Next round of classes starts

on May 18th 2025!

REGISTER HERE

Quechua film club starts on May 31st!

REGISTER HERE
Teaching Quechua is a means for us to grow a community with common interests and values:
  • the preservation of cultural and linguistic diversity,
  • the preservation of Quechua languages and indigenous languages,
  • the honouring of Quechua values of ayni (reciprocity) and ayllu (community).
These values manifest themselves in our class in the following ways:
  • peer-learning:
    • at Watuchi, teachers and learners are peers who treat each other with respect, patience and kindness, with no vertical power relationship
    • at Watuchi, beginner, intermediate and advanced learners get to meet in various (in)formal gatherings encouraging solidarity and mutual help
  • donation-based registration:
    • at Watuchi, we set a recommended donation to enroll in the class but allow those in need to give back to teachers and the organisation in other ways
  • learning by doing:
    • at Watuchi, we don’t teach you material on the one hand and test you on the other, we make you practice what you learn all along the way
    • at Watuchi, we challenge you to take action and contribute to the preservation of linguistic diversity through a personal end-of-class project where you get to apply what you learnt
Our classes are distinct from other quechua classes in several ways:
  • we put community first
  • we use speaking-focused material designed by us
  • we are inclusive of different variants of southern quechua
  • we aim for pedagogical excellence – we have a strong compromise for constantly improving our teaching method based on your continous feedback and suggestions and based on community research activities including on the topic of the acquisition of quechua as a second language.
Our methodology aims at developing speaking proficiency:
  • we assign oral expression homework and evaluations
  • we define learning objectives based on speaking proficiency:
    • the goal of the beginner class is for you to become able to chat with quechua speakers
    • as such, the syllabus is based on key questions for which every week we teach you grammar and vocabulary so you can ask and answer said questions
    • we do have intermediate to advanced quechua classes that focus more on culture and literature (bookclub, filmclub,…) but the first step is to get you to speak.
  • we make you practice with native speakers from different variants:
    • our grammar class focuses on the southern quechua language spoken in Peru and Bolivia
    • our oral speaking practice is divided in three breakout rooms so you can get extra practice and choose between the variants of: Cusco, Ayacucho, Bolivia

Practical information:

Our regulars quechua classes typically

  • are online and in English
  • meet once a week on Sundays
  • last fourteen weeks, with a one-week break
  • focus on Southern Quechua, spoken in Peru and Bolivia
  • are taught by a grammar and one or several native speaking professors
  • open every four months (in January, May and September of every year)

The syllabi are as follows:

Beginner Quechua (12 weeks)
Intermediate Quechua (12 weeks)

Want to learn with us?

REGISTER HERE

We have been teaching
Quechua since 2020.
Our students say:

Rodrigo and Emma- I hope you continue your pedagogical path, you are both amazing teachers and I thank you for everything!
[to Rodrigo] You are so thoughtful in every interaction and I especially love how much you share about your life/family. It makes class extra special.
[about Emma] Amazing job!! Great explanations and very patient in explaining. Amazing teacher.
[to Emma] Thanks for being so patient and encouraging us to find the answers ourselves.
Emma and Rodrigo provided a safe, educative and collaborative environment. I always felt like they were meeting students where they are at and are very patient and kind teachers! They were very knowledgeable and broke down the material in a patient, and comprehensive way.
Dear Rodrigo, thank you. You are gentle and patient, something that I find supports me deeply as I put myself in the vulnerable position of being a beginner 🙂
[to Rodrigo] You are wonderful! I love the energy and humor and passion you bring to all our sessions. I also really love the way you can offer nuance to our lessons, and bring real-life experience into the classroom..
Rodrigo is wonderful! It is so important for this class to include a native Quechua speaker, as you cannot only focus on linguistics but also must uphold the cultural soundness that enriches our pursuit of never forgetting our Quechua roots.
Rodrigo is this connection for our class, he enriches our course by the knowledge, kindness and expertise when he teaches. I loved learning from Rodrigo, thank you for everything.
[to Emma] You are such a gifted teacher!
[I’ll sign up for the class again] because Emma and Rodrigo made class fun and enabled us to learn quickly. I’ve taken a handful of Quechua classes, and theirs is by far the most effective
[to Emma] You are wonderful! I love that you challenge students to figure out the answers to their own questions rather than just telling us. You explain grammar very well. I appreciate the culturally specific drawings / photos / famous people as examples to talk about. You speak very clearly and are easy to understand.
[to Rodrigo] You are amazing!!! I love your positivity, kindness and care with each of us. You bring such important knowledge to our classroom, and you make learning a lot of fun. You are such a wonderful teacher.
Emma is wonderful. Not only is she patient, but she really meets students where they are at. She doesn’t just give you the answer, she walks you through the answer because she knows students are capable! She centers the student in her approach and ensures she is creating a comfortable setting for pedagogy. Emma also will work with you and go the extra mile to provide students with additional examples, and resources they can use. I am so happy I got to start my Quechua learning journey with Emma as my teacher.
I really love this class and I am very grateful to Emma and Rodrigo for their amazing pedagogical skills. They are a wonderful team..this is just fantastic. You are doing such an excellent job!
[about Emma] She is awesome!!! So clear and eloquent in her explanations.
[about Emma] What a fabulous teacher you are. I feel very supported by your explanations and also with your patience. Patience most of all 🙂 Thank you.
You all are amazing. I am so incredibly grateful for this opportunity. Given my responsibilities at work and home, I don’t think I could relearn Quechua without your support.