chéve / ndéve / ichupe
To Me, To You, To Him: Chéve, Ndéve, Ichupe
Chéve “to me”, ndéve “to you”, ichupe “to him or her”: Egueru chéve peteĩ kyse “Bring me a knife”.
How It Works
These are the pronouns for the person who receives or benefits.
| Who | Pronoun | To or for… |
|---|---|---|
| I | che | chéve |
| you | nde | ndéve |
| he, she | haʼe | (i)chupe |
| we (with you) | ñande | ñandéve |
| we (without you) | ore | oréve |
| you all | peẽ | peẽme |
| they | haʼekuéra | (i)chupekuéra |
They show the receiver in giving, telling and bringing sentences: Ameʼẽ ko ryguasu ndéve “I gave you this hen”. They also say who feels something: Iporã chéve jaguakuéra “I like dogs”, literally “dogs are good to me”.
Chéve and ndéve are not used for the person you love. “I love you” is rohayhu, never ahayhu ndéve. Ichupe can be both the receiver and the object.
Examples (5)
- Egueru chéve peteĩ kyse.
Bring me a knife.
Chéve follows the verb and names who gets the knife.
- Ameʼẽ ko ryguasu ndéve.
I gave you this hen.
Ndéve comes after the thing given.
- Iporã chéve jaguakuéra.
I like dogs.
Chéve also says who feels it: iporã chéve is “it is good to me”.
- Ehai chupe.
Write to him.
Chupe is a short form of ichupe. It works for “him” or “her”.
- Ahayhu ichupe.
I love her.
Ichupe can also be the object, because it is a third person.
Common Mistakes
Using ndéve as the object of “love”.
Ahayhu ndéve.Rohayhu.When “you” is the object, Guarani uses ro- (po- for several people). Ndéve is for the receiver, not for the person you love.
How It Connects
Learn This First
These are the to-forms of the pronouns and use the idea of -pe.
- che / nde / haʼeI, You and He or She
Know che, nde and haʼe, because chéve, ndéve and ichupe are their to-forms: Egueru chéve peteĩ kyse “Bring me a knife”.
Level 1 - In, On, At and To: -pe / -meIn, On, At and to: -pe
Know -pe “to”, since chéve and ndéve do the same job for a pronoun: Ameʼẽ ko ryguasu ndéve “I gave you this hen”.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- A Person as Object: -pe
A noun that receives the action takes -pe, and these words do the same job for “me”, “you” and “him”.
Level 2 - ro- / po-I Love You: Ro- and Po-
These prefixes say “I love you”; the pronouns here cannot.
Level 2 - Who Comes First: I, You and He
The ranking of “I”, “you” and “he” decides who is marked on the verb, which is why “I love you” needs ro-.
Level 2 - About and At: rehe / re / heseAbout and at: Rehe
Rehe works the same way with pronouns: cherehe, nderehe, hese.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice chéve / ndéve / ichupe in Bubblegum
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