Food & Drinks

1. Aka manq'ax kunjamasa?

   A-ka man-q'ax kun-ja-ma-sa?

   What is this dish like?

   Usage

   Asking about the contents or flavor of a dish

   Grammar Note

   The old Kayri is Quechua kay plus -ri; the Aymara demonstrative is aka. Note also that manqa drops the ejective mark — the correct spelling is manq'a (Laime 2020: manq'a. s. Comida). Aymara distinguishes q from q', so dropping the mark yields a different word

2. Chuñu manq'añ muntwa

   Chu-ñu man-q'añ mun-twa

   I want to eat chuño food

   Usage

   Ordering chuño, the traditional Andean freeze-dried potato dish

   Grammar Note

   muntwa means "I want" (mun- 'to want' + first-person -twa) and follows the -ñ form of a verb (manq'añ 'to eat'). The -xa of the old munaxa is a topic marker, not a first-person ending

3. Aychax janiw manq'kti

   Ay-chax ja-niw man-q'kti

   I do not eat meat

   Usage

   Communicating a dietary restriction; useful for vegetarians and those with restrictions

   Grammar Note

   Aymara negation uses janiw + the negative verb form (-kti). 'To eat' is manq'aña

4. Junt'u kaltu umañ muntwa

   Jun-t'u kal-tu u-mañ mun-twa

   I want to drink hot soup

   Usage

   The Andean highlands are cold; warm soups are beloved — ordering soup here

   Grammar Note

   Umaña is the infinitive 'to drink'. Aymara infinitives end in -ña. The pattern is the same as Chicha umañ muntwa 'I want to drink chicha'. 'Hot' is junt'u

5. Yuspagara, sumawa manq'axa

   Yus-pa-ga-ra, su-ma-wa man-q'a-xa

   Thank you, the food was delicious

   Usage

   Expressing gratitude and satisfaction after a meal

   Grammar Note

   yuspagara is the Aymara "thank you". suma means "good/beautiful/harmonious" — a key Aymara value

6. Asado manq'añ muntwa

   A-sa-do man-q'añ mun-twa

   I want to eat grilled meat

   Usage

   Ordering grilled meat, a popular dish in the Bolivian Andes

   Grammar Note

   asado is borrowed from Spanish "roasted/grilled". It is a staple of Andean cuisine

7. Jayu churita

   Ja-yu chu-ri-ta

   Please pass me the salt

   Usage

   Asking for salt at the table; salt from Andean salt flats is a common condiment

   Grammar Note

   'Salt' is jayu. 'Please give me' is churita

8. Chicha umañ muntwa

   Chi-cha u-mañ mun-twa

   I want to drink chicha

   Usage

   Ordering chicha, the traditional Andean fermented corn drink

   Grammar Note

   chicha entered Aymara via Spanish but the drink itself has pre-Inca origins spanning millennia

9. Qañiwa api umaña suma

   Qa-ñi-wa a-pi u-ma-ña su-ma

   Kañiwa porridge is very delicious

   Usage

   Praising api (hot grain porridge) made with kañiwa, a nutritious Andean grain

   Grammar Note

   api is a traditional Andean warm porridge-drink. kañiwa is a small, protein-rich Andean grain

10. Janiw alerjikktati, taqi manq'a manq'tha

    Ja-niw a-ler-jik-kta-ti, ta-qi man-q'a man-q'tha

    I have no allergies, I can eat anything

    Usage

    Letting a restaurant or host know you have no dietary restrictions

    Grammar Note

    Aymara negation uses the janiw…ti frame. "All" is taqi (the same word appears in ay-diet). The old llant'a means "firewood", not "anything"

11. Arusa

    Cooked rice

    Usage

    Point at it when ordering; some languages use a different word for raw rice

12. T'ant'a

    Bread

    Usage

    Point at it when ordering or shopping

13. Fideo

    Noodles

    Usage

    Point at it when ordering or shopping

14. Jaru

    Spicy hot

    Usage

    Check how hot a dish is before ordering

15. Achu

    Fruit

    Usage

    Point at it in a market or a canteen

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