-pavẽ / -vete / -vusu

Old Words for Very: -pavẽ

Level 6

-pavẽ, -vete and -vusu are old endings for the highest degree.

How It Works

EndingWordMeaning
-pavẽvyʼapavẽhappiness, bliss
-vetemburuvichavetesupreme leader
-veteaguyjevetegratitude
-vusuÑanderuvusuOur Great Father

All three endings are stressed, so the word in front of them keeps no accent mark of its own. They sit above -ite, -iterei and -rasa on the ladder of “very”. The Academy grammar calls this top step the highest degree and keeps it for the highest rank.

The first word is part of a greeting: Vyʼapavẽ ne arambotýre, literally “happiness on your birthday”. Aramboty is a newer word made for “birthday”.

Do not add these endings to other words, because they are no longer productive.

Examples (4)

  1. Vyʼapavẽ ne arambotýre.

    Happy birthday.

    Vyʼa “joy” plus -pavẽ is “happiness”. Aramboty is “birthday”.

  2. Mburuvichavete.

    Supreme leader.

    Mburuvicha “leader” plus -vete. It names a president or a king.

  3. Aguyjevete.

    Gratitude.

    Aguyje “thanks” plus -vete.

  4. Ñanderuvusu.

    Our Great Father.

    Ñande-r-u “our father” plus -vusu.

How It Connects

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

-pavẽ / -vete / -vusuLevel 6Old Words for Very: -pavẽ

Learn This First

These old endings say very like -rasa, and they live on in formal set phrases.

Words in This Pattern

aguyjevete