a- / re- / o- / ja- / ro- / pe-
Active Person Prefixes
Active verbs take a-, re-, o-, ja-, ro- or pe- to show who does the action.
How It Works
| Person | Prefix | With guata “walk” |
|---|---|---|
| I | a- | aguata |
| you | re- | reguata |
| he, she, it, they | o- | oguata |
| we, with you | ja- (ña-) | jaguata |
| we, without you | ro- | roguata |
| you all | pe- | peguata |
Before a nasal word, ja- becomes ña-: japuka “we laugh” but ñag̃uahẽ “we arrive”. The other five prefixes do not change.
Not every word takes this set. Words for states, such as “tired” or “hungry”, take the inactive markers. A few verbs use a longer set with an extra i: ai-, rei- and oi-. You will meet those at Level 2.
The verb alone is a full sentence, so you rarely need a pronoun.
Examples (5)
- Aguata.
I walk.
The prefix a- means I.
- Rembaʼapo.
You work.
The prefix re- means you.
- Oke.
He or she sleeps.
The prefix o- means he, she or they.
- Japuka.
We laugh.
The prefix ja- means we, including you.
- Pepurahéi.
You all sing.
The prefix pe- means you all.
Common Mistakes
Using ja- before a nasal word.
jag̃uahẽñag̃uahẽThe root g̃uahẽ is nasal, so ja- becomes ña-.
Writing the prefix as a separate word.
a guataaguataA person prefix joins the verb, so it is written as one word.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The active set is half of the two-sets idea, so this follows the overview.
Related Patterns
- che / nde / i- / ñande / ore / pendeInactive Person Markers
The inactive markers go with states and feelings.
Level 1 - Nasal Forms of Person Markers
The nasal forms of the person markers.
Level 1 - Choosing the Active or Inactive Set
How to tell whether a verb is active or inactive.
Level 1 - ai- / rei- / oi-Verbs with Ai-, Rei- and Oi-
A few verbs add an i to these prefixes.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice a- / re- / o- / ja- / ro- / pe- in Bubblegum
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