FILIPINO GRAMMAR

1- WORD ORDER

1 Basic V + S Natutulog ako. I sleep.

2 Direct object V + S + DO Binabasa ko ang libro. I read the book.

3 Indirect object V + S + IO + DO Binibigyan ko siya ng libro. I give him/her a book.

4 Beneficiary V + S + DO + para sa + person Bumibili ako ng libro para sa kanya. I buy a book for him/her.

5 IO pronoun V + S + IO + DO Binibigyan ko siya ng libro. I give him/her a book.

6 Adjective S + ay + Adj Ang libro ay malaki. The book is big.

7 Adverb V + S + Adv Nagbabasa siya nang mabilis. He/she reads quickly.

8 Direct object + adverb V + S + DO + Adv Binabasa ko ang libro nang mabilis. I read the book quickly.

9 Time adverb V + S + Adv(time) Nagtatrabaho ako ngayon. I work today.

10 Place adverb V + S + Adv(place) Nakatira siya roon. He/she lives there.

11 Prepositional phrase S + ay + location Ang libro ay nasa mesa. The book is on the table.

12 DO + location V + S + DO + location Inilalagay ko ang libro sa mesa. I put the book on the table.

13 Determiner + noun Dem + N Ang librong ito ay bago. This book is new.

14 Determiner + adjective + noun Dem + Adj + N Ang malaking librong ito ay bago. This big book is new.

15 Numeral + noun Num + N Dalawang libro ang bago. Two books are new.

16 Conjunction V + S + Conj + V + S Nagbabasa ako at nagsusulat siya. I read and he/she writes.

17 Conjunction + objects V + S + DO + Conj + V + S + DO Binabasa ko ang libro at isinusulat niya ang liham. I read the book and he/she writes a letter.

18 Present passive/object focus V + S Binabasa ang libro. The book is being read.

19 Passive + agent V + Agent + S Binabasa ng guro ang libro. The book is being read by the teacher.

20 Passive + IO V + S + IO Ibinibigay ang libro sa kanya. The book is given to him/her.

21 Passive + IO + agent V + Agent + S + IO Ibinibigay ng guro ang libro sa kanya. The book is given to him/her by the teacher.

22 Passive + adverb V + S + Adv Binabasa ang libro ngayon. The book is being read today.

23 Passive + location V + S + location Inilalagay ang libro sa mesa. The book is being put on the table.

24 Passive + agent + adverb V + Agent + S + Adv Binabasa ng guro ang libro ngayon. The book is being read by the teacher today.

25 Passive + agent + IO + adverb V + Agent + S + IO + Adv Ibinibigay ng guro ang libro sa estudyante ngayon. The book is being given to the student by the teacher today.

26 Perfect passive V + S + na Nabasa na ang libro. The book has been read.

27 Perfect passive + agent V + S + na + Agent Nabasa na ang libro ng guro. The book has been read by the teacher.

28 Future passive V + S + time Babasahin ang libro bukas. The book will be read tomorrow.

29 Future passive + agent V + Agent + S + time Babasahin ng guro ang libro bukas. The book will be read by the teacher tomorrow.

30 Modal passive Modal + V + S Dapat basahin ang libro. The book must be read.

31 Negative Hindi + S + V + DO Hindi ko binabasa ang libro. I do not read the book.

32 Negative passive Hindi + V + Agent + S Hindi binabasa ng guro ang libro. The book is not being read by the teacher.

33 Yes/no question V + S + ba + DO? Binabasa mo ba ang libro? Do you read the book?

34 Passive question V + S + ba? Binabasa ba ang libro? Is the book being read?

35 Agent question Sino + ang + V + DO? Sino ang bumabasa ng libro? Who is reading the book?

36 IO question Kanino + S + V + DO? Kanino mo ibinibigay ang libro? To whom do you give the book?

37 Imperative V + S Magbasa ka! Read!

38 Imperative + IO V + S + DO + IO Ibigay mo ang libro sa kanya! Give the book to him/her!

39 Passive imperative Hayaan + S + V + DO Hayaan mong basahin ang libro! Let the book be read!

40 Infinitive V Magbasa to read

41 Infinitive + DO V + DO Magbasa ng libro to read a book

42 Object-focus infinitive V + DO Basahin ang libro to read the book / for the book to be read

43 Purpose V + S + para + V Kumakain ako para maglaro. I eat to play / in order to play.

44 Relative clause N + linker + V + S Ang librong binabasa ko ay kawili-wili. The book that I read is interesting.

45 Passive relative N + linker + V + Agent Ang librong binabasa ng guro ay kawili-wili. The book that is being read by the teacher is interesting.

46 Conditional Kung + V + S, V + S Kung may oras ako, nagbabasa ako. If I have time, I read.

47 Conditional + passive Kung + V + S, V + S Kung binabasa ang libro, natututo siya. If the book is read, he/she learns.

48 Reported speech V + S + na + V + S Sinabi niya na nagbabasa siya. He/she said that he/she was reading.

49 Reported question V + S + kung + V + S Tinanong niya kung nagbabasa ako. He/she asked if I was reading.

50 Reported command/request V + S + IO + na + V Hiniling niya sa akin na magbasa. He/she asked me to read.

OR:

1 Basic S + ay + V Ako ay natutulog. I sleep.

2 Direct object S + ay + V + DO Ako ay nagbabasa ng libro. I read a book.

3 Indirect object S + ay + V + IO + DO Ako ay nagbibigay sa kanya ng libro. I give him/her a book.

4 Beneficiary S + ay + V + DO + para sa + person Ako ay bumibili ng libro para sa kanya. I buy a book for him/her.

5 IO pronoun S + ay + V + IO + DO Ako ay nagbibigay sa kanya ng libro. I give him/her a book.

6 Adjective S + ay + Adj Ang libro ay malaki. The book is big.

7 Adverb S + ay + V + Adv Siya ay nagbabasa nang mabilis. He/she reads quickly.

8 Direct object + adverb S + ay + V + DO + Adv Ako ay nagbabasa ng libro nang mabilis. I read a book quickly.

9 Time adverb S + ay + V + Adv(time) Ako ay nagtatrabaho ngayon. I work today.

10 Place adverb S + ay + V + Adv(place) Siya ay nakatira roon. He/she lives there.

11 Prepositional phrase S + ay + location Ang libro ay nasa mesa. The book is on the table.

12 DO + location S + ay + V + DO + location Ako ay naglalagay ng libro sa mesa. I put a book on the table.

13 Determiner + noun Dem + N + ay + ... Ang librong ito ay bago. This book is new.

14 Determiner + adjective + noun Dem + Adj + N + ay + ... Ang malaking librong ito ay bago. This big book is new.

15 Numeral + noun Num + N + ay + ... Dalawang libro ay bago. Two books are new.

16 Conjunction S + ay + V + at + S + ay + V Ako ay nagbabasa at siya ay nagsusulat. I read and he/she writes.

17 Conjunction + objects S + ay + V + DO + at + S + ay + V + DO Ako ay nagbabasa ng libro at siya ay nagsusulat ng liham. I read a book and he/she writes a letter.

18 Present object-focus S + ay + V Ang libro ay binabasa. The book is being read.

19 Object-focus + agent S + ay + V + Agent Ang libro ay binabasa ng guro. The book is being read by the teacher.

20 Object-focus + IO S + ay + V + IO Ang libro ay ibinibigay sa kanya. The book is given to him/her.

21 Object-focus + IO + agent S + ay + V + Agent + IO Ang libro ay ibinibigay ng guro sa kanya. The book is given to him/her by the teacher.

22 Object-focus + adverb S + ay + V + Adv Ang libro ay binabasa ngayon. The book is being read today.

23 Object-focus + location S + ay + V + location Ang libro ay inilalagay sa mesa. The book is being put on the table.

24 Object-focus + agent + adverb S + ay + V + Agent + Adv Ang libro ay binabasa ng guro ngayon. The book is being read by the teacher today.

25 Object-focus + agent + IO + adverb S + ay + V + Agent + IO + Adv Ang libro ay ibinibigay ng guro sa estudyante ngayon. The book is being given to the student by the teacher today.

26 Perfect object-focus S + ay + V + na Ang libro ay nabasa na. The book has been read.

27 Perfect + agent S + ay + V + na + Agent Ang libro ay nabasa na ng guro. The book has been read by the teacher.

28 Future object-focus S + ay + V + time Ang libro ay babasahin bukas. The book will be read tomorrow.

29 Future + agent S + ay + V + Agent + time Ang libro ay babasahin ng guro bukas. The book will be read by the teacher tomorrow.

30 Modal object-focus S + ay + modal + V Ang libro ay dapat basahin. The book must be read.

31 Negative S + ay + hindi + V + ... Ako ay hindi nagbabasa ng libro. I do not read a book.

32 Negative object-focus S + ay + hindi + V + Agent Ang libro ay hindi binabasa ng guro. The book is not being read by the teacher.

33 Yes/no question S + ay + V + ba...? Ikaw ba ay nagbabasa ng libro? Do you read a book?

34 Object-focus question S + ay + V + ba...? Ang libro ba ay binabasa? Is the book being read?

35 Agent question Sino + ang + V + DO? Sino ang bumabasa ng libro? Who is reading the book?

36 IO question S + ay + V + DO + kanino? Ikaw ay nagbibigay ng libro kanino? To whom do you give the book?

37 Imperative No natural ay construction Magbasa ka! Read!

38 Imperative + IO No natural ay construction Ibigay mo ang libro sa kanya! Give the book to him/her!

39 Passive imperative No natural ay construction Hayaan mong basahin ang libro! Let the book be read!

40 Infinitive No ay Magbasa to read

41 Infinitive + DO No ay Magbasa ng libro to read a book

42 Object-focus infinitive No ay Basahin ang libro to read the book

43 Purpose S + ay + V + para + V Ako ay kumakain para maglaro. I eat to play.

44 Relative clause N + linker + V + S + ay + ... Ang librong binabasa ko ay kawili-wili. The book that I read is interesting.

45 Object-focus relative N + linker + V + Agent + ay + ... Ang librong binabasa ng guro ay kawili-wili. The book being read by the teacher is interesting.

46 Conditional Kung + clause, S + ay + V Kung may oras ako, ako ay nagbabasa. If I have time, I read.

47 Conditional + object-focus Kung + S + ay + V, S + ay + V Kung ang libro ay binabasa, siya ay natututo. If the book is read, he/she learns.

48 Reported speech S + ay + V + na + S + ay + V Siya ay nagsabi na siya ay nagbabasa. He/she said that he/she was reading.

49 Reported question S + ay + V + kung + S + ay + V Siya ay nagtanong kung ako ay nagbabasa. He/she asked if I was reading.

50 Reported command/request S + ay + V + sa + IO + na + V Siya ay humiling sa akin na magbasa. He/she asked me to read.

INDIRECT OBJECT:

Basic IO V + S + IO + DO Binibigyan ko siya ng libro. I give him/her a book.

IO with noun V + S + IO + DO Binibigyan ko ang bata ng libro. I give the child a book.

IO with pronoun V + S + IO pronoun + DO Binibigyan ko siya ng libro. I give him/her a book.

Object-focus IO V + S + DO + sa + IO Ibinibigay ko ang libro sa kanya. I give the book to him/her.

IO = recipient sa + person/pronoun sa kanya to him/her

Beneficiary para sa + person Bumibili ako ng libro para sa kanya. I buy a book for him/her.

GENITIVE:

Common noun possession N + ng + N pinto ng bahay door of the house / house door

Definite noun possession N + ng + ang + N pinto ng bahay the door of the house

Person's possession N + ni + Person libro ni Maria Maria's book

Plural/person possession N + nina + People bahay nina Maria at Juan Maria and Juan's house

Pronoun possession N + ng + Pronoun libro ng bata the child's book

Possessive pronoun Possessive + N aking libro my book

Independent possessive Possessive pronoun alone Akin ang libro. The book is mine.

"Of" relationship N + ng + N kulay ng kotse color of the car

Partitive/quantity Quantity + ng + N maraming tubig a lot of water

Material/content N + ng + N baso ng tubig glass of water

INDEPENDENT:

English Dependent possessive Independent possessive Translation

my / mine ko / aking akin mine

your / yours (singular) mo / iyong iyo yours

his / hers niya / kanyang kanya his/hers

our / ours (inclusive) natin / ating atin ours

our / ours (exclusive) namin / aming amin ours

your / yours (plural) ninyo / inyong inyo yours

their / theirs nila / kanilang kanila theirs

Akin ang libro. The book is mine.

Iyo ang bahay. The house is yours.

Kanya ang kotse. The car is his/hers.

Atin ang bahay. The house is ours.

Amin ang bahay. The house is ours.

Inyo ang libro. The book is yours.

Kanila ang bahay. The house is theirs.

WAS GOING TO:

V + S + balak + ... OR: Balak + S + na + V (More natural)

I was going to eat. Balak kong kumain. I intended/planned to eat.

Nagbabalak + S + -ng + V (was going to for plans)

I was planning to eat. Nagbabalak akong kumain. I was planning to eat.

Balak + S + sana + -ng + V (was going to but something happened)

I was going to eat, but... Balak ko sanang kumain, pero... I intended to eat, but...

Muntik nang + V (was going to with an action already expected to happen)

I was almost going to eat. Muntik na akong kumain. I almost ate.

2- THE THREE IMPORTANT MARKERS

A marker is something that shows what type a noun is

In filipino, there are 3 important markers:

1- Ang (Marks the topic of the sentence)

Ang bahay (The house)

Isang bahay (A house [add the prefix is- to make an indefinite article, for the rest of the markers, you have to know from context])

2- Ng (Marks the non-topic of the sentence [Possessor or object])

Kumakain ang bahay ng lalaki

3- Sa (Marks the location of something, or the indirect object)

3- PLURAL NOUNS

To make a noun plural, we add the word -mga before the noun:

ang mga bahay

ng mga bahay

4- ADJECITVES

If the adjective is before the noun, we add the word na after the adjective

if the adjective is before the noun and ends with a vowel, we add the suffix -ng to connect the noun and the adjective

TO BE VERB (Two ways to form):

1- (Word) + (Article) + (Noun that is described)

2- (Article) + (Noun that is described) + ay + (Word)

The second option is the most formal way.

Maganda ang kotse. (The car is beautiful.) (The word that describes the noun is the first word of the sentence)

Maganda isang kotse. (A car is beautiful.)

Maganda mga kotse. (Cars are beautiful)

Maganda si marie (Marie is beautiful) (if the noun that is described is a person's name, we add the word si before it)

Si marie ay maganda (Marie is beautiful)

Doktor ang lalaki (The man is a doctor)

Mga doktor ang mga lalaki (The men are doctors)

5- TOPIC, INDIRECT OBJECT, DIRECT OBJECT AND POSSESSOR

Topic: The noun that the sentence is about

Indirect Object: The noun that recieves an action (Example: I give the person a book / I give a book to the person [Person is the indirect object])

Direct Object: The noun that the action is done to

Possessor: The noun that has a possession but the topic is the possession itself

FORMATION:

(Verb) + ang/isang + (Topic) + ng + (Direct Object) + sa + (Indirect Object)

(Verb) + (Topic Pronoun) + ang/isang + (Direct Object) + sa + (Indirect Object)

ang/isang + (Possession) + ng + (Possessor)

Kumakain ang kaibigan ng tao. (The friend of the person is eating)

Kumakain ang kaibigan ng tao. (The friend is eating a person) (Guess from context OR DO THE FOLLOWING:)

ang kaibigan ng tao kumakain (The friend of the person is eating)

ang kaibigan kumakain ng tao (The friend is eating a person)

ang kaibigan ng tao kumakain ng tao (The friend of the person is eating a person)

Sa also marks the location of a noun

5- PRONOUNS

TOPIC / NOMINATIVE (THE NOUN THAT DOES THE ACTION) / ACCUSATIVE (DIRECT OBJECT):

I -> ako

you (singular) -> ikaw / ka

he/she -> siya

we (inclusive) -> tayo

we (exclusive) -> kami

you (plural) -> kayo

they -> sila

GENITIVE / THE WORD THAT DOES THE ACTION IN A PASSIVE SENTENCE:

my / by me -> ko

your / by you -> mo

his/her / by him/her -> niya

our (inclusive) -> natin

our (exclusive) -> namin

your (plural) -> ninyo

their -> nila

OBLIQUE / DATIVE / LOCATIVE:

to me / for me sa akin

to you sa iyo

to him/her sa kaniya

to us (inclusive) sa atin

to us (exclusive) sa amin

to you (plural) sa inyo

to them sa kanila

4. Possessive Pronouns

Possession is usually expressed with the ng-set pronouns after the noun.

English Filipino

my book libro ko

your house bahay mo

his car kotse niya

our school paaralan natin

their dog aso nila

Examples:

Maganda ang bahay namin.

Our house is beautiful.

Nasaan ang kotse niya?

Where is his/her car?

5. Short vs. Full Forms

Some pronouns have two forms.

You (singular)

Ikaw = used independently or at the beginning of a sentence.

Ka = used after the verb.

Ikaw ay mabait.

You are kind.

Kumain ka.

You ate.

There is no equivalent short form for ako or siya.

6. Inclusive vs. Exclusive "We"

This is an important feature of Filipino.

Pronoun Meaning

tayo we (including the listener)

kami we (excluding the listener)

Examples:

Kakain tayo.

We (you and I) will eat.

Kakain kami.

We (someone else and I, not you) will eat.

5- VERB TENSES:

Kumain ako I ate

Kumain ka You ate

Kumain siya He/She ate

Kumain tayo We ate

Kumain kayo You ate

Kumain sila They ate

Kumakain ako I am eating

Kumakain ka You are eating

Kumakain siya He/She is eating

Kumakain tayo We are eating

Kumakain kayo You are eating

Kumakain sila They are eating

Kakain ako I will eat

Kakain ka You will eat

Kakain siya He/She will eat

Kakain tayo We will eat

Kakain kayo You will eat

Kakain sila They will eat

PERFECT:

completed verb + na

completed verb + na + before/after context

future verb + na

6- PASSIVE TENSES:

The food is eaten by me Kinakain ko ang pagkain kinakain

The food is being eaten by me Kinakain ko ang pagkain

The food was eaten by me I ate the food Kinain ko ang pagkain

The food was being eaten by me Kinakain ko ang pagkain kanina

The food has been eaten by me Kinain ko na ang pagkain

The food had been eaten by me Kinain ko na ang pagkain bago siya dumating

The food will be eaten by me Kakainin ko ang pagkain

The food will be being eaten by me Kakainin ko ang pagkain / context

The food will have been eaten by me Kinain ko na ang pagkain bago... / context

7- NEGATION:

8- QUESTIONS:

YES/NO QUESTIONS:

Predicate + ba + Topic?

Kumakain ang bata. The child is eating.

Kumakain ba ang bata? Is the child eating?

QUESTION WORDS:

sino who

ano what

alin which

saan where

kailan when

bakit why

paano how

magkano how much

ilan how many

kanino whose / to whom

Sino ang guro? Who is the teacher?

Ilan ang anak mo? How many children do you have?

9- ADVERBS:

# Filipino Pronunciation English Example

1 mabuti ma-boo-tee well Mabuti siyang magsalita. — He/She speaks well.

2 masama ma-sa-ma badly Masama siyang kumilos. — He/She behaved badly.

3 mabilis ma-bee-lis quickly/fast Mabilis siyang tumakbo. — He/She ran quickly.

4 mabagal ma-ba-gal slowly Mabagal siyang maglakad. — He/She walks slowly.

5 dahan-dahan da-han da-han slowly/carefully Dahan-dahan siyang naglakad. — He/She walked slowly.

6 maingat ma-a-nga-at carefully Maingat siyang nagmaneho. — He/She drove carefully.

7 mabilis ma-bee-lis rapidly Mabilis niyang ginawa ito. — He/She did this quickly.

8 tahimik ta-hee-mik quietly Tahimik siyang nagsalita. — He/She spoke quietly.

9 malakas ma-la-kas loudly Malakas siyang nagsalita. — He/She spoke loudly.

10 malinaw ma-lee-naw clearly Malinaw siyang magsalita. — He/She speaks clearly.

11 direkta dee-rek-ta directly Direkta siyang sumagot. — He/She answered directly.

12 sabay-sabay sa-bay sa-bay together/simultaneously Sabay-sabay silang kumain. — They ate together.

13 mag-isa mag-ee-sa alone Mag-isa siyang pumunta roon. — He/She went there alone.

14 talagang ta-la-gang really/indeed Talagang mahusay siya. — He/She is really good.

15 sinadya see-na-dya deliberately Sinadya niyang gawin iyon. — He/She did that deliberately.

16 aksidente ak-see-den-teh accidentally Aksidente niyang nabasag ang baso. — He/She broke the glass accidentally.

2. Time adverbs — Kailan? “When?”

Filipino Pronunciation English Example

ngayon nga-yon now Ngayon ako aalis. — I am leaving now.

nito nee-toh now/of this time Nito ko lang nalaman. — I only learned it recently.

ngayong araw nga-yong a-raw today Ngayong araw kami aalis. — We are leaving today.

ngayong gabi nga-yong ga-bee tonight Ngayong gabi siya darating. — He/She will arrive tonight.

kahapon ka-ha-pon yesterday Kahapon siya dumating. — He/She arrived yesterday.

kamakalawa ka-ma-ka-la-wa the day before yesterday Kamakalawa siya umalis. — He/She left the day before yesterday.

bukas boo-kas tomorrow Bukas kami aalis. — We will leave tomorrow.

makalawa ma-ka-la-wa the day after tomorrow Makalawa siya darating. — He/She will arrive the day after tomorrow.

mamaya ma-ma-ya later Mamaya tayo aalis. — We will leave later.

mamayang gabi ma-ma-yang ga-bee tonight/later tonight Mamayang gabi kami aalis. — We will leave tonight.

kanina ka-nee-na earlier Kanina siya dumating. — He/She arrived earlier.

noon no-on then/at that time Noon siya nakatira roon. — He/She lived there then.

dati da-tee formerly/before Dati akong nakatira roon. — I used to live there.

minsan min-san once/sometimes Minsan siyang pumupunta rito. — He/She comes here sometimes.

agad a-gad immediately Agad siyang umalis. — He/She left immediately.

kaagad ka-a-gad immediately Kaagad siyang tumugon. — He/She responded immediately.

saka sa-ka then/afterwards Kumain siya saka umalis. — He/She ate then left.

pagkatapos pag-ka-ta-pos afterward/after Pagkatapos, umalis siya. — Afterward, he/she left.

sa wakas sa wa-kas finally Sa wakas, dumating siya. — Finally, he/she arrived.

kalaunan ka-la-u-nan eventually/later Kalaunan, naintindihan niya. — Eventually, he/she understood.

kamakailan ka-ma-ka-i-lan recently Kamakailan ko siya nakita. — I saw him/her recently.

agad-agad a-gad a-gad right away Agad-agad siyang sumagot. — He/She answered right away.

3. Frequency adverbs

Filipino Pronunciation English Example

lagi la-gee always Lagi siyang nagbabasa. — He/She always reads.

palagi pa-la-gee always Palagi siyang pumupunta rito. — He/She always comes here.

lagi-lagi la-gee la-gee constantly/always Lagi-lagi siyang tumatawag. — He/She always calls.

madalas ma-da-las often Madalas siyang maglakad. — He/She often walks.

kadalasan ka-da-la-san usually/most often Kadalasan, umuuwi siya nang maaga. — Usually, he/she goes home early.

karaniwan ka-ra-nee-wan usually/normally Karaniwan siyang maaga. — He/She is usually early.

minsan min-san sometimes Minsan siyang pumupunta rito. — He/She sometimes comes here.

paminsan-minsan pa-min-san min-san occasionally Paminsan-minsan siyang bumibisita. — He/She visits occasionally.

bihira bee-hee-ra rarely Bihira siyang lumabas. — He/She rarely goes out.

kailanman ka-ee-lan-man ever/ever at any time Hindi siya kailanman nagsinungaling. — He/She never lied ever.

palagiang pa-la-gee-ang continually Palagiang nagbabago ang panahon. — The weather continually changes.

paulit-ulit pa-ooh-lit oo-lit repeatedly Paulit-ulit niya itong ginawa. — He/She did this repeatedly.

araw-araw a-raw a-raw daily Araw-araw siyang nag-aaral. — He/She studies every day.

linggo-linggo ling-go ling-go weekly Linggo-linggo silang nagkikita. — They meet every week.

buwan-buwan boo-wan boo-wan monthly Buwan-buwan siyang nagbabayad. — He/She pays monthly.

taun-taon ta-on ta-on yearly Taun-taon kaming bumabalik. — We return every year.

4. Place/location adverbs

Filipino Pronunciation English Example

dito dee-toh here Dito ako nakatira. — I live here.

rito ree-toh here Rito ka umupo. — Sit here.

diyan dee-yan there, near you Diyan siya nakatira. — He/She lives there.

riyan ree-yan there, near you Riyan mo ilagay. — Put it there.

doon do-on there Doon ako pupunta. — I am going there.

roon ro-on there Roon siya nakatira. — He/She lives there.

saan sa-an where Saan ka pupunta? — Where are you going?

saanman sa-an-man wherever Saanman siya pumunta, kilala siya. — Wherever he/she goes, he/she is known.

kahit saan ka-hit sa-an anywhere Pumunta ka kahit saan. — Go anywhere.

kung saan koong sa-an where/wherever Pumunta siya kung saan siya gusto. — He/She went wherever he/she wanted.

saan-saan sa-an sa-an various places Saan-saan sila pumunta? — What places did they go to?

kahit saanman ka-hit sa-an-man anywhere/wherever Maaari kang pumunta kahit saanman. — You can go anywhere.

5. Direction adverbs

Filipino English Example

papunta going toward Papunta siya sa bahay. — He/She is going toward the house.

pumunta went/went to Pumunta siya roon. — He/She went there.

pumarito come here Pumarito siya kahapon. — He/She came here yesterday.

pumunta roon go there Pumunta siya roon. — He/She went there.

pasok inward/in Pasok ka. — Come in.

labas outward/out Labas ka muna. — Go outside first.

pataas upward Pataas siya ng hagdan. — He/She is going upward on the stairs.

pababa downward Pababa siya ng hagdan. — He/She is going downward.

paharap forward/toward the front Paharap siya sa pintuan. — He/She moved toward the front.

paatras backward Paatras siyang lumakad. — He/She walked backward.

palayo away Palayo siyang naglakad. — He/She walked away.

pabalik back/backward Pabalik siyang umuwi. — He/She went back home.

6. Degree/intensity adverbs

Filipino Pronunciation English Example

napaka- na-pa-ka very/extremely Napakaganda ng bahay. — The house is very beautiful.

napaka na-pa-ka very/extremely Napakabilis niyang tumakbo. — He/She ran extremely fast.

masyado ma-sha-do too, excessively Masyado siyang mabilis. — He/She is too fast.

sobrang so-brang extremely, very Sobrang ganda nito. — This is extremely beautiful.

talagang ta-la-gang really Talagang magaling siya. — He/She is really good.

lubos loo-bos completely, fully Lubos akong nagpapasalamat. — I am deeply/completely grateful.

lubusan loo-boo-san completely Lubusan niyang tinanggap ito. — He/She accepted it completely.

ganap ga-nap completely/fully Ganap na handa siya. — He/She is fully ready.

halos ha-los almost Halos lahat ay dumating. — Almost everyone arrived.

bahagya ba-hag-ya slightly Bahagya siyang ngumiti. — He/She smiled slightly.

kaunti ka-un-tee a little Kaunti lang ang natira. — Only a little remained.

medyo med-yo somewhat Medyo mahirap ito. — This is somewhat difficult.

napakaliit na-pa-ka-lee-it extremely small Napakaliit ng bahay. — The house is extremely small.

7. Quantity adverbs

Filipino English Example

marami much/many/a lot Marami siyang alam. — He/She knows a lot.

kaunti little/few Kaunti lang ang natira. — Only a little remained.

higit more Higit siyang mahusay ngayon. — He/She is more skilled now.

mas more Mas mabilis siya. — He/She is faster/more quickly.

pinaka- most Siya ang pinakamabilis. — He/She is the fastest.

kulang insufficiently/not enough Kulang ang pagkain. — The food is insufficient.

sapat enough/sufficiently Sapat na ito. — This is enough.

sobra too much/excessively Sobra ang pagkain. — There is too much food.

higit pa even more Gusto ko higit pa. — I want even more.

mas kaunti less Gusto ko ng mas kaunti. — I want less.

mas marami more Gusto ko ng mas marami. — I want more.

8. Certainty adverbs

Filipino English Example

talaga really, indeed Talaga siyang darating. — He/She really will come.

talagang really, definitely Talagang darating siya. — He/She will definitely come.

tiyak certainly Tiyak na darating siya. — He/She will certainly come.

sigurado surely, certainly Sigurado akong darating siya. — I am sure he/she will come.

tunay truly Tunay siyang mabait. — He/She is truly kind.

tunay na truly Tunay na mahusay siya. — He/She is truly excellent.

walang duda without doubt Walang duda, tama siya. — Without doubt, he/she is right.

siyempre of course Siyempre, sasama ako. — Of course, I will come along.

malamang probably/likely Malamang na darating siya. — He/She will probably come.

9. Probability adverbs

Filipino English Example

siguro maybe/probably Siguro darating siya. — Maybe he/she will come.

marahil perhaps/probably Marahil darating siya bukas. — Perhaps he/she will come tomorrow.

malamang probably/likely Malamang na tama siya. — He/She is probably right.

baka maybe/might Baka umulan mamaya. — It might rain later.

maaaring may/might/could Maaaring umalis siya. — He/She may leave.

posibleng possibly Posibleng umalis siya. — He/She will possibly leave.

tila apparently/seemingly Tila pagod siya. — He/She seems tired.

wari seemingly/apparently Wari ay pagod siya. — He/She seems tired.

mukhang seemingly/looks like Mukhang uulan. — It looks like it will rain.

parang seemingly/as if Parang galit siya. — He/She seems angry.

10. Negative adverbs / negative particles

Filipino expresses negation mainly through hindi, wala, huwag, rather than a single English-style negative-adverb system.

Filipino English Example

hindi not Hindi ako aalis. — I am not leaving.

’di not (contracted) ’Di ako pupunta. — I am not going.

wala there is/are no, do not have Wala akong pera. — I don't have money.

huwag don't Huwag kang pumunta. — Don't go.

huwag na don't anymore / no need Huwag na tayong umalis. — Let's not leave anymore.

hindi kailanman never Hindi kailanman siya nagsinungaling. — He/She never lied.

hindi na no longer/not anymore Hindi na ako pupunta. — I am no longer going.

hindi pa not yet Hindi pa siya dumating. — He/She has not yet arrived.

hindi rin also not/neither Hindi rin ako pupunta. — I am not going either.

hindi naman not really/not necessarily Hindi naman siya galit. — He/She is not really angry.

11. Interrogative adverbs

Filipino English Example

paano how Paano mo ginawa iyon? — How did you do that?

saan where Saan ka pupunta? — Where are you going?

kailan when Kailan ka aalis? — When are you leaving?

bakit why Bakit ka umalis? — Why did you leave?

gaano how much/how Gaano ito kalaki? — How big is this?

gaano katagal how long Gaano katagal ka naghintay? — How long did you wait?

gaano kadalas how often Gaano kadalas ka pumupunta rito? — How often do you come here?

gaano kabilis how quickly Gaano kabilis siyang tumakbo? — How quickly did he/she run?

gaano karami how much/many Gaano karami ang kailangan mo? — How much do you need?

gaano kalayo how far Gaano kalayo ang bahay? — How far is the house?

gaano kataas how high/tall Gaano kataas ang gusali? — How tall is the building?

gaano kabagal how slowly Gaano kabagal siya maglakad? — How slowly does he/she walk?

12. Focus/emphasis adverbs and particles

These are extremely important in Filipino.

Filipino English/function Example

din also/too Ako din. — Me too.

rin also/too Siya rin. — He/She too.

daw reportedly/they say Darating daw siya. — They say he/she will come.

raw reportedly/they say Umalis raw siya. — They say he/she left.

pala apparently/it turns out Ikaw pala iyon. — So it was you.

nga indeed/really/emphasis Oo nga. — Yes, indeed.

ba question particle Pupunta ka ba? — Are you going?

naman on the other hand/softener/emphasis Ikaw naman. — You, on the other hand.

lang only/just Isa lang. — Only one.

lamang only Isa lamang. — Only one.

muna first/for now Kumain ka muna. — Eat first.

na already/now/no longer Umalis na siya. — He/She has already left.

pa still/yet/more Nandito pa siya. — He/She is still here.

ulit again Sabihin mo ulit. — Say it again.

rin/rin also Gusto ko rin. — I want it too.

din also Gusto ko din. — I want it too.

talaga really Gusto ko talaga. — I really want it.

kahit even Kahit siya ay dumating. — Even he/she came.

mismo exactly/self/itself Siya mismo ang gumawa. — He/She himself/herself did it.

13. Additive adverbs/particles

“Also / too / as well”

Filipino English

din also

rin also

gayundin likewise

gayunman nevertheless/however

bukod dito besides this

bukod pa rito furthermore

dagdag pa rito furthermore

pati also/even

maging even/also

Examples:

Ako rin ay pupunta.

I will also go.

Pati siya ay dumating.

Even he/she arrived.

14. Restrictive adverbs

Filipino English Example

lang only/just Isa lang ang kailangan ko. — I need only one.

lamang only Isa lamang ang dumating. — Only one arrived.

tanging only, sole Tanging siya lamang ang nakakaalam. — Only he/she knows.

saka lamang only then Saka lamang siya umalis. — Only then did he/she leave.

hindi lamang not only Hindi lamang siya dumating. — He/She not only arrived...

pawang all/entirely Pawang bata ang naroon. — They were all children.

15. Sequence adverbs

Filipino English

una first

muna first/for now

unang-una first of all

una sa lahat first of all

pagkatapos afterward

saka then/after that

kasunod next

sumunod next/following

pagkaraan afterward

kalaunan eventually

sa wakas finally

sa huli in the end

huli last

samantala meanwhile

habang while

hanggang until

Example:

Una, kumain kami. Pagkatapos, umalis kami.

First, we ate. Afterward, we left.

16. Result/consequence adverbs

Filipino English Example

kaya therefore/so Umuulan, kaya nanatili kami sa bahay. — It is raining, so we stayed home.

samakatuwid therefore Samakatuwid, tama siya. — Therefore, he/she is right.

dahil dito because of this/as a result Dahil dito, umalis siya. — Because of this, he/she left.

bunga nito as a result Bunga nito, nagsara ang tindahan. — As a result, the store closed.

sa gayon thus/in that way Sa gayon, natapos ang trabaho. — Thus, the work was completed.

kung gayon then/in that case Kung gayon, umalis na tayo. — In that case, let's leave.

17. Contrast/concession

Filipino English Example

gayunman nevertheless/however Gayunman, nagpatuloy siya. — Nevertheless, he/she continued.

gayunpaman nevertheless Gayunpaman, nagpatuloy siya. — Nevertheless, he/she continued.

subalit however/but Subalit, hindi siya sumuko. — However, he/she did not give up.

ngunit but/however Gusto ko, ngunit wala akong oras. — I want to, but I don't have time.

bagaman although Bagaman pagod siya, nagtrabaho siya. — Although he/she was tired, he/she worked.

kahit even though/even if Kahit umuulan, aalis kami. — Even though it is raining, we will leave.

kahit na even though/even if Kahit na mahirap, gagawin ko. — Even if it is difficult, I will do it.

sa kabila nito despite this Sa kabila nito, nagpatuloy siya. — Despite this, he/she continued.

Some of these are conjunctions or connective phrases rather than strict adverbs.

18. Cause/reason adverbials

Filipino English

dahil dito because of this

dahil dito for this reason

dahil dito sa because of this

kaya therefore/so

dahil because

sapagkat because

yamang since/because

palibhasa because/since

dahil dito consequently

Strictly speaking, dahil, sapagkat, yamang, palibhasa are primarily conjunctions/subordinators rather than adverbs.

19. Purpose adverbials

Filipino English Example

upang in order to/so that Nag-aral siya upang pumasa. — He/She studied in order to pass.

para for/in order to Nag-aral siya para pumasa. — He/She studied to pass.

para sa for Ito ay para sa iyo. — This is for you.

upang dito so that here Ginawa niya ito upang dito tayo manatili. — He/She did this so that we could stay here.

These are generally prepositions/subordinators or phrases rather than strict adverbs.

20. Approximation

Filipino English Example

mga approximately/some Mga sampung tao ang dumating. — About ten people arrived.

humigit-kumulang approximately Humigit-kumulang sampung tao ang dumating. — Approximately ten people arrived.

tinatayang approximately/estimated Tinatayang isang daang tao ang dumating. — Approximately one hundred people arrived.

halos almost Halos lahat ay dumating. — Almost everyone arrived.

mahigit more than Mahigit sampung tao ang dumating. — More than ten people arrived.

mga around/about Mga alas-dos siya dumating. — He/She arrived around two o'clock.

21. Comparative adverbs

Filipino English Example

mas more Mas mabilis siya. — He/She is faster.

higit more Higit siyang mahusay ngayon. — He/She is more skilled now.

higit na more Higit na mahusay siya ngayon. — He/She is more skilled now.

masyadong too Masyadong mabilis siya. — He/She is too fast.

pinaka- most Siya ang pinakamabilis. — He/She is the fastest.

kasing-... equally/as...as Kasingbilis niya ako. — I am as fast as him/her.

sing-... as...as Singbilis niya ako. — I am as fast as him/her.

parehong equally/both Parehong mabilis ang dalawang kotse. — Both cars are equally fast.

22. “How” series

Filipino English

paano how

ganito like this

ganoon like that

ganyan like that/like that near you

saanman however/wherever depending on construction

kahit paano somehow/in some way

sa ganitong paraan in this way

sa ganoong paraan in that way

anumang paraan any way

kung paano how/the way in which

Examples:

Ganito ko ginagawa.

This is how I do it.

Ganoon siya magsalita.

That is how he/she speaks.

Hindi ko alam kung paano gawin ito.

I don't know how to do this.

23. “Where” series

Filipino English

saan where

dito here

rito here

diyan there

riyan there

doon there

roon there

saanman wherever

kahit saan anywhere

kung saan where/wherever

mula rito from here

mula roon from there

papunta rito toward here

papunta roon toward there

24. “When” series

Filipino English

kailan when

ngayon now

noon then

dati formerly

kanina earlier

kahapon yesterday

bukas tomorrow

mamaya later

minsan sometimes/once

palagi always

madalas often

bihira rarely

kailanman ever

saanman whenever/wherever depending on construction

samantala meanwhile

pagkatapos afterward

kalaunan eventually

25. “How much/how many” series

Filipino English

gaano how much/how

gaano karami how much/how many

marami much/many

kaunti little/few

mas marami more

mas kaunti less/fewer

pinakamarami the most

pinakakaunti the least/fewest

sobra too much

sapat enough

halos almost

mga approximately/some

humigit-kumulang approximately

26. Attitude/evaluative adverbs

Filipino English Example

sa kabutihang-palad fortunately Sa kabutihang-palad, ligtas siya. — Fortunately, he/she is safe.

sa kasamaang-palad unfortunately Sa kasamaang-palad, umalis siya. — Unfortunately, he/she left.

sana hopefully/I wish Sana dumating siya. — Hopefully he/she comes.

talaga really Talaga siyang mahusay. — He/She is really good.

tunay na truly Tunay na mabuti siya. — He/She is truly good.

sa totoo lang honestly/in truth Sa totoo lang, hindi ko alam. — Honestly, I don't know.

sa palagay ko in my opinion Sa palagay ko, tama siya. — In my opinion, he/she is right.

marahil perhaps Marahil, tama siya. — Perhaps, he/she is right.

siguro probably/maybe Siguro, darating siya. — Maybe, he/she will come.

mukhang apparently/seemingly Mukhang pagod siya. — He/She seems tired.

27. Special Filipino grammatical particles with adverbial functions

These are especially important because Filipino uses particles heavily.

Particle Main meaning/function Example

na already, now Kumain na ako. — I have already eaten.

pa still, yet, more Kumakain pa ako. — I am still eating.

lang only, just Isa lang. — Only one.

muna first/for now Umupo ka muna. — Sit down first.

din also Ako din. — Me too.

rin also Siya rin. — He/She too.

nga indeed/emphasis Oo nga. — Yes, indeed.

pala apparently/it turns out Ikaw pala! — So it was you!

naman contrast/softening Ikaw naman. — You, on the other hand.

daw reportedly Darating daw siya. — They say he/she will come.

raw reportedly Umalis raw siya. — They say he/she left.

ba interrogative Pupunta ka ba? — Are you going?

ulit again Gawin mo ulit. — Do it again.

yata apparently/I think Umalis yata siya. — He/She apparently left.

siguro maybe/probably Siguro bukas. — Maybe tomorrow.

talaga really Talaga ba? — Really?

28. Reportative/evidential adverbs and particles

Filipino has important ways to indicate that information is reported rather than directly asserted.

Filipino English

daw reportedly, they say

raw reportedly, they say

sabi nila they say

ayon sa according to

umano allegedly, reportedly

di-umano allegedly/reportedly

Examples:

Darating daw siya.

They say he/she will come.

Umalis raw siya.

They say he/she left.

Umano'y umalis siya.

He/She reportedly left.

29. “Again”

Filipino English

ulit again

muli again/once more

muling again/once more

paulit-ulit repeatedly

muli-rin again too

isa pa another/one more

Examples:

Sabihin mo ulit.

Say it again.

Muli siyang dumating.

He/She came again.

Paulit-ulit niya itong sinabi.

He/She said it repeatedly.

30. “Already / still / yet / no longer”

These are extremely important Filipino particles.

Filipino English

na already

pa still/yet

hindi pa not yet

na rin also already

hindi na no longer/not anymore

wala na there is no more/no longer have

mayroon pa still have

hanggang ngayon until now/still

sa ngayon for now/at present

Examples:

Kumain na ako.

I have already eaten.

Kumakain pa ako.

I am still eating.

Hindi pa ako kumakain.

I have not eaten yet.

Hindi na ako kakain.

I will not eat anymore.

31. Productive adverbial formations

Filipino frequently forms adverbial expressions rather than relying only on single-word adverbs.

ma- adjective + -ng / adverbial use

mabilis — quickly

maingat — carefully

malinaw — clearly

Reduplication

dahan-dahan — slowly

araw-araw — every day

paulit-ulit — repeatedly

sabay-sabay — simultaneously

isa-isa — one by one

sa + noun/adjective phrase

sa wakas — finally

sa ngayon — for now

sa huli — in the end

sa totoo lang — honestly

sa kabuuan — overall

nang + manner

A very important Filipino adverbial construction:

Nang mabilis siyang tumakbo.

He/She ran quickly.

Nang maingat niyang binuksan ang pinto.

He/She opened the door carefully.

32. Important distinction: ng vs nang

nang can mark manner/time adverbial relationships

Tumakbo siya nang mabilis.

He/She ran quickly.

Nagsalita siya nang malinaw.

He/She spoke clearly.

ng is not an adverb

It is a grammatical linker/case marker:

Kumain siya ng isda.

He/She ate fish.

So ng should not be included in a strict list of Filipino adverbs.

10- CONJUNCTIONS:

# Filipino Pronunciation English Example

1 at at and Kumain siya at umalis. — He/She ate and left.

2 o oh or Gusto mo ba ng tsaa o kape? — Do you want tea or coffee?

3 pero pe-ro but Gusto kong pumunta, pero wala akong oras. — I want to go, but I have no time.

4 ngunit ngu-nit but/however Gusto niya, ngunit hindi niya kaya. — He/She wants to, but cannot.

5 subalit soo-ba-lit but/however Mahirap, subalit posible. — It is difficult, but possible.

6 datapwat da-tap-wat but/however Mahirap, datapwat kailangan. — It is difficult, but necessary.

7 ni nee neither/nor Ni siya ni ako ay pumunta. — Neither he/she nor I went.

8 kundi koon-dee but rather Hindi siya umalis kundi natulog. — He/She did not leave but rather slept.

9 kaya ka-ya so/therefore Umuulan, kaya nanatili kami. — It was raining, so we stayed.

10 samakatuwid sa-ma-ka-too-wid therefore Mali iyon; samakatuwid, umalis kami. — That was wrong; therefore, we left.

Core coordinating set

at, o, pero, ngunit, subalit, datapwat, ni...ni, kundi, kaya

2. Additive conjunctions

Meaning and / also / in addition.

Filipino Pronunciation English Example

at at and Si Ana at si Maria ay dumating. — Ana and Maria arrived.

pati pa-tee also/including/even Pati ang mga bata ay sumama. — Even the children came along.

maging ma-geeng also/even Maging siya ay sumang-ayon. — Even he/she agreed.

gayundin ga-yoon-deen likewise/also Dumating siya; gayundin ang kanyang kapatid. — He/She arrived; likewise, his/her sibling did.

gayundin naman ga-yoon-deen na-man likewise as well Siya ay tumulong, gayundin naman ako. — He/She helped, and so did I.

bukod dito boo-kod dee-toh besides this Bukod dito, kailangan nating maghintay. — Besides this, we need to wait.

bukod pa rito boo-kod pa ree-toh furthermore Bukod pa rito, mahal ito. — Furthermore, it is expensive.

dagdag pa rito da-gdag pa ree-toh in addition Dagdag pa rito, mahirap ito. — In addition, this is difficult.

Note: pati, maging, gayundin are not always classified as strict conjunctions; they can be particles or connective adverbs depending on the construction.

3. Alternative conjunctions

“Or”

Filipino English Example

o or Kape o tsaa? — Coffee or tea?

o kaya or else/or alternatively Sumama ka o kaya manatili ka rito. — Come along or else stay here.

o kaya naman or alternatively Maaari kang sumakay o kaya naman maglakad. — You can ride or alternatively walk.

alinman sa either/any of Alinman sa dalawang ito ay puwede. — Either of these two is possible.

kahit alin whichever/either Kahit alin ay maaari. — Either/whichever is acceptable.

Correlative alternative

o...o

O pupunta ka, o mananatili ka rito.

Either you go or you stay here.

4. Contrast conjunctions

Filipino English Example

pero but Gusto ko, pero wala akong pera.

ngunit but Gusto niya, ngunit hindi siya makapunta.

subalit but/however Mahirap, subalit kaya natin.

datapwat but/however Mahirap, datapwat posible.

kundi but rather Hindi siya umalis kundi natulog.

bagkus instead/rather Hindi siya umalis; bagkus, nanatili siya.

gayunman nevertheless/however Mahirap; gayunman, sinubukan niya.

gayunpaman nevertheless/however Mahirap; gayunpaman, nagpatuloy siya.

samantala meanwhile/on the other hand Siya ay nagtrabaho; samantala, ako ay nagpahinga.

Important distinction

pero / ngunit / subalit are genuine contrast conjunctions/connectors.

gayunman / gayunpaman / samantala are more properly conjunctive adverbs/connective expressions rather than simple conjunctions.

5. Causal conjunctions — “because”

Filipino Pronunciation English

dahil da-heel because

dahil sa da-heel sa because of

sapagkat sa-pag-kat because

yamang ya-mang since/because

palibhasa pa-lee-bha-sa because/since

dahil na rin sa da-heel na reen sa also because of

sapagka't sa-pag-kat because

Examples:

Hindi ako pumunta dahil umuulan.

I didn't go because it was raining.

Nanatili siya rito sapagkat pagod siya.

He/She stayed here because he/she was tired.

Yamang wala siya, umalis na kami.

Since he/she wasn't here, we left.

Important

dahil sa is normally a prepositional construction:

dahil sa ulan

because of the rain

Whereas:

dahil umuulan

because it is raining

6. Result/consequence conjunctions

Filipino English Example

kaya so/therefore Umuulan, kaya nanatili kami.

kaya naman so/therefore Pagod siya, kaya naman umuwi siya.

kung gayon then/in that case Kung gayon, aalis na tayo.

sa gayon thus/in that way Sa gayon, natapos ang trabaho.

samakatuwid therefore Samakatuwid, tama ang sagot.

dahil dito therefore/because of this Dahil dito, umalis siya.

bunga nito as a result Bunga nito, nagsara ang tindahan.

bilang resulta as a result Bilang resulta, nagbago ang plano.

Strictly, several of these are connective phrases/adverbials, not simple conjunctions.

7. Conditional conjunctions

These introduce if-clauses.

Filipino English Example

kung if Kung umulan, hindi kami aalis. — If it rains, we won't leave.

kapag when/if Kapag dumating siya, sabihin mo sa akin. — When/if he/she arrives, tell me.

pag when/if Pag dumating siya, sabihin mo sa akin. — When he/she arrives, tell me.

pagka when/once Pagka tapos na siya, aalis tayo. — Once he/she is finished, we'll leave.

kung sakali if ever/in case Kung sakali na dumating siya, tawagan mo ako. — If ever he/she arrives, call me.

kung sakaling if ever/in case Kung sakaling umulan, manatili tayo rito. — If it happens to rain, let's stay here.

sakaling if/in case Sakaling kailangan mo ako, tawagan mo ako. — If you need me, call me.

basta as long as/provided that Basta mag-aral ka, papasa ka. — As long as you study, you'll pass.

basta't provided that/as long as Basta't handa ka, maaari tayong umalis. — Provided that you're ready, we can leave.

hangga't as long as Hangga't nandito ka, tutulungan kita. — As long as you're here, I'll help you.

maliban kung unless Hindi ako aalis maliban kung kailangan. — I won't leave unless necessary.

maliban na lamang kung unless Hindi siya aalis maliban na lamang kung kailangan. — He/She won't leave unless necessary.

8. Temporal conjunctions — “when”

Filipino English Example

kapag when/if Kapag dumating siya, aalis tayo. — When he/she arrives, we'll leave.

pag when Pag dumating siya, sabihin mo sa akin.

pagka when/once Pagka tapos na ang trabaho, uuwi kami.

kung when/if Kung dumating siya bukas, sasama ako.

nang when/at the time that Nang dumating siya, umalis ako. — When he/she arrived, I left.

noong when/in the time that Noong bata ako, doon ako nakatira. — When I was young, I lived there.

noong + clause when Noong dumating siya, kumain kami.

habang while Habang nagluluto siya, nagbabasa ako. — While she was cooking, I was reading.

samantalang while/whereas Samantalang nagluluto siya, naghugas ako. — While she cooked, I washed.

bago before Bago ka umalis, kumain ka. — Before you leave, eat.

matapos after Matapos siyang kumain, umalis siya. — After eating, he/she left.

pagkatapos na after Pagkatapos na matapos ang trabaho, uuwi kami. — After the work is finished, we'll go home.

mula nang since Mula nang dumating siya, masaya na siya. — Since he/she arrived, he/she has been happy.

simula nang since Simula nang umalis siya, tahimik dito. — Since he/she left, it has been quiet here.

hanggang until Maghintay ka hanggang dumating siya. — Wait until he/she arrives.

hanggang sa until Maghintay ka hanggang sa dumating siya.

samantala meanwhile Samantala, naghihintay siya. — Meanwhile, he/she waits.

9. “Before”

Main Filipino forms:

Filipino English

bago before

bago pa even before/before already

bago pa man even before

bago na before already

noong una at first/previously

dati bago previously before

Example:

Bago ka matulog, magbasa ka.

Before you sleep, read.

Bago pa man siya dumating, umalis na ako.

Even before he/she arrived, I had already left.

10. “After”

Filipino English

matapos after

pagkatapos after/afterward

pagkatapos na after

pagkaraan after/afterward

makaraang after having

nang matapos when/after finishing

Example:

Matapos siyang kumain, umalis siya.

After he/she ate, he/she left.

Pagkatapos na matapos ang trabaho, umuwi kami.

After the work was finished, we went home.

11. Purpose conjunctions

Filipino English Example

upang so that/in order to Nag-aral siya upang pumasa.

para so that/in order to Nag-aral siya para pumasa.

nang so that/in order that Nagsikap siya nang makapasa.

upang sa gayon so that/thus Nag-ipon siya upang sa gayon makabili siya ng bahay.

para sa for Nag-ipon siya para sa kanyang pamilya.

alang-alang sa for the sake of Ginawa niya iyon alang-alang sa pamilya.

Main distinction

upang + clause/verb construction

Nag-aral siya upang pumasa.

He studied in order to pass.

para + clause/infinitive-like construction

Nag-aral siya para pumasa.

He studied to pass.

12. Concession conjunctions — “although/even though”

Filipino English Example

bagaman although Bagaman pagod siya, nagtrabaho siya.

bagama't although Bagama't mahirap, ginawa niya.

kahit even though/even if Kahit umuulan, aalis kami.

kahit na even though/even if Kahit na mahirap, gagawin ko.

kahit pa even if/even though Kahit pa umulan, aalis kami.

kahit na ano whatever Kahit na ano ang mangyari, pupunta ako.

kahit gaano no matter how Kahit gaano kahirap, susubukan ko.

kahit sino whoever Kahit sino ay maaaring sumali.

kahit saan wherever/anywhere Kahit saan siya pumunta, kilala siya.

kahit kailan whenever/any time Kahit kailan ay maaari kang pumunta.

13. Comparison conjunctions

Filipino English Example

tulad ng like/as Tumakbo siya tulad ng isang atleta. — He/She ran like an athlete.

gaya ng like/as Gumawa siya gaya ng sinabi ko. — He/She did it as I said.

parang as if/like Parang pagod siya. — He/She looks as if tired.

na parang as if Nagsalita siya na parang galit. — He/She spoke as if angry.

na tila as if/as though Kumilos siya na tila walang alam. — He/She acted as if he/she knew nothing.

kung paano the way/how Gawin mo kung paano ko ginawa. — Do it the way I did.

kung gaano as/how much Alam niya kung gaano ito kahirap. — He/She knows how difficult this is.

14. Manner conjunctions

Filipino English

kung paano how/the way

kung paano man however/in whatever way

gaya ng as/like

tulad ng as/like

parang as if/like

na parang as if

na tila as though

kung saan where/in which

ayon sa according to

Example:

Gawin mo kung paano ko ginawa.

Do it the way I did it.

15. Complementizer na / -ng

Filipino uses na/-ng extensively as a linker, and it can connect elements in ways that English often handles with different constructions.

Form Use Example

na linker magandang bahay — beautiful house

-ng linker magandang araw — good day

na that/in some constructions Alam na darating siya.

na... linker between modifiers and nouns malaking bahay — big house

Important: na/-ng is usually called a linker (pang-angkop), not simply a conjunction.

So it should not be treated as equivalent to English that in every context.

16. Complement clauses — “that”

Filipino commonly uses na and na ang / na si / na may, but the construction is different from English.

Filipino English

na that

na ang that the

na si that [person]

na may that there is/has

na hindi that not

na kung that if/whether

Examples:

Alam ko na darating siya.

I know that he/she will come.

Sinabi niya na aalis siya.

He/She said that he/she would leave.

Alam ko na hindi siya darating.

I know that he/she will not come.

17. Indirect-question conjunctions

These introduce embedded questions.

Filipino English

kung whether/if

kung sino who

kung ano what

kung saan where

kung kailan when

kung bakit why

kung paano how

kung gaano how much/how

kung alin which

kung magkano how much (price)

kung ilan how many

Examples:

Hindi ko alam kung saan siya pumunta.

I don't know where he/she went.

Tanungin mo siya kung kailan siya aalis.

Ask him/her when he/she will leave.

Hindi ko alam kung bakit siya umalis.

I don't know why he/she left.

18. Exception conjunctions

Filipino English

maliban kung unless

maliban na lamang kung unless

maliban sa except for

liban kung unless

liban sa except for

bukod sa besides/apart from

kundi but rather/except

Example:

Hindi ako pupunta maliban kung kailangan.

I won't go unless necessary.

19. Correlative conjunctions

These are especially useful to memorize as pairs.

Both...and

kapwa...at

Kapwa sina Ana at Maria ay dumating.

Both Ana and Maria arrived.

More natural/common:

pareho...at

Pareho silang dumating.

They both arrived.

Either...or

o...o

O pupunta ka o mananatili ka rito.

Either you go or you stay here.

Neither...nor

ni...ni

Ni Ana ni Maria ay dumating.

Neither Ana nor Maria arrived.

Also:

hindi...ni

Hindi siya ni ako ang gumawa nito.

Neither he/she nor I did this.

Not only...but also

hindi lamang...kundi pati

Hindi lamang siya mabilis kundi pati maingat.

He/She is not only fast but also careful.

Another common structure:

hindi lang...kundi pati

Hindi lang siya dumating kundi pati ang kanyang kapatid.

Not only did he/she arrive, but his/her sibling did too.

Whether...or

kung...o

Hindi ko alam kung pupunta siya o mananatili.

I don't know whether he/she will go or stay.

20. “No matter…” constructions

Filipino frequently uses kahit.

Filipino English

kahit sino whoever

kahit ano whatever

kahit alin whichever

kahit saan wherever

kahit kailan whenever

kahit paano however

kahit gaano however much/however

kahit ilang however many

kahit magkano however much

kahit na sino whoever

kahit na ano whatever

kahit na saan wherever

Examples:

Kahit sino ay maaaring sumali.

Whoever can participate.

Kahit saan ka pumunta, susundan kita.

Wherever you go, I will follow you.

Kahit gaano kahirap, gagawin ko.

However difficult it is, I will do it.

21. “The more…the more”

Filipino can express this with habang...lalo... and related comparative constructions.

Habang...lalo...

Habang mas nag-aaral siya, lalo siyang gumagaling.

The more he/she studies, the better he/she becomes.

Kung mas...mas...

Kung mas nag-aaral ka, mas marami kang matututunan.

The more you study, the more you will learn.

Lalong...

Lalong gumaganda ang panahon.

The weather is becoming increasingly better.

22. “So that” constructions

Filipino English

upang so that/in order to

para so that/in order to

nang so that

upang sa gayon so that/thus

para sa gayon so that

sa gayon thus/in that way

Example:

Nagsikap siya upang makapasa.

He/She worked hard so that/in order to pass.

23. “As soon as”

Filipino English

pagka as soon as/once

pag when/as soon as

kapag when/once

pagdating upon arrival

pagkarating upon arriving

pagkatapos na once/after

Example:

Pagdating niya, umalis kami.

As soon as he/she arrived, we left.

Pagka tapos na ang trabaho, aalis tayo.

Once the work is finished, we'll leave.

24. “Until / as long as”

Filipino English

hanggang until

hanggang sa until

hangga't as long as/until

hangga't maaari as much/as far as possible

hangga't may as long as there is

hangga't hindi as long as/until not

Example:

Maghihintay ako hanggang sa dumating siya.

I will wait until he/she arrives.

Mananatili ako rito hangga't kailangan mo ako.

I will stay here as long as you need me.

11- PREPOSITIONS:

# Filipino Pronunciation English Example

1 sa sa to, at, in, on Pumunta ako sa bahay. — I went to the house.

2 kay kay to/at/with [person] Pumunta ako kay Maria. — I went to Maria.

3 kina kee-na to/at/with [people] Pumunta ako kina Maria at Ana. — I went to Maria and Ana.

4 para sa pa-ra sa for Ang regalo ay para sa iyo. — The gift is for you.

5 tungkol sa toong-kol sa about/regarding Nag-usap kami tungkol sa proyekto. — We talked about the project.

6 ukol sa oo-kol sa concerning/regarding Ang artikulo ay ukol sa kasaysayan. — The article is about history.

7 hinggil sa hing-gil sa regarding/concerning Nag-usap sila hinggil sa problema. — They talked about the problem.

8 laban sa la-ban sa against Lumaban sila laban sa kaaway. — They fought against the enemy.

9 ayon sa a-yon sa according to Ayon sa guro, tama ito. — According to the teacher, this is correct.

10 alinsunod sa a-lin-su-nod sa according to/in accordance with Kumilos siya alinsunod sa batas. — He/She acted in accordance with the law.

11 dahil sa da-heel sa because of Hindi siya dumating dahil sa ulan. — He/She did not arrive because of the rain.

12 bunga ng boong-a ng as a result of Bunga ng bagyo, nagsara ang paaralan. — As a result of the storm, the school closed.

13 mula sa moo-la sa from Galing siya mula sa Maynila. — He/She came from Manila.

14 hanggang sa hang-gang sa until/up to Maghihintay ako hanggang sa gabi. — I will wait until evening.

15 laban kay la-ban kay against [person] Lumaban siya laban kay Pedro. — He/She fought against Pedro.

2. The extremely important sa

sa is by far the most important Filipino preposition.

It can correspond to many English prepositions depending on context.

Filipino Possible English meaning Example

sa bahay at/in the house Nasa bahay siya. — He/She is at home.

sa paaralan at school Nasa paaralan siya. — He/She is at school.

sa mesa on the table Nasa mesa ang libro. — The book is on the table.

sa Maynila in Manila Nakatira siya sa Maynila. — He/She lives in Manila.

sa akin to me/for me Ibigay mo sa akin. — Give it to me.

sa iyo to you/for you Ito ay sa iyo. — This is for you.

sa umaga in the morning Nag-aaral ako sa umaga. — I study in the morning.

sa Lunes on Monday Darating siya sa Lunes. — He/She will arrive on Monday.

sa loob inside Nasa loob siya. — He/She is inside.

sa labas outside Nasa labas siya. — He/She is outside.

So sa can express location, destination, time, recipient, direction, and many other relationships.

3. Personal-name prepositions: kay / kina

Filipino uses special forms with personal names.

Singular person

kay + name

Pumunta ako kay Juan.

I went to Juan.

Galing ako kay Maria.

I came from Maria.

Multiple people

kina + names

Pumunta ako kina Juan at Maria.

I went to Juan and Maria.

Compare:

General noun Person's name

sa bahay kay Maria

sa mga bata kina Maria at Ana

4. Para sa — for

para sa + noun/pronoun

Ito ay para sa iyo.

This is for you.

Bumili ako ng regalo para sa aking ina.

I bought a gift for my mother.

Related form

para kay + person

Ito ay para kay Juan.

This is for Juan.

para kina + people

Ito ay para kina Juan at Maria.

This is for Juan and Maria.

5. Tungkol sa — about

Nag-usap kami tungkol sa trabaho.

We talked about work.

Ang libro ay tungkol sa kasaysayan.

The book is about history.

Person:

Nag-usap kami tungkol kay Juan.

We talked about Juan.

Multiple people:

Nag-usap kami tungkol kina Juan at Maria.

We talked about Juan and Maria.

6. Ukol sa — concerning

More formal than tungkol sa.

Ang batas ay ukol sa edukasyon.

The law is concerning education.

Ang artikulo ay ukol sa wika.

The article is about language.

7. Hinggil sa — regarding/concerning

Formal.

Nag-usap sila hinggil sa problema.

They talked regarding the problem.

Ang ulat ay hinggil sa ekonomiya.

The report is about the economy.

8. Ayon sa — according to

Ayon sa guro, tama ang sagot.

According to the teacher, the answer is correct.

Ayon sa balita, uulan bukas.

According to the news, it will rain tomorrow.

Person:

Ayon kay Maria, aalis siya bukas.

According to Maria, she will leave tomorrow.

Plural:

Ayon kina Juan at Maria, tama ito.

According to Juan and Maria, this is correct.

9. Alinsunod sa — in accordance with

Formal.

Kumilos siya alinsunod sa batas.

He/She acted in accordance with the law.

Ginawa niya ito alinsunod sa mga tuntunin.

He/She did this according to the rules.

10. Dahil sa — because of

Hindi ako pumunta dahil sa ulan.

I didn't go because of the rain.

Compare:

dahil + clause

Hindi ako pumunta dahil umuulan.

I didn't go because it was raining.

dahil sa + noun

Hindi ako pumunta dahil sa ulan.

I didn't go because of the rain.

11. Laban sa — against

Lumaban sila laban sa kaaway.

They fought against the enemy.

Ang gamot na ito ay laban sa sakit.

This medicine is against/for treating the disease.

Person:

Lumaban siya laban kay Pedro.

He/She fought against Pedro.

12. Mula sa — from

Galing ako mula sa Maynila.

I came from Manila.

Kinuha niya ito mula sa mesa.

He/She took it from the table.

Person:

Natanggap ko ito mula kay Maria.

I received this from Maria.

13. Hanggang sa — until/up to

Maghihintay ako hanggang sa gabi.

I will wait until evening.

Naglakad kami hanggang sa ilog.

We walked up to the river.

Time:

Mananatili ako rito hanggang sa Lunes.

I will stay here until Monday.

14. Bago — before

bago can introduce a noun phrase or clause depending on construction.

Bago ang klase, kumain ako.

Before class, I ate.

Bago ako umalis, kumain ako.

Before I left, I ate.

15. Pagkatapos ng — after

Pagkatapos ng klase, umuwi ako.

After class, I went home.

Pagkatapos ng trabaho, umalis siya.

After work, he/she left.

Before a person:

Pagkatapos ni Maria, nagsalita si Juan.

After Maria, Juan spoke.

16. Sa halip na — instead of

Sa halip na kape, uminom ako ng tsaa.

Instead of coffee, I drank tea.

Sa halip na pumunta, nanatili siya.

Instead of going, he/she stayed.

17. Maliban sa — except for

Lahat ay dumating maliban kay Juan.

Everyone arrived except Juan.

Kinain niya ang lahat maliban sa isda.

He/She ate everything except the fish.

18. Bukod sa — besides/apart from

Bukod sa Ingles, nagsasalita siya ng Filipino.

Besides English, he/she speaks Filipino.

Bukod kay Maria, dumating din si Ana.

Besides Maria, Ana also arrived.

19. Kasama ng — together with

Pumunta siya kasama ng kanyang kapatid.

He/She went with his/her sibling.

More natural in many contexts:

Pumunta siya kasama ang kanyang kapatid.

He/She went together with his/her sibling.

20. Sa pamamagitan ng — by means of/through

Natuto siya sa pamamagitan ng pagbabasa.

He/She learned through reading.

Ipinadala niya ito sa pamamagitan ng koreo.

He/She sent it by mail.

21. Sa tulong ng — with the help of

Natapos ko ito sa tulong ng aking kaibigan.

I finished it with the help of my friend.

Nagawa niya iyon sa tulong ng guro.

He/She managed to do that with the teacher's help.

22. Sa paggamit ng — by using/through the use of

Natuto siya sa paggamit ng aklat.

He/She learned through the use of books.

23. Sa pamamagitan ni/kay — through/by means of a person

Nalaman ko ito sa pamamagitan ni Maria.

I learned this through Maria.

24. Ayon kay / ayon kina

These are important special constructions.

Form Meaning

ayon sa according to + common noun

ayon kay according to + one person

ayon kina according to + several people

Examples:

Ayon sa guro, tama ito.

According to the teacher, this is correct.

Ayon kay Juan, tama ito.

According to Juan, this is correct.

Ayon kina Juan at Maria, tama ito.

According to Juan and Maria, this is correct.

25. Tungo sa — toward

Naglakad siya tungo sa bahay.

He/She walked toward the house.

Ang bansa ay umuunlad tungo sa pagbabago.

The country is moving toward change.

Person:

Naglakad siya tungo kay Maria.

He/She walked toward Maria.

26. Patungo sa — toward

Naglakad siya patungo sa pinto.

He/She walked toward the door.

Ang tren ay patungo sa Maynila.

The train is heading toward Manila.

27. Papunta sa — going toward/to

Papunta ako sa paaralan.

I am going to school.

Papunta siya sa bahay.

He/She is going home/to the house.

28. Mula kay / mula kina

Form Meaning

mula sa from + thing/place

mula kay from + one person

mula kina from + several people

Examples:

Regalo ito mula kay Maria.

This is a gift from Maria.

Balita ito mula kina Juan at Ana.

This news came from Juan and Ana.

29. Para kay / para kina

Form Meaning

para sa for + thing/person

para kay for + one person

para kina for + several people

Examples:

Ito ay para sa bata.

This is for the child.

Ito ay para kay Juan.

This is for Juan.

Ito ay para kina Juan at Maria.

This is for Juan and Maria.

30. Tungkol kay / tungkol kina

Form Meaning

tungkol sa about + thing

tungkol kay about + one person

tungkol kina about + several people

31. Laban kay / laban kina

Form Meaning

laban sa against + thing

laban kay against + one person

laban kina against + several people

32. Malapit sa — near

Nakatira siya malapit sa paaralan.

He/She lives near the school.

Person:

Nakatayo siya malapit kay Juan.

He/She is standing near Juan.

33. Sa tabi ng — beside/next to

Nakaupo siya sa tabi ng mesa.

He/She is sitting beside the table.

Umupo siya sa tabi ko.

He/She sat beside me.

34. Sa harap ng — in front of

Nakatayo siya sa harap ng bahay.

He/She is standing in front of the house.

Naghintay siya sa harap ko.

He/She waited in front of me.

35. Sa likod ng — behind

Nasa likod ng bahay ang kotse.

The car is behind the house.

Nakatayo siya sa likod ko.

He/She is standing behind me.

36. Sa ibabaw ng — on top of/above

Nasa ibabaw ng mesa ang libro.

The book is on top of the table.

Lumipad ang ibon sa ibabaw ng bahay.

The bird flew above the house.

37. Sa ilalim ng — under/beneath

Nasa ilalim ng mesa ang bag.

The bag is under the table.

Nagtago siya sa ilalim ng kama.

He/She hid under the bed.

38. Sa loob ng — inside/within

Nasa loob ng bahay siya.

He/She is inside the house.

Ilagay mo ito sa loob ng kahon.

Put this inside the box.

39. Sa labas ng — outside

Naghihintay siya sa labas ng bahay.

He/She is waiting outside the house.

40. Sa pagitan ng — between

Nasa pagitan ng dalawang bahay ang puno.

The tree is between the two houses.

41. Sa gitna ng — in the middle of

Nakatayo siya sa gitna ng silid.

He/She is standing in the middle of the room.

42. Sa paligid ng — around

May mga puno sa paligid ng bahay.

There are trees around the house.

43. Sa tabi-tabi ng — around/beside

May mga tindahan sa tabi-tabi ng kalsada.

There are shops along/beside the road.

44. Sa dulo ng — at the end of

Nakatira siya sa dulo ng kalye.

He/She lives at the end of the street.

45. Sa simula ng — at the beginning of

Sa simula ng taon, nagplano kami.

At the beginning of the year, we made plans.

46. Sa panahon ng — during the period of

Sa panahon ng digmaan, mahirap ang buhay.

During the war, life was difficult.

47. Sa oras ng — at the time of/during

Sa oras ng tanghalian, kumakain kami.

At lunchtime, we eat.

48. Sa panahon ni — during someone's era

Sa panahon ni Rizal, ibang-iba ang buhay.

During Rizal's time, life was very different.

49. Sa pagitan ng...at... — between...and...

Ang bahay ay sa pagitan ng paaralan at simbahan.

The house is between the school and the church.

50. Kasunod ng — following/after

Kasunod ng pulong, umalis siya.

Following the meeting, he/she left.

51. Bilang — as/in the capacity of

bilang can function as a preposition-like marker.

Bilang guro, kailangan niyang magturo.

As a teacher, he/she needs to teach.

Nagsalita siya bilang kinatawan.

He/She spoke as a representative.

52. Kaugnay ng — in connection with

Nag-usap sila kaugnay ng problema.

They talked in connection with the problem.

53. Patungkol sa — concerning/about

Ang batas ay patungkol sa edukasyon.

The law is concerning education.

This is formal and less common than tungkol sa.

54. May kinalaman sa — concerning/related to

May kinalaman ito sa problema.

This is related to the problem.

55. Bilang tugon sa — in response to

Kumilos siya bilang tugon sa problema.

He/She acted in response to the problem.

56. Bilang bahagi ng — as part of

Ginawa ito bilang bahagi ng proyekto.

This was done as part of the project.

57. Alang-alang sa — for the sake of

Ginawa niya ito alang-alang sa kanyang pamilya.

He/She did this for the sake of his/her family.

58. Sa kabila ng — despite/in spite of

Sa kabila ng ulan, umalis kami.

Despite the rain, we left.

Sa kabila ng problema, nagpatuloy siya.

Despite the problem, he/she continued.

59. Sa halip na — instead of

Sa halip na kotse, sumakay siya ng bus.

Instead of a car, he/she took a bus.

60. Kaysa sa — than/rather than

Mas gusto ko ito kaysa sa isa.

I prefer this rather than the other one.

Mas mabuti ang manatili kaysa sa umalis.

It is better to stay than to leave.

61. Higit sa — more than/beyond

Mahalaga ito higit sa lahat.

This is important above all.

Mas mahalaga siya higit sa akin.

He/She is more important than me.

62. Mas mababa sa — less than/below

Mas mababa ito sa presyo.

This is lower than the price.

63. Kasing...ng — as...as

This is a comparative construction rather than a normal preposition.

Kasingtangkad siya ng kapatid niya.

He/She is as tall as his/her sibling.

64. Dahil kay / dahil kina

For people:

Hindi siya dumating dahil kay Juan.

He/She did not come because of Juan.

Hindi sila dumating dahil kina Juan at Maria.

They did not come because of Juan and Maria.

65. Bunga ng — as a result of

Bunga ng malakas na ulan, bumaha.

As a result of the heavy rain, there was flooding.

Person:

Bunga ng kanyang desisyon, nagbago ang lahat.

As a result of his/her decision, everything changed.

66. Sa pamamagitan ng vs gamit ang

Both can express means.

Ginawa niya ito sa pamamagitan ng makina.

He/She did it by means of a machine.

Ginawa niya ito gamit ang makina.

He/She did it using the machine.

gamit ang is better analyzed as a means construction rather than a simple preposition.

67. Preposition + personal name system

This is an important Filipino pattern:

Common noun One person Several people

sa kay kina

para sa para kay para kina

mula sa mula kay mula kina

tungkol sa tungkol kay tungkol kina

ayon sa ayon kay ayon kina

laban sa laban kay laban kina

dahil sa dahil kay dahil kina

patungo sa patungo kay patungo kina

malapit sa malapit kay malapit kina

Examples:

sa bahay → to/at the house

kay Juan → to/at Juan

kina Juan at Maria → to/at Juan and Maria

68. Location master set

These are some of the most important Filipino location prepositional expressions:

Filipino English

sa tabi ng beside

sa harap ng in front of

sa likod ng behind

sa ibabaw ng on top of/above

sa ilalim ng under

sa loob ng inside

sa labas ng outside

sa pagitan ng between

sa gitna ng in the middle of

sa paligid ng around

sa dulo ng at the end of

sa simula ng at the beginning of

malapit sa near

malayo sa far from

katabi ng next to

harap ng front of

likod ng back/behind

paligid ng surrounding/around

gitna ng middle of

loob ng inside of

labas ng outside of

69. Time prepositional expressions

Filipino English

sa umaga in the morning

sa tanghali at noon

sa hapon in the afternoon

sa gabi at night

sa madaling-araw at dawn/early morning

sa Lunes on Monday

sa Enero in January

sa taong ito this year

noong panahon ng during the period of

sa panahon ng during

bago ang before

pagkatapos ng after

mula sa from

hanggang sa until

sa loob ng within

sa loob ng dalawang araw within two days

sa loob ng isang taon within a year

70. Cause/reason master set

Filipino English

dahil sa because of

bunga ng as a result of

dahil kay because of [person]

dahil kina because of [people]

sa kadahilanang for the reason that

bilang resulta ng as a result of

dulot ng caused by/as a result of

sanhi ng because of/due to

dahil dito sa because of this

71. Purpose/beneficiary master set

Filipino English

para sa for

para kay for [person]

para kina for [people]

alang-alang sa for the sake of

upang in order to

para in order to

para sa kapakanan ng for the welfare of

para sa layunin ng for the purpose of

tungo sa toward

patungo sa toward

72. Means/instrument master set

Filipino English

sa pamamagitan ng by means of/through

sa tulong ng with the help of

gamit ang using

sa paggamit ng through the use of

sa bisa ng by virtue of

sa paraan ng by way of

sa ilalim ng under the authority/rule of

sa pamamagitan ni through [person]

73. Opposition/contrast master set

Filipino English

laban sa against

laban kay against [person]

salungat sa contrary to/against

kabaligtaran ng opposite of

sa kabila ng despite

sa halip na instead of

kaysa sa rather than/than

hindi tulad ng unlike

di-gaya ng unlike

salungat kay contrary to [person]

74. Formal/literary prepositions and prepositional expressions

Filipino English

hinggil sa regarding

ukol sa concerning

patungkol sa concerning

alinsunod sa in accordance with

kaugnay ng in connection with

alinsunod kay according to [person]

ayon sa according to

sa bisa ng by virtue of

dulot ng due to

sanhi ng due to

alang-alang sa for the sake of

sa kabila ng despite

sa halip na instead of

bilang bahagi ng as part of

bilang tugon sa in response to

may kinalaman sa related to

12- DETERMINERS

1. Demonstrative determiners

These identify a noun by distance.

# Filipino Pronunciation English Example

1 ito i-to this Itong libro ay bago. — This book is new.

2 iyan i-yan that near you Iyang bahay ay malaki. — That house is big.

3 iyon i-yon that over there Iyong kotse ay mabilis. — That car is fast.

4 ang ito ang i-to this one Ang ito ay bago. — This one is new.

5 ang iyan ang i-yan that one Ang iyan ay mahal. — That one is expensive.

6 ang iyon ang i-yon that one over there Ang iyon ay luma. — That one is old.

Before a noun

The demonstrative normally combines with -ng:

Form Example English

ito + -ng → itong Itong libro this book

iyan + -g → iyong Iyong bahay that house

iyon + -g → iyong Iyong kotse that car

Context distinguishes iyong meaning that near you versus that over there.

2. Strong/emphatic demonstratives

Filipino English Example

mismong ito this very Ang mismong aklat na ito ang kailangan ko. — This very book is what I need.

mismong iyan that very Ang mismong taong iyan ang nakita ko. — I saw that very person.

mismong iyon that very one Ang mismong bahay na iyon ang binili niya. — He/She bought that very house.

itong mismo this very Itong mismong libro ang binasa ko. — I read this very book.

mismo is technically an emphatic particle/adverbial element, not a simple determiner.

3. Possessive determiners

Filipino normally expresses possession using possessive pronouns/pronoun forms.

# Filipino Pronunciation English

1 aking a-king my

2 iyong i-yong your

3 kaniyang ka-ni-yang his/her

4 aming a-ming our, exclusive

5 ating a-ting our, inclusive

6 inyong i-nyong your

7 kanilang ka-ni-lang their

Examples:

Aking libro — my book

Iyong bahay — your house

Kaniyang kotse — his/her car

Aming paaralan — our school (excluding you)

Ating bansa — our country (including you)

Inyong mga anak — your children

Kanilang bahay — their house

Important distinction: inclusive vs exclusive “our”

Filipino Meaning

aming our, not including you

ating our, including you

4. Short possessive forms

Filipino also has shorter possessive forms.

Short form Full form English

ko aking my

mo iyong your

niya kaniyang his/her

namin aming our, exclusive

natin ating our, inclusive

ninyo inyong your

nila kanilang their

However, these short forms are generally pronoun forms, rather than determiners directly preceding a noun.

Compare:

aking libro — my book

libro ko — my book

5. Indefinite determiners

Filipino does not have a direct equivalent of English a/an.

The most important indefinite/article-like forms are:

Filipino English Example

isang a/one Isang lalaki ang dumating. — A man arrived.

isang one Mayroon akong isang libro. — I have one book.

isa pang another one/a further Bumili siya ng isa pang libro. — He/She bought another book.

anumang any Anumang libro ay puwede. — Any book is acceptable.

kahit anong any/whatever Kahit anong libro ay puwede. — Any book is acceptable.

ilang some/several Ilang tao ang dumating. — Several people arrived.

isang tiyak na a certain Isang tiyak na tao ang nakita ko. — I saw a certain person.

isang

isa + -ng → isang

isang libro

a book / one book

isang tao

a person / one person

It can therefore be numeral-like or article-like, depending on context.

6. Indefinite quantifiers

Filipino English Example

ilang some/several Ilang estudyante ang dumating. — Several students arrived.

maraming many/a lot of Maraming tao ang dumating. — Many people arrived.

kaunting a little/few Kaunting tubig ang natira. — A little water remained.

ilang-ilang various/several Ilang-ilang tao ang dumalo. — Various people attended.

anumang any Anumang sagot ay maaari. — Any answer is possible.

anumang uri ng any kind of Anumang uri ng pagkain ay maaari. — Any kind of food is acceptable.

anumang klase ng any kind of Anumang klase ng kotse ay maaaring gamitin. — Any kind of car can be used.

7. Universal determiners

These express all, every, each.

Filipino English Example

lahat ng all Lahat ng estudyante ay dumating. — All the students arrived.

lahat all Lahat sila ay dumating. — They all arrived.

bawat every/each Bawat estudyante ay may libro. — Every student has a book.

bawat isa each one Bawat isa ay may gawain. — Each one has a task.

kada every/per Kada araw akong nag-aaral. — I study every day.

buong whole/entire Buong araw siyang nagtrabaho. — He/She worked the whole day.

buong-buong entire/whole Buong-buong pamilya ang dumating. — The entire family arrived.

8. Bawat — every/each

bawat + noun

Bawat estudyante ay nagbasa.

Every student read.

Bawat bahay ay may ilaw.

Every house has a light.

bawat isa

Bawat isa sa kanila ay may libro.

Each one of them has a book.

9. Kada — every/per

kada is common in everyday Filipino.

Kada araw — every day

Kada linggo — every week

Kada tao — every person

Kada estudyante ay may ID.

Every student has an ID.

10. Totality determiners

Filipino English

lahat ng all

lahat ng mga all the

buong whole/entire

kabuuang total/overall

lahat-lahat ng all of

ang buong the whole/entire

Examples:

Lahat ng mga bata ay naglaro.

All the children played.

Ang buong pamilya ay dumating.

The whole family arrived.

11. Negative determiners

Filipino has several ways to express no/not any/not a single.

Filipino English Example

walang no/without any Walang tao rito. — There is no person here.

walang kahit isang not even one Walang kahit isang estudyante ang dumating. — Not a single student arrived.

kahit isang...wala not even one Kahit isang libro ay wala. — There isn't even one book.

ni isa not a single one Ni isa ay walang dumating. — Not a single one arrived.

wala ni isang not a single Wala ni isang tao roon. — There wasn't a single person there.

walang anumang no/none whatsoever Walang anumang problema. — There is no problem whatsoever.

Walang

This is especially important:

walang libro

no book / there is no book

walang pera

no money

walang tao

nobody/no person

12. Partitive determiners

These express some of a larger group.

Filipino English

ilan sa some/several of

ilan sa mga some of the

marami sa many of

kaunti sa few of

ilan sa kanila some of them

lahat ng all of

bawat isa sa each of

isa sa one of

isa sa mga one of the

dalawa sa two of

karamihan sa most of

bahagi ng part of

Examples:

Ilan sa mga estudyante ay umalis.

Some of the students left.

Marami sa kanila ay dumating.

Many of them arrived.

Isa sa mga bata ang tumakbo.

One of the children ran.

13. Quantifier determiners

Filipino English

maraming many/a lot of

kaunting few/little

mas maraming more

mas kaunting fewer/less

pinakamaraming the most

pinakakaunting the fewest/least

sapat na enough

napakaraming very many/a great many

napakakaunting very few/very little

sobrang daming too many/a lot of

sobrang kaunting too little/few

walang gaanong not much/many

gaano karaming how many/how much

kasingdaming as many/as much

Examples:

Maraming tao ang dumating.

Many people arrived.

Mas maraming libro ang mayroon siya.

He/She has more books.

Pinakamaraming tao ang dumating dito.

The most people came here.

14. Marami / maraming

This distinction is useful.

Before a noun:

maraming + noun

Maraming libro

many books

Maraming tao

many people

Independently:

marami

Marami ang dumating.

Many arrived.

15. Kaunti / kaunting

Similarly:

Kaunting tubig ang natira.

A little water remained.

Kaunti ang natira.

Little remained.

16. Comparative quantity determiners

Filipino English

mas maraming more

mas kaunting fewer/less

pinakamaraming most

pinakakaunting fewest/least

higit na maraming considerably more

higit na kaunting considerably fewer

kasingdaming as many/as much

gaanong karaming how much/many

gaano karaming how much/many

Examples:

Mas maraming estudyante ang dumating.

More students arrived.

Mas kaunting tubig ang kailangan natin.

We need less water.

17. Numeral determiners

Numbers can function as noun determiners.

Cardinal numbers

Filipino English

isang one

dalawang two

tatlong three

apat na four

limang five

anim na six

pitong seven

walong eight

siyam na nine

sampung ten

labing-isang eleven

labindalawang twelve

dalawampung twenty

isang daang one hundred

isang libong one thousand

Examples:

Isang libro — one book

Dalawang libro — two books

Tatlong estudyante — three students

Sampung bahay — ten houses

The linker changes according to the numeral:

isa + -ng → isang

dalawa + -ng → dalawang

tatlo + -ng → tatlong

but:

apat na

anim na

siyam na

18. Ordinal determiners

These identify position in a sequence.

Filipino English

unang first

ikalawang second

ikatlong third

ikaapat na fourth

ikalimang fifth

ikaanim na sixth

ikapitong seventh

ikawalong eighth

ikasiyam na ninth

ikasampung tenth

Examples:

Unang araw — first day

Ikalawang libro — second book

Ikatlong taon — third year

19. Interrogative determiners

These ask which, what, how many, how much.

Filipino Pronunciation English Example

anong a-nong what/which Anong libro ang binasa mo? — What book did you read?

alin a-lin which Aling libro ang gusto mo? — Which book do you want?

aling a-ling which Aling bahay ang iyo? — Which house is yours?

anuman a-noo-man whatever/any Anumang libro ay puwede. — Any book is acceptable.

ilang i-lang how many/several Ilang libro ang mayroon ka? — How many books do you have?

gaano karaming ga-a-no ka-ra-ming how much/many Gaano karaming tubig ang kailangan? — How much water is needed?

magkano mag-ka-no how much (price) Magkano ang libro? — How much is the book?

anong uri ng a-nong oo-ree ng what kind of Anong uri ng libro ito? — What kind of book is this?

anong klase ng a-nong kla-se ng what kind of Anong klase ng pagkain ito? — What kind of food is this?

20. Alin / aling

alin = which one

aling + noun = which + noun

Alin ang gusto mo?

Which one do you want?

Aling libro ang gusto mo?

Which book do you want?

Aling bahay ang binili niya?

Which house did he/she buy?

21. Ano / anong

ano = what

anong + noun = what/which + noun

Ano ito?

What is this?

Anong libro ang binasa mo?

What book did you read?

Anong pagkain ang gusto mo?

What food do you want?

22. Indefinite “any” determiners

Filipino English

anumang any/whatever

kahit anong any/whatever

alinmang any/whichever

kahit alin whichever/any

sinumang anyone/whoever

kahit sinong anyone/whoever

saanmang any/whichever place

kahit anong uri ng any kind of

anumang klase ng any kind of

Examples:

Anumang libro ay maaari.

Any book is acceptable.

Kahit anong pagkain ay maaari.

Any food is acceptable.

Alinmang sagot ay tama.

Either/any answer is correct.

23. Distributive determiners

Filipino English Example

bawat every/each Bawat bata ay may regalo.

bawat isa each one Bawat isa ay may regalo.

kada every/per Kada araw siyang nag-aaral.

tig- each/per Tig-dalawang libro ang ibinigay.

tig-iisa one each Tig-iisang libro sila.

tig-dalawa two each Tig-dadalawang libro sila.

isa-isa one by one Isa-isang bata ang tinawag.

magkakahiwalay na separate individual Magkakahiwalay na grupo ang nabuo.

tig-

A very useful Filipino distributive formation:

tig-iisang libro

one book each

tig-dadalawang libro

two books each

tig-tatlong piso

three pesos each

24. Dual distributive

Filipino English

parehong both/same

parehong mga both the

kapwa both/equally

pareho both/same

dalawa-dalawa two by two

Examples:

Parehong bata ay tumakbo.

Both children ran.

Kapwa estudyante sila.

They are both students.

25. Neither / either

Filipino normally expresses these through combinations rather than one dedicated determiner.

Neither

wala ni isa

Wala ni isang estudyante ang dumating.

Not a single student arrived.

ni isa

Ni isa sa kanila ay hindi dumating.

Neither one of them arrived.

Either / whichever

alinman

Alinman sa dalawang libro ay puwede.

Either of the two books is acceptable.

kahit alin

Kahit alin sa mga ito ay puwede.

Either/any of these is acceptable.

26. Specificity marker ang

This is extremely important.

ang is not exactly an English-style determiner, but it marks the ang-marked noun phrase and often corresponds to a definite/specific noun phrase.

Ang libro ay nasa mesa.

The book is on the table.

Ang lalaki ay dumating.

The man arrived.

Ang mga bata ay naglalaro.

The children are playing.

Plural noun phrase

ang + mga + noun

ang mga libro

the books

ang mga bata

the children

27. Mga — plural noun marker

mga is one of the most important noun modifiers in Filipino.

libro → book

mga libro → books

ang mga libro → the books

itong mga libro → these books

aking mga libro → my books

maraming mga libro → many books

Strictly, mga is a plural marker, not a determiner by itself.

28. Demonstrative + plural

Singular Plural English

itong libro itong mga libro this book / these books

iyang libro iyang mga libro that book / those books

iyong libro iyong mga libro that book / those books

ang librong ito ang mga librong ito this book / these books

29. Possessive + plural

Singular Plural

aking libro aking mga libro

iyong libro iyong mga libro

kaniyang libro kaniyang mga libro

aming libro aming mga libro

ating libro ating mga libro

inyong libro inyong mga libro

kanilang libro kanilang mga libro

30. Determiner combinations

Filipino allows several determiners/modifiers to occur together.

Demonstrative + plural

itong mga libro

these books

Quantifier + plural

maraming mga libro

many books

Possessive + plural

aking mga libro

my books

Demonstrative + possessive-like construction

itong aking libro

this book of mine

More naturally:

ang aking librong ito

this book of mine

Quantifier + possessive

lahat ng aking mga libro

all my books

Numeral + plural

tatlong libro

three books

Demonstrative + numeral

itong tatlong libro

these three books

31. “Most” and “least”

Filipino English

pinakamaraming the most

pinakakaunting the least/fewest

karamihan sa most of

kaunti sa few of

mas maraming more

mas kaunting fewer/less

Examples:

Pinakamaraming estudyante ang dumating dito.

The most students came here.

Karamihan sa mga estudyante ay pumasa.

Most of the students passed.

32. “Enough” determiners

Filipino English

sapat na enough

sapat na mga enough

marami nang already many/enough many

may sapat na there is sufficient

sapat na bilang ng sufficient number of

sapat na dami ng sufficient amount/number of

Example:

May sapat na pagkain.

There is enough food.

33. “Too much / too many”

Filipino English

sobrang daming too many/a great many

napakaraming extremely many

masyadong maraming too many

sobrang dami ng too much/many

masyadong kaunting too little/few

sobrang kaunting too little/few

Example:

Masyadong maraming tao rito.

There are too many people here.

Masyadong kaunting tubig ang mayroon tayo.

We have too little water.

34. Approximate quantity

Filipino English

mga approximately/about (before numbers)

humigit-kumulang approximately

tinatayang estimated/approximately

halos almost/nearly

mahigit more than

higit sa more than

kulang sa less than/short of

mga sampung about ten

mga isang daan about one hundred

Examples:

Mga sampung tao ang dumating.

About ten people arrived.

Mga limang libro ang binili niya.

He/She bought about five books.

35. Tinatayang

Tinatayang isang daang tao ang dumalo.

Approximately one hundred people attended.

36. Halos

Halos lahat ng estudyante ay pumasa.

Almost all the students passed.

Halos isang daang tao ang dumating.

Almost one hundred people arrived.

37. Mahigit

Mahigit isang daang tao ang dumating.

More than one hundred people arrived.

Mahigit sampung taon na siya rito.

He/She has been here for more than ten years.

38. Kulang / kulang sa

Kulang sa limang tao ang dumating.

Fewer than five people arrived.

More literally, kulang sa = short of/less than.

39. “Such” determiners

Filipino English

ganoong such a/that kind of

ganitong such a/this kind of

ganyang such a/that kind of

gayong such a/like that

anumang ganoong any such

ganitong uri ng this kind of

ganyang uri ng that kind of

ganoong uri ng that kind of

Examples:

Ganitong problema ang mahirap lutasin.

This kind of problem is difficult to solve.

Ganyang tao ang dapat iwasan.

That kind of person should be avoided.

Ganoong uri ng pagkain ang gusto ko.

I like that kind of food.

40. Uri / klase constructions

These are noun-based determiner constructions:

Filipino English

anong uri ng what kind of

anong klase ng what kind of

anuman uri ng any kind of

anumang uri ng any kind of

ganitong uri ng this kind of

ganyang uri ng that kind of

ganoong uri ng that kind of

bawat uri ng every kind of

iba't ibang uri ng different kinds of

41. Iba't ibang — various/different

Very important Filipino determiner-like expression:

Iba't ibang libro ang binasa niya.

He/She read different kinds of books.

Iba't ibang tao ang dumating.

Various people arrived.

Iba't ibang bansa ang kanyang binisita.

He/She visited different countries.

42. Parehong — same/both

Parehong estudyante sila.

They are both students.

Parehong libro ang binili nila.

They bought the same book.

Context determines whether parehong means both or same.

43. Sariling — own

This is an adjective/possessive-like modifier rather than a strict determiner.

sarili kong bahay

my own house

sarili niyang kotse

his/her own car

sarili nating desisyon

our own decision

44. Basta / anumang — any kind

For unrestricted selection:

Anumang libro ay maaari.

Any book is acceptable.

Kahit anong libro ay maaari.

Any book whatsoever is acceptable.

Anumang tao ay maaaring sumali.

Any person may participate.

45. Restrictive words

These are not strict determiners, but they frequently modify noun phrases.

Filipino English

lamang only

lang only

tanging only/sole

pawang all/only

iisa lamang only one

isang...lamang only one

tanging isang only one

Examples:

Isang libro lamang ang kailangan ko.

I need only one book.

Tanging ang batang iyon ang nakakita.

Only that child saw it.

46. Pawang

pawang means all / nothing but / exclusively.

Pawang mga estudyante ang dumating.

All who arrived were students.

Pawang mga bata ang naroon.

There were only children there.

It is not a simple determiner in strict grammatical classification.

48. The Filipino determiner system in one table

Type Formation Example English

Definite ang + N ang libro the book

Plural definite ang + mga + N ang mga libro the books

This itong + N itong libro this book

That iyong + N iyong libro that book

My aking + N aking libro my book

Your iyong + N iyong libro your book

His/her kaniyang + N kaniyang libro his/her book

Our exclusive aming + N aming libro our book

Our inclusive ating + N ating libro our book

Your plural inyong + N inyong libro your book

Their kanilang + N kanilang libro their book

A/one isang + N isang libro a/one book

Some/several ilang + N ilang libro some/several books

Many maraming + N maraming libro many books

Few/little kaunting + N kaunting tubig little water

All lahat ng + N lahat ng libro all books

Every bawat + N bawat libro every book

Every kada + N kada araw every day

Whole buong + N buong araw whole day

No walang + N walang libro no book

Any anumang + N anumang libro any book

Whichever alinmang + N alinmang libro whichever book

This kind ganitong + N ganitong libro this kind of book

That kind ganyang + N ganyang libro that kind of book

Such ganoong + N ganoong libro such a book

Various iba't ibang + N iba't ibang libro different books

Both parehong + N parehong libro both/same books

Most pinakamaraming + N pinakamaraming libro the most books

Least pinakakaunting + N pinakakaunting libro the fewest books

Approx. number mga + number + N mga limang libro about five books

First unang + N unang libro first book

Second ikalawang + N ikalawang libro second book

Which aling + N aling libro which book

What anong + N anong libro what book

How many ilang + N ilang libro how many books

Each tig- + number + N tig-dalawang libro two books each

Only tanging + N tanging libro only book

Own sariling + N sariling libro own book

Important Filipino-specific points

There is no exact equivalent of English “the” as an article.

ang is a grammatical marker for the ang-phrase and often translates as the, but it is not simply an English-style definite article.

There is no exact equivalent of English “a/an.”

isang can function in an article-like way:

Isang lalaki ang dumating.

A man arrived.

But isang fundamentally comes from isa = one.

mga is the regular plural marker:

libro → mga libro

ang + mga + noun commonly corresponds to English the + plural noun:

ang mga libro = the books

Possessive forms can appear before the noun:

aking libro = my book

Filipino has inclusive/exclusive “we”, which affects possessive determination:

aming = our, excluding you

ating = our, including you

bawat = every/each, while lahat ng = all:

bawat estudyante = every student

lahat ng estudyante = all students

kay/kina are not determiners; they are personal-name forms of the sa relationship:

kay Juan, kina Juan at Maria

mga, ang, na/-ng are grammatical markers rather than ordinary English-style determiners.

mismo, lamang, lang, tanging, pawang are better classified as particles/focus/restrictive elements rather than strict determiners.

13- IF CONDITIONAL

Zero Kung + present, present Kung umuulan, basa ang lupa. If it rains, the ground is wet.

First Kung + future, future Kung mag-aaral ako, papasa ako. If I study, I will pass.

First negative Kung hindi + future, future Kung hindi ako kakain, magugutom ako. If I don't eat, I will get hungry.

Second Kung + situation, sana + result Kung may pera ako, bibili sana ako. If I had money, I would buy it.

Second continuous Kung + ongoing, ongoing + sana Kung nagtatrabaho ako, kumikita sana ako. If I were working, I would be earning money.

Third Kung + completed, completed + sana Kung nag-aral ako, pumasa sana ako. If I had studied, I would have passed.

Third continuous Kung + past ongoing, ongoing + sana Kung nagtatrabaho ako noon, kumikita sana ako. If I had been working then, I would have been earning money.

Mixed Kung + past completed, present + sana Kung nag-aral ako, matagumpay sana ako ngayon. If I had studied, I would be successful now.

I would eat — Kakain sana ako

I would be eating — Kumakain sana ako

I would have eaten — Kumain sana ako

I would have been eating — Kumakain sana ako noon

I would like to eat — Gusto kong kumain

I would be able to eat — Makakakain sana ako

I would not eat — Hindi sana ako kakain.

I would not be eating — Hindi sana ako kumakain.

I would not have eaten — Hindi sana ako kumain.

I would not have been eating — Hindi sana ako kumakain noon.

I would not go — Hindi sana ako pupunta.

I would not have gone — Hindi sana ako pumunta.

I would not be able to eat — Hindi sana ako makakakain.

The letter would be written — Isusulat sana ang liham.

The letter would be being written — Sinusulat sana ang liham.

The letter would have been written — Naisulat sana ang liham.

The letter would have been being written — Sinusulat sana ang liham noon.

The letter would be able to be written — Maisusulat sana ang liham.

The letter would have been able to be written — Maisulat sana ang liham.

The letter would not be written — Hindi sana isusulat ang liham.

The letter would not be being written — Hindi sana sinusulat ang liham.

The letter would not have been written — Hindi sana naisulat ang liham.

The letter would not have been being written — Hindi sana sinusulat ang liham noon.

The letter would not be able to be written — Hindi sana maisusulat ang liham.

The letter would not have been able to be written — Hindi sana maisulat ang liham.

kung — if — general "if" condition

kapag — when / whenever — expected or repeated condition

pag — when / if — informal form of kapag

sakali — if / in case — uncertain possibility

sakaling — if / in case that — uncertain possibility

kung sakali — if ever / in case — possibility

kung maaari — if possible — polite condition

kung gusto — if you want — condition based on preference

kung ayaw — if you don't want — negative preference condition

kung hindi — if not — negative condition

kung wala — if there is none / if not having — absence condition

maliban kung — unless — exception condition

kahit — even if / even though — concession condition

kahit na — even if / even though — stronger form of kahit

bagaman — although / even though — concession

bagama't — although (formal) — formal concession

basta — as long as / provided that — requirement condition

basta't — as long as — shortened formal form

hangga't — as long as / until — duration or condition

kung kailan — whenever / when — time condition

tuwing — whenever / every time — repeated condition

kapag hindi — when not / if not — negative repeated condition

sakaling hindi — in case not — uncertain negative condition

14- COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE

More adjective mas + adj. + kaysa Mas maganda siya kaysa sa akin. She is more beautiful than me.

Less adjective hindi gaanong + adj. + kaysa Hindi gaanong maganda ito kaysa doon. This is less beautiful than that.

More noun mas maraming + noun Mas maraming libro siya. He has more books.

Less noun mas kaunting + noun Mas kaunting libro siya. He has fewer books.

As...as kasing- + adj. Kasingganda niya si Maria. Maria is as beautiful as her.

As many/much kasingdami Kasingdami ng libro ko ang libro niya. He has as many books as me.

Most adjective pinaka- + adj. Siya ang pinakamaganda. She is the most beautiful.

Most noun pinakamaraming + noun Siya ang may pinakamaraming libro. He has the most books.

Least amount pinakakaunting + noun Siya ang may pinakakaunting libro. He has the fewest books.

Even more lalo pang + adj. Lalo pang gumanda. It became even more beautiful.

More often mas madalas Mas madalas akong kumain. I eat more often.

The more... habang mas..., lalo... Habang mas nag-aaral, lalo gumagaling. The more one studies, the better one gets.

15- RELATIVE CLAUSES

The man who eats Ang lalaking kumakain

The woman who sings Ang babaeng kumakanta

The book that I read Ang librong binasa ko

The house that I built Ang bahay na itinayo ko

The food that he cooked Ang pagkaing niluto niya

The place where I live Ang lugar kung saan ako nakatira

The day when I arrived Ang araw kung kailan ako dumating

The person who helped me Ang taong tumulong sa akin

who + actor noun + linker + actor-focus clause lalaking kumakain

who/whom + object noun + linker + object-focus clause lalaking nakita ko

that + object noun + linker + object-focus clause librong binasa ko

where place noun + linker + location clause bahay na tinitirhan ko

when time noun + linker + clause araw na dumating ako

16- REPORTED SPEECH AND DIRECT SPEECH

Direct speech: Sabi ni + person: "quote"

OR:

Sinabi ni + person: "quote"

Reported Speech:

Statement reporting verb + na + clause Sinabi niya na kumakain siya. He said that he was eating.

Negative statement reporting verb + na + hindi + clause Sinabi niya na hindi siya kumakain. He said that he was not eating.

Yes/no question tinanong + kung + clause Tinanong niya kung kumakain ako. He asked if I was eating.

WH-question tinanong + WH + clause Tinanong niya kung saan ako pupunta. He asked where I was going.

Command sinabi + sa person + na + verb Sinabi niya sa akin na kumain ako. He told me to eat.

Negative command sinabi + sa person + na huwag + verb Sinabi niya sa akin na huwag akong kumain. He told me not to eat.

Request hiniling + person + na + verb Hiniling niya sa akin na tulungan ko siya. He asked me to help him/her.

Advice pinayuhan + person + -ng + verb Pinayuhan niya akong mag-aral. He advised me to study.

sabi ni said

sinabi ni said

ayon kay according to

ipinaliwanag ni explained

binanggit ni mentioned

iniulat ni reported

ipinaalam ni informed

17- INFINITIVES AND VERBAL NOUNS

to eat kumain

to write magsulat

to study mag-aral

eating pagkain

writing pagsulat

studying pag-aaral

being built pagkakatayo

after eating pagkatapos kumain

before sleeping bago matulog

I am happy seeing you Masaya ako sa pagkikita natin (for emphasis) OR Masaya akong nakikita ka. OR Masaya akong makita ka. (more naturally) adjective + gerund adjective + sa + pag-verb

I am happy to see you Masaya akong makita ka adjective + infinitive adjective + linker + verb

I plan to eat Plano kong kumain noun + infinitive noun + ko + linker + verb

I plan eating Plano ko ang pagkain noun + gerund noun + pag-verb

I see him run Nakikita kong tumakbo siya perception + verb see + linker + verb

I see him running Nakikita ko siyang tumatakbo perception + ongoing verb see + object + ongoing verb

I eat to play Kumakain ako para maglaro purpose infinitive action + para + verb

18- SUBJUNCTIVE

I hope sana + verb Sana dumating siya

I wish sana + verb Sana nag-aral ako

would verb + sana Pupunta sana ako

should dapat + verb Dapat mag-aral ka

should have dapat sana + past verb Dapat sana nag-aral ka

so that para + verb Nag-aaral ako para matuto

may you nawa'y + verb Nawa'y maging masaya ka

don't huwag + verb Huwag kang pumunta

19- TAG QUESTIONS

You are happy, aren't you? Masaya ka, di ba?

He is a doctor, isn't he? Doktor siya, di ba?

You eat rice, don't you? Kumakain ka ng kanin, di ba?

You ate, didn't you? Kumain ka, di ba?

You will go, won't you? Pupunta ka, di ba?

You don't know, do you? Hindi mo alam, di ba?

You have a book, don't you? May libro ka, di ba?

You can do it, can't you? Kaya mo ito, di ba?

Aren't you happy? Hindi ka ba masaya?

Isn't he a doctor? Hindi ba siya doktor?

Don't you eat? Hindi ka ba kumakain?

Didn't you go? Hindi ka ba pumunta?

Won't you go? Hindi ka ba pupunta?

Haven't you eaten? Hindi ka pa ba kumain?

Can't you swim? Hindi ka ba marunong lumangoy?

Shouldn't you study? Hindi ka ba dapat mag-aral?

Don't you have money? Wala ka bang pera?

20- MODAL WORDS

# Filipino Pronunciation English meaning Full example

1 maaari ma-a-ri may, can, be possible Maaari kang pumunta. — You may/can go.

2 puwede pu-we-de can, may, be allowed Puwede kang umupo. — You may/can sit down.

3 pwede pwe-de can, may Pwede kang sumama. — You can come along.

4 dapat da-pat must, should, ought to Dapat kang mag-aral. — You should/must study.

5 kailangan kai-la-ngan need to, must Kailangan kong umalis. — I need to/must leave.

6 kailangang kai-la-ngang need to/must Kailangang maghintay tayo. — We need to wait.

7 nararapat na-ra-ra-pat ought to, should Nararapat siyang humingi ng tawad. — He/She ought to apologize.

8 kinakailangang ki-na-kai-la-ngang must/need to Kinakailangang mag-ingat tayo. — We need to be careful.

9 maaaring ma-a-ring may/might/can Maaaring umulan bukas. — It may rain tomorrow.

10 nais na-is wish/want to Nais kong pumunta. — I wish to go.

11 gusto gus-to want to Gusto kong pumunta. — I want to go.

12 ibig i-big want/wish Ibig kong malaman ang sagot. — I want to know the answer.

13 hangad ha-ngad desire/aspire to Hangad niyang magtagumpay. — He/She desires to succeed.

14 balak ba-lak intend/plan to Balak kong umalis. — I intend to leave.

15 nagnanais nag-na-na-is desire/wish Nagnanais siyang tumulong. — He/She wishes to help.

16 magbalak mag-ba-lak plan/intend Nagbalak siyang umalis. — He/She planned to leave.

17 kayang ka-yang able to/can Kaya kong gawin ito. — I can do this.

18 kaya ka-ya be able to/manage Kaya niyang lumangoy. — He/She can swim.

19 makakaya ma-ka-ka-ya will be able to/manage Makakaya mo ito. — You will be able to manage this.

20 nakakaya na-ka-ka-ya be able to/manage Nakakaya niya ang trabaho. — He/She can handle the work.

21 magagawa mag-a-ga-wa can manage/do Magagawa mo ito. — You can do this.

22 maaabutan ma-a-a-bu-tan may still catch/reach Maaabutan pa natin sila. — We may still catch them.

Important: Unlike English, many Filipino modal meanings are expressed by modal constructions rather than a dedicated set of auxiliary modal verbs.

2. Ability — “can / be able to”

The main Filipino ways to express ability are:

Formation English Example

kaya + pronoun + verb can/be able to Kaya kong lumangoy. — I can swim.

kayang + verb able to Kaya niyang gawin iyon. — He/She can do that.

maaari + pronoun + verb can/may Maaari akong pumunta. — I can/may go.

puwede + pronoun + verb can/may Puwede akong pumunta. — I can/may go.

magagawa + pronoun can manage to Magagawa ko ito. — I can do this.

makakaya + pronoun will be able to Makakaya mo ito. — You will be able to manage this.

Important distinction

kaya often emphasizes ability/capability:

Kaya kong gawin.

I can do it.

maaari / puwede often express possibility or permission:

Maaari akong pumunta.

I may/can go.

3. Permission — “may / be allowed to”

Filipino English Example

maaari may Maaari kang pumasok. — You may enter.

puwede may/can Puwede kang pumasok. — You may enter.

pwede may/can Pwede kang pumasok. — You may enter.

pinapayagan allowed Pinapayagan kang pumasok. — You are allowed to enter.

pinahihintulutan permitted Pinahihintulutan kang umalis. — You are permitted to leave.

may pahintulot have permission May pahintulot kang umalis. — You have permission to leave.

may permiso have permission May permiso siyang pumasok. — He/She has permission to enter.

4. Prohibition — “must not / may not”

Filipino English Example

hindi maaari cannot/may not Hindi ka maaaring pumasok. — You may not enter.

hindi puwede cannot/may not Hindi puwedeng pumasok dito. — You may not enter here.

bawal forbidden/not allowed Bawal pumasok. — No entry / Entry is forbidden.

ipinagbabawal prohibited Ipinagbabawal ang paninigarilyo. — Smoking is prohibited.

hindi pinapayagan not allowed Hindi ka pinapayagang umalis. — You are not allowed to leave.

hindi pinahihintulutan not permitted Hindi siya pinahihintulutang pumasok. — He/She is not permitted to enter.

Important distinction

Hindi kailangan mong pumunta.

You don't have to go.

is not the same as:

Hindi ka dapat pumunta.

You should/must not go.

and:

Hindi ka puwedeng pumunta.

You cannot/may not go.

5. Necessity — “must / have to / need to”

Filipino English

kailangan need to/must

kailangan mong you need to

kailangan kong I need to

kailangang must/need to

kinakailangan is required/needed

kinakailangang must/needs to

dapat must/should

nararapat ought to

obligado obliged

may obligasyon have an obligation

may tungkulin have a duty

sapilitan compulsory/forced

napipilitan be forced to

Examples:

Kailangan kong umalis.

I need to leave.

Dapat kang mag-aral.

You must/should study.

Kinakailangang mag-ingat.

It is necessary to be careful.

Obligado siyang magbayad.

He/She is obliged to pay.

6. “Should / ought to”

Filipino English

dapat should/must

nararapat ought to

makabubuti it would be good/advisable

mas mabuting it is better to

mainam na it is advisable/good to

mabuting it is good/better to

angkop na appropriate to

nararapat na ought to

dapat sana should have / was supposed to

Examples:

Dapat kang magpahinga.

You should rest.

Nararapat siyang humingi ng tawad.

He/She ought to apologize.

Mas mabuting umalis tayo.

We had better leave.

7. “Should have”

Filipino commonly uses dapat sana + verb.

Formation Example English

dapat sana + verb Dapat sana akong pumunta. I should have gone.

dapat sana + pronoun + verb Dapat sana siyang tumawag. He/She should have called.

hindi dapat sana + verb Hindi dapat sana ako pumunta. I shouldn't have gone.

Another possibility:

Dapat ay pumunta siya.

He/She should have gone.

8. “Would”

Filipino does not have one direct equivalent of English would.

Different meanings use different constructions.

English “would” meaning Filipino Example

would like gusto sana Gusto sana kitang tulungan. — I would like to help you.

hypothetical kung... Kung may pera ako, bibili ako. — If I had money, I would buy it.

conditional - / conditional construction Kung alam ko, sasabihin ko. — If I knew, I would tell you.

habitual past noong...lagi Noong bata ako, lagi akong naglalaro. — When I was young, I would always play.

future in past akala ko... Akala ko darating siya. — I thought he/she would come.

willingness handa sana Handa sana akong tumulong. — I would have been willing to help.

9. “Would like”

Very common:

gusto sana + pronoun + verb

Gusto sana kong pumunta.

I would like to go.

Gusto sana niyang bumili.

He/She would like to buy.

Gusto sana naming tumulong.

We would like to help.

Other forms:

Filipino English

nais kong I wish/would like to

nais sana would like/wish

ibig kong I would like/wish to

nagnanais na wishes to

10. Possibility — “may / might / could”

Filipino English

maaari may/might/can

maaaring may/might/can

puwede may/can

pwede may/can

posible possible

posibleng possibly/may

maaaring mangyari may happen

posibleng mangyari may/might happen

baka may/might

baka sakali perhaps/maybe

maaaring sakali may possibly

siguro probably/maybe

marahil perhaps

tila seems/as if

wari apparently/seemingly

Examples:

Maaaring umulan.

It may rain.

Puwedeng umulan.

It could/may rain.

Baka umulan.

It might rain.

Posibleng umulan.

It is possible that it will rain.

11. Probability — “probably”

Filipino English

malamang probably/likely

malamang na probably/likely

siguro probably/maybe

marahil perhaps/probably

tila apparently/seemingly

wari apparently/seemingly

maaaring possibly

posibleng possibly

malaki ang posibilidad na there is a high possibility that

may posibilidad na there is a possibility that

malamang ay probably

Examples:

Malamang na darating siya.

He/She will probably come.

Siguro ay darating siya.

He/She will probably/maybe come.

May posibilidad na umulan.

There is a possibility that it will rain.

12. “Maybe / perhaps”

Filipino English

baka maybe/might

siguro maybe/probably

marahil perhaps

maaaring may/might

posibleng possibly

baka sakali perhaps/maybe

tila seemingly

wari apparently/seemingly

Common distinction

baka is very common in everyday speech:

Baka umulan.

It might rain.

marahil is more formal/literary:

Marahil ay tama siya.

Perhaps he/she is right.

siguro often means maybe/probably:

Siguro darating siya.

He/She will probably/maybe come.

13. Certainty — “definitely / certainly”

These are modal/attitudinal adverbs.

Filipino English

talagang really/certainly

talaga really/indeed

tiyak certain

tiyak na certainly

siguradong surely/certainly

sigurado certain/sure

tunay na truly

walang alinlangan without doubt

walang duda without doubt

tiyak na tiyak absolutely certain

talagang-talaga definitely/really

Examples:

Siguradong darating siya.

He/She will definitely come.

Tiyak na tama ito.

This is certainly correct.

Walang alinlangang darating siya.

He/She will undoubtedly come.

14. Necessity from evidence / inference — “must”

Filipino can express English inferential must with:

Filipino English

siguradong must/surely

malamang must/probably

tiyak na must/certainly

siguro must/probably

tiyak surely

malamang ay must probably

Example:

Siguradong nasa bahay siya.

He/She must be at home.

This is different from obligation:

Dapat nasa bahay siya.

He/She must/should be at home.

15. Desire / volition

Filipino English

gusto want

nais wish/desire

ibig want/wish

hangad desire/aspire

nagnanais desire

pagnanais desire

minimithi wish/aspire to

inaasam hope/long for

inaasahan expect

pabor be in favor of

paboritong favorite/preferred

Examples:

Gusto kong kumain.

I want to eat.

Nais niyang umalis.

He/She wishes to leave.

Hangad niyang magtagumpay.

He/She desires to succeed.

16. Intention — “intend / plan / be going to”

Filipino English

balak plan/intend

nagbabalak planning/intending

magbabalak will plan/intend

nilalayon intend/aim

layunin aim/intend

nagnanais intend/wish

nakahanda prepared/ready

handa ready/willing

may balak na intend to

may planong have a plan to

planong planned/intended

Examples:

Balak kong maglakbay.

I intend to travel.

Nagbabalak siyang umalis.

He/She is planning to leave.

May balak siyang bumili ng kotse.

He/She intends to buy a car.

17. “Be going to”

Filipino normally uses context + aspect/future verb forms, rather than a direct equivalent of English be going to.

Pupunta ako bukas.

I am going to go tomorrow / I will go tomorrow.

For intention:

Balak kong pumunta bukas.

I am planning/intending to go tomorrow.

Nakatakda akong pumunta bukas.

I am scheduled to go tomorrow.

18. Supposition / expectation

Filipino English

dapat be supposed to

inaasahang expected to

inaasahan na expected to

nakatalagang assigned/scheduled to

nakaiskedyul na scheduled to

nakatakdang scheduled/set to

nakalaan na intended/set aside for

dapat sana was supposed to/should have

Examples:

Dapat siyang dumating ngayon.

He/She is supposed to arrive today.

Inaasahang darating siya bukas.

He/She is expected to arrive tomorrow.

Nakatakda siyang umalis bukas.

He/She is scheduled to leave tomorrow.

19. “Need not / don't have to”

Filipino normally uses hindi kailangan.

Hindi mo kailangang pumunta.

You don't have to go.

Hindi kailangang magmadali.

There is no need to hurry.

Hindi naman kailangan.

It isn't necessary.

This is different from:

Hindi ka dapat pumunta.

You should/must not go.

20. “Dare”

Filipino does not have a single exact everyday equivalent of English dare.

Common constructions:

Filipino English

maglakas-loob na dare to

may lakas-loob na have the courage to

naglakas-loob na dared to

mangahas na dare/venture to

maglakas ng loob na dare

hindi maglakas-loob na dare not

Examples:

Hindi ako naglakas-loob na magsalita.

I didn't dare to speak.

Naglakas-loob siyang sabihin ang totoo.

He/She dared to tell the truth.

Huwag kang mangahas na gawin iyon.

Don't you dare do that.

21. “Be willing to”

Filipino English

handa willing/ready

nakahanda ready/willing

payag willing/agreed

pumapayag agrees/is willing

sumasang-ayon agrees

may kusang-loob voluntarily/willingly

kusang-loob willingly/voluntarily

maluwag sa loob willing/with a willing heart

Examples:

Handa akong tumulong.

I am willing to help.

Payag siyang pumunta.

He/She is willing to go.

Kusang-loob siyang tumulong.

He/She voluntarily helped.

22. “Prefer”

Filipino English

mas gusto prefer

mas nais prefer

mas ibig prefer

pabor prefer/favor

pinipili choose/prefer

mas pipiliin would prefer

Examples:

Mas gusto kong manatili.

I prefer to stay.

Mas pipiliin kong maglakad.

I would prefer to walk.

23. “Hope”

Filipino English

umaasa hope

umaasa akong I hope

sana hopefully/if only/I wish

sana ay hopefully

nawa may it be / may...

nawa'y may... / hopefully

Examples:

Umaasa akong darating siya.

I hope he/she will come.

Sana ay maging maayos ang lahat.

Hopefully everything will be fine.

Nawa'y magtagumpay ka.

May you succeed.

24. Sana — one of the most important modal particles

sana can express wishes, hopes, hypothetical desires, and unreal situations.

Formation English

sana + verb hopefully / I wish

sana ay + verb hopefully

gusto sana + verb would like to

dapat sana + verb should have

sana + past-like context I wish / if only

Examples:

Sana umulan.

I hope it rains.

Sana pumasa ako.

I hope I pass.

Gusto sana kitang tulungan.

I would like to help you.

Dapat sana siyang dumating.

He/She should have arrived.

25. Nawa / nawa'y

A more formal/literary wish:

Nawa'y maging ligtas ka.

May you be safe.

Nawa'y magtagumpay siya.

May he/she succeed.

26. Obligation vs permission vs ability

This distinction is especially important in Filipino.

Meaning Filipino Example

can / be able kaya Kaya kong lumangoy.

can / may maaari Maaari akong pumunta.

can / may puwede Puwede akong pumunta.

must / should dapat Dapat akong pumunta.

must / need to kailangan Kailangan kong pumunta.

must not hindi dapat / bawal Hindi dapat akong pumunta.

may not hindi puwede / hindi maaari Hindi ako puwedeng pumunta.

don't have to hindi kailangan Hindi ko kailangang pumunta.

27. Conditional modality

Filipino expresses hypothetical modality primarily through kung and conditional verb forms.

First-type / real possibility

Kung umulan, hindi ako pupunta.

If it rains, I won't go.

Hypothetical

Kung may pera ako, bibili ako.

If I had money, I would buy it.

Counterfactual

Kung alam ko, sinabi ko sana sa iyo.

If I had known, I would have told you.

Important modal elements:

Filipino Function

kung if

sana would/wish/if only

dapat should/would have to

maaari may/could

puwede could/may

baka might

siguro probably/maybe

28. “Could”

There are several meanings.

Ability

Kaya kong gawin iyon.

I could/can do that.

Possibility

Maaaring mangyari iyon.

That could happen.

Permission

Puwede ba akong umalis?

Could/May I leave?

Hypothetical

Kung may oras ako, maaari akong sumama.

If I had time, I could come along.

29. “Might”

The most common equivalents are:

Filipino English

baka might

maaaring might/may

posibleng might/possibly

marahil might/perhaps

siguro might/probably

Baka dumating siya.

He/She might come.

Maaaring umulan mamaya.

It might rain later.

30. “Must have”

Filipino expresses inferential past modality through words such as siguradong, malamang, or tiyak na, combined with a past/completed form.

Siguradong dumating na siya.

He/She must have arrived.

Malamang na umalis na siya.

He/She probably must have left / He/She has probably left.

31. “May have / might have”

Baka dumating siya.

He/She might have come / might come.

Context determines whether the possibility is past or future.

More explicitly:

Baka dumating na siya.

He/She may have already arrived.

Maaaring dumating siya kahapon.

He/She may have arrived yesterday.

32. “Should be”

Filipino English

dapat should/must be

dapat ay should be

malamang probably is

siguradong surely is

nararapat na ought to be

Examples:

Dapat nasa bahay siya.

He/She should be at home.

Malamang nasa bahay siya.

He/She is probably at home.

33. “Have to”

The most common structure:

kailangan + pronoun + verb

Kailangan kong umalis.

I have to leave.

Kailangan mong mag-aral.

You have to study.

Kailangan niyang pumunta.

He/She has to go.

34. “Must”

Two major meanings:

Obligation

Dapat kang pumunta.

You must go.

Kailangan mong pumunta.

You must/have to go.

Inference

Siguradong nasa bahay siya.

He/She must be at home.

So English must does not correspond to one Filipino word.

35. “May” as a modal-like possibility

may can mean there may be / there is a possibility of, depending on construction.

May posibilidad na umulan.

There may be a possibility of rain.

May mangyayari.

Something may happen.

But ordinary may meaning have/there is is not itself a modal:

May libro ako.

I have a book.

36. Modal adverbs and particles

Filipino Pronunciation English

baka ba-ka maybe/might

siguro si-gu-ro maybe/probably

marahil ma-ra-hil perhaps

talaga ta-la-ga really/indeed

talagang ta-la-gang really/certainly

sigurado si-gu-ra-do certain/sure

siguradong si-gu-ra-dong certainly/surely

tiyak ti-yak certain

tiyak na ti-yak na certainly

sana sa-na hopefully/I wish

nawa na-wa may it be

nawa'y na-way may...

tila ti-la apparently/seemingly

wari wa-ri seemingly/apparently

malamang ma-la-mang probably/likely

posible po-si-ble possible

posibleng po-si-bleng possibly

maaari ma-a-ri may/can

maaaring ma-a-ring may/might

dapat da-pat should/must

kailangang kai-la-ngang must/need to

talagang ta-la-gang definitely/really

siguradong si-gu-ra-dong surely

baka sakali ba-ka sa-ka-li perhaps

kung sakali kung sa-ka-li if perhaps/in case

marahil ma-ra-hil perhaps

parang pa-rang seemingly/as if

mukhang muk-hang looks like/seems

tila bang ti-la bang as if/seemingly

37. Evidential / inferential modality

These express what the speaker infers or perceives.

Filipino English

mukhang it looks like

mukhang... apparently/seems

tila seemingly

wari apparently

parang seems like/as if

malamang probably

siguro probably

tila ba seemingly

sa palagay ko in my opinion/I think

sa tingin ko I think

parang ganoon seems to be like that

Examples:

Mukhang uulan.

It looks like it will rain.

Parang galit siya.

He/She seems angry.

Tila pagod siya.

He/She seems tired.

38. Attitude / speaker evaluation

These are modal-like because they express the speaker's attitude.

Filipino English

buti na lang fortunately

mabuti na lang fortunately

sa kabutihang-palad fortunately

sa kasamaang-palad unfortunately

nakalulungkot sadly

nakakatuwa happily/pleasingly

sa palagay ko in my opinion

sa tingin ko I think

sa aking palagay in my opinion

tila apparently

malamang probably

sana hopefully

talaga really/indeed

These are not all strict modal words, but they are part of broad Filipino modality.

39. Modal expressions of obligation

Formation English

dapat + verb should/must

kailangan + pronoun + verb have to

kinakailangang + verb must/need to

nararapat na + verb ought to

obligadong + verb obliged to

napipilitang + verb forced to

walang ibang paraan kundi + verb have no choice but to

wala kang magagawa kundi + verb you have no choice but to

Example:

Wala akong magagawa kundi umalis.

I have no choice but to leave.

40. Modal expressions of possibility

Formation English

maaari + verb may/can

maaaring + verb may/might

puwede + verb can/may

posibleng + verb possibly

may posibilidad na + clause there is a possibility that

may pagkakataong + clause there is a chance that

baka + verb might

siguro + clause probably/maybe

malamang + clause probably

marahil + clause perhaps

41. Modal expressions of certainty

Formation English

tiyak na + clause certainly

siguradong + clause surely

talagang + clause definitely/really

walang duda na + clause undoubtedly

walang alinlangan na + clause without doubt

tiyak na tiyak na + clause absolutely certain

sigurado akong + clause I am sure that

Example:

Sigurado akong darating siya.

I am sure that he/she will come.

42. Modal expressions of uncertainty

Formation English

baka + clause might

siguro + clause maybe/probably

marahil + clause perhaps

maaaring + clause may/might

posibleng + clause possibly

hindi tiyak kung + clause uncertain whether

hindi alam kung + clause don't know whether

43. Modal expressions of necessity vs possibility

This is a useful master contrast:

English Filipino

can kaya / maaari / puwede

could kaya / maaaring / puwede / maaari sana

may maaari / puwede / baka

might baka / maaaring / posibleng

must dapat / kailangan

must not hindi dapat / bawal / hindi puwede

should dapat / nararapat

should not hindi dapat

have to kailangan

don't have to hindi kailangan

be able to kaya / magagawa / makakaya

be allowed to maaari / puwede / pinapayagan

be supposed to dapat / nakatakdang / inaasahang

want to gusto / nais / ibig

would like to gusto sana / nais sana

intend to balak / nagbabalak

dare to maglakas-loob na / mangahas na

need to kailangan

need not hindi kailangan

hope to umaasa na / sana

prefer to mas gusto / mas nais

45. Most important formations

Meaning Formation Example English

can kaya + pronoun + V Kaya kong lumangoy. I can swim.

may/can maaari + pronoun + V Maaari akong pumunta. I may/can go.

may/can puwede + pronoun + V Puwede akong pumunta. I may/can go.

must dapat + pronoun + V Dapat kang umalis. You must/should leave.

have to kailangan + pronoun + V Kailangan kong umalis. I have to leave.

must not hindi dapat + V Hindi ka dapat umalis. You must not leave.

must not bawal + V Bawal pumasok. You must not enter.

don't have to hindi kailangan + V Hindi mo kailangang pumunta. You don't have to go.

might baka + V Baka umulan. It might rain.

probably malamang + clause Malamang darating siya. He/She will probably come.

perhaps marahil + clause Marahil darating siya. Perhaps he/she will come.

would like gusto sana + pronoun + V Gusto sana kong pumunta. I would like to go.

intend balak + pronoun + V Balak kong pumunta. I intend to go.

hope umaasa + pronoun + clause Umaasa akong darating siya. I hope he/she comes.

wish sana + V Sana dumating siya. I wish/hope he/she would come.

certainty siguradong + clause Siguradong darating siya. He/She will definitely come.

inference mukhang + clause Mukhang uulan. It looks like it will rain.

21- THERE IS / HAVE / BE

There is a book May libro

There are books May mga libro

There is a person May tao

There are people May mga tao

There is no book Walang libro

There are no books Walang mga libro

There is food on the table May pagkain sa mesa

The book is on the table Nasa mesa ang libro

Is there a problem? May problema ba?

There is someone eating May taong kumakain

have a book may / mayroon May libro ako

have a friend may May kaibigan ako

have money mayroon Mayroon akong pera

had a problem nagkaroon ng Nagkaroon ako ng problema

have eaten verb + na Kumain na ako

have been studying matagal na + verb Matagal na akong nag-aaral

have to go kailangan Kailangan kong pumunta

don't have wala Wala akong pera

have not done hindi pa + verb Hindi pa ako kumain

Eat! Kumain ka!

Don't eat! Huwag kang kumain!

Study! Mag-aral ka!

Don't study! Huwag kang mag-aral!

Read the book! Basahin mo ang libro!

Open the door! Buksan mo ang pinto!

Let's go! Tara tayo! / Punta tayo!

Please help me Pakitulungan mo ako

Be loved Mahalin ka

Be respected Igalang ka

Be protected Protektahan ka

Be remembered Alalahanin ka

Be respected by everyone Dapat kang igalang ng lahat

Don't be forgotten Huwag kang kalimutan

Don't be forgotten Huwag kang kalimutan

Positive verb + ka/kayo Kumain ka! Eat!

Negative huwag + ka/kayo + verb Huwag kang kumain! Don't eat!

Object-focus verb + mo/ninyo + object Kainin mo ang pagkain! Eat the food!

Negative object-focus huwag + mo/ninyo + verb + object Huwag mong kainin ang pagkain! Don't eat the food!

Polite paki- + verb Pakibasa. Please read it.

Let's verb + tayo Kumain tayo! Let's eat!

Let's not huwag + tayo + verb Huwag tayong kumain. Let's not eat.