mbaʼe
What
Mbaʼe asks what.
How It Works
Put mbaʼe at the front of the question, then the rest of the sentence in its usual order. The question needs no other change.
| Word | Built from | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| mbaʼe | the base word | what |
| mbaʼéicha | mbaʼe + -icha “like” | how |
| mbaʼére | mbaʼe + -re | why |
| mbaʼerã | mbaʼe + -rã “for” | why, what for |
The word keeps its stress on the last syllable, which is why the accent appears when -pa or -piko follows: mbaʼépa, mbaʼépiko. Write the puso, because it is part of the word.
As a noun, mbaʼe means “thing”. You will see it inside many words, such as mbaʼeve “nothing”.
A question word can stand without -pa. Mbaʼe ere? has no -pa, and Mbaʼépa rejapo? has it.
Examples (4)
- Mbaʼe ere?
What did you say?
Mbaʼe starts the question, and ere “you say” follows.
- Mbaʼépa rejapo?
What are you doing?
-pa joins mbaʼe and gives it an accent.
- Mbaʼépiko jajapóta?
What are we going to do?
-piko joins mbaʼe in the same way.
- Mbaʼépa umi marandu vai?
What is the bad news?
Mbaʼépa can ask about a thing in a sentence with no verb.
Common Mistakes
Leaving out the puso.
Mbae ere?Mbaʼe ere?The puso is a letter. It is part of the word, so mbae is misspelled.
Leaving out the accent before -pa.
Mbaʼepa rejapo?Mbaʼépa rejapo?The stress stays on the last syllable of mbaʼe, and the accent marks it when -pa follows.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Mbaʼe asks what and works together with -pa, so -pa comes first.
Related Patterns
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice mbaʼe in Bubblegum
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