Former and Future: -kue and -rã
-kue looks back and -rã looks ahead: che aokue “my former clothes”, che aorã “my clothes to be”.
How It Works
| Ending | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -kue | former | che aokue “my former clothes” |
| -ngue | former, after a nasal word | akãngue “what used to be a head” |
| -rã | future, not yet | che aorã “my clothes to be” |
A thing that is made does not exist until the work is done, so its noun takes -rã: ajapo ore rembiʼurã “I am making our food”. In the same way, ne pohãrã is the medicine you will have once I buy it.
“Former” covers several cases: you no longer own the thing, you no longer use it, or it is no longer what it was.
Both endings are stressed. A later lesson joins them as -rãngue, for something that was meant to be but did not happen.
Do not mix this -kue up with the one that names a quality, as in mbaretekue “strength”.
Examples (5)
- Che aokue.
My former clothes.
Ao “clothes” plus -kue: the clothes I used to have.
- Ajoguáta ndéve ne pohãrã.
I will buy you your medicine.
Pohã is “medicine”, and -rã marks the medicine you will have once it is bought.
- Ajapo ore rembiʼurã.
I am making our food.
The food does not exist until it is made, so tembiʼu takes -rã.
- Koʼã taʼangakuéra Quino rembiapokue.
These pictures were made by Quino.
Rembiapo is “work”, and Quino rembiapo is “the work of Quino”. The ending -kue puts it in the past.
- Vaka akãngue yvyguy.
A buried cow head, a dish cooked under the ground.
Akã “head” is nasal, so -kue becomes -ngue.
Common Mistakes
Using -kue after a nasal word.
Vaka akãkue yvyguy.Vaka akãngue yvyguy.Akã is a nasal word, so -kue becomes -ngue.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The endings -kue and -rã on a noun grow out of -vaʼekue and -vaʼerã, and -kue turns nasal.
- Who Did and Who Will: -vaʼekue / -vaʼerãWho Did and Who Will: -vaʼekue and -vaʼerã
Know -vaʼekue and -vaʼerã, because -kue and -rã are the same two endings used on a noun: che rógakue “my former house”.
Level 3 - Nasal Forms of Endings
Know the nasal forms of endings, since -kue becomes -ngue after a nasal word, as -kuéra becomes -nguéra: mitãnguéra “children”.
Level 2
Related Patterns
- Naming a Quality: -kue / -ngueNaming a Quality: -kue
The same shape also names a quality, as in mbaretekue “strength”.
Level 4 - -rãnguePlanned but Never Happened: -rãngue
-rãngue joins both endings for something that was meant to be but did not happen.
Level 6 - t-embi-Things Made or Used: T-embi-
Nouns made with t-embi- often take -rã or -kue, as in rembiʼurã and rembiapokue.
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice Former and Future: -kue and -rã in Bubblegum
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