Wishes With t-
T- plus a person marker means “may” or “let”: Topurahéi “May he sing”.
How It Works
The prefix t- comes before the person marker. It makes a wish, a hope or a permission, and English uses “may” or “let”. The result is one word, and the person marker inside it tells you who the wish is for.
| Who | Marker | With gueraha “take, carry” |
|---|---|---|
| I | ta- | tagueraha |
| you (one person) | tere- | teregueraha |
| he, she, they | to- | togueraha |
| we (with you) | taja- | tajagueraha |
| we (not you) | toro- | torogueraha |
| you (more than one) | tape- | tapegueraha |
When the verb has a nasal root, taña- takes the place of taja-. Greetings and blessings use this form: Tereg̃uahẽ porãite to one person and Tapeg̃uahẽ porãite to a group, both meaning “Welcome”. To say “may he not”, end the verb with -ʼỹ: touʼỹ “may he not come”.
Examples (5)
- Topurahéi.
May he sing.
To- is the wish marker for he, she or they. Purahéi is “sing”.
- Tereg̃uahẽ porãite!
Welcome!
Tere- is the wish form for one person. Say it when someone arrives.
- Tapeg̃uahẽ porãite!
Welcome, everybody!
Tape- is the wish form for more than one person.
- Ñandejára tanderovasa.
May God bless you.
Ñandejára is “God”. Ta- is t- plus the helping vowel a, then comes nde- “you” (the one blessed) and rovasa “bless”.
- Tomeʼẽ ñane mboʼehárape iñaranduka.
Let him give his book to our teacher.
To- is the wish form for he or she: “let him give”.
Common Mistakes
Using the plain verb when you mean a wish.
Opurahéi.Topurahéi.Opurahéi says that he sings. Put t- before the person marker to say “may he sing”.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The t- wish is a push like a command, but for he, she or they.
Related Patterns
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Wishes With t- in Bubblegum
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