Quechua: The Language of the Andes
Master the living language of the Inca Empire. From the logic of suffixes to the deep cultural concepts of reciprocity and community, learn to speak and think in Runasimi.
Like Duolingo, but for Quechua: The Language of the Andes. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
90 levels across 8 sections, about 180 minutes end to end, roughly 36 days at five minutes a day. It moves through First Contact and Identity, The World Around You, The Logic of Suffixes, Action and Movement, The Power of Evidence, Social Interaction, Cultural Context, and Deep Structure and Mastery. It starts from scratch.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in Quechua: The Language of the Andes
- Allin means good
- Introducing yourself requires a suffix to validate the statement
- P'unchay, suka, and tuta distinguish the phases of the day
- The -mi suffix acts as an 'evidential' marker for personal knowledge
- Greetings in Quechua are structured as 'Good + [Time Period]'
- Names ending in vowels use -mi while consonants use -n
- Matching the correct 'Allin' greeting to the time of day
- Applying the -mi suffix to state one's name with certainty
- Suti is the root word for 'name'
- Imaynalla is the root for 'how' in a well-being context
- The suffix -yki indicates 'your'
- It is often followed by 'kashanki' but can stand alone in casual greetings
- Iman sutiyki is the standard way to ask for a name
- Quechua rarely uses a final 'goodbye', preferring 'until we meet'
- Recognizing the root for 'name' in a question
- The suffix -kama means 'until'
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives Quechua: The Language of the Andes the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
When stating your name in Quechua, what must you add to the end of your name to validate the sentence?
Get it right to open this lesson and 89 more in the app.
How to learn Quechua: The Language of the Andes, step by step
Go in order. 90 short levels across 8 sections, about 3 hours in all, five minutes a day.
- 1
First Contact and Identity
- Greetings and Your Name
- Where You Are From
- 2
The World Around You
- Family and the Ayllu
- Nature and the Landscape
- Animals of the Highlands
- 3
The Logic of Suffixes
- Building Words Like Legos
- Possession and Belonging
- The Topic Marker -qa
- 4
Action and Movement
- Daily Routines and Verbs
- Going and Coming
- The Simple Past Tense
- 5
The Power of Evidence
- Did You See It Yourself?
- Hearsay and Myths
- Conjecture and Maybe
- 6
Social Interaction
- The Polite Imperative
- Numbers and the Market
- Feelings and the Body
- 7
Cultural Context
- Food and the Kitchen
- Textiles and Weaving
- Festivals and Music
- 8
Deep Structure and Mastery
- Reciprocity in Language
- Space-Time: The Past is in Front
- Dialects and the Future of Runasimi
8 sections · 23 units · 90 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Questions about Quechua: The Language of the Andes
How do I learn Quechua: The Language of the Andes?
Go in order: start with First Contact and Identity, then The World Around You, then The Logic of Suffixes, then Action and Movement, and 4 more sections after that. On Tomo that's 90 short levels, about 3 hours in all, played five minutes a day. Start free and play the first level in under a minute.
Is there a Duolingo-style app for Quechua: The Language of the Andes?
Yes. Tomo works like Duolingo: short daily lessons, streaks and quick quizzes. Quechua: The Language of the Andes is one of its free courses, and you can type any other topic to get a course of your own.
Is the Quechua: The Language of the Andes course free?
Yes. Quechua: The Language of the Andes is playable on Tomo's free plan, which doesn't expire. No credit card, no waitlist. Download the app and start your first lesson.
How long does it take to learn Quechua: The Language of the Andes?
90 levels across 8 sections, about 3 hours of play in total. It's built for five minutes a day, so you finish it a little at a time instead of all at once.
Do I need any background to start Quechua: The Language of the Andes?
No. It's pitched at a beginner level, so it starts where you are and builds up. If you can tap a phone, you can start.
Tomo is in ChatGPT
Tomo is also a ChatGPT plugin: the same playable courses, built and played inside your chat.
Add Tomo to ChatGPT- What to ask
- “Make me a Tomo course on black holes.” “Turn this chat into a Tomo course.”
- What you get
- Quick questions with instant feedback, hearts and stars, ready to play in about a minute.
- Where it goes
- No sign-up to start. Connect your Tomo account and your streak carries on in the app.
You pick the voice
Quechua: The Language of the Andes is taught in the Professor style: clear, structured, thorough. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start Quechua: The Language of the Andes today.
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