In this lesson you will various words used to ask questions. These words are known as interrogative pronouns and are similar to the wh- question words in English (what, when, which, whom, how). Unlike English, K’iche’ does not need an auxiliary verb “do” to form wh- questions.
In this lesson, we are reminded not to try to make one-to-one correspondences between K’iche’ phrases and their corresponding English translations. Some of the phrases below are idiomatic constructions that have developed over time and have nuanced meanings and uses.
| Jachin? | Who…? |
| -Jachin ruk’ katb’e wi? -Ruk’ le al Talin. | Who are you going with? With Catalina. |
| Jachin che? | To whom? |
| -Jachin che kinya wi le wuj? -Che le tijoxel. | -Who do I give the book to? -To the student. |
| Jas? | What? |
| -Jas ub’i’ le atinamit? -Nawalja’ le ub’i’. | -What’s the name of your town? -Nahualá (is the name). |
| Jas uwach? | What kind/type? |
| -Jas uwach le rikil kakitij le a’j Nawalja’? –Kakitij le kinaq’, le ichaj, le uwa’l ik ruk’ lej. | -What kind of dishes do the people of Nahualá eat? -They eat beans, herbs, and soup with tortillas. |
| Jas ub’anom? | How is someone/it doing? |
| –Jas ub’anom le nuch’utitat’? –Utz ub’anom. | -How is my uncle doing? -He is doing well. |
| Jas ub’antajik? | What is it like? |
| -Jas ub’antajik le tinamit Nawalja’? –Sib’alaj je’l. | -What is the town Nahualá like? -Very pretty. |
| Jas ub’anik? | What is it made of?/What is it like? |
| – Jas ub’anik le kami’x? -Kaq le upam, k’o uta’k, q’otal le uwi’ uq’ab’. | -What’s the shirt like? -It has a red background, a collar, and embroidered sleeves. |
| Jachike? | Which one? What (when picking from among many?) |
| -Jachike ik’ le unimaq’ij le tinamit Nawalja’? –Pa le ik’ noviembre. | -Which month is Nahualá’s (patron saint) feast? -In November. |
| Jas che? | Why? |
| –Jas che xechaqij le ab’ix? -Rumal maj le jab’. | -Why did the cornfields dry out? -Because there is no rain. |
| Jas chemna kixpe chwe’q? (the following verb is not negated) | Why will y’all not come tomorrow? |
| Jawi? (+wi) | Where? |
| – Jawi xatwa’ wi? -Pa le wo’qb’al. | -Where did you eat? -At the restaurant/dinner. |
| –Jawi at k’o wi? | -Where are you? |
| Jampa? | When? |
| -Jampa kojb’e pa le tyox? -Pa doming. | -When are we going to church? -On Sunday. |
| Janipa | How much? |
| –Janipa rajil jun su’t pa Nawaja’? –O’k’al q’uq’. | -How much is a (traditional) handkerchief in Nahualá? -One hundred quetzales. |
| E janipa? | How many? (talking about animate entities) |
| –E janipa le awalk’wal e k’olik? -E k’o oxib’ le walk’wal: e keb’ alabom, jun ali. | -How many children do you have? -I have three children: two boys and one girl. |
Translate the following phrases into K’ich’e’:
- Who went to the library yesterday?
- What did you (formal) say?
- What is your town like?
- What did you not understand?
- What do you think?
- Where is the cat?
- Where did she go?
- How many children do you have?
- How much is this?
Answers