Emergency

1. Chepytyvõ!

   Che-py-ty-võ!

   Help me!

   Usage

   A cry for help in an emergency situation

   Grammar Note

   pytyvõ means "to help"; with the object prefix che- it becomes chepytyvõ, the standard imperative "help me"

2. Ehenói policía-pe!

   E-he-nó-i po-li-cí-a-pe!

   Call the police!

   Usage

   Asking someone to call the police in a dangerous situation

   Grammar Note

   henói means "to call"; the imperative takes e-, giving ehenói. The person called takes the postposition -pe. policía is a Spanish loanword

3. Ehenói ambulancia-pe!

   E-he-nó-i am-bu-lan-cia-pe!

   Call an ambulance!

   Usage

   Asking someone to call an ambulance in a medical emergency

   Grammar Note

   ehenói is the imperative of henói "to call"; the one called takes the postposition -pe. ambulancia is a Spanish loanword

4. Aha va'erã hospital-pe.

   A-ha va-'e-rã hos-pi-tal-pe.

   I need to go to the hospital.

   Usage

   Telling someone you need to get to a hospital

   Grammar Note

   Obligation is expressed by va'erã after the verb; aha is "I go".

5. Akañy ha ndaikuaái moõpa aime.

   A-ka-ñy ha nda-i-kua-ái mo-õ-pa a-i-me.

   I am lost.

   Usage

   Telling someone you are lost and need directions

   Grammar Note

   kañy means "to get lost / disappear" (Nde káusare akañy. "I got lost because of you"). Since it can also mean "to flee", the second clause makes the sense explicit

6. Ani rejapo ta'ãnga!

   A-ni re-ja-po ta-'ã-nga!

   Do not take photos!

   Usage

   Stopping someone from taking photos in a restricted area

   Grammar Note

   Prohibitions use ani plus the 2nd-person form (re-). ta'ãnga is "image/photo"; ta'angambyry means "television" and cannot mean photo

7. Oĩpa hospital ko'ápe?

   O-ĩ-pa hos-pi-tal ko-'á-pe?

   Is there a hospital near here?

   Usage

   Urgently looking for a nearby hospital

   Grammar Note

   oĩ means "to exist/be". Adding -pa makes it interrogative. hospital is a Spanish loanword

8. Che pasaporte okañy

   Che pa-sa-por-te o-ka-ñy

   I have lost my passport

   Usage

   Reporting a lost passport to authorities or bystanders

   Grammar Note

   kañy is the verb root "to be lost". o- is the third-person prefix in Guaraní

9. Ehenói peteĩ tapicha chepytyvõ hag̃ua!

   E-he-nói pe-te-ĩ ta-pi-cha che-py-ty-võ ha-g̃ua!

   Call someone for help!

   Usage

   Asking bystanders to call for help in an emergency

   Grammar Note

   hag̃ua forms a purpose clause "in order to"; chepytyvõ is the object prefix che- plus pytyvõ, "(he) helps me"

10. Aikotevẽ heta pohã

    A-i-ko-te-vẽ he-ta po-hã

    I need a lot of medicine

    Usage

    Communicating the need for medicine to a doctor or pharmacist

    Grammar Note

    aikotevẽ is "I need" (Aikotevẽ peteĩ pohãnohára. "I need a doctor"); "medicine" is pohã

11. pytyvõ

    Help

    Usage

    Show this to ask for help without speaking

12. tata guasu

    Fire

    Usage

    tata (fire) + guasu (big): an uncontrolled blaze, i.e. a fire disaster

13. mondaha

    Thief

    Usage

    monda (to steal) + -ha (agent): show it when reporting or raising the alarm

14. asalto

    Robbery

    Usage

    The Spanish loan used in Paraguayan reporting for an armed hold-up

15. secuestro

    Kidnapping

    Usage

    Guarani has no native term; the Spanish loan is used as is

16. jejuka

    Murder

    Usage

    je- (passive) + juka (to kill): a killing, for reporting a crime

17. Tata guasu! Eñani!

    Fire! Run!

    Usage

    Tata guasu (fire) followed by the imperative of ñani (to run)

18. Mondaha! Ejapyhy!

    Thief! Catch him!

    Usage

    Mondaha (thief) followed by the imperative of japyhy (to seize, to apprehend)

19. Ehenói bombero-pe!

    Please call the fire brigade

    Usage

    The "Ehenói X-pe!" ("call X") frame with bombero (firefighter); Guarani has no word for the fire engine itself

20. Moõpa oĩ comisaría?

    Where is the police station?

    Usage

    The "Moõpa oĩ X?" ("where is X?") frame; comisaría is used as-is inside Guarani sentences for a Paraguayan police station

21. Aipota ajapo peteĩ denuncia.

    I want to file a report

    Usage

    Show it at a police counter to say you want to file a report. The "Aipota a- ... peteĩ X" ("I want ...") frame with "denuncia" (a formal complaint). The sentence does not say what happened, so say or mime that part

22. Oĩpa peteĩ tapicha oñe'ẽva japonés?

    Is there anyone who speaks Japanese?

    Usage

    Combines the Oĩpa ...? frame, peteĩ tapicha (a person), and ñe'ẽ (to speak) with the relativiser -va

23. Chenupã.

    I was beaten

    Usage

    che- (me) + nupã (to beat), the same che- prefix construction as Chepytyvõ!; it reports the harm without naming who did it

24. Mondaha oike che rógape.

    A thief broke into my house

    Usage

    mondaha (thief) with oike (enters) and che róga (my house) + the locative -pe. Reports that a thief has entered your home

25. Upe tapicha culpable.

    That person is the culprit

    Usage

    upe tapicha (that person) plus culpable (the guilty one); a third-person nominal predicate takes no copula in Guarani

26. Chembotavy.

    I was deceived

    Usage

    che- (me) + mbotavy (to deceive)

27. Omonda che billetera.

    My wallet was stolen

    Usage

    "Omonda" is the third person of "monda" (to steal), followed by its object "che billetera" (my wallet). Keep the order "omonda + object": fronting the object ("Che billetera omonda") risks the reading "my wallet steals"

28. Che resarái.

    I left it behind

    Usage

    che + resarái (to forget), in the "Che + stative verb" frame

29. Oiko peteĩ accidente de tránsito.

    There has been a traffic accident

    Usage

    "Oiko peteĩ accidente" ("an accident has happened") narrowed with accidente de tránsito (road accident)

30. Chegueraha hospital-pe.

    Please take me to a hospital

    Usage

    The che- request form of Chepytyvõ! with gueraha (to take along) plus hospital-pe

31. Ikatúpa rejapo pya'e?

    Please hurry

    Usage

    Ikatúpa ("can you ...?") with rejapo ("you do") and pya'e ("quickly"): a polite request meaning "please hurry"

32. Eju ko'ág̃a!

    Please come right away

    Usage

    The imperative of ju (to come, as in Mamógui reju?) plus ko'ág̃a (now)

33. Kóva urgente.

    It's an emergency

    Usage

    kóva (this, as in Mba'épa kóva?) plus urgente (urgent); a third-person nominal predicate takes no copula

34. Cháke!

    Watch out!

    Usage

    Shouted to warn of immediate danger

35. Chekutu.

    I was stabbed

    Usage

    "Kutu" (to stab) with the first-person object prefix "che-"; "Chenupã" (I was beaten) is formed the same way

36. Ko tapicha py'amanóva.

    This person is unconscious

    Usage

    "Ko" means "this", "tapicha" is "person", and "py'amanóva" means "unconscious" (from "py'amano", to faint)

37. Peteĩ auto chembota.

    I was hit by a car

    Usage

    "Peteĩ auto" (a car) comes first as the agent, and the verb "mbota" (to hit, run over) takes the first-person object prefix "che-"; "Chenupã" (I was beaten) is built the same way

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