nd(a)- ... -i
Saying No with Nd- and -i
Nd(a)- before the verb and -i after it make a negative.
How It Works
Put the front piece before the verb and the ending -i after it. The front piece is nd- with an oral verb and n- with a nasal verb. When the person marker starts with a consonant, the front piece adds a helping vowel: nde-re-, nda-ja-, ndo-ro- and nda-pe-.
| Person | Oral verb: japo “do” | Nasal verb: ñeʼẽ “speak” |
|---|---|---|
| I | ndajapói | nañeʼẽi |
| you (one person) | nderejapói | nereñeʼẽi |
| he, she | ndojapói | noñeʼẽi |
| we (you and I) | ndajajapói | nañañeʼẽi |
| we (not you) | ndorojapói | noroñeʼẽi |
| you all | ndapejapói | napeñeʼẽi |
The ending -i has no stress of its own, so the stress stays on the root and an acute accent shows it: japó + i is written japói. After a verb that already ends in i or ĩ the ending is -ri, as in ndajopíri “I do not sting”.
Like other bare verbs, a negative verb can mean now or before: ndajapói is “I do not do it” or “I did not do it”.
A describing word with an inactive marker is negated the same way. The front piece goes before the marker: nda-che-vareʼa-i is written ndachevareʼái.
Examples (5)
- Ndajapói.
I did not do it.
Nd- and -i go around the verb: nd-a-japo-i.
- Ndakarúi.
I do not eat.
The same two pieces go around karu “eat”.
- Che nañeʼẽi guaraníme.
I do not speak Guarani.
Ñeʼẽ is nasal, so the front piece is na-.
- Nasẽi.
I do not go out.
Sẽ is nasal too, so the word is n-a-sẽ-i.
- Ndachevareʼái.
I am not hungry.
With the inactive set, nda- goes in front of che-.
Common Mistakes
Using nda- with a nasal verb.
Che ndañeʼẽi guaraníme.Che nañeʼẽi guaraníme.Ñeʼẽ is nasal, so the front piece of the negative is na-.
Leaving out the ending -i.
Ndajapo.Ndajapói.The negative needs both pieces. The front piece alone does not make a negative.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The negative wraps around the plain verb, and its front piece turns nasal on a nasal verb.
Related Patterns
- Saying No for Every Person
Is the next step: the negative for every person and the ending -ri, in more detail.
Level 2 - ndaipóriThere Is None
Is the negative way to say there is none.
Level 1 - heẽ / nahániriYes and No
Gives the words for yes and no that often start an answer.
Level 1 - Will Not: -moʼã
Replaces -ta in a negative sentence about the future.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice nd(a)- ... -i in Bubblegum
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