Passive and Reflexive: je- / ñe-
Passive and Reflexive: Je-
Je- hides the doer: ojejapo “it is made”, ojeʼe “it is said”.
How It Works
The person prefix comes first and je- sits right before the verb: o-je-japo.
- With a verb that has no object, the prefix is always o- and the meaning is general: ojejeroky “there is dancing”, ojeʼe “it is said”.
- With a verb that has an object, the person prefix names the one who receives the action: peñehaʼarõta “you all will be awaited”.
The same form can mean “it was done to him” or “he did it to himself”: oñekytĩ is “he was cut” or “he cut himself”. The sentence around it shows which. In jajepohéipohéi “we wash our hands over and over” the washers wash their own hands, so the meaning is reflexive.
Je- gives no way to say who did it. Use ñe- when the verb is nasal.
| Verb | Prefix | Example |
|---|---|---|
| oral | je- | ojejapo “it is made” |
| nasal | ñe- | oñekytĩ “he was cut” |
Examples (5)
- Ojejeroky.
There is dancing.
Jeroky “dance” has no object, so the form is o-je-jeroky and no doer is named.
- Mbaʼéichapa ojeʼe ko ñeʼẽ avañeʼẽme?
How do you say this word in Guarani?
Ojeʼe is “it is said”, so the question asks how people say the word. Avañeʼẽme has -me because avañeʼẽ is a nasal word.
- Peñehaʼarõta tory pópe.
You all will be awaited with joy.
Pe- is “you all”, and the verb is nasal, so the prefix is ñe-. No doer is named. The book translates it “We await you with joy”.
- Oñekytĩ.
He was cut, or he cut himself.
Kytĩ “cut” is nasal, so je- becomes ñe-. The sentence around it would show which meaning is meant.
- Michĩ vove ojehero “mitã”.
When they are little, they are called “mitã”.
Ojehero is o- “they”, je- and hero “call”. Other people do the calling, so it is passive. Vove means “when”.
Common Mistakes
Using je- before a nasal verb.
Ojekytĩ.Oñekytĩ.Kytĩ is a nasal verb, so the prefix takes the nasal shape ñe-. The Academy writes añekytĩ with ñe- and ajekutu with je-, because kutu is an oral verb.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The prefix je- takes away the person who acts, and it turns into ñe- on a nasal verb.
Related Patterns
- Each Other: jo- / ño-Each Other: Jo-
Jo- also turns into ño- before a nasal verb, and it says that people do the action to each other.
Level 3 - Making Someone Do It: mbo- / mo-Making Someone Do It: Mbo-
Mbo- adds a person who makes the action happen, while je- takes the doer away.
Level 3 - Nouns With je- and jo-
Later you will see je- build nouns such as jekaʼu “drunkenness”.
Level 5
Words in This Pattern
Practice Passive and Reflexive: je- / ñe- in Bubblegum
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