la / lo Before a Noun
La and Lo Before a Noun
La and lo come from Spanish. Speakers say them before a noun, and both are optional.
How It Works
Before Spanish arrived, Guarani had no article like “the” or “a”. Today people borrow la from Spanish la and lo from Spanish los, and they use them all the time when they talk.
- La usually goes before one thing: Ahecha la mbarakaja “I see the cat”.
- Lo usually goes before a group: Jaha lo mitã “Let us go, children”.
The difference is about number only, and it is not strict: la also appears before plural nouns. Neither word shows gender, so a woman and a man take the same la.
Both words are optional. A sentence without them is still correct, and formal writing and school Guarani usually avoid them.
They can stand before a noun that already has a possessor: la che irũnguéra “my friends”.
Examples (3)
- Ou la arriéro ha ovyʼapa lo kuña.
The man came and the women were all happy.
La stands before one man and lo before the group of women. Ovyʼapa has -pa “all”. Arriéro is a Spanish word for a country man.
- Jaha lo mitã.
Let us go, children!
Lo mitã is a group of children.
- Ahecha la mbarakaja.
I see the cat.
La points at one cat and adds no gender.
How It Connects
Learn This First
La and lo are Spanish words that do not show gender, so learners need Jopara and the no-gender idea.
Related Patterns
Words in This Pattern
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