che / nde / i- / ñande / ore / pende

Inactive Person Markers

Level 1

Describing words and some verbs take che-, nde-, i-, ñande-, ore- or pende- to show who is in the state.

How It Works

Words for states and feelings, such as “tired”, “hungry” or “good”, take the inactive markers. Write the marker joined to the word.

PersonMarkerExample
Iche-chevareʼa “I am hungry”
younde-ndekatupyry “you are capable”
he, she, it, theyi-iporã “it is good”
we, with youñande-ñandekatupyry “we are capable”
we, without youore-oreporã “we are good”
you allpende-pendeyvate “you all are tall”

When the word they join is nasal, nde-, ñande- and pende- become ne-, ñane- and pene-: neporã “you are good”.

The same markers also say who owns something, and then they stand apart: che róga “my house”, nde sy “your mother”. With some action verbs, the marker names the person who receives the action: chenupã “he hit me”. See Who Comes First: I, You and He.

Examples (5)

  1. Chekaneʼõ.

    I am tired.

    The marker che- joins the state kaneʼõ.

  2. Ndekatupyry.

    You are capable.

    The marker nde- joins the word katupyry.

  3. Iporã.

    It is good.

    The marker i- is the same for he, she, it and they.

  4. Ñandekatupyry.

    We are capable, you and I.

    The marker ñande- includes the listener.

  5. Pendeyvate.

    You all are tall.

    The marker pende- means you all.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing the marker as a separate word.

    Che kaneʼõ
    Chekaneʼõ

    A marker on a describing word is a prefix, and the Academy tables write it joined to the word.

How It Connects

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

che / nde / i- / ñande / ore / pendeLevel 1Inactive Person Markers

Learn This First

The inactive set is the other half of the two-sets idea, so this follows the overview too.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

chendeñandeorepende