The earliest grammatical description of Kichwa was written in the 17th century by Jesuit priest Hernando de Alcocer.

Later, the bigger and much more comprehensive dictionary Kichwa Yachakukkunapa Shimiyuk Kamu was published in 2009 by the linguist Fabián Potosí, together with other scholars sponsored by the Ministry of Education of Ecuador.

The missionary organization FEDEPI (2006) lists eight dialects of Quechua in Ecuador, which it illustrates with "The men will come in two days."

Below are the comparisons, along with Standard (Ecuadorian) Kichwa and Standard (Southern) Quechua: Chaitʃayjaricunacaxarikunakaishcaiiʃkaypunllapillamipunʒapiʒamishamunga.ʃamuŋgaChai jaricunaca ishcai punllapillami shamunga.tʃay xarikunaka iʃkay punʒapiʒami ʃamuŋgaChaitʃayjaricunacaxarikunakaishcaiiʃkaypunllapillamipunʒapiʒamishamunga.ʃamuŋgaChai jaricunaca ishcai punllapillami shamunga.tʃay xarikunaka iʃkay punʒapiʒami ʃamuŋgaChitʃic'arigunagakʰarigunagaishquiiʃkip'unllallabimipʰunʒaʒabimishamunga.ʃamuŋgaChi c'arigunaga ishqui p'unllallabimi shamunga.tʃi kʰarigunaga iʃki pʰunʒaʒabimi ʃamuŋgaChaitʃayc'aricunacakʰarikunakaishquiiʃkipunllallapimipunʒaʒapimishamunga.ʃamuŋgaChai c'aricunaca ishqui punllallapimi shamunga.tʃay kʰarikunaka iʃki punʒaʒapimi ʃamuŋgaChaitʃayc'aricunacakʰarikunakaishcaiiʃkaypunzhallapimipunʒaλapimishamunga.ʃamuŋgaChai c'aricunaca ishcai punzhallapimi shamunga.tʃay kʰarikunaka iʃkay punʒaλapimi ʃamuŋgaChitʃicariunagakariunagaishquiiʃkipunzhallaimipunʒaλaimishamunga.ʃamuŋgaChi cariunaga ishqui punzhallaimi shamunga.tʃi kariunaga iʃki punʒaλaimi ʃamuŋgaChitʃicarigunagakarigunagaishcaiiʃkaypunchallaimipuntʃaλaimishamunga.ʃamunga.Chi carigunaga ishcai punchallaimi shamunga.tʃi karigunaga iʃkay puntʃaλaimi ʃamunga.Chitʃicarigunagakarigunagaishcaiiʃkaypunzhallaimipunʒallaimishamunga.ʃamunga.Chi carigunaga ishcai punzhallaimi shamunga.tʃi karigunaga iʃkay punʒallaimi ʃamunga.Chaytʃæyqharikunaqaqʰarikunaqaiskayiskæyp'unchawllapimp'untʃawllapimhamunqa.hamunqa.Chay qharikunaqa iskay p'unchawllapim hamunqa.tʃæy qʰarikunaqa iskæy p'untʃawllapim hamunqa.In contrast to other regional varieties of Quechua, Kichwa does not distinguish between the original (Proto-Quechuan) /k/ and /q/, which are both pronounced [k].

Kichwa in both Ecuador and Colombia has lost possessive and bidirectional suffixes (verbal suffixes indicating both subject and object), as well as the distinction between the exclusive and inclusive first person plural: Kichwa syntax has undergone some grammatical simplification compared to Southern Quechua, perhaps because of partial creolization with the pre-Inca languages of Ecuador.