Nheengatú and Portuguese/Contrastive Grammar

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Grammatical differences

1. Gender

Unlike Portuguese, Nheengatú does not make a distinction between masculine and feminine nouns. Consequently, it also does not have noun-adjective agreement.

Example #1: (yrl) Ixé iepé apigaua marupiara. → (por) Eu sou um homem sortudo. ("I am a lucky man.")
Example #2: (yrl) Aé uuapika, asuí umbaú pirá uí irũmu nhaãsé aé i iumasi. → (por) Ela senta-se e come peixe com farinha porque ela está faminta. ("She sits down and eat the fish with flour because she is starving.")

2. Linking verbs

Unlike Portuguese, Nheengatú does not have linking verbs to connect NP to predicates.

Example #1: (yrl) Uií ara niti puranga pinaitikasara supé. → (por) Hoje o dia não é bom para os pescadores. ("Today is not a good day for fishermen.")
Example #2: (yrl) Londres taua turusu uiku uaá paranã rembiua upé. → (por) Londres é uma cidade grande que está nas margens do rio. ("London is a big city on the banks of the river.")

3. Future tense

4. Past tense

5. Definite article

Example #1: (yrl) Maria umbaú pirá i pu irũmu. → (por) Maria come o peixe com suas mãos. ("Maria eats the fish with her hands.")
Example #2: (yrl) Uií ara niti puranga pinaitikasara supé. → (por) Hoje o dia não é bom para os pescadores. ("London is a big city on the banks of the river.")

6. Tags used

7. Genitive case

Nheengatú indicates genitive case by flipping the order of the possessor and the possessed entity. In Portuguese, this form is generated as [POSSESSED_ENTITY] de [POSSESSOR].

Example #1: (yrl) Maria uuatá ara pukusaua taua rapéitá rupi. → (por) Maria anda durante o dia pelas ruas da cidade. ("Maria walks during the day through the city streets.")

8. Postpositions

In Portuguese, postpositions become prepositions.

Example #1: (yrl) I mimbira uiana upurungitá arama i manha irũmu. → (por) Seu filho corre para falar com sua mãe. ("Her son runs to talk to his mother.")
Example #2: (yrl) Uií ara niti puranga pinaitikasara supé. → (por) Hoje o dia não é bom para os pescadores. ("Today is not a good day for fishermen.")

yrl→por tests