ro- / po-

I Love You: Ro- and Po-

Level 2

Ro- means “I … you” and po- means “I … you all”.

How It Works

When I or we act on you, a single prefix does both jobs. It names the doer and the receiver.

VerbMeaning
rohayhuI love you, we love you
pohayhuI love you all, we love you all
rohenduI listen to you
pohenduI listen to you all

Do not use a- together with ndéve or pendéve for this. Say rohayhu, not ahayhu ndéve.

Some verbs, such as ayhu, endu and echa, take an h- after these prefixes: ro-h-ayhu, ro-h-endu.

Ro- looks like the prefix for “we without you”, which is also ro-. Rohayhu most often means “I love you”, and the situation shows when it means “we love”.

Examples (5)

  1. Rohayhu.

    I love you.

    Ro- names me as the doer and you as the receiver.

  2. Pohayhu.

    I love you all.

    Po- is the prefix when the receiver is several people.

  3. Rohendu.

    I listen to you.

    Hendu takes an h- after the prefix ro-.

  4. Norontendéi hína.

    I do not understand you.

    The negative frame no- ... -i goes around ro-.

  5. Rohecha.

    I see you.

    Ro- plus hecha, with the h- after the prefix.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a- and a separate word for “you”.

    Ahayhu ndéve.
    Rohayhu.

    For “I love you” Guarani uses the one prefix ro-.

  • Using a- and a separate word for “you all”.

    Ahayhu pendéve.
    Pohayhu.

    For “I love you all” Guarani uses the one prefix po-.

How It Connects

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

ro- / po-Level 2I Love You: Ro- and Po-

Learn This First

Ro- and po- are special cases of the rule for who comes first, so that rule comes first.

Words in This Pattern

rohayhurohayhuhayhu