Language/Paraguayan-guarani/Grammar/How-to-Use-Be

Paraguayan Guaraní Grammar - How to Use "Be"

Hi Paraguayan Guaraní learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will talk about how to use "be" in Paraguayan Guaraní. "Be" is a very important verb in any language as it is used to indicate existence, identify, describe and define. Let's get started!

Don't miss the chance to check out these pages as you wrap up this lesson: Negation & How to Use Have.

Present Tense

In Paraguayan Guaraní, the present tense of "be" is "mbo'e" which means "is/are/am". It is important to note that Paraguayan Guaraní does not distinguish between singular and plural. Here is a table to illustrate:

Paraguayan Guaraní	Pronunciation	English
mbo'e	[ˈmbo.ʔe]	is/are/am

Let's see the verb in action in a dialogue:

• Person 1: Mbo'e ko nde rehegua? ([ˈmbɔ.ʔe ko ˈnde ɾe.ɣe.ˈwa] - What are you doing?)
• Person 2: Avei nde rehegua. ([a.ˈβeɪ‿nde ɾe.ɣe.ˈwa] - I am also doing it.)

In this dialogue, "mbo'e" is used to mean "am" as in "I am doing it."

Past Tense

In Paraguayan Guaraní, the past tense of "be" is "oiko" which means "was/were". Here is a table to illustrate:

Paraguayan Guaraní	Pronunciation	English
oiko	[ˈɔj.ko]	was/were

Let's see the verb in action in a dialogue:

• Person 1: Mboka'i oiko? ([mbo.ka.ˈʔi ˈɔj.ko] - Where were you?)
• Person 2: Oiko ndaje omomba'e. ([ˈɔj.ko‿n̪da.ˈʒe‿o.ˈmom.bae̯] - I was at home.)

In this dialogue, "oiko" is used to mean "was" as in "I was at home."

Future Tense

In Paraguayan Guaraní, the future tense of "be" is "mba'e" which means "will be". Here is a table to illustrate:

Paraguayan Guaraní	Pronunciation	English
mba'e	[mˈba.ʔe]	will be

Let's see the verb in action in a dialogue:

• Person 1: Nde aju mburuvicha mba'e ko'ãga. ([ˈnde a.ʒu mbu.ɾu.ˈvi.tʃa mˈba.ʔe ko.ˈʔãː.ɣa] - What will you be when you grow up?)
• Person 2: Mba'e nde mburuvicha omoñepyrũ. ([mˈba.ʔe‿nde mbu.ɾu.ˈvi.tʃa‿o.mo.ɲe.ˈpɨ.ɾũ] - I will be a doctor.)

In this dialogue, "mba'e" is used to mean "will be" as in "I will be a doctor."

Negative Forms

In Paraguayan Guaraní, you can create negative forms by adding the negative particle "chepa" before "be". Here is a table to illustrate:

Paraguayan Guaraní	Pronunciation	English
chepa mbo'e	[ˈtʃe.pa ˈmbo.ʔe]	is/are/am not
chepa oiko	[ˈtʃe.pa ˈɔj.ko]	was/were not
chepa mba'e	[ˈtʃe.pa mˈba.ʔe]	will not be

Let's see the verb in action in a dialogue:

• Person 1: Ja'emo mba'e. ([ʒa.ˈʔe.mo mˈba.ʔe] - It will not rain.)
• Person 2: Chepa mba'e nde rehegua. ([ˈtʃe.pa‿mˈba.ʔe‿nde ɾe.ɣe.ˈwa] - I am not going to do it.)

In this dialogue, "chepa mba'e" is used to mean "will not be" as in "It will not rain" and "chepa mba'e" is used to mean "am not going" as in "I am not going to do it."

Practice Exercises

Now it's time to practice what you have learned about "be" in Paraguayan Guaraní. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of "be", which is provided in parentheses.

1. Nde oî oñondive _______________ (mbo'e). 2. Kópa mba'e _______________ (chepa). 3. Takuara rupi _______________ (oiko). 4. Avei nde mba'e _______________ (mbo'e). 5. Che ra'ã rire _______________ (oiko).

(Answers: 1. mbo'e, 2. chepa mba'e, 3. oiko, 4. mbo'e, 5. oiko)

If you want to improve your Paraguayan Guaraní grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions! Don't forget to check our other lessons on Paraguayan Guaraní grammar! 😊

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➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Other Lessons

• Adjectives
• Plurals
• Pronouns
• Give your Opinion
• Questions
• Negation
• How to Use Have
• Conditional Mood
• Future Tense