Urging With -py

Level 3

-py urges: eguatápy “walk, then!”.

How It Works

Guarani has four small endings that change how a command feels. Each one comes after the command verb.

Ending	Feel	Example
-ke	forceful	embaʼapóke “work!”
-na	polite request	ehechána “look, please”
-mi	gentle, with affection	ehendumi “please listen for a minute”
-py	urging, or repeating an order	eguatápy “walk, then!”

-Py also goes with the “let us” form: jaha “let us go” becomes jahápy.

The ending is unstressed, so the stress stays on the verb: eguatápy, not eguatapy.

These endings are hard to put into English. For -py, a translation may use “then”, “go on” or “come on”.

Eguatápy!
Walk, then!
Eguata “walk!” plus -py. The accent shows the stress stays on tá.
Jahápy.
Come on, let us go.
-py adds a push to jaha “let us go”.
Ekarúpy!
Eat, then!
Ekaru “eat!” plus -py, with the accent on rú.
Pehópy!
Go, then, all of you!
Peho is the command for “you all”. -py urges them on.

Leaving out the accent.
Eguatapy!
Eguatápy!
-py is unstressed, so the accent marks the stress on tá.

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

Urging With -pyLevel 3

The ending -py urges after a command, so commands come first.

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