heʼise

Asking What a Word Means

Level 2

Mbaʼépa heʼise ...? asks for a meaning, and Mbaʼéichapa ojeʼe ... guaraníme? asks for a word.

How It Works

Two questions help you learn new words. Each starts with a question word, mbaʼe “what” or mbaʼéicha “how”, and the marker -pa.

QuestionMeaning
Mbaʼépa heʼise ko ñeʼẽ?What does this word mean?
Mbaʼéichapa ojeʼe ko ñeʼẽ avañeʼẽme?How do you say this word in Guarani?
Mbaʼéichapa ojeʼe ko ñeʼẽ castellánope?How do you say this word in Spanish?

Heʼise is the word for “it means”. Ojeʼe is “one says”, a verb with the prefix je-. The language takes -pe, or -me after a nasal word such as avañeʼẽ.

To ask about a word you can see, say ko ñeʼẽ “this word” and point at it. You can also say the word itself in its place.

Examples (4)

  1. Mbaʼépa heʼise ko ñeʼẽ?

    What does this word mean?

    Heʼise asks for the meaning, and mbaʼépa is “what”.

  2. Mbaʼépa heʼise upéva?

    What does that mean?

    Upéva is “that one”, the thing you want explained.

  3. Mbaʼéichapa ojeʼe ko ñeʼẽ avañeʼẽme?

    How do you say this word in Guarani?

    Ojeʼe means “one says”, and avañeʼẽ takes -me because it is a nasal word.

  4. Mbaʼéichapa ojeʼe ko ñeʼẽ castellánope?

    How do you say this word in Spanish?

    The language takes -pe: castellánope.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

heʼiseLevel 2Asking What a Word Means

Learn This First

Heʼise is built from heʼi and is used to ask what a word means.

Words in This Pattern

heʼisembaʼépa