r/nahuatl

The video is an instructional lesson on how to conjugate verbs in Oaxacan Zapotec across past, present, and future tenses. The instructor uses the verb "to eat" as the primary example to demonstrate the rules.

*Core Rules of Conjugation:*

* Tense Roots:* In Zapotec, the root of the verb changes to indicate the tense, but this root remains exactly the same regardless of who is performing the action (the pronoun). For example, the root for the verb "to eat" is `guda-` in the past, `ra-` (or `rag-`) in the present, and `ga-` (or `gagu-`) in the future.

* **Person Suffixes:* To indicate the person (I, you, he/she, etc.), specific vowel or syllable endings are added to the tense root. The endings change depending on the subject, but the root stays consistent.

*Exceptions to the Rule:*

* While the `g-` prefix (like *guda-* or *ga-*) is very common, the instructor clarifies that it is not a universal rule for all Zapotec verbs.

* There are about three different ways to construct tenses. For instance, some verbs use a `b-` (like *bu-*) for the past tense, or a `u-` to indicate the future tense.

* Compound verbs (like combining "to go" and "to eat" to mean eating somewhere frequently) also have unique past tense forms.

*Class Practice:*

Towards the end of the lesson, the instructor leads an interactive practice session. He asks students (Oliver, Pamela, Silvana, Brian, and Abi) to read aloud the conjugations for the verb "to eat" across the past, present, and future tenses, covering both singular and plural pronouns.

Hi, I’m having a baby girl in about 3 months YAY. So I am Mexican , and would love her middle name to be in nahuatl translation of my mother’s name. “Mar y sol” which is the ocean and sun. And I’ve looked into nahuatl dictionaries and compounding and I can’t find one.

Is anyone educated in the huasteca Nahuatl language and can possibly further educate me on compounding words to create a beautiful baby girl name.

Edit: my mom’s name is MARISOL.

I don't know why this has been on the occult Paige since it definitely follows what a Colt stands for but I still feel the knowledge is important

Hola, estoy intentando escribir una letra y quería hacer una traducción exacta en nahuatl de una frase:

"Para crear una nueva Era, la vida nacerá de la muerte."

Tengo 35 años, nací en el área de Cordoba Veracruz y crecí en California desde los cinco años. Desde chico me da orgullo ser bilingüe y ejercer mi cultura aunque sea de una forma más a lo chicano.

En mis esfuerzos de entender mi cultura sigo confundido porque mi familia completamente reemplaza pronunciaciónes de palabras de raíz nahuatl. Esto es específicamente con la pronunciación del "tl" con "cl".

Buenos ejemplos serían las palabras "clacuache" "clacotalpan" o "clayuda" ( aunque no se si la última palabra es de raíz nahuatl)

Quisiera saber si esto es algo común.

Por varios años e intentado corregirles pero si se siente culero y no veo que me hagan caso.

Alguien me puedo dar alguna perspectiva de este forma de lenguaje.

Much appreciated

This video is a live stream of the first session of the Summer 2026 Zapotec Language Basic Course, hosted by instructor Rayo Cruz and organized by the Bëni Xidza collective. The session serves as both a promotional class streamed on YouTube/Facebook and an interactive introductory workshop for students meeting via Zoom. Here is a summary of what is covered in the video:

1. Course Overview & Logistics:

* Instructor's Background: The teacher, Rayo, holds a degree in Communication and have studied an MA in Applied Linguistics from the University of Guadalajara. He has worked for many years in preserving the Zapotec language and culture through media.

* The Project: This marks the 6th year of the collective's project teaching Zapotec as a second language. The course is fully independent and self-sustaining through student registration fees.

* Schedule: The basic summer course features 20 sessions running on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 7:00 PM (Mexico City time), lasting between 1 to 1.5 hours per class.

* Curriculum: Beyond grammar, the 20 classes cover the historical context of the language, culture, and sociolinguistic realities of Zapotec.

2. Introduction to the Variant:

* In response to a student's question, Rayo explains that this specific course teaches the Didza Xidza variant from the Sierra Norte (Northern Highlands) of Oaxaca.

* He notes that Zapotec is immensely diverse, with structural and deep vocabulary changes between the valleys, coast, and highlands—almost every town speaks its own variation, though some are mutually intelligible.

3. Practice Session: Basic Introductions:

The core of the class is an interactive exercise where students practice basic conversational greetings and personal profiles in Zapotec. Key phrases broken down include:

* Padiuxhi / Diuxi: The universal all-day greeting used similarly to "hello," "good morning," or "good evening" in the Sierra Norte and Isthmus regions.

* Bix loo?: "What is your name?".

* Response: Neda laa [Name] ("My name is...").

* Gax bi'i lii?: "Where are you from?"

* Response: Neda naka bi'i [Place] ("I am from...").

Rayo explains that Oaxaca City is traditionally called Lula'a and Mexico City is called Zgita.

* Balax iza yu'u?: "How old are you?".

* Response: Neda yu'a [Number] iza ("I am [X] years old"). Students use Spanish numbers temporarily.

* Gax zuu?: "Where do you live?" (Origin vs. current residence).

* Response: Neda zwaa [Place] ("I live in...").

* Bix dxin runu?: "What do you do for work?" (Literally: "What work do you do?")

* Response: Neda runa dxin... ("I work at... / I do..."). Alternative vocabulary was given for students (Neda naka beskwela / Neda reja unibersida*) and those studying (Neda ruseda...).

Hello, I don't speak this language or know much about this culture but I was wanting to focus a character around it, any and all help would be appreciated!!

The character is based off of the creator deity Quetzalcoatl, she defends her homeland acting as it's guardian and protects the lives of her near extinct species

The words I have found are "Chīmalli" meaning shield and Chantli which refers to ones homeland, or thats what Google says

I was hoping to get some insight from those who know the language, I have read that some names dont have the same symbolic meaning as modern interpretation and translation but any insight given will be greatly appreciated