-kuaa

Knowing How: -kuaa

Level 3

-kuaa says “can”: añeʼẽkuaa guaraníme “I can speak Guarani”.

How It Works

Guarani has two ways to say “can”. Ikatu is a separate word before the verb. -kuaa is an ending on the verb itself, and it speaks of a physical or mental ability.

  • añeʼẽkuaa “I can speak”
  • omboguatakuaa “he or she can drive”
  • ndoʼytakuaái “he or she cannot swim”

-Kuaa is stressed. In a negative sentence the closing -i follows it, and the accent marks the stress: ndoʼytakuaái, nomboguatakuaái.

A question ending goes after it: reñeʼẽkuaápa guaraníme? “can you speak Guarani?”

Along with porã “well” and vai “badly”, kuaa is one of the small roots that often form one word with the verb. Printed texts do not always write them joined.

Examples (4)

  1. Añeʼẽkuaa guaraníme.

    I can speak Guarani.

    Añeʼẽ “I speak” plus -kuaa. Guaraníme has -me because guarani ends in a nasal sound.

  2. Carlos omboguatakuaa kóche.

    Carlos can drive a car.

    Omboguata is “he makes it walk”, so “drives”. Kóche is a Spanish word for “car”.

  3. Haʼe hoʼyta porã, iñamígo katu ndoʼytakuaái.

    He or she swims well, but his or her friend cannot swim.

    Ndoʼytakuaái is the negative of hoʼytakuaa. The closing -i comes after -kuaa.

  4. Reñeʼẽkuaápa guaraníme?

    Can you speak Guarani?

    The question ending -pa follows -kuaa, and the accent on á shows where the stress stays.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out the accent in the negative.

    Ndoʼytakuaai.
    Ndoʼytakuaái.

    The negative -i joins the vowel in kuaa, and the accent on á marks the stress.

How It Connects

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

-kuaaLevel 3Knowing How: -kuaa

Learn This First

The ending -kuaa is a second way to say can and comes from the verb kuaa.

Words in This Pattern

kuaa