanLuu¢ (n) PedroMaax (n) TomásTe¢k (n) Diego, SantiagoSi¢s (n) FranciscoTuun (n) AntonioWe¢l (n) ManuelaSika¢ (n) FranciscaMa¢t (n) MagdalenaTaliin (n) CatarinaRamuux (n) DomingaXe¢p (n) Isabela

ee (ch) (possessive pronoun)

wee (ch) mine qee (ch) oursawee (ch) yours iwee (ch) yoursree (ch) his, hers, its kee (ch) theirsee (ch) la yours ee (ch) alaq yours


1. Lee achi k¢oo jastaq reech; ma xaa elaq¢oom.2. Oj ka¢yelaab¢ xojpee pa nimaq¢iij.3. Chaachajij awiib¢ chwach lee kamisaneel tz¢i¢.4. Sib¢alaj kakiq¢i¢ eeqa¢n lee eeqanelaab¢.5. Areetaq xtzaaq lee q¢ab¢areel pa jun b¢iineel ja¢, xkamik.6. Laa eech la wee wuuj, taat Maax?7. Aree qeech wa¢, alTaliin.8. Xaa oj ook¢oweel pa wee uwach uleew; na naj ta kojk¢ooji¢k.9. La¢ lee alRamuux xaa ch¢ayaneel; kuuch¢ay lee uchaaq¢.10. Lee alSica¢, aree q¢aluneel chkee lee ak¢alaab¢.11. Reech alXe¢p wa¢ wee ja.


1. That woven bag there is Francisco’s (familiar).2. Is that yours. Magdalena (laal).3. Let Juan (familiar) be grabbed; he’s just a hitter.4. I saw the curer; his name is is Diego (formal).5. Are these things here yours, Pedro (laal)?6. The dancers are just big drunkards.7. The men came as back packers (see # 2, K¢iche¢ to English above).8. Don’t go (at) to the fiesta, Antonio, there are hitters there.9. The killer will pay his (offenses) in jail.10. There are many wanderers in this world.

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USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Toq¢ob¢ uwach. He is to be pitied (poor guy).

2. Chaab¢anaa jun toq¢ob¢ chwee ----. Do me a favor, ----.

3. Chaakuyuu numaak. Pardon me. (used frequently when one beginsor speaking and is going to ask a favor)

Chaasachaa numaak

4. Raj xinpeetik. I almost came.

5. Maaj raj xinpeetik. I almost did not come.

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LESSON THIRTY SEVEN

FORMATION OF NOUNS FROM ADJECTIVES AND

UNPOSSESSED FORMS OF OBLIGATORILY POSSESSED NOUNS

Formation of Nouns From Adjectives

In English many adjectives can be transformed into abstract nouns by adding the suffix “-ness”to them, e.g., good -- goodness; big -- bigness; white -- whiteness.

In K¢iche¢, in a very like manner, adjectives can be transformed into abstract nouns by adding the suffix vowel + l:

Adjective Noun

utz good utziil goodness, peacenim big nimaal bigness, sizechoom fat chomaal fatnessyawaab¢ sick yaab¢iil sicknesssaq white, clear saqiil whiteness, clearnessk¢a¢n mean k¢a¢naal meanness

Notes:

1. It cannot be predicted what vowel will occur in the “vowel + l” suffix. “Aa” and “ii” appear to be the most commonly occuring vowels, though “ee”, “oo”, and “uu”

are used.

2. The “vowel + l” termination can also be suffixed to nouns to indicate intimate possession, e.g., ixoq -- woman, wixoqiil -- my wife (the woman I possess intimately). This use of the “vowel + l” suffix with nouns will not be treated in this preliminary grammar.

Unpossessed Forms of Obligatorily Possessed Nouns

In the vocabularies of the past lessons we have found a few nouns which were labeled (pn) = obligatorily possessed noun, e.g.:

chii¢ (pn) mouth, edge, opening, doorpaam (pn) stomach, inside, diarrheaalk¢u¢aal (pn) childk¢ajool (pn) son (man’s).

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When we say that these nouns are obligatorily possessed, it is to be understood that this class of nouns has one form when accompanied by possessive pronouns (my, your, etc.), and a distinct form (ordinarily) when not possessed.

The above four examples of obligatorily possessed nouns fall into two categories:

1. Body Parts: chii¢ - mouthpaam -- stomach

2. Kinship Terms: alk¢u¢aal -- childk¢ajool -- son (man’s)

Most nouns which fit in the (1) Body Parts Category, and some nouns which fit in the (2) Kinship Terms Category, when used without possessive pronouns (my, your, etc.),are terminated with a generalizing suffix to indicate that the possessor is not expressed.

Generalizing Suffix (aaj) for Body Parts

Most nouns which fit in this category when used without possessive pronouns are generally terminated with the generalizing suffix aaj:

Possessed Form Unpossessed Form

*nuchii¢ my mouth chi¢iij (chi¢aaj) mouthnupaam my stomach pamaaj stomachnujoloom my head jolomaaj headnupalaj my face palajaaj facenuwi¢ my hair wi¢aaj hairnuwach my face, my eyes wachaaj face, eyes, eye infectionwaqan my foot (feet) aqanaaj foot (feet)nub¢i¢ my name b¢i¢aaj name

* Here the termination is either aaj or iij.

Generalizing Suffix (xeel) for Kinship terms

Some nouns of this category when used without possessive pronouns are terminated with the generalizing suffix xeel:


nuk¢ajool my son (man’s) k¢ajolaxeel son (man’s)inchaaq¢ my younger sibling chaq¢ixeel younger siblingwalk¢u¢aal my child alk¢w¢alaxeel childintaat my father tataxeel fathernunaan my mother nanaxeel mothernujii¢ my son-in-law jiya¢xeel son-in-law

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Notes:

1. In the above examples we can see that a vowel is added between the noun andthe xeel suffix to aid pronunciation.

2. The unpossessed xel form of obligatorily possessed nouns is pluralized withthe termination xelaab¢:

Singular Plural

k¢ajolaxeel son k¢ajolaxelaab¢ sonsalk¢wa¢laxeel child alk¢wa¢laxelaab¢ children

3. There are a few nouns which receive the xeel termination even when possessed:

tijoxeel student nutijoxeel my student

3. There are at least two commonly used nouns of the Kinship Term category whoseunpossessed forms are terminated in the suffix “oom”:


wixoqiil my wife ixoqiloom wifewachajiil my husband achajiloom husband

MODEL SENTENCES

1. Sib¢alaj keech¢o¢jin la¢ lee winaq; na kakaj ta utziil.Those people there fight alot; they don’t want peace.

2. Kawaj jun nub¢oj, je¢ unimaal la¢.I want a clay pot that size.

3. K¢ax kuub¢an lee q¢oxoom jolomaaj chqeech.Headaches (head colds) harm us.

4. Na utz taj wemna keetob¢ lee alk¢wa¢laxelaab¢ chkee rii kitaat, kinaan.It is not good if the children don’t help their parents.

VOCABULARY

utziil (n) goodness, peacenimaal (n) bigness, sizechomaal (n) fatnessyab¢iil (n) sickness

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saqiil (n) whiteness, clearnessk¢a¢nal (n) meannesschi¢iij (chi¢aaj) (pn) mouth, opening, door, edgepamaaj (pn) stomach, inside, excrement, diarrheajolomaaj (pn) headpalajaaj (pn) facewi¢aaj (pn) hairwachaaj (pn) face, eyes, eye infectionaqanaaj (pn) foot, feetb¢i¢aaj (pn) namek¢ajolaxeel (pn) son (man's) k¢ajolaxelab¢ (pl) sons (man’s)alk¢wa¢laxeel (pn) child; alk¢wa¢laxelaab¢ (pl) childrenchaq¢ixeel (pn) younger sibling chaq¢ixelaab¢ (pl) younger siblingsjiya¢xeel (pn) son-in-law jiya¢xelaab¢ (pl) sons-in-law (-jii¢ = possessed form)tataxeel (pn) father tataxelaab¢ (pl) fathersnanaxeel (pn) mother nanaxelaab¢ (pl) mothersachajiloom (pn) husbandixoqiloom (pn) wifetijoxeel (n) student, disciple tijoxelaab¢ (pl) students, disciplesajtiij (n) teacher ajtijaab¢ (pl) teacherskunab¢al (n) medicineq¢oxoom (n) pain, soreness

q¢oxoom jolomaaj head acheq¢oxoom pamaaj stomach acheetc. (for other parts of the body)

junaam (adj, adv) equal, samejunaam ruk¢ equal with it, same as it


1. Aree la¢ kukunaj lee q¢oxoom jolomaaj.2. Laa k¢oo kunab¢al rech wachaaj uk¢ la?3. Lee q¢aaq¢ pa taq¢aaj kuuyaa pamaaj chkee lee ajchakiib¢.4. Rajawaxik kasik¢ix lee b¢i¢aaj pa q¢atb¢al tziij.5. Laa ariqom lee q¢oxoom pamaaj?6. Wa¢ wee ala, utzalaj k¢ajolaxeel.7. Rii achajiloom rajawaxik kakiloq¢ kiib¢ ruk¢ rii rixoqiil.8. Rii nanaxeel ku¢ch¢aj lee ee raal ronojel nimaq¢ab¢.9. Lee jiya¢xelaab¢ katajin keekito¢ lee kitaat.10. Xaa junaam rii kik¢a¢nal rii chaq¢ixeel ruk¢ rii ratz.

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ENGLISH TO K¢ICHE

1. It is the man’s meanness that does him harm.2. The people become discouraged (bored) with the sickness.3. The whiteness of the two clothes is just the same.4. This medicine here cures diarrhea.5. There is a big face on the front of the rock.6. It is necessary that all the children (alk¢wa¢laxelaab¢) be loved equally (equal with their being loved).7. The husband must love and take care of his wife.8. The students are not equal with their teacher.9. The younger sibling is helped by his older sibling.10. It is the fight that gave the headache to me.

SPECIAL DRILLS

A. Change the following adjectives into nouns and give the translations in English:

1. q¢eq black2. q¢or lazy3. saq¢aaj ambitious4. q¢an yellow5. rax green6. joron cold

B. Change the names of the following body parts from the given possessed forms into unpossessed forms:

1. nuxkiin my ear2. nutza¢m my nose3. nuware my tooth (teeth)4. nuqul my throat5. nuk¢u¢x my heart6. nuch¢uk my elbow

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. Xaq chub¢aanik kuub¢ano, kojuuyajo. Just to be mean he bawls us out.

2. Katyo¢w kuuna¢ chwee. He is envious and hateful of me.

3. Xpee royowaal. He became angry.

4. Xqaaj royowaal. He calmed down.

5. Naj uwi¢ chwee. He stares at me.

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LESSON THIRTY EIGHT

DIRECTIONAL AND LOCATIONAL ADVERBS LOQ, B¢IIK, AND KAANOQ

AND CONJUGATION OF IRREGULAR CLASS 2 TRANSITIVE VERB

AJAWAXIK -- “TO BE WANTED”, “TO BE LOVED”

AND USE OF AUXILIARY VERBS KOWINEM AND AJAWAXIK

In K¢iche there are seven adverbs which indicate either the direction in which an object is moving or the location in which it is. In this lesson we are going to study briefly three of these adverbs: loq, biik, and kaanoq.

Directional and Locational Adverb Loq

Meaning: “here” (in this direction toward the speaker)This adverb is derived from the simple intransitive verb ul -- arrive here

Uses: This particle is used in a great number of ways. Here we shall see only a few ofits uses with intransitive and transitive verbs.

With Intransitive Verbs

Lee achi xka¢y loq.The man looked here in this direction.

Iwiir xintzalij loq.Yesterday I returned here.

With Transitive Verbs

Wee k¢oo arajiil chaak¢amaa loq.(k¢amik (tv1) to be received + loq = to be brought here)If you have money , bring it here.

Lee achi xaa tak¢al puwi¢ lee laj juyub¢ areetaq xojril loq.The man was just standing on top of the small hill when he sawus here.”

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Alternate form of Loq

a. Loq has the form la when it is not utterance final:

Iwiir xojtzalij la pa kayib¢al.Yesterday we returned here from market.

Wee k¢oo arajiil, chaak¢amaa la chweq.If you have money, bring it here tommorrow.

b. Loq (la) combines with certain words which precede it in the form u¢loq (u¢la --): (see note page 12)

With na (adv) later, afterwards, first:

na + loq nu¢loq(na + la -- na¢la --)

Chweq kink¢am nu¢loq.(Kink¢am nu¢la chweq.)Tommorrow I will bring it here afterwards.

With la (pro) you (formal):

la + loq lu¢loq(la + la -- lu¢la --)

Laa aninaq katzalij lu¢loq?(Laa katzalij lu¢la aninaq?Will you return here quickly?

With wi (adv) indicates direction in general

wi + loq wu¢loq(wi + la -- wu¢la --)

La¢ lee atziaq -- jawi xaak¢am wu¢loq?(Jawi xaak¢am wu¢la la¢ lee atziaq?)Where did you bring that clothing from?

With chi (adv) again, now:

chi + loq chu¢loq(chi + la --chu¢la --)

Lee achi xka¢y chu¢loq.(Xka¢y chu¢la lee achi.)The man looked this way again.

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With na -- taj (negative):

na -- ta plus loq na -- tu¢loq(na -- ta plus la -- na -- tu¢la --)

Ri¢ na nuk¢amom tu¢loq.(Na nuk¢amom tu¢la ri¢.)I have not brought that here.

Directional -- Locational Adverb B¢iik

Meaning: “away from here”, “out from here” (in a direction away from the speaker).

This adverb is derived from the simple intransitive verb b¢e -- “go”

Uses: This particle is used in a great number of ways. Here we shall see only a few of its uses with intransitive and transitive verbs:

With Intransitive Verbs:

Lee ali xel b¢iik.The girl went out away from here.

Lee achijaab¢ xeeq¢ab¢ar b¢iik.The men got drunk before going away from here.

With Transitive Verbs:

Chaak¢amaa b¢iik.(k¢amik (tv1) to be recieved + b¢ik = to be taken awayTake it away from here.

Xojch¢aay b¢iik.We were beaten away from here.

Alternate Forms of B¢iik:

B¢iik has the form b¢i when it is not utterance final:

Lee ali xel b¢i pa ja.The girl went out of the house away from here.

Chaak¢amaa b¢i ach¢iich¢.Take your machete away from here.

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B¢iik (b¢i) combines with certain words which precede it in the form:u¢b¢iik (u¢b¢i --).

With na (adv) later, afterwards, first:

na + b¢iik nu¢b¢iik(na + b¢i -- nu¢b¢i --)

Chwe¢q kink¢am nu¢b¢iik.(Kink¢am nu¢b¢i chwe¢q.)Tommorrow, afterwards, I’ll take it away from here.

With la (pro) you (formal):

la + b¢iik lu¢b¢iik(la + b¢i -- lu¢b¢i --)

Laa kamiik kak¢am lu¢b¢ik?(Laa kak¢am lu¢b¢i kamiik?)Are you taking it away from here today?

With wi (adv) direction in general:

wi + b¢iik wu¢b¢iik(wi + b¢i -- wu¢b¢i --)

Lee pwaq pa ja xelaq¢ax wu¢b¢iik.(Pa ja xelaq¢ax wu¢b¢i lee pwaq.)The money was stolen away from inside the house.

With chi (adv) again, now:

chi + b¢iik chu¢b¢iik(chi + b¢i -- chu¢b¢i --)

Lee ak¢alab¢ xek¢am chu¢b¢ik.(Xek¢am chu¢b¢i lee ak¢alab¢.)The children were taken away again.

With na -- taj (negative):

na -- ta + b¢iik na -- tu¢b¢iik(na -- ta + b¢i -- na -- tu¢b¢i --)

Kamiik na kaqak¢am tu¢b¢iik.(Na kaqak¢am tu¢b¢i kamiik.)We will not take it away today.

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Directional-Locational Adverb Kaanoq:

Meaning: “behind” (remaining behind)

This adverb is derived from the simple intransitive verb kaanaj -- remain.

Uses: This particle is used in a great number of ways. Here we shall see only a few of its uses with intransitive and transitive verbs:

With Intransitive Verbs:

Na xpee ta rii qachi¢iil, xaa warnaq kaanoq.Our companion did not come, he just remained behind sleeping.

Lee ajchakiib¢ xeekaanaj kaanoq.The workers remained behind.

With Transitive Verbs:

Xkayaa kaanoq. [ya¢ik (tv1) to be given + kaanoq = to be left behind]We left it behind.

Lee qataat xuub¢ij kaanoq chi kapee chi na.Our father said before he left that he would come again later.(he’s gone but his words remain behind)

3. Alternate Forms of Kaanoq:

Kaanoq has the form kaan when it is not utterance final:

Xeekaanaj kaan lee ajchakiib¢.The workers remained behind.

Xinyaa kaan lee nuchiim pa k¢ayib¢al.I left my woven bag behind in the market.

Kaanoq, unlike loq and b¢iik, undergoes no change when it precedes such words as:na, la, wi, chik, and na -- taj:

Kayaa na kaan lee pwaq.The money will be left behind later.

Conjugation of Irregular Class 2 Transitive Verb Ajawaxik -- “to be wanted”, “to be loved”

Since this is one of the most commonly used verbs in the language, we shall conjugate it here inthe four voices in which it is used (1, 2, 3, and 5). The root for the Voice 1 conjugation issimply “aa”. The root for the conjugation of Voices 2, 3, and 5 is ajawa.

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Voice 1 (for simplicity the object will always be 3rd person singular)

Incomplete Aspect

kawaaj I want it kaqaaj we want itkaawaaj you want it kiwaaj you want itkaraaj he wants it kakaaj they want itkaaj la you want it kaaj alaq you want it

Completed Aspect

xwaaj I wanted it xqaaj we wanted itxaawaaj you wanted it xiwaaj you wanted itxraaj he wanted it xkaaj they wanted itxkaaj la you wanted it xkaaj alaq you wanted it

Imperative Aspectkaqaaj let’s want it

chaawaaj want it chiwaaj want itcharaaj let him want it chikaaj let them want itchaaj la want it chaaj alaq want it

Perfect Aspect (rarely used)


Incomplete Aspect

kinajawaxik I am wanted kojajawaxik we are wantedkatajawaxik you are wanted kixajawaxik you are wantedkaajawaxik he is wanted ka¢jawaxik they are wantedkaajawax la you are wanted kajawax alaq you are wanted

Note: From the nominalized form of this voice we get the commonly used form that we have already used: rajawaxik -- it is necessary (it is to be

wanted).

Completed Aspect

xinajawaxik I was wanted xojajawaxik we were wantedxatajawaxik you were wanted xixajawaxik you were wantedxaajawaxik he was wanted xa¢jawaxik they were wantedxaajawax la you were wanted xaajawax alaq you were wanted

Imperative Aspect (rarely used)


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Voice 3

Incomplete Aspect

kinajawatajik I am becoming wanted kojajawatajik we are becoming wantedkatajawatajik you are becoming wanted kixajawatajik you are becoming wantedkaajawatajik he is becoming wanted ka¢jawatajik they are becoming wantedkaajawataj la you are becoming wanted kaajawataj alaq you are becoming wanted

Completed Aspect

xinajawatajik I was becoming wanted xojajawatajik we were becoming wantedxatajawatajik you were becoming wanted xixajawatajik you were becoming wantedxaajawatajik he was becoming wanted xa¢jawatajik they were becoming wantedxaajawataj la you were becoming wanted xaajawataj alaq you were becoming wanted



Stative Aspect

in ajawatalik I am wanted oj ajawatalik we are wantedat ajawatalik you are wanted ix ajawatalik you are wantedaree ajawatalik he is wanted a¢ree a¢jawatalik they are wantedajawatal la you are wanted ajawatal alaq you are wanted

Voice 4 (this verb is not used in this Voice)


Incomplete Aspect

in kinajawanik I myself want it oj kojajawanik we ourselves want itat katajawanik you yourself want it ix kixajawanik you yourselves want itaree kajawanik he himself wants it a¢ree ka¢jawanik they themselves want itlaal kajawan la you yourself want it alaq kajawan alaq you yourselves want it

Completed Aspect

in xinajawanik I myself wanted it oj xojajawanik we ourselves wanted itat xatajawanik you yourself wanted it ix xixajawanik you yourselves wanted itaree xajawanik he himself wanted it a¢ree xa¢jawanik they themselves wanted itlaal xajawan la you yourself wanted it alaq xajawan alaq you yourselves wanted it


193

Perfect Aspect

in in ajawannaq I myself have wanted itat at ajawannaq you yourself have wanted itaree ajawannaq he himself has wanted itlaal ajawannaq la you yourself have wanted itoj oj ajawannaq we ourselves have wanted itix ix ajawannaq you yourselves have wanted ita¢re¢ a¢jawannaq they thenselves have wanted italaq ajawannaq alaq you yourselves have wanted it

One Use of Auxiliary Verbs Kowineem and Ajawaxik

In English auxiliary verbs like “able” and “want” are used together with the infinitive form of the main verb of the clause: “I am able to work.” or “I want to go.”

In Lesson 35 we saw some ways to form main verbs with their auxiliaries in K¢iche¢:

If the auxiliary verb is intransitive:

Kincowin chub¢aanik lee chaak.I am able to do the work.

If the auxiliary verb is transitive:

Xuumajij ub¢aanik lee chaak.He began to do the work.

Another way to form main verbs with their auxiliaries is to use the auxiliary verb (intransitive or transitive) in the desired person and aspect followed by the main verb which must agree withit in person and aspect (ordinarily).

Two of the auxiliary verbs most commonly used in this way are:

kowineem (iv) be ableajawaxik (tv2) to be wanted

Incomplete Aspect

Kinkowinik kimb¢eek.I am able to go. (I am able, I go.)

Kawaaj kimb¢eekI want to go. (I want it, I go.)

194

Completed Aspect

Xatkowinik xaab¢ano.You were able to do it. (You were able, you did it.)

Xaawaaj xaab¢anoYou wanted to do it. (You wanted, you did it.)

Note: Some auxiliaries cannot be used in this parallel auxiliary - main verb type of construction. E.g., the verb majixik (tv2) to be bugun, does not admit usage in this type of parallel construction. When this type of verb is used as an auxiliary to the main verb, it must be with the main verb in a nominalized form as we saw in Lesson 35:

Xuumajij nuyaajik.He began to scold me.(He began my being scolded.)

MODEL SENTENCES

1. Kinkowinik kink¢am bi lee pwaq wee karaj rii intaat.I can take the money away if my father wants me to.

2. Laa kaaj la kojtzalij la aninaq?Do you want us to return here quickly.

3. Oj xojajawanik xyaa kaan lee wa kumal lee ajk¢ayiib¢.We ourselves wanted the tortillas to be left behind by the sellers.

4. Kachokon lee kolob¢ chqeech; chaak¢amaa loq.The rope is useful to us; bring it here.

VOCABULARY

chokonem (iv) be of usekaanajem (iv) remainajawaxik (tv2) to be wanted, loved

-aa-: Voice 1 root-ajawa-: Voice 2, 3, 5 root

loq (la --) (adv) here, in this directionb¢iik (b¢i --) (adv) away, out from here, away from herekaanoq (kaan) (adv) behindk¢aamik (tv1) to be received + loq = to be brought here

to be received + b¢iik = to be taken awayya¢ik (tv1) to be given + kaanoq = to be left behind

195

K¢ICHE TO ENGLISH

1. Kak¢amaa b¢i lee tz¢i¢. Xa kaqasipaj che lee qachalal.2. Janipaa chi ix qaajnaq la waraal pa tinamit?3. Karaj lee achi kuutij uwaa chaaniim; chaak¢amaa loq.4. Laa kaaj la kab¢ee la quk¢ pa muqunik?5. Xkaanaj kaan lee achi jee la¢ pa taq¢aaj. Na xuuq¢i¢ ta chik xpee quuk¢6. Na xeekowin ta lee winaq xeekik¢am lee kalk¢u¢aal waraal pa kunaxik.7. Kachokon lee laq chwee; utz kiiyaa kaanoq.8. Rajawaxik kayaa la qawaa rumal lee aj¢iik.9. Kuutij nu¢b¢i lee uwaa lee wachajiil, k¢atee k¢u ri¢ kab¢ee pa chaak.10. Janipaa kakowin la katzalij chi lu¢loq?11. Na kojwa¢ ta chik. Xtijtaj la lee qeech chuwa ja.12. Lee yawaab¢ xreesaj kaan lee reeqa¢n areetaq xuumajij paqaleem chuwa lee juyub¢.


1. Do you (laal) want to take the dog away with you?2. I was not able to bring my friend here today.3. Leave (alaq) the dried ears of corn in the house.4. If the marimba is useful to the marimba players we’ll bring it here tommorrow afterwards.5. I’m not sad for the man (b¢isoxik uwach); he himself wanted to suffer.6. The child left from the house in this direction.7. It is necessary that the money be returned here to its owner.8. I’m going to eat my food before going (nu¢b¢iik).9. The man did not want me to take his son to be cured.10. We are not able to help you (alaq) because we have to leave away from here today.11. Do you (ix) want to help me take away from here the fresh ears of corn ?

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

1. K¢a jan taq pa kapeetik. From time to time he comes.

2. K¢oo rii kapeetik, k¢oo rii na kapee taj. At times he comes, at times he does not come.

3. Jun tziij kimb¢eek. I am going for good.

4. Na tziij taj chee. It isn’t important to him.

5. Na tziij taj chi xuub¢ano. It’s not true that he did it.

Tziij chi xuub¢ano. It’s true that he did it.

196

VOCABULARY: K¢ICHE¢ TO ENGLISH

aa

aab¢ (n) hammockaaj (n) reedaak¢ (n) type of grain (chan in Spanish)aal (pn) woman’s child;

(adj) heavyaanimajem (iv) run away, fleeaaq (n) pigaaq¢ (pn) tongueaaq¢anem (iv) to climb upaataam (adv) earlyaatinem (iv) bathe

a

a- (poss pro) your (sing-familiar)ab¢aj (n) rock, stoneab¢iix (n) corn plantachajiloom (pn) husband; -achajiil

(possessed form)achalaal (pn) sibling, near relativeachi (n) man; achijaab¢ (pl) menachik¢axik (tv2) to be dreamed aboutachi¢iil (pn) companion, friendaj (n) fresh cornajaaw (pn) ownerajawaxik (tv2) to be wanted, loved

-aa- : Voice 1 root-ajawa- : Voice 2, 3, 5 root(see lesson 38)

ajchaak (n) worker,ajchakiib¢ (pl) workers

ajch¢a¢ooj (n) fighter, soldier,ajch¢o¢jiib¢ (pl) fighters, soldiers

ajiij (n) sugar caneajiil (pn) price (something’s)

kapaki¢ rajiil -- its price goes upkaqaaj rajiil -- its price goes down- ajiil -tz¢aqaat (pn) brothers (termof endearment)

ajk¢aay (n) seller; ajk¢ayiib¢ (pl) sellers

ajlaxik (tv2) to be counted

ajq¢iij (n) diviner; ajq¢ijaab¢ (pl) divinersajq¢ojoom (n) merimba player;

ajq¢ojomaab¢ (pl) merimba playersajtiij (n) teacher, instructor;

ajtijaab¢ (pl) teachers, instructorsajxojoloob¢ (n) dancer;

ajxojoloob¢ (pl) dancersajyuuq (n) shepherd;

ajyuq¢aab¢ (pl) shepherdsaj¢iik¢ (n) maid, servant paid by the month;

aj¢ik¢aab¢ (pl) maids, servantsak¢ (n) chickenak¢aal (n) child; ak¢alaab¢ (pl) childrenala (n) boy; alab¢oom (pl) boysalaj (adj) small (see la¢j)alanxax (n) orange, orange treealaxik (tv2) to be born (given birth to);

(n) relatives, brothers (e.g. Oj alaxik.“We are brothers”

alaq (per pro) you (formal-plu);(poss pro) your (formal-plu)(see Lessons 7 & 8)

ali (n) girl; altomaab¢ (pl) girlsalkalte (n-Span) mayoralk¢wa¢laxeel (pn) child;

alk¢wa¢laxelaab¢ (pl) children-alk¢u¢aal (possessed form)

am (n) spideramaq¢el (adv) alwaysamoolo (n) houseflyanaab¢ (pn) sister (male’s)anima (n-Span) heart, soulaninaq (adv) quicklyapanoq (apan--) (adv) over there (at a

determined distance)aqanaaj (pn) foot (feet)aq¢ab¢ (n) night, early morning

nik¢aj aq¢ab¢ -- midnightchaaq¢ab¢ -- at nightnimaq¢ab¢ -- in the morning

aq¢anoq (aq¢an--) (adv) up, up abovearee (see are¢)aree chi (conj) in order thataree chi¢ (adv) at that time; (conj) and so

197

aree la¢ (dem) that there is it, that there is --(see Lesson 25)

aree ri¢ (dem) that is it, that is -- (see Lesson 25)

areetaq (conj) whenaree wa¢ (dem) this is it, this is -- (see

Lesson 25)are¢ (are--) (per pro) he, she, it, him, herasaron (n-Span) hoeat (per pro) you (familiar-sing)ati¢t (pn) grandmotheratz (pn) older siblingatz¢aam (n) saltatz¢iaq (n) clothing, clothaw- (poss pro) your (familiar-sing) (see

Lesson 8)awaas (n) tabooaweex (n) corn plantinga¢ree (see a¢re¢)a¢ree la¢ (dem) those there are they, those

there are--, (See Lesson 25)a¢ree ri¢ (dem) those are they, those are --

(see Lesson 25)a¢ree wa¢ (dem) these are they, these are --

(see Lesson 25)a¢re¢ (a¢ree--) (per pro) they, them

b¢

b¢aalam (n) jaguarb¢aaq (adj) thin; (n) bone, needleb¢aaqik (tv1) to be washed (hair)b¢aatz¢ (n) day in Mayan ceremonial calendarb¢aa¢ (b¢aa --) (exclam) well, oh!b¢a (n) gopher-like animalb¢ajixik (tv2) to be nailed, screwed on,

put on tightlyb¢alixik (tv2) to be loaded, filled upb¢alkatixik (tv2) to be rolled overb¢alka¢teem (iv) roll overb¢aluk (pn) brother-in-lawb¢anik (tv1) to be made, doneb¢aqilaal (pn) bodyb¢aq¢wachaaj (pn) eye(s), eye ballb¢atz¢ (n) threadb¢ayi¢s (n) ratb¢a¢ik (tv1) to be masticated, chewedb¢eenaam (iv) go

Incom. -- kimb¢ee (k) -- I go

Comp. -- ximb¢ee (k) -- I wentPerf. -- in b¢eenaq -- I have goneImperf. -- irregular

b¢eenaq¢iij (adv) in the afternoonb¢eeyik (tv1) to be delayedb¢e (n) road, trailb¢elejeeb¢ (num) nineb¢e¢eel (pn) one’s road (that is exclusively

his); ub¢e¢el correctnessb¢iik (b¢i--) (adv) away, out from here, away

from hereb¢iineel (n) travelerb¢iineem (iv) walk, travelb¢iiq¢ik (tv1) to be swallowed, gulpedb¢iis (n) sadnessb¢iit¢ik (tv1) to be tornb¢irireem (iv) roar (as ocean, car motor)b¢isoxik (tv2) to be sad aboutb¢it¢ (n) a tearing soundb¢ixaxik (tv2) to be sungb¢ixik (tv2) to be saidb¢i¢aaj (pn) name (s)b¢oolik (tv1) to be roasted in fireb¢ooqik (tv1) to be pulled out by rootsb¢ochi¢xik (tv2) to be courted, comforted,

coaxed, pacified (a baby)b¢o¢j (n) clay cooking pot

ch

chaaj (n) ashchaak (n) workchaaniim (adv) right now, quicklychaj (n) pine tree, pine pitchchajixik (tv2) to be taken care of, guardedchakach (n) basketchakuxik (tv2) to be worked (as land)chaqijem (iv) become drychaqijsaxik (tv2) to be driedchaqi¢j (adj) drychaq¢ (adj) fat, cooked, ripechaq¢ajeem (iv) become fat, cooked, ripechaq¢ajsaxik (tv2) to be cooked, ripened,

fattenedchaq¢ixeel (pn) younger sibling;

chaq¢ixelaab¢ (pl) younger siblings;chaq¢ (poss form)

chayik (tv1) to be chosen, selected;(irregular -- see Lesson 30)

198

cha¢ (chaa--) (iv-irregular) say (quotatative)Incomplete Aspectkincha¢ I saykatcha¢ you saykacha¢ he sayskachaa la you saykojcha¢ we saykixcha¢ you saykeecha¢ they saykacha¢ laq you sayCompleted Aspectxincha¢ I saidxatcha¢ you saidxcha¢ he saidxchaa la you saidxojcha¢ we saidxixcha¢ you saidxeecha¢ they saidxcha¢ laq you said(Also used in Imperativeand Perfect Aspects)

ch_ee (ch) (prep) to __, for __, from __;chwee (ch) to mechawee (ch) to you*chee (ch) to himchee (ch) la to youchqee (ch) to uschiwee (ch) to youchkee (ch) to themchee (ch) alaq to you*chee (chi) = with (instrumentally)e.g. Xkamisax chi ch¢iich¢ -- “Hewas killed with a machete.”

chee¢ (n) tree, wood, jail; (adj) stiff, rigid

che¢rem (iv) become rigid, stiff

ch_iij (prep) behind, over, aroundchwiij behind mechawiij behind youchriij (chiij) behind himchij la behind youchqiij behind uschiwiij behind youchkiij behind themchij alaq behind you

chiim (n) wooven bagchi (conj) thatchi (prep) with (see ch_eech)chik (chi--) (adv) again, now

chikop (n) animal, insectchi¢iij (chi¢aaj) (pn) mouth, opening, edge;

uchi ja -- door of the housech_naqaaj (prep) near

chnunaqaaj near mechanaqaaj near youchunaqaaj near himchnaqaj la near youchqanaqaaj near uschinaqaaj near youchkinaqaaj near themchnaqaj alaq near you

chookik (tv1) to be contracted (some work)choolik (tv1) to be lined up, put in orderchoom (adj) fat; choma¢q (pl) (fat ones)cho (n) lake, pondchokoneem (iv) be of usechokonsab¢exik (tv2) to be usedchomaal (n) fatnesschomaal (n) meeting, plan, intentionchomaxik (tv2) to be thought about, planned,

arrangedchoqon (n) tickling, ticklishchoqonaxik (tv2) to be tickledcho¢leem (sv) loosench_paam (prep) inside of __

chnupaam inside of mechapaam inside of youchupaam inside of himchpam la inside of youchqapaam inside of uschipaam inside of youchkipaam inside of themchpam alaq inside of you

chuun (n) lime, limestonechuupik (tv1) to be put out, extinguished as a

fire or lightchu (adj) smellychub¢aaj (pn) saliva, spittlechub¢axik (tv2) to be spit on;

Voice 4: chub¢anik spitchuchii (prep) at the edge of it, at;

alternate form -- chii¢ (chii--)chulaaj (pn) urinechuqe¢ (chuqee--, chuk--) (adv) also,

in additionch_wach (prep) before __, in front of __

chnuwach before mechawach before you

199

chuwach (chuwa) before himchwach la before youchqawach before uschiwach before youchkiwach before themchwach alaq before you

chwe¢q (adv) tommorrowch_xee¢ under __, below __

chnuxee¢ under mechaxee¢ under youchuxee¢ under himchxee la under youchqaxee¢ under uschixee¢ under youchkixee¢ under themchxee¢ alaq under you

ch_xo¢l (prep) among, betweenchuxo¢l among them (non-living)chqaxo¢l among uschixo¢l among youchkixo¢l among themchxo¢l alaq among you

ch¢

ch¢aab¢al (n) language, christian doctrinech¢aab¢exik (tv2) to be spoken to, visitedch¢aajik (tv1) to be washed;

two Voice 4 forms:ch¢ajanik -- wash oneself,ch¢ajo¢manik -- do laundry, menstruate

ch¢aakik (tv1) to be won, earned, guessedch¢aat (n) bedch¢aaweem (iv) talk, speakch¢ajch¢oj (adj) clean, unblemished, purech¢ajo¢n (n) laundry, washingch¢am (adj) acidic, sourch¢ami¢y (n) walking stick, staff, canech¢aqab¢axik (tv2-b¢a¢) to be made wetch¢aqaleem (sv) become wetch¢ayaneel (n) hitterch¢a¢ik (tv1) to be complained aboutch¢a¢k (n) sores on skinch¢a¢ooj (n) fight, dispute, warch¢iich¢ (n) car, machete, any metallic objectch¢iitik (tv1) to be worsened (sickness)ch¢oob¢ik (tv1) to be comprehended,

announcedch¢oolik (tv1) to be peeled, skinned

ch¢oop (n) pineapplech¢o (n) mousech¢o¢jib¢exik (tv2) to be fought overch¢o¢jineem (iv) fightch¢o¢jixik (tv2) to be fought overch¢ok (n) a type of black birdch¢uch¢uj (adj) smooth, softch¢uuqik (tv1) to be covered ch¢umiil (n) star (s)ch¢uti¢n (adj) small;

ch¢uti¢q (pl) small (ones)

d

Dyoos (n-Span) God

ee

_ee (ch) (poss pro)wee (ch) mineawee (ch) yoursree (ch) hisee (ch) la yoursqee (ch) oursiwee (ch) yourskee (ch) theirsee (ch) alaq yours

eek¢ (n) a type of tree parasiteeeqaneel (n) carrier, back packereeqaxik (tv2) to be carried on backeeqa¢n (n) load, cargoeera (n) place where wheat is thrashedeesaxik (tv2) to be removed, taken out

taken away

eeta¢maxik (tv2) to be learned, known;Stative Tense: eeta¢aam (_eta¢m)(See Lesson 32)

eetz¢aneem (iv) play

e

elaq¢ (n) theft, stealingelaq¢axik (tv2) to be robbed, stolen;

Voice 4 -- elaq¢ikVoice 5 -- elaq¢anik

elaq¢oom (n) theif; elaq¢omaab¢ (pl) theives

200

eleem (iv) leave, go outelesaxik (tv2) to be removed, taken out, taken

awayengañar, b¢anik (tv1-Span) to be decieved

(See Lesson 30)engaño (n-Span) deceit erexik (tv2) to be hauledetaal (n) sign, marketaxik (tv2) to be measuredetzelaxik (tv2) to be hatedetz¢ab¢a¢l (n) toy, playthingetz¢ab¢exik (tv2) to be played with

ii

iib¢ (reflexive pro) selfwiib¢ myselfawiib¢ yourselfriib¢ himselfiib¢ la yourselfqiib¢ ourselvesiwiib¢ yourselveskiib¢ themselvesiib¢ alaq yourselves

iij (pn) covering, skin, back; (n) measlesiik (n) chile, dish of food accompanying

tortillasiik¢ (n) moon, month

i

i- (poss pro) your (pl-familiar) (See Lesson 7)

ichaaj (n) edible herbs, greens, vegetablesikaj (n) axikiraxik (tv2) to be carried on the headilawachixik (tv2) to be observedilik (tv1) to be seen, watchedin (per pro) I, meinuup (n) ceiba treeitzeel (adj) evil, badiw- (poss pro) your (pl-familiar)

(See Lesson 8)iwiir (adv) yesterdayix (per pro) you (pl-familiar)ixiim (n) dry kernals of cornixoq (n) woman; ixoqiib (pl) women

ixoqiloom (pn) wife; _ixoqiil (poss form)iye¢xik (tv2) to be waited for;

Voice 4: iye¢nik, or iye¢b¢ikiyoom (n) midwife

j

jaaqik (tv1) to be openedjaalik (tv1) to be changed, exceeded (go past

the correct place or measure)jaamik (tv1) to be vacated, emptiedja (n) house, buildingjab¢ (n) rainjab¢uxik (tv2) to be scatteredjacha¢ (jachaa--) (prep) like, asjachinaq (jachin__) (inter) who

jachin chqee (ch) who of usjachin chiwee (ch) who of youjachin chkee (ch) who of them,

which onejachin cheech alaq who of you

jachikee (jachin chkee) (inter pro) what (one), which (one), whatever

jach¢ (n) corn harvestjal (n) dried ears of cornjampa¢ (jampaa--) (inter, adv) when,

how muchjanipa¢ (janipaa--) (inter) how many,

how muchjas (jasa) (inter) what; (prep) as, like

(jasa----jee¢, as----so; e.g. Jasa kaqab¢anoj, jee kib¢an ix. “As we do, so do you.”)

jas chee (inter) whyjas chemna (inter) why---notjastaq (n) thingjat (iv) go! (see b¢enam -- irregular 2nd

person sing imperative form)jat¢ixik (tv2) to be tiedjawi¢ (jawi--) (adv) whereja¢ (n) water, liquid, liquorja¢ee (adv) alright, fine, okayja¢ii (adv) nojee la¢ (manner, dir) that way, like that,

over there (See Lesson 25)jeek¢ik (tv1) to be pulledjee ri¢ (manner, dir) like that (See Lesson 25)

201

jee wa¢ (manner, dir) this way, like this (See Lesson 25)

je¢ (jee--) (adv) yes, like, in such a manner,in such a way; jee---jasa, so---as, e.g.Jee kib¢an ix, jasa rii kimb¢an in. “So doas I do.”

je¢lik (je¢l--) (adj) pretty, lovely, beautifulattractive

jii¢ achi (pn) father-in-lawjii¢ ixoq (pn) mother-in-law jia¢xeel (pn) son-in-law; jia¢xelaab¢ (pl)

sons-in-law; _ji¢ (poss form)jiq¢ik (iv) choke, drownjitz¢axik (tv2) to be strangled, hungjooj (n) crowjook¢ik (tv1) to be ground (as coffee)jolomaaj (pn) head (s)jok¢o¢m (n) a meal of whole beans prepared in

a ground corn brothjorob¢eem (iv) become coldjorob¢eem (iv) pleasant or fresh feeling (as

temperature)joron (adj) cold; (n) cold waterjosq¢ixik (tv2) to be cleanedjo¢oob¢ (job¢--) (num) fivejuumuul (adv) one timejuun (num) one; (indefinite article) a, anjub¢iik¢ (adv) a moment, a little,

a gulp (literally)juch¢iin (adv) a bit, a momentjul (n) holejunaam (adj) equal, same;

junam _uk¢ = equal with __, same as __junelik (adv) unending, eternaljupuleem (sv) lie face downjuyub¢ (n) mountain, hills

k

k- (poss pro) their (See Lesson 8)kaabiij (adv) the day after tommorrowkaamuul (adv) two timeskaanajem (iv) remainkaanoq (kaan--) (adv) behindkaa¢ (n) grinding stonekajib¢ (num) fourkajmaxik (tv2) to be servedkamiik (adv) today

kamulixik (tv2) to be done a second timekandiil (n-Span) gas lampkarna¢t (n) passion fruit (“granadia” in

Spanish)karne¢l (n) sheep; karne¢laab¢ (pl) sheepkayexik (tv2) to be bitten (as by a dog)ka¢yeel (n) watcherka¢yeem (iv) see, look, watchka¢yexik (tv2) to be looked at, eatchedkab¢ijiir (adv) the day before yesterdaykameel (n) one who dieskameem (iv) diekaminaq (adj) dead; (n) dead one;

kaminaqiib¢ (pl) dead oneskamisaneel (n) killerkamsaxik (tv2) to be killedkape (n) coffeekaq (adj) redkaqiiq¢ (n) wind, airkar (n) fishkaxlan (adj) foreignkaxlan wa (n) breadkeej (n) horsekeem (n) weavingkeemik (tv1) to be wovenketzal (n-Span) Guatemalan monetary unitke¢eb¢ (keb¢--) (num) twoke¢eem (pn) soaked kernals of corn ready for

grinding; _ke¢ (poss form)ke¢xik (tv2) to be ground (as corn)kiik¢ (n) blood; _kik¢eel (poss form)kiirik (tv1) to be untiedki- (poss pro) their (See Lesson 7)ki (n) maguey plantkinaq¢ (n) beanski¢koteem (iv) be happyki¢kotirsaxik (tv2) to be made happykoojik (tv1) to be placed, put, put on,

believedkoolik (tv1) to be saved, defendedkook¢ (adj) finely groundkooseem (iv) become tiredko (adj) strong, hardkochixik (tv2) to be received as a giftkojeej (adv) in four dayskoloneel (n) savior, defenderkolob¢ (n) ropekompesanto (n) cemetarykorob¢axik (tv2-b¢a¢) to be loosenedkoroneem (sv) loosen

202

kotz¢i¢j (n) flower, candlekowineem (iv) be ablekowixik (tv2) to be hurriedko¢k (n) wooden box used for packing objects,

jailko¢lik (adj) small; ko¢koj (pl) small ones koj (n) lionkon (adj) stupidkoq (ka--) (adv) in, inside, in closekuuk (n) squirrelkuuyik (tv1) to be pardenedkumatz (n) snakekunab¢al (n) medicinekunaxik (tv2) to be curedku¢leem (sv) sit

k¢

k¢aajeem (iv) (no meaning alone)k¢aajeem wachaaj -- learn a hard lesson(won’t do it again)

k¢aa k¢ (adj) newk¢aamik (tv1) to be received, gotten;

k¢aamik plus loq -- to be brought herek¢aamik plus b¢iik -- to be taken away

k¢aaqik (tv1) to be thrown, shot, struckk¢aat (n) cargo netk¢aateem (iv) burnk¢aatik (tv1) to be burnedk¢a (adj) bitterk¢a (adv) still, yetk¢ab¢ak¢ik (adj) gaping (mouth)k¢aj (adj) pulverized; (n) flourk¢ajoloxeel (pn) son (male’s);

k¢ajoloxelaab¢ (pl) sons;k¢ajool (poss form)

k¢ajsaxik (tv2) (no meaning alone)k¢ajsaxik wachaaj -- to be taught a hardlesson (won’t do it again)

k¢amaal b¢e (n) guide, marriage brokerk¢amo (n) thanksk¢amowaxik (tv2) to be given thanks fork¢asleem (sv) be alive, be awakek¢aslemaal (n) lifek¢astajeem (iv) wake up, resurrectk¢asuxik (tv2) to be awakenedk¢at (n) a day in Mayan ceremonial

calendark¢atan (n) hot liquid; (adj) very hot,

burning, scaldingk¢ate¢ (k¢atee--) (adv) as of, first time, after

k¢atee wa¢ -- as of this time, this is thefirst time

k¢atee la¢ -- as of that time, that is thefirst time

k¢atee ri¢ -- as of that time, after thatk¢atee k¢u ri¢ -- and after that

k¢ax (adj) difficult, painful; (n) sufferingdifficulty, pain

k¢axeel (n) replacement, exchange, namesake(child named after grandparent)k¢e¢x -- alternate form

k¢ayib¢al (n) market placek¢ayixik (tv2) to be soldk¢a¢aam (n) vine, string, one cuerda measure

of landk¢a¢n (adj) meank¢a¢naal (n) meannessk¢a¢nareem (iv) become angryk¢eexik (tv1) to be changed, exchangedk¢el (n) a type of green parrotk¢iimuul (adv) many timesk¢iiseem (iv) end, terminate, finishk¢i (adj) many, much, alotk¢im (n) thatch;

k¢ima ja -- thatched roof housek¢isiis (n) cedar treek¢isik¢ (n) goatk¢oo k¢ (adj) fragrantk¢ooleem (sv) be (in place); exist; have

(See Lesson 34)k¢oolik (tv1) to be put away, storedk¢ootik (tv1) to be dugk¢ojoxik (tv2) to be patchedk¢olib¢al (n) place, dwelling placek¢olok¢ik (adj) sphericalk¢otixik (tv2) to be dug outk¢uul (n) blanketk¢uulik (tv1) to be metk¢uutik (tv1) to be shownk¢uch (n) buzzardk¢ulaneem (sv) marry; (n) marriagek¢ulaxik (tv2) to be met, accepted

203

k¢uleel (n) enemyk¢ulub¢axik (tv2-b¢a¢) to be married offk¢ulula¢xik (tv2) to be despisedk¢ut (k¢u--) (conj) and, butk¢utuneem (iv) appeark¢u¢ik (tv1) to be hiddenk¢u¢xaaj (pn) heart, core

l

laa (interrogative particle) (See Lesson 6)laal (per pro) you (sing-formal)laamna (inter) negative question word

(See Lesson 31)laatz¢ (adj) crowded;

laatz¢ nuwach -- I’m busylaatz¢ob¢eem (iv) become crowdedlaawaalo (adj) seriously illla (poss pro) your (sing-formal)

(See Lessons 7 and 8) lajuuj (num) tenlaq (n) clay dishla¢ (dem pro) that there, that one there

(present to the vision of the speaker, orspoken of as if it were)

la¢j (alaj--, laj--) (adj) small la¢ lee (dem pro) that---therelee (dem art) the (that one there);

(rel pro) that one there who, that onethere which (See Lesson 24)

leej (n) tortilla

leejik (tv1) to be made -- tortillas from corndough

leemik (tv1) to be put in order, in lineleme¢t (n) bottlelik¢ilik (adj) spread outlool (n) grasshopperlooq¢ik (tv1) to be bought;

Voice 4: loq¢o¢maniklo (adv) perhapsloq (la--) (adv) here, in this directionloq¢oxik (tv2) to be lovedLuu¢ (n) Pedro

m

maaj (sv) (verb k¢olem -- negative form of

stative aspect) he isn¢t, there isn’t (See model conjugation Lesson 33)

maajik (tv1) to be taken hold of, grabbed,begun

maam (n) grandfathermaataam (adv) lateMaax (n) Thomasmaayik (tv1) to be wondered at, surprized atma (conj) becausemajaa¢ (majaa--) (adv) not yetmakaaj (pn) sinmakaleem (sv) become weakmakuxik (tv2) to be sinned againstmaltyoox (n) thanksmaltyoxixik (tv2) to be given thanks formas (adv-Span) very, alot, much, very muchmasaat (n) deermatzaleem (sv) be quiet, stillMa¢t (n) Magdalenameejik (tv1) to be bent, doubledmeesik (tv1) to be sweptmeb¢aa¢ (adj) poor; (n) poor person,

orphan; meb¢a¢iib¢ (pl) poor people,orphans

meb¢a¢iil (n) poverty, belongings (a polite way of saying ones riches by emphasizing how slight they are)

me¢s (n) catmiich¢ik (tv1) to be pulled (hair, whiskers),

to be pluckedmiiq¢ik (tv1) to be warmedmiinik (tv1) to be forced into, crammed intomiq¢in (adj) warm; (n) warm liquidmiq¢saxik (tv2) to be made warm, warmed upmoolik (tv1) to be gatheredmookik (tv1) to be hiredmoox (adj) mentally unbalanced person;

moxiib¢ (pl) mentally unbalanced people; (pn) left hand (e.g. numoox -- my left hand)

mooxireem (iv) become mentally unbalanced

mooy (adj) blind; (n) blind one;moyib¢ (pl) blind ones

mooyireem (iv) become blindmuul (adv) times

juumuul one timekaamuul two timesoxmuul three timesk¢iimuul many times

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muuqik (tv1) to be buriedmulaneem (sv) gather togethermulixik (tv2) to be gathered togethermyeer (adv) earlier today

n

naab¢e (num) first; (adv) at first (see na)naab¢ejem (iv) go firstnaan (n) ma’am (direct address);

(pn) mother (see nanaxeel)na (adv) first, still, yet, later, for awhile,

have to; (shortened form of: naab¢e (num) first); na k¢ut (na k¢u--) oh,well, yes

naj (adv) far, a long ways, a long time, for along time

nanaxeel (pn) mother; nanaxelaab¢ (pl) mothers;_naan (poss form)

na--ta (j) (part) negativizer (See Lesson 13)naqaaj (adv) near, nearby, close by,

near (time-wise)na¢ik (tv1) to be feltnee¢ (n) baby, infantne¢ (ne--) (adv) actually, reallynik¢aj (n) half; nikaj -- rest of, remainder

of, other half; (adj) middle of; nik¢aj aq¢ab¢ at midnight (lit. middle of the night)

nim (adj) big; nima¢q (pl) big (ones)nimaal (n) bigness, sizenimaq¢ab¢ (adv) in the morningnimaq¢iij (n) fiestanimareem (iv) become big, enlarged,

become proudnimatajeem (iv) become sicker; worsennimaxik (tv2) to be obeyed, respectednoojeem (iv) become fillednoojsaxik (tv2) to be filled upno¢jiim (no¢jimaal) (adv) slowlynu- (poss pro) my (See Lesson 7)nuumeen (iv) be hungry

oo

ooj (n) avacadoook¢oweel (n) passer-byook¢oweem (iv) pass byoopaneem (iv) arrive in another place

o

ochoch (o¢ch) (pn) house, homeoj (per pro) we, usojeer (adv) in past times;

ojer kanoq -- a long time agookeem (iv) enter, become_onojeel (adj) all of __, each of __,

every one of __, ronojeel all of them “non-living”, each, every (e.g. ronojelwinaq kakamik. “Every person will die.”)qonojeel all of usiwonojeel all of youkonojeel all of themonojel alaq all of you

oqataxik (tv2) to be chasedoq¢aab¢ (n) an edible greenoq¢eej (n) act of weeping, act of crying

(nominalized form of oq¢eem (iv) cry)oq¢eem (iv) cry oq¢exik (tv2) to be cried about, cried

overora (n-Span) hour, timeowaxik (tv2) to be hiddenoxiij (adv) in three daysoxib¢ (num) threeoxjiir (adv) three days agooxmuul (adv) three timesoyowaal (n) anger;

kape oyowal -- get angryo¢ch (ochoch) (pn) house, home

p

paajik (tv1) to be weighedpaamaaj (pn) stomach, interior, diarrhea;

upa ja -- the interior of the household,family

paar (n) skunkpaas (n) sashpaatzik (tv1) to be packed (clothes, etc), to

get dressed up

205

pa (prep) in, into, toward, to, from, atpach¢uxik (tv2) to be braidedpak¢aleem (sv) lie face uppalajaaj (pn) face (s)paqaleem (sv) go uppaqchixik (tv2) to be pushed, shovedpa q¢iij (adv) at noon, in the daytimepataan (n) service, use pataanixik (tv2) to be servedpatan (n) head strap used for carrying loads

(“mecapal” in Spanish)patzapik (adv) shaggypatz¢an (n) dried plant stalkpaxeem (iv) break (dish, bottle, etc.)paxixik (tv2) to be broken (dish, bottle, etc.)pay (adj) stupid, incompetent; (n) stupid

person; payiib¢ (pl) stupid peoplepayireem (iv) become stupid, incompetentpayu (n) handkerchief, bandanapa¢ixik (tv2) to be divided, broken in halfpa¢k (n) cracked handspeepe (n) butterfly, mothpeeteem (iv) comepiilik (tv1) to be butcheredpiim (adj) thickpiirik (tv1) to be broken into pieces (bread,

tortillas)piisik (tv1) to be wrapped uppiitz¢ik (tv1) to be pressed down, pushed inpine (conj) although, even thoughpinemna (conj) even though---not,

although---notpoom (n) copalpoop (n) straw matpooy (n) scarecrowpoqon (adj) hot (spicy)poq¢oweem (iv) boilporoxik (tv2) to be burnedpowi¢ (pawi¢) (n) hatpo¢j (n) a type of treepo¢t (n) woven blousepruta (n) bananapwaq (n) moneypuuch¢ (n) matter from eyespuum (n) a type of birdpuupu (n) baloonp_wi¢ (prep) on, on top of

panuwi¢ on top of mepawi¢ on top of youpuwi¢

(chuwi¢) on top of itpawi¢ la on top of youpaqawi¢ on top of uspiwi¢ on top of youpakiwi¢ on top of thempawi¢alaq on top of you

puyixik (tv2) to be pushed

q

q- (poss pro) our (See Lesson 8)qaajem (iv) go down, lowerqaajik (tv1) to be borrowedqaajoq (qaj--) (adv) down, down belowqaasana¢ (n) baptismqa- (poss pro) our (See Lesson 7)qib¢eem (iv) draw nearqoolik (tv1) to be scratched or skinnedqumuxik (tv2) to be drunk

q¢

q¢aajeem (iv) break (as a bone)q¢aajik (tv1) to be broken (as a bone)q¢aaq¢ (n) fire, light, heatq¢aatik (tv1) to be stopped, broken off,

cut offq¢aaxeem (iv) pass by, pass from one place to

anotherq¢aayeem (iv) rotq¢ab¢aaj (pn) hand (s)q¢ab¢areel (adj) drunk; (n) drunk person;

q¢ab¢arelaab¢ (pl) drunk peopleq¢ab¢areem (iv) become drunkq¢ab¢axik (tv2) to be blamed forq¢alaaj (n) clear, visibleq¢alaajineem (iv) become clearq¢alaajsaxik (tv2) to be made clear, visibleq¢aluneel (n) one who holds in arms; god

parent in baptismq¢aluxik (tv2) to be held in armsq¢an (adj) yellowq¢apooj (n) young woman, maiden; (adj)

young (woman); q¢apojiib¢ (pl) youngwomen, maidens

q¢ataleem (sv) stop, blockq¢ataneem (iv) pass by

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q¢atb¢al tziij (n) court house, law, governmentq¢atexik (tv2) to be blocked, hinderedq¢atuxik (tv2) to be inspectedq¢axexik (tv2) to be passed from one place to

another; q¢axexik tziij -- translate intoanother language

q¢ayees (n) weeds, undergrowthq¢a¢leem (sv) lean, recline;

q¢a¢leem k¢u¢xaaj -- be consoled, confide(literally -- heart leans)

q¢eq (adj) blackq¢e¢leem (sv) turn sideways, be transversedq¢iij (n) day, sun, importanceq¢iilik (tv1) to be corrected (in a disciplinary

manner)q¢inoom (adj) rich; (n) rich person;

q¢inomaab¢ (pl) rich onesq¢inom (n) a type of fruitq¢inomareem (iv) become richq¢inomarsaxik (tv2) to be made richq¢ i¢ik (tv1) to be beared with, withstoodq¢i¢tajeem (iv) become boredq¢oochik (tv1) to be wrinkledq¢ojoom (n) marimba, musicq¢ojomaxik (tv2) to be played (a musical

instrument, especially merimba)q¢ooq¢ (n) a type of squashq¢oolik (tv1) to be picked (coffee, beans, etc.)

Voice 4: q¢olowikq¢oxoom (n) pain, ache, soreness

q¢oxoom jolomaaj head acheq¢oxoom pamaaj stomach ache

etc.q¢oyoleem (sv) lie downq¢o¢ik (tv1) to be embroidered, adorned

Voice 4: q¢o¢wikq¢o¢ooj (n) embroidery, adornmentq¢or (adj) lazy; (n) lazy one;

q¢oriib¢ (pl) lazy onesq¢orixik (tv2) to be lazy aboutq¢uuq¢ (n) quetzal birdq¢ulixik (tv2) to be scalded, burnedq¢u¢aaj (pn) blanket, covering;

_ q¢uu (poss form)q¢u¢xik (tv2) to be covered up with

r

r- (poss pro) his, her, its (See Lesson 8)

raamik (tv1) to be cutrajawaxik (nominalized Voice 2 form of tv2 --

ajawaxik--to be wanted) necessary,necessity

ramixik (tv2) to be cut off, cut downRamuux (n) Domingarapaxik (tv2) to be whippedraqixik (tv2) to be broken open, burst openrayixik (tv2) to be desiredrayi¢n (n) desirerax (adj) green, unripe, uncookedretrato (n-Span) picture, photographrii (dem art) the (that one not present);

(rel pro) that, who, which (notpresent) (See Lesson 24)

riiqik (tv1) to be found, met, met, reached,encountered; kuurik tyeempo chee--- time arrives for---

riki¢l (n) dish of food that accompaniestortillas

ri¢ (dem pro) that one, that very one (notpresent to the speaker, a future past orhypothetical event); those (pl) (See Lesson 25)

ri¢j (adj) grown, mature; (n) grownupri¢jaab¢ (pl) grownups

ri¢job¢eem (iv) become old, mature, grown upri¢ rii (dem pro) that very (intensifies the

object spoken of even though it is notpresent); those very (pl) (See Lesson 25)

rook¢ik (tv1) to be scratched

s

saacheem (iv) get lost, disappearsaachik (tv1) to be forgotten, lost, pardonedsachaleem (sv) become absent, unconscioussak¢aaj (adj) ambitious; (n) ambitious one;

sak¢ajiib¢ (pl) ambitious onessaneyeb¢ (n) sandsanik (n) antsa¢ik (tv1) to be dried out by sunning or over

fire, to be aired outsa¢leem (sv) sunned, aired outsaq (adj) white, clearsaqiil (n) whiteness, clearnesssaqmo¢l (n) egg saq¢uul (n) plantain (a type of banana)siik¢ik (tv1) to be picked up (as something

lying about or lost), to be found

207

siiqik (tv1) to be smelled, sniffedsiin (n) bamboosiip (n) wood ticksiipaxik (tv2) to be given as a giftsii¢ (n) firewoodsib¢ (n) smokesib¢alaj (b¢alaj) (adv) verySika¢ (n) Franciscasik¢ixik (tv2) to be called, invitedSi¢s (n) Franciscoslab¢axik (tv2) to be movedslab¢eem (iv) movesokaaj (pn) nest, bedsolixik (tv2) to be visitedsuub¢ik (tv1) to be deceivedsuuq (n) scum on watersuutz (n) cloud (s), fogsub¢ (n) corn tamalessub¢uneel (n) deceiversuk¢umaxik (tv2) to be straightened out,

repairedsutixik (tv2) to be turned around, rotated,

spun aroundsu¢ik (tv1) to be wipedsu¢t (n) scarfswaan (siwaan) (n) gully, canyon

t

taaqik (tv1) to be sent, ordered, commandedtaasik (tv1) to be separatedtajkiil (n) errandtak¢aleem (sv) standtak¢ale¢xik (tv2) to be stood on, walked onTaliin (n) Catarinatanab¢axik (tv2-b¢a¢) to be stoppedtanaleem (sv) stoptap (n) crabtapa¢l (n) a type of fruit (“nanza” in Spanish)taq (part) pluralizer (See Lesson 5)

taqchi¢xik (tv2) to be tempted; taqchi¢x cheemak -- to be tempted to sin

taqo¢n (n) emissary, one senttaq¢aaj (n) coastal plaintatab¢exik (tv2) to be listened to, heardtataxeel (pn) father; tataxelaab¢ (pl)

fathers; _taat (poss form)tayik (tv1) to be heard, asked; (irregular --

See Vocabulary Lesson 30)teem (n) chair, benchteeq¢ (adj) tornteew (n) coldteq¢etobeem (iv) become punctured, torn openteq¢uxik (tv2) to be puncturedterne¢xik (tv2) to be followed, continuedtewechi¢xik (tv2) to be blessedTe¢k (n) Diegote¢l (adj) torn; (n) opening, tearte¢leem (sv) become opentiijik (tv1) to be eaten, drunk;

Voice 2: tijik or tijowiktiikik (tv1) to be planted, created

Voice 4: tikonik or tiko¢nijiktiitz¢ik (tv1) to be stuffed, forced intotijoxeel (n) student, disciple, pupil

tijoxelaab¢ (pl) students, disciples,pupils

tijoxik (tv2) to be instructed, taught (someone)

tikon (n) cultivated plot, creationtinamit (n) town, nation, communityti¢iij (n) meat; _ti¢ (poss form -- meat to

eat; e.g. nuti¢ -- my meat)ti¢ik (tv1) to be bitten (animal bite)

Voice 4: tyo¢nik -- bite, bark

ti¢jaal (pn) fleshtoojik (tv1) to be paid, paid fortoorik (tv1) to be openedtoloneem (sv) become empty;

tolon wachaj -- unoccupiedtoq¢ob¢ (n) favor, mercy, poor (to be pittied);

toq¢ob¢ uwach rii achi. “The poor man.”toq¢ob¢saxik (tv2) to be pittied, to be looked

upon mercifully

to¢ik (tv1) to be helped; Voice 4: tob¢ik or tob¢anik

tuuj (n) steam bathTuun (n) Antoniotukik (tv1) to be stirredtukur (n) owltuqareem (iv) become exhaustedtu¢ (n) breast, breast milk

t¢

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t¢oot¢ (n) snail, vaginat¢o¢y (n) woven capt¢uyub¢axik (tv2-b¢a¢) to be seatedt¢uyuleem (sv) sitt¢u¢y (n) cooking pot

tz

tzaajeem (iv) dry up, evaporatetzaakik (tv1) to be cooked by boiling or

steamingtzaam (n) liquor, aguardientetzaaqeem (iv) fall, become lost, become stolentzaaqik (tv1) to be dropped, made to fall,

to be losttzalaneem (sv) lean sidewaystzalijeem (iv) return, go backtzalixik (tv2) to be returnedtza¢maaj (pn) nose (s)tzatz (adj) thick (liquid)tze¢xik (tv2) to be laughed at;

Voice 4: tze¢nik -- to laughtziij (n) word, truth, true;

b¢anik tziij or b¢ixik tziij -- tell liestziijik (tv1) to be lighted, turned on (as a

light)tzi (n) soaked kernals of corntzijob¢exik (tv2) to be spoken totzijoxik (tv2) to be told about, talked about,

spoken about , taughttzuuqik (tv1) to be nourished, fedtzuurik (tv1) to be angeredtzukuxik (tv2) to be looked for, searched for

tz¢

tz¢aapileem (sv) become closedtz¢aapixik (tv2) to be closed, shuttz¢aqaat (adj) complete; (n) complementtz¢aqateem (iv) be completed in number or

quantitytz¢aqatsaxik (tv2) to be completed in number

or quantity

tz¢iil (adj) dirty, unclean, impure; (n) dirt, stain

tz¢iilob¢eem (iv) become dirty, unclean, impure

tz¢ikin (n) birdtz¢inileem (sv) be motionlerss, silent,

abandonedtz¢inoweem (iv) be silenttz¢i¢ (n) dogtz¢umaxik (tv2) to be kissed;

Voice 4: tz¢umanik -- nurse at the breasttz¢u¢uum (tz¢u¢m--) (n) skin, hide;

_ tz¢u¢maal (poss form)

uu

_uuk¢ (prep) withwuuk¢ with meawuuk¢ with youruuk¢ with himuk¢ la with youquuk¢ with usiwuuk¢ with youkuuk¢ with themuk¢ alaq with you

uul (n) landslideuuxlaneem (iv) rest

u

u- (poss pro) his, her, its (See Lesson 7)ub¢een (n) tamale with beans inside

uchaxik (iv) be told (quotative)Incomplete Aspectkinuchaxik I am toldkatuchaxik you are toldkuuchaxik he is toldkuuchax la you are toldkojuchaxik we are toldkixuchaxik you are toldku¢chaxik they are toldkuuchax alaq you are toldCompleted Aspectxinuchaxik I was told, etc.

oj (per pro) we, usuk¢a¢xik (tv2) to be carried, sustained

209

ukaab¢ (num) secondukaaj (num) fourthuleem (iv) arrives hereuleew (n) land, earth, ground, soil_umaal (prep) by, by agency of, because

wumaal by meawumaal by yourumaal by himumal la by youqumaal by usiwumaal by youkumaal by themumal alaq by you

rumal rii = becauserumal k¢u ri¢ = and for that reason

uq (n) woman’s skirt (Indian style)uroox (num) thirduroo¢ (num) fifthus (n) gnatutiw (n) coyoteutz (adj) good, wellutzil (n) goodness, peaceutzireem (iv) become better, readyutzirsaxik (tv2) to be made better, ready

made up withuwach uleew (n) worlduxeem (iv) become

w

w- (poss pro) my (See Lesson 8)waakax (n) cow, bullwaach¢ik (tv1) to be crushed, smashed (as a

finger with a hammer)wa (n) general name for edible substances

made from cornwachaaj (pn) face (s), eye (s), front, eye

infection, appearance, class, type, kind,condition, state of being, fruit (of tree)

wachib¢al (n) representation (as a picture,statue, etc.)

wachik¢ (n) dream, dreamingwachik¢eem (iv) dreamwajxaqiib¢ (num) eightwaqiib (num) six

waraal (adv) herewaraam (iv) sleepwarab¢al (n) sleeping placewartisaxik (tv2) to be put to sleepwa¢ (dem pro) this one, these (very close to

the speaker) (See Lesson 25)wa¢kateel (n) wanderer, travelerwa¢kateem (iv) take a pleasure walk, wanderwa¢iim (iv) eatwa¢lijeem (iv) get up, rise upwa¢lijsaxik (tv2) to be gotten up, to be

raised upwa¢ wee (dem pro) this very, this---here,

these very, these---here (See Lesson 25)wee (conj) ifwee (dem art) the (this one very close);

(rel pro) this one who (which)(See Lesson 24)

Weel (n) Manuelwee ne (adv) maybe, perhapswee nemna (adv) perhaps not, maybe notweb¢al (n) plate (for eating)wemna (conj) if notWe¢l (n) Manuelawiiqik (tv1) to be decorated, adorned,

to be set (a bone)wi (part) directional particle (See Lesson 14)wikiq¢ab¢ (pn) right handwinaq (n) person, peoplewi¢aaj (pn) hair (on head)wookik (tv1) to be built

woorik (tv1) to be pierced, opened (as a hole in something )

woq¢ib¢al (n) eating placewuuj (n) paper, bookwuqub¢ (num) sevenwuqub¢iix (adv) in a weekwuqub¢ixiir (adv) a week agowulijeem (iv) break apart, fall apartwulixik (tv2) to be taken down, destroyed

x

xaa (adv) just (contrary to what is expectedor hoped for); xa k¢u jee ri¢ (conj)and for that reason

xaan (n) adobe; xana ja -- adobe housexab¢eem (iv) vomit

210

xajooj (n) dancexaq (adv) no more than, only, justxa¢ooj (n) vomit, vomitingxa¢r (n) clay cupxekeb¢axik (tv2-b¢a¢) to be hung upxekeleem (sv) hangxewi (xeu--) (adv) only (of all possibilities,

only this)Xe¢p (n) Isabelaxe¢xik iib¢ (tv2) to be afraid (commonly

reflexive)xiimik (tv1) to be tiedxib¢aal (pn) brother (female’s)xib¢ineel (n) ghost, spook;

xib¢inelaab¢ (pl) ghosts, spooksxib¢ixik (tv2) to be frightenedxkinaaj (pn) ear (s)xoot (n) clay tiles for roof, clay griddle for

cooking; xota ja = house with tile roof xojoweem (iv) dancexo¢l (prep) among them, between them

(see ch_xo¢l)xulaneem (sv) go downxu¢y (adj) stingy, selfishxu¢yaxik (tv2) to be stingy about giving

(something)Xwaan (n) Juan

y

yaab¢iil (n) sickness, diseaseyaak (n) foxyaakik (tv1) to be picked up (as clothing,

dishes, etc.)ya (adv-Span) nowyajik (tv1) to be scoldedya mero (adv-Span) almost, nearlyyawaab¢ (adj) sick; (n) sick person;

yawab¢iib¢ (pl) sick peopleya¢ik (tv1) to be given;

ya¢ik + kanoq = to be left behindyoojik (tv1) to be destroyed, wreckedyojojeem (iv) roar (as rushing sound of water

or heavy rain)yowajeem (iv) become sickyowajixik (tv2) to become sick withyo¢xik (tv2) to be shooed away, chased awayyuuqik (tv1) to be stretchedyuq¢uxik (tv2) to be shepherded, herded

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K'Iche' Grammar