Leksion Chamoru: Prefix tak-

Tak- is a comparative prefix that is used with location and direction words. Essentially, tak- takes the direction/location and makes it "in a far place/degree."

• Hulo' = Up, above, on top of.
  Tak- + hulo' =>; Takkilo' = High, in a (high) far up place.
• Påpa' = Down, below, bottom, southward, downward, beneath.
  Tak- + påpa' =>; Takpapa' = Low, in a (low) far down place.
• Huyong = Out, ouside.
  Tak- + huyong =>; Takhiyong = Far out, in a far out place.

Another way to consider the prefix tak- is that it indicates a place greater degree, but not the greatest degree.

• Hålom = In, inside.
  Tak- + hålom =>; Takhalom = Inner, in a (inner) far inside place.
  (i.e. in an inner area, but not necessarily the innermost place)
• Fo'na* = Ahead, be first.
  Tak- + fo'na =>; Takfe'na = Out front, in a (forward) far up front place.
  (i.e. in a more forward position, but not necessarily the farthest out front)

Let's go ahead and use the above examples in sentences to get a better feeling of what tak- actually does.

• Ti siña hu taka' i kisami sa' gof takkilo'. = I can't reach the ceiling because it's very high up.
• Hunggan, takpapa' i presio-ña, lao, åhe', ti baråtu ha'. = Yes, its price is low, but, no, it's not really cheap.
• Sumåsåga yo' takhiyong gi siudåt. = I live far outside of the city.
• Bai sångåni hao ginen takhalom gi korason-hu. = I'll tell you from deep inside my heart.
• Ti un li'e' yo' gi fila sa' gof takfe'na hao. = You didn't see me in line, because you were far up front (in line).

Tak- also follows the rules of vowel harmony, meaning, in general, we change the first vowel in the root word from å to a, o to e, and u to i. The prefix also assumes the primary stress of the new word, so the above examples would be pronounced:

• Takhilo' => TACK-he-loo'
  Takkilo' => TACK-key-loo'
• Takpapa' => TACK-pa-pa'
• Takhiyong => TACK-he-yung
• Takhalom => TACK-ha-lum
• Takfe'na => TACK-feh'-nah

*Mo'na (preposition/past participle form of fo'na) is not really used with the prefix tak-. Instead we use the general/future/command form fo'na.

Leksion Chamoru: Prefix san-

San- is called a directional prefix. However, "directional" doesn't fully explain what it does. San- marks a position rather than a relative location. In other words san- changes "above"/"upon" to "(the) top of"; "outside of" to "(the) outside of"; "behind" to "(the) back of." Here are some examples:

• Hulo' = Up, above, on top of.
  San- + hulo' => Sanhilo' = Above (preposition), (the) top of.
• Mo'na = Front, be first, in front of, forward.
  San- + mo'na => Sanme'na = Front side of, front of.
• Hålom = In, into, inside, enter.
  San- + hålom => Sanhalom = Inside, interior, internal, in, into.

Just giving the definitions to the words might not help too much, so here are some examples in sentences:

• Hu po'lo i yabi-hu gi hilo' lamasa. = I put my keys on (top of) the table.
  Hu po'lo i yabi-hu gi sanhilo' i lamasa. = I put my keys on (the) top of the table.
• Gaige i ga'-hu ga'lågu gi me'nan guma'. = My dog is in front of the house.
  Gaige i ga'-hu ga'lågu gi sanme'nan guma'. = My dog is on the front part of the house. = My dog is in the front yard.
• Siña hao mañodda' pugas gi halom i tenda. = You can find rice in the store.
  Siña hao mañodda' pugas gi sanhalom i tenda. = You can find rice (on the) inside (of) the store (as opposed to on the outside).

The prefix san- is only used with location words, e.g. hålom (in), mo'na (front), lågu (north--Guam, west--Saipan), etc.
San- also follows the rules of vowel harmony. Meaning that in general you "pull back" the first vowel of the root word, i.e.: å to a, o to e, and u to i.

Leksion Chamoru: Prefix na'-

One of the most common prefixes in Chamorro is na'-. The formal definition is that na'- is a causative prefix, that just means that it causes or makes something to happen. To use the prefix you simply add it in front something to be caused. Here are some examples:

• Hånao = To go.
  Na'- + hånao => Na'hånao = To make (someone) go.
• Sugon = To drive (the car/cart/...).
  Na'- + sugon => Na'sugon = To make (somone) drive (the car/cart/...)
• Bulåchu = Drunk, intoxicated.
  Na'- + bulåchu => Na'bulåchu = To make (someone) drunk, to intoxicate (someone).
• Magof = Happy.
  Na'- + magof => Na'magof = To make (someone) happy.

Notice that na'- causes "someone" or "something" to do whatever na'- is attached to. Using the above examples we can start to see what that means:

• Na'hånao i lahi-mu para i tenda. = Make your son go to the store.
• I tata ha na'sugon i hagå-ña ni kareta = The father made his daughter drive the car.
• Ma na'bulåchu yo' gi painge. = They got me drunk last night.
• Na'magof si nånå-mu! = Make your mother happy!

The more grammatically technical part of the prefix na'- is that you need to keep plural and "transitive" aspect of the verbs intact. That is to say, if the verb is plural, then keep it plural, and if the verb is "intransitive", then keep it that way. Also, since it's a potential action, things change to the future forms. Hopefully some examples will make more sense:

• Manhånao siha. = They went/go.
  Na'- + manhånao => Na'fanhånao
  Ha na'fanhånao siha = He made them leave
• Mañugon yo' = I drive/drove.
  Na'- + mañugon => Na'fañugon
  Si tåtå-hu ha na'fañugon yo'. = My father caused me to drive.
• Mambulåchu i lalåhi. = The men are drunk.
  Na'- + mambulåchu => Na'fambulåchu
  I famalao'an ma na'fambulåchu i lalåhi gi painge. = The women got the men (caused them to become) drunk last night.
• Manmagof i famagu'on. = The children are happy.
  Na'- + manmagof => Na'fanmagof
  Nihi para Disneyland ya ta na'fanmagof i famagu'on. = Let's go to Disneyland and make the children happy.

 One last thing to keep in mind is accentuation/pronunciation. In all the above examples the prefix na'- does not change the emphasis/stress of the syllables. However, in some cases na'- takes the primary stress of the new word; in these cases na'- means "one who causes" or "that which makes." There are several well known examples of this case:

• Na'magof = One who makes others happy.
  Pronounced: NAH'-ma-guf
• Na'bubu = One who makes others angry.
  Pronounced: NAH'-boo-boo
• Na'chålek = One who makes others laugh; something which causes laughter.
  Pronounced: NAH'-chuh-lick
• Na'o'son = One who makes others bored; boring, tiresome.
  Pronounced: NAH'-o'-sun
• Na'må'åse' = One who makes others merciful; miserable; pitiful; pathetic; wretched.
  Pronounced: NAH'-muh'-see'; Nah'-muh'-ah-see'

Leksion Chamoru: Prefix mina'-

Mina'- is a very simple prefix, it is an "ordinal marker." That just means that it takes a "cardinal" number (2, 3, 4...) and changes it to an ordinal (2nd, 3rd, 4th...).

• Dos (two) => Mina'dos (second)
• Bente (twenty) => Mina'bente (twentieth)
• Katotse (fourteen) => Mina'katotse (fourteenth)

Only the number 1 is different,

• Unu (one) => Fine'na/Finene'na/Fine'nana (first)

Fine'na/Finene'na/Fine'nana all come from the root fo'na/mo'na (front).

Leksion Chamoru: Prefix mi-

The prefix mi- is added to nouns to say "full of" or "plenty of." Here are some examples:

• åcho' = rock
  Mi- + åcho' => Mi'acho' = Full of rocks, rocky.
  
• kulot = color
  Mi- + kulot => Mikulot = Full of color, colorful.
• unai = sand
  Mi- + unai => Mi'inai = Full of sand, sandy.

The primary stress of the new word falls on mi-, so for the above examples we get:

• Mi'acho' => ME'-a-choo'
• Mikulot => ME-koo-lut
• Mi'inai => ME'-ee-nigh

One thing to note is that mi- follows the rules of vowel harmony. That just means that, in general, the first vowel of the root word is "pulled back." I.e.: å to a, o to e, and u to i.

Leksion Chamoru: Prefix la-

The prefix la- is a comparative degree marker meaning slightly or a little bit more. It can be used with most nouns and adjectives/adverbs in Chamorro, however here are several which are more commonly known/used:

• Maolek = Good, well.
  La- + maolek => Lamaolek = Better (slightly).
• Meggai = Many, several.
  La- + meggai => Lameggai = Very many.
• Bunitu = Beautiful.
  La- + bunitu => Labunitu = More (slightly) beautiful, prettier.
• Chaddek = Fast.
  La- + chaddek => Lachaddek = Faster.
• Guse' = Quick, lively.
  La- + guse' => Laguse' = Quicker, livelier.

You can also use the word mås to mean "more," but some words, like chaddek, usually use the prefix la- rather than mås, i.e., it is more common to hear lachaddek rather than mås chaddek.

The prefix also takes the primary stress of new word, so for the above examples:

• Lamaolek => LA-mao-lick
• Lameggai => LA-meg-guy
• Labunitu => LA-boo-knee-too
• Lachaddek => LA-chad-deck
• Laguse' => LA-goo-see'

Note: Some use la- to almost mean "to make more..." rather than just "more." This is not "wrong" per se, but it is safer to use na'la- or na'mås.

Leksion Chamoru: Prefix ke-

The prefix ke- is used to mean "to try to" or "about to."

• Tungo' (to know) => Ketungo' (to try to know, about to know)
• Målångu (sick) => Kemålångu (to try to get sick, about to be sick)
• Chule' (to take) => Kechule' (to try to take, about to take)
• Såga (to stay) => Kesåga (to try to stay, about to stay)

It is relatively simply to use within a Chamorro sentence after you've affixed ke- to the word, you just use the new word according to if it's a "man-" or "-um-" verb. So, using the above examples:

• Ketungo' ("man-" verb) => Hu ketungo' i na'ån-ña. (I tried to know his/her name.)
• Kemålångu ("-um-" verb) => Kumemålångu i patgon. (The child was about to be (getting) sick.)
• Kechule' ("man-" verb) => Ha kechule' i bola ginen i ga'chong-ña. (He tried to take the ball from his friend.)
• Kesåga ("-um-" verb) => Kumesåga si Juan giya Yoña. (Juan was trying to stay/live in Yoña.)

One thing to keep in mind is that the prefix ke- shows up in several different forms, but they are are essentially the same: keke- (reduplication of ke-), mange- (man- + ke-), mangeke- (man- + keke-). For example:

• Ketungo' => Ha keketungo' ki ora måbaba i tenda. (He is trying to know (figure out) what time the store will be opened.)
• Kemålångu => Mangekemålångu i tres na lålåhi. (The three men were about to be (getting) sick.)

Sometimes the word "chagi" is used to mean "to try to," however, while similar it is essentially different than the prefix ke-. "Chagi" does indeed mean "to try," but it is in the sense of testing, attempting, or proving.

Leksion Chamoru: Prefix ha-

The prefix ha- is used to mean "usually" or "often." Here are some examples to help clarify that a bit:

• Målångu = Sick.
  Ha- + målångu => Hamålångu = Sickly, often is sick.
• Måleffa = Forgot.
  Ha- + måleffa => Hamåleffa = Forgetful, usually forgets.
• Fåtta = Lacking, missing, absent.
  Ha- + fåtta => Hafåtta = Usually lacking, usually missing, often absent.

There are also several other ways to connote similar ideas in Chamorro, such as "sesso (continuously, often)," "fihu (often)," "todu i tiempo (always, all the time)," etc.

One thing to note about "ha-" is that it forces the primary stress to fall on the first syllable. Using the above examples, we get:

• Hamålångu => HA-ma-luh-ngoo
• Hamåleffa => HA-ma-lef-fa
• Hafåtta => HA-fut-ta
  

Leksion Chamoru: Prefix gi-

The prefix gi- is not used as frequently anymore as it once was, but the concept is rather simple. Gi- just represents origin and/or residence. Here are some examples:

• Gi- + Luta => Gilita (a person from Rota)
• Gi- + Yo'ña => Giye'ña (a person from Yona)
• Gi- + Guåhan => Giguahan (a person from Guam)

This construction is still used, but is often replaced by "taotao ___."

When you add the prefix gi- to a noun the rules of vowel harmony apply. The prefix "pulls back" the sound of the vowel that follows, where applicable. I.e.: In general, we change the first vowel in the root word from å to a, o to e, and u to i.

Leksion Chamoru: Prefix ge'-

The prefix ge'- is a comparative degree marker for directions. In essence it means "further (in a direction)." Here are some examples:

• Hålom = Go in, go inside, enter.
  Ge'- + hålom => Ge'halom = further inside, deeper inside
  
• Hulo' = Up, above, on top.
  Ge'- + hulo' => Ge'hilo' = further up, higher, a little upward
• Kåttan = East (Guam and Rota), north (Saipan).
  Ge'- + kåttan => Ge'kattan = further eastward, eastwardly, easterly direction
• Mågi = Here (towards the direction of the speaker).
  Ge'- + mågi => Ge'magi = further towards here

There is another prefix (hat-) that does something very similar to ge'-, however ge'- puts more emphasis on the location rather than the action.
Ge'- also takes the primary stress of the new word. For the above examples:

• Ge'halom => GE'-ha-lum
• Ge'hilo'=> GE'-hee-loo'
• Ge'kattan => GE'-cut-tan
• Ge'magi => GE'-ma-gi

The prefix also follows the rules of vowel harmony, which means that we change the first vowel of the root word from å to a, o to e, and u to i.

Leksion Chamoru: Prefix ga'-

The prefix ga'- has two completely different uses. The first use of ga'- is that of an animal classifier, and the second is that of connoting preference, or strong liking towards something.

Ga'- : Animal Classifier
While many Chamorro speakers decide not to use this construction, it's still used by most, and is not very difficult to understand. In this application ga'- simply denotes an animal.

The most common usage of the prefix is with one of the possessive suffixes, i.e., -hu, -mu, -ña, etc. For example:

• Ga'-hu = My animal
• Ga'-ña = His/Her animal
  
• Ga'-ñiha = Their animal

The prefix also may be added to the beginning of other words to indicate "an animal of." However, I know only of one instance where this happens in modern Chamorro:

• Ga'lågu = Dog

Note: Ga'lågu did not mean "animal from the north," it originally meant "animal from outside the island."

Ga'- : Strong liking or Preference

This application of the prefix is rather simple, because when it's added to the front of a word it just means that it's preferred or strongly liked. Here are some examples:

• Ga'sålåpe' si Juan. = John really likes/loves money.
• Ga'kumentos gue'. = S/he likes to talk (is talkative).
• Ga'maigo' si Maria. = Maria loves to sleep.
  

Leksion Chamoru: Prefix fa'-

The prefix fa'- has two rather unique meanings. The first means "to change to." The second is similar, although markedly different, it means "to pretend," "make believe," or "feign." Here are some examples.

Fa'- = "to change to":

• Maolek = good or well.
  Fa'- + maolek => fa'maolek = to fix, repair, or make better.
• Nå'an = name.
  Fa'- + nå'an => fa'na'an = to nickname, to name, or to call someone by a name other than their own.
• Dagi = to lie.
  Fa'- + dagi => fa'dagi = to belie, to create a false impression, or to use as an excuse.

Fa'- = "to pretend to":

• Bunita = beautiful (female)
  Fa'- + bunita => fa'bunita = to pretend to be beautiful.
• Guåha = to exist, to have.
  Fa'- + guåha => fa'guaha = to pretend to have or to put on airs.
• Måleffa = to be unable to recall.
  Fa'- + måleffa => fa'maleffa = to pretend to forget.

This prefix leaves the primary stress of the root word intact. However, it does follow the rules of vowel harmony. All this means is that on most words we change the first vowel from å to a, from o to e, and from u to i.

Leksion Chamoru: Prefix må-

The "passive marker" prefix må- is one of the most frequently used prefixes in the Chamorro language. If you like the grammar explanation, it changes a verb from the active voice to the passive. If you don't particularly care for grammatical things, then it's pretty much like adding "-ed" to an English verb.
Hopefully these examples will clear up what I mean:

• Fa'tinas = Cook, make
  Må- + fa'tinas => Måfa'tinas = Cooked, made
  
• Åligao = Search (for), look (for)
  Må- + åligao => Må'åligao = Searched (for), looked (for)
  
• Sotta = Release
  Må- + sotta => Måsotta = Released
• Li'e' = See
  Må- + li'e' => Måli'e' = Seen
• Konne' = Take (living object)
  Må- + konne' => Måkonne' = Taken
• Tuna = Bless, praise
  Må- + tuna => Måtuna = Blessed, praised
  

When you add må-, you need to follow it with a noun or yo'-type pronouns. Here are some examples with active voice, then passive following:

• Ha fa'tinas i kaddo. = He cooks (did cook) the soup.
  Måfa'tinas i kaddo. = The soup was cooked.
• Hu åligao si Juan. = I search (did search) for John.
  Må'åligao si Juan. = John was searched for.
• Ma sotta i paluma. = They release (did release) the bird.
  Måsotta i paluma. = The bird was released.
• Un li'e' i palao'an. = You see (did see) the woman.
  Måli'e' i palao'an. = The woman was seen.

The prefix må- is easy to confuse with the hu-type pronoun ma, but try not to. Just like the example above "Ma sotta" vs. " Måsotta," the meaning can have important yet subtle differences.

Leksion Chamoru: The prefix chat-

Chat- is similar to the English prefixes "dis-," "un-," "in-," "mis-," "anti-," etc., but all rolled into one. It is a prefix which gives a negative or derogatory inclination to words. Here are some examples:

• Hinasso = A thought or a memory
  Chat- + hinasso => Chathinasso = A worry or a concern.
• Fino' = To speak, to articulate.
  Chat- + fino' => Chatfino' = To curse, to bad-mouth.
• Måsa = Cooked, ripe.
  Chat- + måsa => Chatmåsa = Premature, unripened, uncooked.

There are several instances where the derived word's meaning isn't obvious:

• Li'e' = To see.
  Chat- + li'e' => Chatli'e' = To fail to see something clearly.
  But it also means:
  Chat- + li'e' => Chatli'e' = To hate, to detest, to abhor.
• På'go = Pleasant, beautiful.
  Chat- + på'go => Chatpå'go = Ugly, unpleasant, disagreeable, contrary to beauty, offensive to look upon.
• Såga = To stay, to dwell.
  Chat- + såga => Chatsåga = Difficult, hard.

The prefix chat- is another prefix which forces the primary stress of the word to fall on the first syllable. So for some of the examples above:

• Chatfino' => CHAT-fee-new'
• Chatli'e' => CHAT-lee'-ee'
• Chatsåga => CHAT-suh-gah'
  

Leksion Chamoru: The prefix an-

An- is used to indicate the leftovers or even refuse of whatever it's attached to. It usually indicates something that is almost useless. Here are a few examples:

• Kånno' = To eat.
  Ankånno' = Leftover food (to be thrown away).
  So ankånno' would indicate the stuff on your plate when you're completely through eating.
  
• Sopbla = Remains, left over, remainder.
  Ansopbla = Leftover of the remainder.
  Where sopbla is what's left over from something, ansopbla would mean the rubbish left over from whatever remained from another item.
• Bålle = To sweep.
  Anbålle = The remnents from sweeping.
  So anbålle is the stuff that's left over from sweeping, maybe fine dust.

The prefix forces the primary stress to fall on the first syllable. So, using the words given above:

• Ankånno => AN-cun-nu'
• Ansopbla => AN-sop-blah
• Anbålle => AN-ball-lee

Leksion Chamoru: The prefix acha-

Acha- is called a similative prefix. That means we add it to a word to indicate equality or similarity to something. I know that's a little confusing, but hopefully the examples will help.

1. Guaguan = Expensive.
   Achaguaguan = As expensive, equaly expensive.
   "Guaguan i rediu." = "The radio is expensive."
   "Achaguaguan i rediu yan i TV." = "The radio is as expensive as the TV."
2. Åmko' = Old, with age, elder.
   Acha'åmko' = As old, same age.
   "Guiya i mas åmko' gi familiå-ña." = "She's the oldest in her family."
   "Acha'åmko' si Jose yan si Juan, sa' dinga siha." = "Joe and John are the same age, because they are twins."
3. Dånkolo = Big, large.
   Achadåmkolo = As big, equal size.
   "Dånkolo i gima'." = "The house is large."
   "Manachadånkolo i kuåtto-ta siha." = "Are rooms are the same size."

This prefix forces the primary stress of the word to fall on the 2nd syllable. For the examples above:

1. Achaguaguan => a-CHA-gwa-gwan
2. Acha'åmko' => a-CHA'-um-koo'
3. Achadånkolo => a-CHA-dun-koh-loo

Some people (myself included) usually use cha- rather than acha-.

Leksion Chamoru: The prefix a-

A- is called the reciprocal prefix. It indicates that the action being done is to "each other" or "one another." Here are some examples of how it's used.

• Chiku = To kiss someone/something.
  Achiku = To kiss each other.
  Here's the difference in a sentence:
  "Si Juan ha chiku si Maria." = "John kissed Maria."
  "Umachiku si Juan yan si Maria." = "John and Maria were kissing each other."
• Guaiya = To love someone/something.
  Aguaiya = To love one another.
  For example:
  "Ha guaiya hao si Jose." = "Joe loves you."
  "Umaguaiya i dos." = "The two love one another."
  
• Tungo' = To know.
  Atungo' = To know each other.
  So we get something like:
  "Hu tungo' siha." = "I know them."
  "Manatungo' ham." = "We know eachother." or "We are acquainted."

When you add a- to a word, it forces the primary stress to fall on the a-. This means that for the above words we would say them thus:

• Achiku => A-chee-koo
• Aguaiya => A-gwai-dza
• Atungo' => A-too-ngo'