Culture
Living culture
A bilingual country where Guaraní is spoken on the street, on the radio and at home. Ñandutí lace, harp, polka and guarania, myths still told and festivals handed down.
Mba'éichapaSay it: mba-ÉI-sha-paHi, how are you?The most common greeting, at any time of day and with anyone.
Iporã, ha nde?Say it: i-po-RÃ, ja n-DÉFine, and you?The natural reply to mba'éichapa.
IporãnteSay it: i-po-rãn-TÉJust fineA modest, very Paraguayan reply.
MaiteiSay it: mai-TÉIWarm greetingsA warm greeting when arriving or in writing; often seen on welcome signs.
Mba'éichapa nde pyhareveSay it: mba-ÉI-sha-pa nde pï-ja-re-VÉGood morningIn the morning.
Mba'éichapa nde ka'aruSay it: mba-ÉI-sha-pa nde ka-'a-RÚGood afternoonAfter midday.
Mba'éichapa nde pyhareSay it: mba-ÉI-sha-pa nde pï-ja-RÉGood eveningAs a greeting once night falls.
Eguahẽ porãSay it: e-gua-JẼ po-RÃWelcomeTo one person; to a group, say peguahẽ porã.
AguyjeSay it: a-gu-YÉThank youThe word you'll use most.
AguyjeveteSay it: a-gu-ye-ve-TÉThank you very muchTo thank someone warmly for a kindness or a favor.
Mba'eveSay it: mba-'e-VÉYou're welcome / nothingThe reply to aguyje.
HeẽSay it: je-ẼYesWith a nasal final e.
NahániriSay it: na-JÁ-ni-riNoA clear, polite 'no'.
Ha upéi?Say it: ja u-PÉISo, what's new?An informal greeting between friends.
Mba'e pa la situación?Say it: mba-'É pa la si-tua-SIÓNHow's it going?A classic of urban jopara; coming from a foreigner, it always gets a smile.
Mba'éicha nde réra?Say it: mba-ÉI-sha nde RÉ-raWhat's your name?To introduce yourself.
Che réra ...Say it: she RÉ-ra ...My name is ...Followed by your name.
Moõguápa nde?Say it: mo-õ-GUÁ-pa ndeWhere are you from?The question you'll hear most once people notice your accent.
Che aju ...guiSay it: she a-YÚ ...guiI come from ...The suffix -gui ('from') attaches to the place: Che aju Brasilgui, I come from Brazil.
Avy'a roikuaáguiSay it: a-vï-'Á roi-kua-Á-guiNice to meet youLiterally, 'I'm glad because I know you'.
Reñe'ẽpa guaraníme?Say it: re-ñe-'Ẽ-pa gua-ra-NÍ-meDo you speak Guarani?The answer will almost always be 'heẽ'.
Sa'imi añe'ẽ guaranímeSay it: sa-'i-MÍ a-ñe-'Ẽ gua-ra-NÍ-meI speak a little GuaraniA magic phrase for winning anyone over.
NdaikuaáiSay it: ndai-kua-ÁII don't knowHandy when someone asks you something in Guaraní and you don't understand.
NdaikatúiSay it: ndai-ka-TÚII can'tTo decline politely.
NdaipóriSay it: ndai-PÓ-riThere isn't anyYou'll hear it at corner stores and stalls when something has sold out; 'ndaipóri problema' means 'no problem'.
ÑyrõSay it: ñï-RÕSorry, excuse meTo apologize.
EjumínaSay it: e-yu-MÍ-naCome here, pleaseThe suffix -mína softens any request, like saying 'please'.
Jaha!Say it: ya-JÁLet's go!To get going, in any situation.
Jaha jajerokySay it: ya-JÁ ya-ye-ro-KÝLet's dance!At a patron-saint festival or a polka dance.
Ja'u!Say it: ya-'ÚLet's eat! / Let's drink!An invitation to the table or to a round of tereré.
Che rembyahýiSay it: she rem-bia-JÏII'm hungryJust before a good helping of sopa paraguaya (Paraguay's savory cornbread).
Che y'uhéiSay it: she ï-'u-JÉII'm thirstyThe perfect excuse to ask for a tereré.
Heterei!Say it: je-te-RÉIDelicious!The best compliment for the cook.
Che ryguataSay it: she rï-gua-TÁI'm fullTo stop a third helping of chipa guasu (a fresh-corn soufflé).
Aipota peteĩ chipaSay it: ai-po-TÁ pe-te-Ĩ shi-PÁI'd like one chipaWith the chipa seller or at a snack bar.
Mboýpa hepy?Say it: mbo-Ï-pa je-PÏHow much is it?At markets and craft fairs.
Hepyeterei!Say it: je-pï-e-te-RÉIIt's too expensive!For haggling with humor, without giving offense.
Moõpa oĩ ...?Say it: mo-Õ-pa o-Ĩ ...Where is ...?For example: Moõpa oĩ pe baño? (where's the bathroom?), in jopara.
Mombyry piko?Say it: mom-bï-RÏ pi-KÓIs it far?Piko marks the question. The opposite of mombyry is ag̃ui, 'near'.
Ag̃aiteSay it: a-ngai-TÉRight awayBeware of 'Paraguayan time': ag̃aite can mean in a few minutes... or in quite a while.
Ko'ẽrõSay it: ko-'Ẽ-rõTomorrowTo make plans for the next day.
Haku!Say it: ja-KÚIt's hot!You'll say it a lot between October and March.
Ro'y!Say it: ro-'ÏIt's cold!For those frosty July mornings.
Iporãiterei!Say it: i-po-rãi-te-RÉIBeautiful!For a landscape, a craft or a well-played polka.
Nde porãSay it: nde po-RÃYou're beautifulA kind compliment; use it respectfully.
Nde resa porãSay it: nde re-SÁ po-RÃYou have beautiful eyesA classic compliment from the songs; best saved for when you know each other well.
RohayhuSay it: ro-jai-JÚI love youIt turns up in dozens of guaranias.
Che ra'aSay it: she ra-'ÁMy friendAn affectionate, familiar way of addressing someone.
Nde rorySay it: nde ro-RÏYou look happy!Said to someone who arrives smiling or in a good mood; rory means happy.
Avy'aitereiSay it: a-vï-'ai-te-RÉII'm very happyTo say thanks for a great experience.
UpéichaSay it: u-PÉI-shaThat's rightTo agree with someone in conversation.
Opa!Say it: o-PÁIt's over! / Done!When something is finished, or to seal a deal.
KuñataĩSay it: ku-ña-ta-ĨYoung womanA word from the songs: it appears in 'Recuerdos de Ypacaraí'.
Karai / KuñakaraiSay it: ka-RÁI / ku-ña-ka-RÁISir / MadamA respectful form of address for older people.
Peteĩ, mokõi, mbohapySay it: pe-te-Ĩ, mo-KÕI, mbo-ja-PÏOne, two, threeFor counting chipas; in everyday life, larger numbers are usually said in Spanish.
AhátaSay it: a-JÁ-taI'm leavingJust before saying goodbye.
JajotopataSay it: ya-yo-to-pa-TÁSee youThe most common farewell.
Jajohecha peveSay it: ya-yo-je-SHÁ pe-VÉUntil we meet againA slightly more formal farewell.
Ñandejára toñangareko ndereheSay it: ñan-de-YÁ-ra to-ñan-ga-re-KÓ nde-re-JÉMay God look after youA parting blessing often given by older people.
About Guaraní
In Paraguay, Guaraní is no museum piece: it's spoken at home, in the market, at the soccer field and on the radio, by people of every background — not just Indigenous communities. It is an official language alongside Spanish, and most Paraguayans use it every day, either on its own or blended with Spanish in the famous jopara. For visitors, a few words — mba'éichapa, aguyje, jajotopata — go further than any guidebook: they spark smiles, conversations and, sometimes, an invitation to share a round of tereré (Paraguay's iced yerba mate).
- The 1992 Constitution (Article 140) declares Paraguay a multicultural and bilingual country, with Spanish and Guaraní as official languages.
- The 1967 Constitution, enacted on August 25, recognized Guaraní as a national language for the first time; that's why August 25 is Guaraní Language Day.
- According to the 2025 Continuous Permanent Household Survey by the national statistics institute (INE, published in February 2026), 38.7% of people aged 5 and over speak both Guaraní and Spanish at home, 27.9% mainly Guaraní and 30.9% mainly Spanish: two out of three use Guaraní at home.
- Guaraní is strongest in the countryside and in departments such as San Pedro, Caazapá and Concepción; in Asunción, Spanish predominates.
- The Languages Law (No. 4251 of 2010) created the Secretariat of Language Policy and the Guaraní Language Academy, which sets the rules for writing it.
- Since 2006 Guaraní has been one of Mercosur's official languages, along with Spanish and Portuguese.
- It's a unique case in the Americas: a language of Indigenous origin spoken by the majority of the population, even though Indigenous peoples make up only a small share of the country's inhabitants.
- The Guaraní alphabet has 33 letters, including six oral vowels (a, e, i, o, u, y), six nasal vowels marked with a tilde (ã, ẽ, ĩ, õ, ũ, ỹ), digraphs such as mb, nd, ng, nt, ch and rr, the nasal g̃ and the puso ('), a glottal stop.
- In almost every word the stress falls on the last syllable; an accent mark is written only when it falls elsewhere, as in mba'éichapa.
- During the Chaco War (1932–1935), Guaraní was the language of the trenches and was used for field communications that the enemy struggled to understand.
- Many place names are Guaraní: Caacupé comes from ka'aguy kupe, 'behind the forest'; Itá means 'stone'; Areguá, Ypacaraí and Yaguarón all have Guaraní roots.
- Besides Paraguayan Guaraní, some 19 Indigenous languages from five language families are spoken in the country, such as Mbya, Aché, Nivaclé, Ayoreo and Maká.
Jopara means 'mixture' in Guaraní (it's also the name of a bean-and-hominy stew). It's the most common way of speaking in Paraguay: sentences that start in Spanish and end in Guaraní, Spanish verbs with Guaraní suffixes ('ajugáta', I'm going to play) or greetings like '¿mba'e pa la situación?'. It isn't 'bad Guaraní' or 'bad Spanish': it's the living language of the street, the radio, soccer and jokes, and understanding it means understanding Paraguayan humor. Purists prefer 'academy' Guaraní, but at the market you'll hear jopara.