Academy Words and guaraniete

Level 5

Three styles live side by side: guaraniete (as pure as possible), Academy words in formal writing, and Jopara in daily speech.

How It Works

Paraguayans use Guarani in different styles. All of them are real Guarani, and you will meet each one.

  • Guaraniete means “true Guarani”: speech as free of Spanish as possible. “Help me, please” is Chepytyvõmína.
  • Jopara means “mixed”. Most people talk this way, with Spanish words inside Guarani grammar: Cheayudamína.
  • Academy words are new Guarani words that the Academia de la Lengua Guaraní and other writers made from Guarani roots. Examples are aramboty “birthday” and ñeʼẽpu “sound”, with taipu “letter”.

Formal texts, school books and News prefer Academy words. They also use the school numbers and the school names of days and months. In daily speech, people say seis and teléfono.

When an Academy word is new to you, a lesson can put the everyday word beside it. Spanish words that speakers have reshaped are written the Guarani way, such as kavaju “horse”.

Examples (4)

  1. Chepytyvõmína.

    Help me, please.

    Guaraniete: only Guarani roots. Che- “me” and pytyvõ “help”, with -mi and -na to make a polite request.

  2. Cheayudamína.

    Help me, please.

    Jopara: the Spanish verb ayuda “help” takes the same Guarani endings. Some books call this kind of mix Guarañol.

  3. Vyʼapavẽ ne arambotýre.

    Happy birthday.

    Aramboty “birthday” is a coined word, built from ára “day” and mboty, a word for closing or ending.

  4. Guarani ñeʼẽme oĩ 33 ñeʼẽpu tee ojehechaukáva 33 taipu rupive.

    Guarani has 33 true sounds, shown by 33 letters.

    Ñeʼẽpu “sound” and taipu “letter” are Academy words used in grammar books. Tee means “true”.

How It Connects

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Academy Words and guaranieteLevel 5

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Academy words replace many Spanish loanwords, so learners first need to know how loanwords are spelled.

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Words in This Pattern

arambotyñeʼẽpu