-ngaʼu

If Only: -ngaʼu

Level 6

-ngaʼu is an ending for wishes: “if only”.

How It Works

This ending is called the desiderative. It says what the speaker hopes or wishes. The book translates it as “hopefully”, “I wish that” or “if only”.

Put it at the end of the verb. Rehecha “you see it” becomes rehechángaʼu “I wish you saw it”. The person marker shows who would do the action, here re- “you”.

The ending is unstressed, like -ta and -ne. The verb keeps its stress, so it takes an acute mark: rehechá plus -ngaʼu.

The Academy grammar calls this the mood of longing and shows the same ending on every person.

Guarani also has the optative prefix t- for wishes. The book lists -ngaʼu as one more way to wish.

Examples (3)

  1. Rehechángaʼu.

    I wish you saw it.

    Rehecha “you see it” plus -ngaʼu. The accent stays on chá.

  2. Rejúngaʼu.

    I wish you would come.

    The same ending on reju “you come”. The accent stays on jú.

  3. Ahángaʼu Asunciónpe.

    If only I could go to Asunción.

    Aha “I go” plus -ngaʼu. The place name takes -pe.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving the accent off the verb before -ngaʼu.

    Rehechangaʼu.
    Rehechángaʼu.

    -ngaʼu is unstressed, so the verb keeps its stress and the acute stays on á.

How It Connects

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

-ngaʼuLevel 6If Only: -ngaʼu

Learn This First

The ending -ngaʼu is a wish that did not come true, so learners need the t- wish.