[3] Many Terena people have low Portuguese proficiency.
[citation needed] Terêna has an active–stative syntax[4] and verb-object-subject as default word order.
[5] Terêna had four varieties: Kinikinao, Terena proper, Guaná, and Chané.
[8] As a result, many Northern Guaicuruan loanwords can be found in Terena.
[9] There are also many Tupi-Guarani loanwords in Terena and other southern Arawakan languages.