Small: -mi / -ʼi
Small: -mi and -ʼi
mitãmi and mitãʼi “little child”, ogami “little house”, jaguaʼi “little dog”.
How It Works
| Word | Meaning | Small |
|---|---|---|
| mitã | child | mitãmi, mitãʼi |
| óga | house | ogami |
| yvyra | tree | yvyraʼi |
| jagua | dog | jaguaʼi |
The endings can also show warmth, the way English adds “-ie” to “dog”.
Both endings are stressed. The root loses its accent, and the stress moves to the ending. Learn which ending a word takes as you meet it.
Another stressed ending, -vy or -ngy, means “somewhat”, as in hasyvy “it hurts a little”. You will meet it at a later level.
The sound -mi has other jobs too. It makes a kind request (ehendumi) and marks a past habit (ajapomi). The word it attaches to tells you which job it has.
Examples (4)
- Itúva ha isy oguereko peteĩ jaguaʼi.
His father and mother have a little dog.
Jaguaʼi is jagua “dog” plus -ʼi.
- Ha ne membykuñaʼi moõ?
And where is your little daughter?
Membykuñaʼi is “daughter” plus -ʼi. Ne is nde before a nasal word.
- Oĩ peteĩ ogami Areguápe.
There is a little house in Areguá.
Óga plus -mi gives ogami. The accent on óga disappears.
- Ahecha peteĩ yvyraʼi.
I see a small tree.
Yvyra plus -ʼi is a small tree.
Common Mistakes
Keeping the accent on the root.
Oĩ peteĩ ógami.Oĩ peteĩ ogami.-mi is stressed, so the root loses its accent.
How It Connects
Learn This First
These endings go on a noun to make it small.
Related Patterns
- Gentle Commands With -mi
The same sound makes a command kind.
Level 2 - Used To: -mi
A third use of -mi marks something that used to happen.
Level 3 - -vy / -ngyA Little: -vy and -ngy
Another stressed ending makes things less strong, like “a little”.
Level 5 - -itereiVery Much: -iterei
-iterei goes the other way and means “very much”.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Small: -mi / -ʼi in Bubblegum
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