Doing: -ai, -bainkin, -shamani

Bewa bewashamani!Singing, excellently! — Chána is with you for Module 5.

Shipibo Foundations · Module 5: The Suffix World · Lesson 3 of 5

Then the action happens — in three flavors of present. Simple: -ai (béwai — singing). Along the way: -bainkin — built on bai, path — the action moves forward as it happens (soa soabainkin — clearing along the way). And excellently: -shamani — doing it in the finest way, right now (bewa bewashamani). Notice the doubling: repeating the root is rhythm and thoroughness at once.

Culture note. The heavy work lives here — the doing suffixes repeat and repeat, like the motion they describe.

✓ sourced recorded class 3 01:14–01:15 · nothing invented

Learn the words

Tap to flip. Be honest — "again" brings it back.

tap to reveal

tap to flip back

In a sentence

Try translating each line yourself before you tap.

Bewa bewashamani.

tap to translate

Singing, singing excellently.

Soa soabainkin.

tap to translate

Clearing, clearing along the way.

Make makebainkin.

tap to translate

Perfecting, perfecting along the way.

Try it. Take béwati (to sing) through all three: béwai → bewa bewabainkin → bewa bewashamani.

Check yourself

-bainkin is built on the word for…

pathwaternight

'Singing excellently right now' is…

Bewa bewashamaniBéwabanBewama