Kaingang and Portuguese/Contrastive Grammar

Five constrastive differences between Portuguese and Kaingang are:

1) Portuguese has gendered nouns, and Kaingang does not.

Inh mré nĩ fi vỹ tỹ, inh kafã fi nĩ.

Minha esposa é minha companheira

"My wife is my companion."

2) Kaingang has subject markers, and Portuguese does not.

Inh<prn> kósin<n> tỹ<subj><erg> ẽgno<n> vỹ<subj><top>, inh<prn> mỹ<post> tũg<v><iv>.

Meu<prn> filho<n><masc> caçula<adj> morreu<v><3p><past?>.

"My youngest son died"

3) Tense is expressed in the verb in Portuguese, and not in Kaingang.

4) The copula verb "be" is formed with an existance-marking aspect marker in Kaingang, and with a verb in Portuguese.

Tỹ<ex> ti<prn> ã<prn> jãmré<n> nĩ<aspect>.

É<v> seu<prn> cunhado.<n>’

"He is his brother-in-law."

Inh mỹ tóg tỹ øn há nĩ ve nĩ.

‘para mi (cir.) ele(s.tóg) tÿ(ind.ex.) parece bom(predicado) é(ind.a.)

Tenho a impressão que ele é bom.’

5) Kaingang has post-positions, Portuguese has pre-positions.

Nĩ<v><iv><sg> ra<cir>, ẽprã<cir>!

Senta<v><3p> n<prep>o<det> chão<n><masc>!

Sit in the chair!

Ẽg<prn> jagfy<cir> tóg<subj> ter<v>, Jesus<n>.

Por<prep> nós<prn> morreu<v> Jesus<n>.

"Jesus died for us."