Naming a Quality: -kue / -ngue
Naming a Quality: -kue
-kue names the quality: mbarete “strong”, mbaretekue “strength”.
How It Works
| Describing word | Noun for the quality |
|---|---|
| mbarete “strong” | mbaretekue “strength” |
| puku “long” | pukukue “length” |
| tuja “old” | tujakue “old age” |
| kyʼa “dirty” | kyʼakue “dirtiness” |
| hepy “expensive” | hepykue “cost” |
| porã “beautiful” | porãngue “beauty” |
| oky “it rains” | okykue “rainfall” |
This -kue has the same shape as the -kue that means “former”, as in che aokue “my former clothes”. The word around it shows which one you have.
Some of these words have a meaning of their own, such as hepykue “cost” and tyʼaikue “sacrifice” (from tyʼái “sweat”).
The ending can also go after a person marker: iñarandukue “education” comes from iñarandu “he or she is educated”.
Examples (5)
- mbaretekue
strength
Mbarete “strong” plus -kue names the quality.
- pukukue
length
Puku “long” plus -kue names how long something is.
- tujakue
old age
Tuja “old” plus -kue names the state of being old.
- porãngue
beauty
Porã is nasal, so -kue becomes -ngue.
- okykue
rainfall
The whole verb oky “it rains” plus -kue names the rain that falls.
Common Mistakes
Using -kue after a nasal word.
porãkueporãnguePorã is nasal, so -kue becomes -ngue.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The ending -kue turns a describing word into a noun and turns nasal after a nasal word.
- Describing Words After the Noun or Verb
Know describing words, because -kue turns one into a noun: mbarete “strong” becomes mbaretekue “strength”.
Level 1 - Nasal Forms of Endings
Know the nasal forms of endings, because -kue becomes -ngue after a nasal word, as -kuéra becomes -nguéra: mitãnguéra “children”.
Level 2
Related Patterns
Words in This Pattern
Practice Naming a Quality: -kue / -ngue in Bubblegum
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