koʼã / umi

These and Those

Level 1

Koʼã is “these” and umi is “those”, and both go before the noun.

How It Works

The plural pointing words match the singular ones from the last entry.

One thing	More than one
ko jagua “this dog”	koʼã jagua “these dogs”
pe jagua “that dog”	umi jagua “those dogs”
amo jagua “that dog over there”	umi jagua “those dogs”

There is only one plural word for “that”. Umi covers what is near the listener and what is far away.

The noun after koʼã or umi does not need -kuéra, because the pointing word already shows more than one. You may add it anyway: koʼã taʼangakuéra “these pictures”. Grammar books also list a short form ã for “these”, but koʼã is the one to learn.

Like pe, umi often works like “the” when you talk about several things you both know.

Examples (4)

Koʼã mitã oñani.
These children run.
Koʼã is “these”. The verb has no plural ending.
Mbaʼépa umi marandu vai?
What is the bad news?
Umi points to news that both people know about, and vai comes after marandu.
Koʼã taʼanga iporã.
These pictures are nice.
Only koʼã shows that there is more than one picture.
Jasy osẽ umi araígui.
The moon came out of the clouds.
Umi works like “the” here, and arai has no plural ending.

Common Mistakes

Putting koʼã or umi after the noun.
Mitã koʼã oñani.
Koʼã mitã oñani.
Koʼã and umi go before the noun, like ko and pe.

How It Connects

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

koʼã / umiLevel 1These and Those

Learn This First

These are the plural forms of this and that, so the singular words come first.

ko / pe / upe / amoThis and That
Know ko, pe, upe and amo, because koʼã and umi are the plural of this and that: koʼã taʼanga “these pictures”, umi guyra “those birds”.
Level 1

Words in This Pattern

koʼãumikoʼãã

Practice koʼã / umi in Bubblegum

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