-ch on verbs joins two clauses under the same subject
-ch on a verb tells you that the next verb in the sentence will have the same subject (as the verb marked with -ch).
-k on a verb tells you the same thing, except that both actions will take place in the future.
The counterpart to -ch is -m, telling you the next subject will different from the first one.
Welyakch hemaa.
He lied down and he went to sleep.
- How do we know that the "he" of welyak is the same as the "he" of hemaa?
- Because of the -ch on the first verb, telling us that the next verb will have the same subject.
If the subject of hemaa was someone different, the preceding verb welyak would take the -m suffix.
If both the first and second verb are happening in the future (aka irrealis mood),
the first verb will take -k instead of -ch:
Hechapk chepakh.
He will wake up and come out.
-k combines the meanings of -h (future) and -ch (same subject).
The second verb will still take -h, the future/irrealis suffix.
The -ch ending on verbs has multiple meanings and uses. We will explore each of them below, using example sentences from native speakers. Each example sentence will be followed by multiple possible translations.
-k on a verb tells you the same thing, except that both actions will take place in the future.
The counterpart to -ch is -m, telling you the next subject will different from the first one.
Welyakch hemaa.
He lied down and he went to sleep.
- How do we know that the "he" of welyak is the same as the "he" of hemaa?
- Because of the -ch on the first verb, telling us that the next verb will have the same subject.
If the subject of hemaa was someone different, the preceding verb welyak would take the -m suffix.
If both the first and second verb are happening in the future (aka irrealis mood),
the first verb will take -k instead of -ch:
Hechapk chepakh.
He will wake up and come out.
-k combines the meanings of -h (future) and -ch (same subject).
The second verb will still take -h, the future/irrealis suffix.
The -ch ending on verbs has multiple meanings and uses. We will explore each of them below, using example sentences from native speakers. Each example sentence will be followed by multiple possible translations.
1. -ch is a way of saying "and"
You can use -ch to describe a sequence of events, the same way you would use "and" or "and then". The -ch not only joins the clauses or sentences together, but makes it clear that the same subject is performing the action of each verb.
Waach 'ewily kwellhupvi welyak.
He went and lied down in a cave (rock hole).
'Iipayvech matetayem naach kuphaall wemuull.
The people went to the mountains and gathered black oak acorns.
'Iikwich peyaach rakch, nyaapum melay.
This man became old, then he died.
This man got old and died.
(nyaapum "then" is optional)
Nyamaaykallym 'esuw wechuwch wesaaw.
In the morning, he made food and ate.
When it was morning, he made food and ate.
'Ehechapch 'emallk 'enyekaarrpvek 'achepach.
I woke up and took a rat out of my tent.
I woke up and then took a rat out of my tent.
'Uuchuch kaarrvi tekuwachvu hetuuch naam.
They grabbed the stuff that was in the wagon and left.
You can use -ch as many times as you need to in a sentence:
'Ewaa nekemichech pelyakch pehemach.
They got home, lied down, and went to sleep.
(After "nekemich", a shwa (e) is inserted before -ch to make it audible)
Helulm yip tewaach, tewaach, pam.
She kept hearing him play, and eventually she got there.
He played-m and she heard it, and heard it, and then she got there.
(see page on -m for info about helulm)
'Elymaam 'iikwich 'ehin wenuwch waach 'ewilyvu tuuyiw.
A boy went and ran (lit. ran and went) and brought the stone.
'Iikwich 'ehin tewaach, 'ewily 'ehin emak wenakch, helul tewaas.
There was a man, he sat behind a rock and was playing the flute.
There was a man, he sat behind a rock and started playing the flute.
There was a man there behind the rock; he sat there playing the flute.
-ch can also connect two actions that happened simultaneously:
'Enyaaklly kuuyumch waam.
He headed east.
Facing east, he left.
He faced into the east-ch and went away.
'Iipay nyaamat naamch, 'emat nyaamat kuseyaay huumaayp.
All the people went and looked for the best doctor in the world.
(No explicit word for "best", just, "the whole world's doctor")
When the only function of -ch is to indicate the same subject in a sequence of verbs, it can be left out:
Nyaapum 'elymaamvech wettim, 'ewily aarrap.
Then the child shot and hit the rock.
"However, sentences which have the -ch sound more natural than sentences which do not." (Let's Talk 'Iipay Aa):
'Elymaamvech wettimch 'ewily aarrap.
The child shot and hit the rock.
Waach 'ewily kwellhupvi welyak.
He went and lied down in a cave (rock hole).
'Iipayvech matetayem naach kuphaall wemuull.
The people went to the mountains and gathered black oak acorns.
'Iikwich peyaach rakch, nyaapum melay.
This man became old, then he died.
This man got old and died.
(nyaapum "then" is optional)
Nyamaaykallym 'esuw wechuwch wesaaw.
In the morning, he made food and ate.
When it was morning, he made food and ate.
'Ehechapch 'emallk 'enyekaarrpvek 'achepach.
I woke up and took a rat out of my tent.
I woke up and then took a rat out of my tent.
'Uuchuch kaarrvi tekuwachvu hetuuch naam.
They grabbed the stuff that was in the wagon and left.
You can use -ch as many times as you need to in a sentence:
'Ewaa nekemichech pelyakch pehemach.
They got home, lied down, and went to sleep.
(After "nekemich", a shwa (e) is inserted before -ch to make it audible)
Helulm yip tewaach, tewaach, pam.
She kept hearing him play, and eventually she got there.
He played-m and she heard it, and heard it, and then she got there.
(see page on -m for info about helulm)
'Elymaam 'iikwich 'ehin wenuwch waach 'ewilyvu tuuyiw.
A boy went and ran (lit. ran and went) and brought the stone.
'Iikwich 'ehin tewaach, 'ewily 'ehin emak wenakch, helul tewaas.
There was a man, he sat behind a rock and was playing the flute.
There was a man, he sat behind a rock and started playing the flute.
There was a man there behind the rock; he sat there playing the flute.
-ch can also connect two actions that happened simultaneously:
'Enyaaklly kuuyumch waam.
He headed east.
Facing east, he left.
He faced into the east-ch and went away.
'Iipay nyaamat naamch, 'emat nyaamat kuseyaay huumaayp.
All the people went and looked for the best doctor in the world.
(No explicit word for "best", just, "the whole world's doctor")
When the only function of -ch is to indicate the same subject in a sequence of verbs, it can be left out:
Nyaapum 'elymaamvech wettim, 'ewily aarrap.
Then the child shot and hit the rock.
"However, sentences which have the -ch sound more natural than sentences which do not." (Let's Talk 'Iipay Aa):
'Elymaamvech wettimch 'ewily aarrap.
The child shot and hit the rock.
2. -ch can indicate "when" something happened
Often, -ch is placed on the first verb of a sentence to provide context for the second verb, saying that the subject performed the second action "when, as, or while" they performed the first action.
Helulch nyehemays.
As he played the flute, he looked for me.
He looked for me while playing the flute.
He played the flute-ch, and he looked for me.
'Enyaach peyaa 'ehelulch, siny 'ehemay.
As I play this flute, I'm looking for a woman.
I play this flute-ch, and I look for a woman.
Having understood this use of -ch, a few sentences from before can be interpreted differently:
'Ewaa nekemichech, pelyakch pehemach.
When they got home, they lied down and went to sleep.
'Ehechapch 'emallk 'enyekaarrpvek 'achepach.
When I woke up, I took a rat out of my tent.
'Iikwich peyaach rakch, nyaapum melay.
When man became old, then he died.
Sentences of this type usually have the prefix nya- (when) as well:
'Amp nyata'amch, 'ewuuws.
As I was walking, I saw him.
(Notice how the affixes go on the helping verb)
Nyapaach, welyakch hemaas.
When he got there, he lied down and went to sleep.
(hemaa means "sleep" as well as "go to sleep")
Nyamarch miihallypa?
Do you ever try to hurry?
Do you sometimes hurry?
When you want to, do you hurry?
(Nya'war means "sometimes", inflected here for 2nd person)
Nyayipch, nyaapum akewiich waam.
When she heard it, she went and followed him (she followed him and went).
After she heard it, she went and followed him.
When she heard it, then she went and followed him.
(The "nyaapum" helps clarify the sequence: the following verbs happened "after" she heard it)
Nya'ehemilhch 'amps; nya'enyekuuych, 'amph 'emaaws.
When I was young, I used to walk; now that I'm old, I don't walk anymore.
When I was young-ch I walked, when I'm old-ch, I don't walk.
(The "now" and "anymore" are implicit)
Helulch nyehemays.
As he played the flute, he looked for me.
He looked for me while playing the flute.
He played the flute-ch, and he looked for me.
'Enyaach peyaa 'ehelulch, siny 'ehemay.
As I play this flute, I'm looking for a woman.
I play this flute-ch, and I look for a woman.
Having understood this use of -ch, a few sentences from before can be interpreted differently:
'Ewaa nekemichech, pelyakch pehemach.
When they got home, they lied down and went to sleep.
'Ehechapch 'emallk 'enyekaarrpvek 'achepach.
When I woke up, I took a rat out of my tent.
'Iikwich peyaach rakch, nyaapum melay.
When man became old, then he died.
Sentences of this type usually have the prefix nya- (when) as well:
'Amp nyata'amch, 'ewuuws.
As I was walking, I saw him.
(Notice how the affixes go on the helping verb)
Nyapaach, welyakch hemaas.
When he got there, he lied down and went to sleep.
(hemaa means "sleep" as well as "go to sleep")
Nyamarch miihallypa?
Do you ever try to hurry?
Do you sometimes hurry?
When you want to, do you hurry?
(Nya'war means "sometimes", inflected here for 2nd person)
Nyayipch, nyaapum akewiich waam.
When she heard it, she went and followed him (she followed him and went).
After she heard it, she went and followed him.
When she heard it, then she went and followed him.
(The "nyaapum" helps clarify the sequence: the following verbs happened "after" she heard it)
Nya'ehemilhch 'amps; nya'enyekuuych, 'amph 'emaaws.
When I was young, I used to walk; now that I'm old, I don't walk anymore.
When I was young-ch I walked, when I'm old-ch, I don't walk.
(The "now" and "anymore" are implicit)
3. -ch can indicate cause, purpose, or intent
-ch can sometimes be interpreted as explaining the cause of an action; the reason why something happened, or the purpose or intent of an action. We would usually do this in English using words like "so", "that's why", and "because".
Kumeyaay usually puts the cause before the effect when explaining why things happen:
Hattepaavech 'ehaa warch wenuw.
The coyote wanted water, so he ran.
The coyote ran because he wanted water.
Lit. The coyote wanted water-ch, and he ran.
'Enepaaw 'ewaa wechuwhlly warch, 'aadoov wechuw.
My grandfather wanted to build a house, so he made adobe bricks.
My grandfather made adobe bricks because he wanted a house.
Lit. My grandfather wanted to make a house-ch, and he made adobe bricks.
Notice how the cause (or explanation) of the second verb is marked with -ch.
If you want to state the cause of an action after the effect (as we do in English sentences with "because..."), you can do so by marking the cause or intent with -ch, even if it falls at the end of the sentence:
'Enyaach peyaa 'ehelul, siny 'ehemaych.
I play this flute because I'm looking for a woman.
I'm playing this flute to find a woman.
'Iipay nyaamat naam, 'emat nyaamat kuseyaay huumaaypch.
All the people went to look for the best doctor in the world.
All the people went in order to find the best doctor in the world.
All the people went because they were looking for the best doctor in the world.
'Iipayvech matetayem naa, kuphaall wemuullch.
The people went to the mountains to gather black oak acorns.
The people went to the mountains in order to gather black oak acorns.
As you can tell, not all Kumeyaay sentences can be taken at face value. It's up to you to use logic and deductive reasoning to interpret each sentence whichever way you think is best given the context.
Kumeyaay usually puts the cause before the effect when explaining why things happen:
Hattepaavech 'ehaa warch wenuw.
The coyote wanted water, so he ran.
The coyote ran because he wanted water.
Lit. The coyote wanted water-ch, and he ran.
'Enepaaw 'ewaa wechuwhlly warch, 'aadoov wechuw.
My grandfather wanted to build a house, so he made adobe bricks.
My grandfather made adobe bricks because he wanted a house.
Lit. My grandfather wanted to make a house-ch, and he made adobe bricks.
Notice how the cause (or explanation) of the second verb is marked with -ch.
If you want to state the cause of an action after the effect (as we do in English sentences with "because..."), you can do so by marking the cause or intent with -ch, even if it falls at the end of the sentence:
'Enyaach peyaa 'ehelul, siny 'ehemaych.
I play this flute because I'm looking for a woman.
I'm playing this flute to find a woman.
'Iipay nyaamat naam, 'emat nyaamat kuseyaay huumaaypch.
All the people went to look for the best doctor in the world.
All the people went in order to find the best doctor in the world.
All the people went because they were looking for the best doctor in the world.
'Iipayvech matetayem naa, kuphaall wemuullch.
The people went to the mountains to gather black oak acorns.
The people went to the mountains in order to gather black oak acorns.
As you can tell, not all Kumeyaay sentences can be taken at face value. It's up to you to use logic and deductive reasoning to interpret each sentence whichever way you think is best given the context.
4. -ch is used with numbers
-ch is used with numbers to quantify nouns, as shown below. Since Kumeyaay numbers are verbs, they can take -ch and -m suffixes depending on whether the following verb has the same or different subject.
You generally use -ch on numbers when the numbered noun is the subject of a verb,
and -m when the numbered noun is the object.
'Ehatt hewakch wenaaw.
Two coyotes ran.
The two coyotes ran.
Coyotes were two-ch and they ran.
Siiny saarrapch wenaaw.
Five women ran.
The five women ran.
Lit. Women were five-ch, and they ran.
(Nouns that are quantified do not take articles like -vech)
Nemas 'ehinch wesii.
A raccoon was drinking.
One raccoon was drinking.
A raccoon was one-ch and it drank.
('ehin is often used to mean "a" when introducing a new thing or character)
Ted 'ehinch nyachepays.
Only Ted believed me.
Ted alone believed me.
Ted was one-ch, and he believed me.
(Here we see an idiomatic meaning of 'ehin, "is one")
Sha'ii kunyilly chepapch 'iikwichvu ewup.
Four black turkey vultures saw the man.
The four black turkey vultures saw the man.
Turkey vultures that-were-black were four-ch, and they saw the man.
Parhaaw kwa'hwatt hemukch 'ekwak ewup.
Three brown foxes saw the deer.
The three brown foxes saw the deer.
Foxes that-were-brown were three-ch, and they saw the deer.
(Note how color uses kw- while the number comes last and uses -m)
You also use -ch on 'ehmiiy "are many", when the whole phrase is the subject of a verb.
'Ehmiiy is a verb that acts just like a number.
'Iipay 'ehmiiych Ted nyewaa wechaawch tenams.
A bunch of people were building Ted's house.
People were many-ch, and they were around making Ted's house.
(Note: ch on wechaawch is part of the plural form)
You generally use -ch on numbers when the numbered noun is the subject of a verb,
and -m when the numbered noun is the object.
'Ehatt hewakch wenaaw.
Two coyotes ran.
The two coyotes ran.
Coyotes were two-ch and they ran.
Siiny saarrapch wenaaw.
Five women ran.
The five women ran.
Lit. Women were five-ch, and they ran.
(Nouns that are quantified do not take articles like -vech)
Nemas 'ehinch wesii.
A raccoon was drinking.
One raccoon was drinking.
A raccoon was one-ch and it drank.
('ehin is often used to mean "a" when introducing a new thing or character)
Ted 'ehinch nyachepays.
Only Ted believed me.
Ted alone believed me.
Ted was one-ch, and he believed me.
(Here we see an idiomatic meaning of 'ehin, "is one")
Sha'ii kunyilly chepapch 'iikwichvu ewup.
Four black turkey vultures saw the man.
The four black turkey vultures saw the man.
Turkey vultures that-were-black were four-ch, and they saw the man.
Parhaaw kwa'hwatt hemukch 'ekwak ewup.
Three brown foxes saw the deer.
The three brown foxes saw the deer.
Foxes that-were-brown were three-ch, and they saw the deer.
(Note how color uses kw- while the number comes last and uses -m)
You also use -ch on 'ehmiiy "are many", when the whole phrase is the subject of a verb.
'Ehmiiy is a verb that acts just like a number.
'Iipay 'ehmiiych Ted nyewaa wechaawch tenams.
A bunch of people were building Ted's house.
People were many-ch, and they were around making Ted's house.
(Note: ch on wechaawch is part of the plural form)
5. -ch always comes before apesiiw, "is very much"
The verb apesiiw (pl. achpesiiw) can be applied to almost any verb to amplify it, meaning "is/does very much, is/does too much, does intensely". When this is done, the verb it amplifies takes the -ch or -k suffix, bringing apesiiw under the same subject as that verb. This is essentially no different from all the other uses of -ch we have looked at.
Nyehattvech 'emiiwannch apesiiw.
His horse was very lazy.
Yeew kunemshap nyuk nyekuuych apesiiw.
The gray mare is already very old.
Nyaapum 'iikwich henooch apesiiw.
Then the man became very sick.
(Note: "nyaapum" implies the "becoming")
Apesiiw can be inflected for person:
Mehenooch mapesiiw.
You've been very sick.
You are very sick.
From Let's Talk 'Iipay Aa, p. 173:
"You can leave -ch out if the word before apesiiw ends with a sound like -ch."
(i.e., if the verb ends in -sh or -ch)
Siny 'elymaamvech 'eshash apesiiw.
The young woman is very pretty.
Eyiiwvech wellich apesiiw.
His face was very ugly.
Nyehattvech 'emiiwannch apesiiw.
His horse was very lazy.
Yeew kunemshap nyuk nyekuuych apesiiw.
The gray mare is already very old.
Nyaapum 'iikwich henooch apesiiw.
Then the man became very sick.
(Note: "nyaapum" implies the "becoming")
Apesiiw can be inflected for person:
Mehenooch mapesiiw.
You've been very sick.
You are very sick.
From Let's Talk 'Iipay Aa, p. 173:
"You can leave -ch out if the word before apesiiw ends with a sound like -ch."
(i.e., if the verb ends in -sh or -ch)
Siny 'elymaamvech 'eshash apesiiw.
The young woman is very pretty.
Eyiiwvech wellich apesiiw.
His face was very ugly.