Simple Sentence Construction

 

 

a) Word order in affirmative sentences:

 

      

Maayo siya./ Siya maayo. (= She is nice.)

Taga Pilipinas ko./ Ako taga Pilipinas. (= I am from the Philippines.)

Natulog na siya karon./ Siya natulog na karon. (= He is sleeping now.)

Kahibalo ko nga naa ka diha. (= I know that you are there.)

Nangutana ta niya nganong magul-anon siya  (= We asked him why he was sad.)

 

 

The usual word order in Cebuano is verb - subject - object. In practice, however, the word order is rather flexible.

Note that if the personal pronoun follows the verb (or any other part of the sentence, as in 'Taga Pilipinas ko'), the

personal pronoun can have a shorter form than if it precedes the verb. This applies to ako (-> ko), ikaw (-> ka), kami

(-> mi), kita (-> ta),  and kamo (-> mo).

 

 

b) Word order in negative sentences:

 

 

Wala pa kami gikapoy. (= We are not tired yet.)    (pa = yet)

Siya dili ganahan nila. (= She doesn't like them.)

Ilang papa wala nagtrabaho sa bangko. (= Their father doesn't work in a bank.)

Dili ako makaestorya ug French. (= I can't speak French.)

Wala ko kahibalo nganong sila dili maka ari.   (= I don't know why they didn't come.)

       

dili and wala are used as negation words.

 

 

c) Word order in questions:

 

 

Naa kay igsoon lalaki ug babaye? (= Do you have brothers or sisters?)

Asa ang imong ginikanan nagpuyo? (= Where do your parents live?)

Makaestorya ka ug tagalog?  (= Can you speak Tagalog?)

Kapila ka nakaadto sa beach?  (= How often do you go to the beach?)

Nganong wala siya moestorya nga siya nasakit? (= Why didn't he say that he is ill?)

 

 

 

d) Some useful words in sentence building

 

 

 i) conjunctions

 

            

ug	and, or
apan, pero	but
nga	that (as in: I know that you are there.)
(tungod) kay	because
kon, kung	if, when

 

 

Examples:

 

Nagtuo ko nga siya baynte, pero disiotso pa siya.

                  (= I thought that she is 20,  but she is only 18.)

Di ko makaanha, tungod kay nagkasakit ko.

                   (=  I can't come because I'm ill.)

Kung mag-uwan, dili kita man gawas.

                    (= If it rains, we won't go out.)

          

Note: nga is also used as a relative pronoun (who, which, that):

 

Ang babaye, nga naglingkod diha, akong ig-agaw.

                       (= The girl who is sitting there is my cousin.) 

 

           

ii) prepositions

 

 

sa	in, at, on; of; for
taga	from
para	to
uban	with
sa kilid	beside
sa luyo	behind
atubangan	in front of
human sa	after
wala pa, dili pa	before

 

 

 Examples:

 

 Ang buwak naa sa lamisa.  (= The flower is on the table.)

 Ang pamilya nanga-on ug panihapon sa lamisa. (= The family is having (eating) dinner at the table.)

 Salamat sa imong sulat. (=Thanks for your letter.)

 Ang bola naa sa luyo sa lingkoranan. (= The ball is behind the chair.)

 Palihug uli sa balay sa dili pa ang alas singko. (= Please come home before five o'clock.)

 

iii) particles

 

ba is a filler word used in 'yes-no' questions. It carries no actual meaning - it's function is to differentiate between affirmative sentences and questions.

 

Gikapoy ka na ba?      Are you tired already?

(compare: Gikapoy ka na.  You are tired already.)  

 

 

Note 1: It is possible to ask Gikapoy ka na? without using 'ba', through raised intonation at the end of the question.

Note 2: ba is not used in other types of questions (than 'yes-no').

 

Kinsa kana?                               Who is that?

Nganong wala sila dinhi?           Why are they not here?

 

 

ka is a linker placed betweeen a numeral and the following noun:

 tulo ka tuig                                 three years                          

 traynta ka kilometros                   thirty kilometres

 

 

man, when not carrying the meaning 'to be', has an euphonic role in the sentence

(= it is used for rhythmic and melodic purposes, with no actual meaning in itself) :

Ngano man?             Why?

For the sake of politeness and for softening the tone of the question down, it is good practice to include man in

 questions (other than of the yes-no type). If man is not present in the question, the question obtains a sharper,

challenging tone.

 

Compare: Kinsa kana? <-> Kinsa man kana?                       Who is that?

                Kanus-a mobalik siya? < -> Kanusa man mobalik siya? When will she return?

                Unsa kiring libroha? <-> Unsa man kiring libroha? What is this book?

 

 

nga is a linker word placed between a modifier and the modified word (e.g. between the adjective and the noun)

         lami nga pagkaon   delicious food

         taas nga tawo        tall man

 

 

Sometimes nga is assimilated in the modifier:

         maayo + nga + buntag ->  maayong buntag     good morning

 

 

ug is often placed before a noun in an object position in the sentence:

Nagka-on ko ug pani-udto.             I am eating lunch.

 

 

Note: here, ug doesn't mean 'and'. Used like this, ug is sometimes written og.