Usually: -va

Level 4

-va can mean “in the habit of”: Pyʼỹi aháva pende rógape “I often go to your house”.

How It Works

The ending -va has a second job besides the “the one who” job, which has its own lesson. On a verb with a plain subject, it can show a habit: something the person does regularly.

  • ajapo “I make” gives ajapóva “I am in the habit of making”.
  • Pyʼỹi aháva pende rógape “I often go to your house”.

The ending is unstressed, so the stress stays on the root and shows as an accent: aháva, ajapóva, reguerúva. The Academy grammar shows the whole set for guerú “bring”: aguerúva, reguerúva, oguerúva.

A word for “often”, such as pyʼỹi, usually sits in the sentence and makes the meaning clear. Without it, the same word can be read as “the one who goes”, so the sentence decides.

Guarani has other ways to talk about habits: jepi “usually”, and -mi for a habit in the past (“used to”).

Examples (4)

  1. Pyʼỹi aháva pende rógape.

    I often go to your house.

    Pyʼỹi means “often”. Aháva is aha “I go” plus -va, with the accent on há.

  2. Ajapóva.

    I do it as a habit.

    A-japo-va: “I am in the habit of making it”.

  3. Pyʼỹi reguerúva chéve kesu.

    You often bring me cheese.

    Reguerúva is reguerú “you bring” plus -va. Chéve is “to me”, and it comes before the thing brought.

  4. Pyʼỹi ohóva mboʼehaópe.

    He often goes to school.

    Ohóva is oho “he goes” plus -va. Pyʼỹi shows that it is a habit.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out the accent before -va.

    Pyʼỹi ahava pende rógape.
    Pyʼỹi aháva pende rógape.

    The ending -va is unstressed, so the stress stays on há and needs its accent.

How It Connects

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

Usually: -vaLevel 4

Learn This First

This habit ending is -va after a verb, and it is close in meaning to jepi.