Shopping

1. Mboýpa hepy kóva?

   Mboý-pa he-py kó-va?

   How much is this?

   Usage

   Basic phrase for asking the price of an item

   Grammar Note

   mboy (how many) + -pa (question particle); hepy ("costs") is the standard way to ask a price. ñorairõ means "war" and cannot mean "price"

2. Hepyeterei.

   He-py-e-te-rei.

   It is too expensive.

   Usage

   Saying the price is too high when bargaining

   Grammar Note

   -eterei is the intensifier "too / very"; hete means "body", not "very"

3. Ajoguáta kóva.

   A-jo-guá-ta kó-va.

   I will take this one.

   Usage

   Telling the seller you will buy this item

   Grammar Note

   "-ta" is a future tense suffix attached to verbs

4. Amañánte hína.

   A-ma-ñán-te hí-na.

   I am just looking.

   Usage

   Telling a shopkeeper you are just browsing

   Grammar Note

   -nte is the limiting clitic "only"; hína marks an action in progress

5. Oĩpa ñandutí ko'ápe?

   O-ĩ-pa ñan-du-tí ko-'á-pe?

   Do you have ñandutí lacework here?

   Usage

   Looking for ñandutí, Paraguay's traditional spider-web lace

   Grammar Note

   ñandutí is Paraguay's iconic traditional lace, considered a national treasure

6. Ikatúpa remboguejy michĩmi hepykue?

   I-ka-tú-pa rem-bo-gue-jy mi-chĩ-mi he-py-kue?

   Could you lower the price a little?

   Usage

   Negotiating a discount at a market or shop

   Grammar Note

   mbo- (causative) + guejy (to go down) = mboguejy "to lower"; hepykue is "price". kañy means "to flee" and has nothing to do with discounts

7. Iporãiterei chéve ko mba'e.

   I-po-rãi-te-rei ché-ve ko mba-'e.

   I like this product

   Usage

   Telling a vendor you like a particular item

   Grammar Note

   Guaraní has no transitive "to like"; it says iporã chéve ("it is good to me"). ro- means "I → you", so rohayhu would say "I love you"

8. Reipotápa kóva térã pe ambue?

   Rei-po-tá-pa kó-va té-rã pe am-bue?

   Will you take this one or the other?

   Usage

   Confirming a customer's choice between two options

   Grammar Note

   térã is the conjunction "or"; reipota is the second person of pota (to want). eike means "to enter" and is a different verb

9. Eñongatumi chéve ko mba'e.

   E-ño-nga-tu-mi ché-ve ko mba-'e.

   Please reserve this item for me

   Usage

   Asking a vendor to hold an item while you decide or get money

   Grammar Note

   ñongatu means "to keep / put away"; ñotỹ means "to sow seed" and cannot be used for holding an item

10. Eme'ẽmi chéve peteĩ recibo.

    E-me-'ẽ-mi ché-ve pe-teĩ re-ci-bo.

    Please give me a receipt

    Usage

    Requesting a receipt after making a purchase

    Grammar Note

    me'ẽ means "to give"; the e- imperative plus polite -mi makes a request. menga'u means "to make drunk", not "please give"

11. Ndaikotevẽi recibo.

    Nda-i-ko-te-vẽ-i re-ci-bo.

    I don't need a receipt

    Usage

    Declining a receipt at the till

    Grammar Note

    "Kotevẽ" means "need, to need". The negative wraps the verb in nd- … -i. The object follows with no postposition, as in "oikotevẽ yvyve" (needs more land). "recibo" is the established Spanish loan used in jopara

Browse all TravelPhrases languages