Learning Quechua in Peru

By Dr. Crit Minster

For those looking to live and work in certain Andean areas, or for those who simply want to try something different, you may want to take some classes in Quechua while visiting Peru.

Quechua, the official language of the Inca Empire, is still spoken today by some 13 million people, most of whom are located in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. For English speakers, Quechua is fairly easy to learn, because the verbs are regular and there are few exceptions to the grammatical rules. The hardest part, according to those who have learned it, are the prefixes and suffix that can be added to words to change or modify their meaning.

There are several schools in Peru where you can learn Quechua. The best ones are in areas with a higher indigenous population, naturally. Cuzco is a good place to learn Quechua: some of the Spanish schools offer classes in introductory to intermediate Quechua in addition to their normal Spanish classes.

Quechua classes tend to focus on conversational language skills: there are relatively few books written or printed in Quechua, and therefore written/reading skills are less important than speaking. The courses also tend to offer a great deal of culture as well, as tradition and history are important aspects of the indigenous Andean cultures. Some of the better schools offer organized excursions where students can practice Quechua in a real-life environment.

Is a course in introductory Quechua for you? If you're very interested in Andean culture, if you have some time to spend, if your Spanish is already pretty good and if you want to learn a language that has centuries of tradition, you may want to consider it!