Tïjonïk 6 In ajtij; at tijoxel (I am a teacher; you are a student)

Independent pronouns
Independent pronouns–equivalent to English personal pronouns–are used in K’iche’ as subjects of non-verbal predicates as well as for emphasis or topicalization (for example, “As for me, I am sure I’ll learn K’iche’”). They are used more sparsely than in English, however. Non-verbal predicates include stative phrases denoting states, conditions or qualities. Unlike Spanish or English, K’iche’ does not have a verb equivalent to ‘to be’. You will notice that the English translations of the example sentences below require the verb ‘to be’ as copula. In pronominal, non-verbal sentences in K’iche’, independent pronouns occupy the first slot followed by the predicate as in the following examples:

1. In ajtij.
   I teacher
   I am a teacher.
2. At r-ajkun le nu-nan.
   You her-doctor art. my-mother
   You are my mother’s doctor.
3. Are le u-tat le al Ska’.
   He art. her-dad- art. class. Francisca
   He is Francisca’s dad.
4. Oj ajxojolob’ pa Awas Q’ij.
   We dancers prep. Good Friday
   We are dancers on Good Friday.
5. A’re r-al le nan We’l.
   They her-children art. class. Manuela
   They are the children of mrs. Manuela.

Look at the table of independent pronouns. Note that the pronouns are not marked for gender like in the third person in English (in other words, there is no difference between the pronoun for she and he).

We have already seen these pronouns, for example, in greetings:

1. La utz awach? – Utz maltyox, e k’u ri at? – Utz maltyox.
   How are you? – Well, thank you, and you?– Well, thank you.
2. La utz wach la? – Utz maltyox, e k’u ri lal ? – Utz maltyox.
   How are you (formal) – Well, thank you, and you (formal)?– Well, thank you.

Let’s look at more examples:

1. In ajtij.
   I teacher
   I am a teacher.
2. At tijoxel
   You student
   You are a student.
3. Are utz u-na’oj
   He/she/it good his-knowledge
   He is a good man/woman (she/he has good character/ buena gente).
4. Lal k’amal b’e
   you (formal) leader
   You (formal) are a leader.

Locative sentences
Locative sentences, as the name suggests, describe the location of the subject. In K’iche’, locative sentences consist of independent pronouns in the first slot followed by the existential particle k’o and its locative complement, in other words, the place where the subject is. As we have seen in stative phrases, we use the verb “to be” when glossing the sentence in English. Note that if a third person subject is plural the form e k’o is used (we will discuss plurals in more detail in lesson 9). If a third person is explicit, it precedes the existential k’o as well. Let’s look at the following examples:

1. At k’o pa swan!
   at k’o pa swan
   You ex. prep. ravine
   You are in the ravine!
2. Oj k’o pa le r-o’ch le a Wel.
   we ex. prep. his-house Manuel
   We are at Manuel’s house.
3. In k’o pa le u-k’isb’al cholaj.
   I ex. prep. its-last row/lane
   I’m in the last row.

If the subject of the sentence is the third person singular pronoun, the particle k’o stands alone.

1. K’o pa tijob’al
   Ex. prep. school
   He/she/it is at school.

If the subject of the sentence is the third person plural pronoun, e precedes the particle k’o:

1. E k’o pa tijob’al
   They ex. prep. school
   They are at school.
2. E k’o keb’ u-k’ajol le tat Xwan
   They ex. two his-sons art. class. Juan
   Mr. Juan has two sons.

Emphasis, topicalization, and independent pronouns

When the subject is topicalized or emphatic contrast is stressed, independent pronouns are copied in sentence-initial position.

1. In in k’o pa tijob’al!
   I am the one who is at school!
2. At at le utaqo’n le q’atal tzij!
   You are the one who is the judge’s messenger!
3. Are le Tu’r le loq’omanel!
   Venturo is the one who is the buyer!
4. Oj oj wokol ja!
   We are the ones who are construction workers!
5. Ix ix e’laq’omab’!
   You all are the ones who are thieves!