The English word "the" is the definite article. It marks a noun as one particular thing that speaker and listener both know about: "a house" is any house, and "the house" is the one we mean. Cebuano has no word that does exactly this job, but it has a small word that does most of it and a good deal more: ang. It stands in front of a noun and marks it as the topic of the sentence, the thing the sentence is about and the thing the verb is aimed at. A noun marked with ang is nearly always one that both speakers can identify, and so ang is, in practice, the Cebuano "the". Ang balay is "the house", ang bata is "the child", ang mga bata is "the children".
The course's frequency list gives "the" as its first entry, an article. The Cebuano equivalent chosen here is ang, because Cebuano grammars describe it as the marker of the topic (direct case) of ordinary nouns, and because it is the word a learner meets in nearly every sentence. Its neighbours are the other small markers that stand where English puts "the" or "a":
- sa (/sa/, "of the, by the, at the, to the") marks a noun that is not the topic but is still definite: the doer in many sentences, the owner, the place. Sa lamesa is "on the table", ang balay sa lalaki is "the man's house". - ug (/ug/, also written og, "a, some") marks a noun that is not the topic and is indefinite: nagbasa ang babaye ug libro, "the woman read a book". - si (/si/) is the topic marker for the names of people: si Pedro, si Maria. Ang is never used before a personal name. The non-topic forms are ni (like sa) and kang (to, for or at a person). - mga (/maŋa/) marks the plural: ang mga bata, "the children". The noun itself does not change. - usa ka (/usa ka/, "a, one") puts a noun into a story as something new: usa ka balay, "a house".
The first thing to learn about ang is that it marks the topic and not simply "the". In a Cebuano sentence the verb is built to point at one noun, and that noun is the one marked with ang. Mikaon ang bata is "the child ate", with the eater marked by ang. Gikaon sa bata ang tinapay is "the child ate the bread", with the bread marked by ang and the eater marked by sa. The English translation has "the" on both nouns. Cebuano uses ang on one and sa on the other.
The second thing is that the choice among ang, sa and ug is a choice about the noun's job in the sentence and about whether it is definite. Section D sets out the pattern in six rules.
The third thing is word order. Cebuano puts the predicate first, and the ang phrase follows: Dako ang balay, "big the house", is "the house is big". The adjective, the verb or the place word comes first, and the topic comes after.
Orthographic points: ang and mga are always written as separate words in lower case, and the ng of ang is one letter of the alphabet and one sound. Cebuano is written with twenty letters, among them the digraph ng, which has its own place in the alphabet between n and o. The glottal stop is not written between vowels, and it is written with a hyphen between a consonant and a vowel: bag-o, tam-is, kan-on, tan-aw. Stress is not written in ordinary texts.
FAQ: How do you say "the" in Cebuano?
Q: What is "the" in Cebuano? A: The usual word is ang, put before the noun: ang balay, "the house". For more than one, ang mga: ang mga balay. Before a person's name the word is si: si Pedro.
Q: Is ang always "the"? A: No. It marks the topic of the sentence. A noun that is not the topic is marked with sa when it is definite and ug when it is indefinite, and in English both could be "the" or "a".
Q: How do I say "a" or "an"? A: Put usa ka before the noun for "a, one": usa ka balay. After a verb, the indefinite object is usually marked with ug: nagbasa ang babaye ug libro.
Q: Where does the plural go? A: Mga goes after ang or sa and before the noun: ang mga bata, sa mga bata.
Key Takeaways
- Ang is the topic marker and the nearest Cebuano word to "the": ang bata, ang balay, ang mga bata. - Before a personal name the marker is si, and never ang: si Maria. - A definite noun that is not the topic takes sa; an indefinite one takes ug (or og). - Mga makes the plural and stands after ang or sa: ang mga bata. - The predicate comes first and the topic after it: Dako ang balay, "The house is big".
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ang /aŋ/ is a short a and the sound at the end of English "sing". The letters ng are one consonant, /ŋ/, and not an n followed by a g: say "ahng" and do not release a g at the end. The same sound can begin a word, as in nga /ŋa/ ("that") and the plural mga.
mga /maŋa/ is written with no vowel between the m and the g, and it is said as two syllables, ma-nga, the second syllable beginning with the /ŋ/ of "sing". The spelling hides the vowel, so say it as two syllables.
IPA in this lesson is a simple transcription of each word on its own. Stress in Cebuano is not predictable from the spelling and is not written, so it is not marked in the IPA either: learn the stress of each word by listening to a speaker.
Sounds in this lesson that English lacks or treats differently:
- ng = /ŋ/, one consonant: ang /aŋ/, nga /ŋa/, mangga /maŋɡa/, tungod /tuŋod/. - Vowels. The basic vowels are a, i, u. Cebuano speakers often use o and u interchangeably, which is why ug is also written og. In this lesson e and o appear in words such as lamesa /lamesa/, libro /libɾo/, dako /dako/, nindot /nindot/. - Glottal stop /ʔ/. A word spelled with a vowel at its start begins, in speech, with a glottal stop, the catch in the throat in the middle of English "uh-oh". It is not written, and the IPA here does not show it at the start of a word. Where it falls between two vowels or between a consonant and a vowel, the IPA does show it: naa /naʔa/, kaon in mikaon /mikaʔon/, duol /duʔol/, tua /tuʔa/, bag-o /bagʔo/, tam-is /tamʔis/, kan-on /kanʔon/. In the spelling the hyphen is the mark of a glottal stop after a consonant. Between vowels, it is not written. - r = /ɾ/, a quick tap of the tongue, as in Spanish "pero": iro /iɾo/, merkado /meɾkado/. - y = /j/ (as in "yes"): balay /balaj/, siya /sija/. w = /w/: wala /wala/. h = /h/: inahan /inahan/. - g is always hard, /ɡ/: dagat /dagat/, libro, ug /ug/. - Every vowel is said clearly. English speakers should avoid reducing unstressed vowels to "uh".
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Examples 1.1–1.15 are pedagogical constructions built from vocabulary and patterns attested in the grammars and dictionaries consulted for this lesson. They are not quotations, and they have not been read by a native speaker. In line a, ang is glossed the, and sa is glossed by its job in the sentence (by, of, at, to, in, on), because it also carries the "the" of its noun. A name is introduced by si or ni, glossed name-marker and by. Line b uses these abbreviations: TOP (the topic marker ang), TOP.PN (si, the topic marker before a personal name), GEN (sa or ni marking the doer or the owner), LOC (sa marking a place, a direction or the person spoken to), INDF (the indefinite marker ug), PL (the plural marker mga), LNK (the linker nga or -ng), AF (actor-focus verb), GF (goal-focus verb), PFV (completed action), EXIST (adunay, there is), NEG (the negator dili), 1SG.POSS and 3SG.POSS (my, his or her), 3SG.TOP (siya) and 3SG.GEN (niya).
1.1a Ang the bata child
1.1b Ang /aŋ/ TOP bata /bata/ child
1.2a Ang the mga plural bata child
1.2b Ang /aŋ/ TOP mga /maŋa/ PL bata /bata/ child
1.3a Dako big ang the balay house
1.3b Dako /dako/ big ang /aŋ/ TOP balay /balaj/ house
1.4a Tua there ang the iro dog
1.4b Tua /tuʔa/ there ang /aŋ/ TOP iro /iɾo/ dog
1.5a Mikaon ate ang the bata child
1.5b Mikaon /mikaʔon/ eat.AF.PFV ang /aŋ/ TOP bata /bata/ child
1.6a Naa is-at ang the libro book sa on lamesa table
1.6b Naa /naʔa/ be.at ang /aŋ/ TOP libro /libɾo/ book sa /sa/ LOC lamesa /lamesa/ table
1.7a Nagbasa read ang the babaye woman ug a libro book
1.7b Nagbasa /nagbasa/ read.AF.PFV ang /aŋ/ TOP babaye /babaje/ woman ug /ug/ INDF libro /libɾo/ book
1.8a Gibasa was-read sa by babaye woman ang the libro book
1.8b Gibasa /gibasa/ read.GF.PFV sa /sa/ GEN babaye /babaje/ woman ang /aŋ/ TOP libro /libɾo/ book
1.9a Dako big ang the balay house sa of lalaki man
1.9b Dako /dako/ big ang /aŋ/ TOP balay /balaj/ house sa /sa/ GEN lalaki /lalaki/ man
1.10a Dili not dako big ang the akong my balay house
1.10b Dili /dili/ NEG dako /dako/ big ang /aŋ/ TOP akong /akoŋ/ 1SG.POSS balay /balaj/ house
1.11a Miadto went ang the inahan mother sa to merkado market ug and nagpalit bought siya she ug a tinapay bread
1.11b Miadto /miʔadto/ go.AF.PFV ang /aŋ/ TOP inahan /inahan/ mother sa /sa/ LOC merkado /meɾkado/ market ug /ug/ and nagpalit /nagpalit/ buy.AF.PFV siya /sija/ 3SG.TOP ug /ug/ INDF tinapay /tinapaj/ bread
1.12a Gikaon was-eaten sa by bata child ang the tinapay bread nga that gipalit was-bought sa by inahan mother
1.12b Gikaon /gikaʔon/ eat.GF.PFV sa /sa/ GEN bata /bata/ child ang /aŋ/ TOP tinapay /tinapaj/ bread nga /ŋa/ LNK gipalit /gipalit/ buy.GF.PFV sa /sa/ GEN inahan /inahan/ mother
1.13a Gihigugma was-loved sa by inahan mother ang the mga plural bata child
1.13b Gihigugma /gihigugma/ love.GF.PFV sa /sa/ GEN inahan /inahan/ mother ang /aŋ/ TOP mga /maŋa/ PL bata /bata/ child
1.14a Naa are-at ang the mga plural bata child sa in balay house apan but wala not-at sa in balay house ang the tatay father
1.14b Naa /naʔa/ be.at ang /aŋ/ TOP mga /maŋa/ PL bata /bata/ child sa /sa/ LOC balay /balaj/ house apan /apan/ but wala /wala/ not.at sa /sa/ LOC balay /balaj/ house ang /aŋ/ TOP tatay /tataj/ father
1.15a Tam-is sweet ang the mangga mango nga that naa is-at sa on lamesa table
1.15b Tam-is /tamʔis/ sweet ang /aŋ/ TOP mangga /maŋɡa/ mango nga /ŋa/ LNK naa /naʔa/ be.at sa /sa/ LOC lamesa /lamesa/ table
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1.1 Ang bata. → "The child."
1.2 Ang mga bata. → "The children."
1.3 Dako ang balay. → "The house is big."
1.4 Tua ang iro. → "The dog is over there."
1.5 Mikaon ang bata. → "The child ate."
1.6 Naa ang libro sa lamesa. → "The book is on the table."
1.7 Nagbasa ang babaye ug libro. → "The woman read a book."
1.8 Gibasa sa babaye ang libro. → "The woman read the book."
1.9 Dako ang balay sa lalaki. → "The man's house is big."
1.10 Dili dako ang akong balay. → "My house is not big."
1.11 Miadto ang inahan sa merkado ug nagpalit siya ug tinapay. → "The mother went to the market and bought bread."
1.12 Gikaon sa bata ang tinapay nga gipalit sa inahan. → "The child ate the bread that the mother bought."
1.13 Gihigugma sa inahan ang mga bata. → "The mother loves the children."
1.14 Naa ang mga bata sa balay apan wala sa balay ang tatay. → "The children are in the house, but father is not in the house."
1.15 Tam-is ang mangga nga naa sa lamesa. → "The mango that is on the table is sweet."
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1.1 Ang bata.
1.2 Ang mga bata.
1.3 Dako ang balay.
1.4 Tua ang iro.
1.5 Mikaon ang bata.
1.6 Naa ang libro sa lamesa.
1.7 Nagbasa ang babaye ug libro.
1.8 Gibasa sa babaye ang libro.
1.9 Dako ang balay sa lalaki.
1.10 Dili dako ang akong balay.
1.11 Miadto ang inahan sa merkado ug nagpalit siya ug tinapay.
1.12 Gikaon sa bata ang tinapay nga gipalit sa inahan.
1.13 Gihigugma sa inahan ang mga bata.
1.14 Naa ang mga bata sa balay apan wala sa balay ang tatay.
1.15 Tam-is ang mangga nga naa sa lamesa.
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These are the grammar rules for ang in Cebuano:
1. Ang marks the topic. Ang stands before a noun and marks it as the topic: the thing the sentence is about, and the thing the verb is built to point at. It is nearly always definite, and so it is usually translated "the": ang bata (1.1), ang balay (1.3), ang iro (1.4), ang libro (1.6). It does not change for gender, because Cebuano has none, and it is the same before a singular and a plural noun, except that the plural has mga after it (rule 5).
2. Ang follows the verb, and it names the noun the verb is aimed at. The verb in a Cebuano sentence is chosen to match the noun marked with ang:
- With an actor-focus verb (mikaon, nagbasa, miadto, nagpalit) the ang noun is the doer: Mikaon ang bata (1.5), "the child ate"; Nagbasa ang babaye ug libro (1.7), "the woman read a book". - With a goal-focus verb (those beginning gi-: gibasa, gikaon, gipalit, gihigugma) the ang noun is the thing acted on, and the doer takes sa: Gibasa sa babaye ang libro (1.8), "the woman read the book".
Compare 1.7 and 1.8. In English both are "the woman read the / a book". In Cebuano they are different sentences: in 1.7 the woman is the topic and the book is not, so it takes ug and is indefinite; in 1.8 the book is the topic, and so it is definite.
3. Sa marks a definite noun that is not the topic. It has several jobs, and the verb and the sense show which:
- the doer in a goal-focus sentence: sa babaye (1.8), sa bata (1.12), sa inahan (1.13) - the owner: ang balay sa lalaki (1.9), "the man's house", literally "the house of-the man" - the place or direction: sa lamesa (1.6, 1.15), sa merkado (1.11), sa balay (1.14)
Sa is also used before a plural: sa mga bata, with mga after it, as in the Genre Section (1.22).
4. Ug (og) marks an indefinite noun that is not the topic. Nagbasa ang babaye ug libro (1.7) is "the woman read a book": the book is not the topic, and it is not a particular book. Ug has a second job as the word "and", which is why it occurs twice in 1.11: ug nagpalit is "and bought", and ug tinapay is "(some) bread". The position tells the two apart. The spelling og is a common variant of both.
5. Mga makes the plural. Mga goes after ang (or sa) and before the noun, and the noun itself does not change: ang mga bata (1.2, 1.13, 1.14). Mga is not used when a number is given: ang duha ka bata, "the two children". In front of a number, mga means "about".
6. Names take si, ni and kang. Ang is not used before a personal name. The topic form is si: si Pedro, si Maria (1.19). The non-topic form that works like sa is ni: gipalit ni Pedro ang tinapay, "Pedro bought the bread" (this sentence is not among the lesson examples). Kang marks a person as the one something is given or said to: kang Maria, "to Maria". The same three words, ang, si and ni, are used in Tagalog.
7. The predicate comes first. The usual order is the verb, the adjective or the place word first, and the ang phrase after it: Dako ang balay (1.3), Tua ang iro (1.4), Naa ang libro sa lamesa (1.6). There is no word for "is" in these sentences. The negative is dili before an adjective or noun: Dili dako ang akong balay (1.10), and wala for "is not there, is not at": wala sa balay ang tatay (1.14).
8. Adjectives, owners and relative clauses. A word that describes a noun is joined to it by the linker nga, or by -ng if the word ends in a vowel: ang bag-ong balay, "the new house". Ang stands in front of the whole phrase, and an owner stands between ang and the noun: ang akong balay (1.10), "my house". A whole clause can describe a noun in the same way, with nga: ang tinapay nga gipalit sa inahan (1.12), "the bread that the mother bought"; ang mangga nga naa sa lamesa (1.15), "the mango that is on the table".
9. A, one, and there is. Usa ka is "a, one" and brings something new into the talk: usa ka balay (1.16). Adunay is "there is, there are": Adunay usa ka balay duol sa dagat (1.16). Naa says that something is at a place (1.6, 1.14, 1.15), and tua says that it is over there (1.4).
Common Mistakes
- Ang before a name. Wrong: ang Pedro. Right: si Pedro. - Ang on every noun, as English puts "the". Wrong: Gibasa ang babaye ang libro. Right: Gibasa sa babaye ang libro. Only the topic takes ang. - Ug for a definite noun. Wrong: Gibasa sa babaye ug libro, meant as "the woman read the book". Right: Gibasa sa babaye ang libro. - Sa for the topic. Wrong: Dako sa balay. Right: Dako ang balay. - Putting the adjective before the noun without a linker. Wrong: ang dako balay. Right: ang dako nga balay. - Pronouncing ng as n and g. Ang is /aŋ/, as in "sing". - Reading mga as written. Say ma-nga. - A verb "to be". Do not look for one: Dako ang balay, and not Ang balay ay dako. - Mga before a number. Before a number mga does not make a plural: mga lima is "about five".
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Frequency and register. Ang is one of the commonest words in written and spoken Cebuano and belongs to every register. Because it begins so many noun phrases, it also begins many titles.
Everyday phrases.
- Maayong buntag "good morning", maayong hapon "good afternoon" and maayong gabii "good evening" are the daily greetings, and salamat is "thank you". Maayo is "good", and the -ng is the linker of rule 8 of Section D. - Ang cannot simply be left out: in Naa ang libro sa lamesa it is the marker that says which word is the topic. - Adunay and its short form aduna are used in everyday speech for "there is" and "to have".
The names of the language. English calls the language Cebuano, after the island and city of Cebu. Many speakers call it Bisaya or Binisaya, which is also the name of the wider family of Visayan languages, so that "Bisaya" can mean Cebuano or any of its neighbours. Sinugboanon is a name from Sugbo, the old name of Cebu. The course uses the name Cebuano.
Standard written Cebuano. The course teaches the modern spelling taught in schools and used in print. Since the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 (Republic Act No. 10533), the mother tongues of the regions, Cebuano among them, are the languages of instruction from kindergarten to Grade 3. Older books use other spellings, and a learner will meet them in old texts.
Related languages. Cebuano and Tagalog are close relatives, and the markers ang, si and ni are shared. The words do not always match in meaning: Tagalog ng corresponds to Cebuano sa and ug according to the job. Lessons will point out the differences when a word is shared by the two.
Regional variety. The forms taught here are standard Cebuano. In speech the vocabulary and the pronunciation vary a little from island to island, and the lessons say so where it matters.
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Juan 3:16 (John 3:16), in the Revised Cebuano Popular Version (RCPV), as published at bible.com (Bible version 562) and at bibliatodo.com. The Cebuano is given as printed there; the English translation is ours. In line b, OBL is a non-topic sa marking the thing obtained.
The verse is a translation of a Greek text, and so it is not an original work in Cebuano. It is chosen because it is widely printed, it can be checked against any English Bible, and it shows ang three times in one sentence, each in a different position: on the thing the verb is aimed at (ang kalibotan), on a noun with an owner and an adjective (ang iyang bugtong Anak), and before a whole clause (ang tanan nga motuo kaniya).
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a Kay for gihigugma was-loved pag-ayo very-much sa by Dios God ang the kalibotan world
F.1b Kay /kaj/ for gihigugma /gihigugma/ love.GF.PFV pag-ayo /pagʔajo/ very.much sa /sa/ GEN Dios /dios/ God ang /aŋ/ TOP kalibotan /kalibotan/ world
F.2a Ug and tungod because niini of-this gihatag was-given niya by-him ang the iyang his bugtong only Anak Son
F.2b Ug /ug/ and tungod /tuŋod/ because niini /nini/ of.this gihatag /gihatag/ give.GF.PFV niya /nija/ 3SG.GEN ang /aŋ/ TOP iyang /ijaŋ/ 3SG.POSS bugtong /bugtoŋ/ only Anak /anak/ son
F.3a Aron so-that ang the tanan all nga that motuo believe kaniya in-him
F.3b Aron /aron/ so.that ang /aŋ/ TOP tanan /tanan/ all nga /ŋa/ LNK motuo /motuʔo/ believe.AF kaniya /kanija/ to.him
F.4a Dili not malaglag be-lost kondili but makabaton obtain hinuon instead sa the kinabuhing life dayon eternal
F.4b Dili /dili/ NEG malaglag /malaglag/ be.lost kondili /kondili/ but makabaton /makabaton/ obtain hinuon /hinuʔon/ instead sa /sa/ OBL kinabuhing /kinabuhiŋ/ life.LNK dayon /dajon/ eternal
F-B: Original → Translation
Kay gihigugma pag-ayo sa Dios ang kalibotan ug tungod niini gihatag niya ang iyang bugtong Anak, aron ang tanan nga motuo kaniya dili malaglag kondili makabaton hinuon sa kinabuhing dayon.
"For God loved the world so much, and because of this he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not be lost but will have eternal life."
F-C: Original Only
Kay gihigugma pag-ayo sa Dios ang kalibotan ug tungod niini gihatag niya ang iyang bugtong Anak, aron ang tanan nga motuo kaniya dili malaglag kondili makabaton hinuon sa kinabuhing dayon.
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
- gihigugma pag-ayo sa Dios ang kalibotan: the lesson in one clause. The verb is goal-focus (gi-), and so the thing loved takes ang and the doer takes sa: "was-loved by God the world". The English "God loved the world" puts the doer first; Cebuano puts the verb first, then the doer with sa, then the topic with ang (Section D, rule 2). - ang iyang bugtong Anak: ang stands before the whole noun phrase, with the owner (iyang, "his") and the adjective (bugtong, "only") between ang and the noun (Section D, rule 8). The -ng of iyang is the linker. The capital on Anak is in the printed text. - gihatag niya: the doer of a goal-focus verb can be a pronoun, and then it takes the genitive form niya in place of sa. - ang tanan nga motuo kaniya: ang stands before a whole clause. Tanan nga motuo kaniya is "all who believe in him", and ang makes it the topic of what follows: "the all-who-believe". This is how Cebuano says "everyone who believes". - sa kinabuhing dayon: here sa marks the object of makabaton ("obtain"), "the life eternal". The word that is not the topic is marked with sa, as in Section D, rule 3, and -ng joins kinabuhi to dayon in the same way as in ang bag-ong balay. - kondili … hinuon: "but instead". The pair joins the two outcomes of the sentence, "will not be lost" and "will have eternal life".
The verse makes the point of the lesson: where English says "the world", "the only Son" and "everyone", Cebuano says ang each time, and each time it is the verb that decides which noun takes it.
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A short descriptive text written for this lesson, on a house beside the sea and the family in it. It is a pedagogical text built from attested patterns, and it has not been read by a native speaker. The house and the family enter with usa ka and adunay, and from then on every person and thing is picked up with ang or si.
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
1.16a Adunay there-is usa one ka linker balay house duol near sa to dagat sea
1.16b Adunay /adunaj/ EXIST usa /usa/ one ka /ka/ LNK balay /balaj/ house duol /duʔol/ near sa /sa/ LOC dagat /dagat/ sea
1.17a Dako big ang the balay house ug and bag-o new ang the atop roof
1.17b Dako /dako/ big ang /aŋ/ TOP balay /balaj/ house ug /ug/ and bag-o /bagʔo/ new ang /aŋ/ TOP atop /atop/ roof
1.18a Adunay there-is usa one ka linker pamilya family nga that nagpuyo living sa in balay house
1.18b Adunay /adunaj/ EXIST usa /usa/ one ka /ka/ LNK pamilya /pamilja/ family nga /ŋa/ LNK nagpuyo /nagpujo/ live.AF.PFV sa /sa/ LOC balay /balaj/ house
1.19a Si name-marker Pedro Pedro ang the tatay father ug and si name-marker Maria Maria ang the nanay mother
1.19b Si /si/ TOP.PN Pedro /pedɾo/ Pedro ang /aŋ/ TOP tatay /tataj/ father ug /ug/ and si /si/ TOP.PN Maria /maɾia/ Maria ang /aŋ/ TOP nanay /nanaj/ mother
1.20a Mitan-aw looked ang the tatay father sa at dagat sea
1.20b Mitan-aw /mitanʔaw/ look.AF.PFV ang /aŋ/ TOP tatay /tataj/ father sa /sa/ LOC dagat /dagat/ sea
1.21a Nagluto cooked ang the nanay mother ug some kan-on rice
1.21b Nagluto /nagluto/ cook.AF.PFV ang /aŋ/ TOP nanay /nanaj/ mother ug /ug/ INDF kan-on /kanʔon/ cooked.rice
1.22a Maayong good buntag morning miingon said ang the nanay mother sa to mga plural bata child
1.22b Maayong /maʔajoŋ/ good.LNK buntag /buntag/ morning miingon /miʔiŋon/ say.AF.PFV ang /aŋ/ TOP nanay /nanaj/ mother sa /sa/ LOC mga /maŋa/ PL bata /bata/ child
1.23a Nagdala brought ang the bata child ug some tubig water sa to lamesa table
1.23b Nagdala /nagdala/ bring.AF.PFV ang /aŋ/ TOP bata /bata/ child ug /ug/ INDF tubig /tubig/ water sa /sa/ LOC lamesa /lamesa/ table
1.24a Gibutang was-put sa by nanay mother ang the mangga mango sa on lamesa table
1.24b Gibutang /gibutaŋ/ put.GF.PFV sa /sa/ GEN nanay /nanaj/ mother ang /aŋ/ TOP mangga /maŋɡa/ mango sa /sa/ LOC lamesa /lamesa/ table
1.25a Gikaon was-eaten sa by mga plural bata child ang the mangga mango
1.25b Gikaon /gikaʔon/ eat.GF.PFV sa /sa/ GEN mga /maŋa/ PL bata /bata/ child ang /aŋ/ TOP mangga /maŋɡa/ mango
1.26a Tam-is sweet ang the mangga mango
1.26b Tam-is /tamʔis/ sweet ang /aŋ/ TOP mangga /maŋɡa/ mango
1.27a Gitan-aw was-watched sa by iro dog ang the mga plural bata child
1.27b Gitan-aw /gitanʔaw/ look.GF.PFV sa /sa/ GEN iro /iɾo/ dog ang /aŋ/ TOP mga /maŋa/ PL bata /bata/ child
1.28a Mikatawa laughed ang the tatay father ug and ang the nanay mother
1.28b Mikatawa /mikatawa/ laugh.AF.PFV ang /aŋ/ TOP tatay /tataj/ father ug /ug/ and ang /aŋ/ TOP nanay /nanaj/ mother
1.29a Gihigugma was-loved sa by pamilya family ang the balay house
1.29b Gihigugma /gihigugma/ love.GF.PFV sa /sa/ GEN pamilya /pamilja/ family ang /aŋ/ TOP balay /balaj/ house
1.30a Nindot nice ang the balay house sa of pamilya family
1.30b Nindot /nindot/ nice ang /aŋ/ TOP balay /balaj/ house sa /sa/ GEN pamilya /pamilja/ family
Part B: Natural Sentences
1.16 Adunay usa ka balay duol sa dagat. → "There is a house near the sea."
1.17 Dako ang balay ug bag-o ang atop. → "The house is big and the roof is new."
1.18 Adunay usa ka pamilya nga nagpuyo sa balay. → "There is a family living in the house."
1.19 Si Pedro ang tatay ug si Maria ang nanay. → "Pedro is the father and Maria is the mother."
1.20 Mitan-aw ang tatay sa dagat. → "The father looked at the sea."
1.21 Nagluto ang nanay ug kan-on. → "The mother cooked rice."
1.22 Maayong buntag, miingon ang nanay sa mga bata. → "'Good morning,' the mother said to the children."
1.23 Nagdala ang bata ug tubig sa lamesa. → "The child brought water to the table."
1.24 Gibutang sa nanay ang mangga sa lamesa. → "The mother put the mango on the table."
1.25 Gikaon sa mga bata ang mangga. → "The children ate the mango."
1.26 Tam-is ang mangga. → "The mango is sweet."
1.27 Gitan-aw sa iro ang mga bata. → "The dog watched the children."
1.28 Mikatawa ang tatay ug ang nanay. → "The father and the mother laughed."
1.29 Gihigugma sa pamilya ang balay. → "The family loves the house."
1.30 Nindot ang balay sa pamilya. → "The family's house is lovely."
Part C: Target Language Only
1.16 Adunay usa ka balay duol sa dagat.
1.17 Dako ang balay ug bag-o ang atop.
1.18 Adunay usa ka pamilya nga nagpuyo sa balay.
1.19 Si Pedro ang tatay ug si Maria ang nanay.
1.20 Mitan-aw ang tatay sa dagat.
1.21 Nagluto ang nanay ug kan-on.
1.22 Maayong buntag, miingon ang nanay sa mga bata.
1.23 Nagdala ang bata ug tubig sa lamesa.
1.24 Gibutang sa nanay ang mangga sa lamesa.
1.25 Gikaon sa mga bata ang mangga.
1.26 Tam-is ang mangga.
1.27 Gitan-aw sa iro ang mga bata.
1.28 Mikatawa ang tatay ug ang nanay.
1.29 Gihigugma sa pamilya ang balay.
1.30 Nindot ang balay sa pamilya.
Part D: Grammar Notes for the Genre Section
- New, then known. The house and the family enter with usa ka and adunay: usa ka balay (1.16), usa ka pamilya (1.18). From then on they are ang balay (1.17, 1.29, 1.30) and sa pamilya (1.29, 1.30). The father and the mother enter as si Pedro and si Maria (1.19), and then as ang tatay and ang nanay (1.20, 1.21, 1.22, 1.28). Read each ang as "the one we already know". - Ang on both nouns of a pair. In 1.28 the speaker repeats ang before each noun of the pair: ang tatay ug ang nanay, "the father and the mother". - Identifying sentences. In 1.19 the pattern is si Pedro ang tatay, "Pedro is the father": two topic-marked phrases side by side, with no word for "is". - Actor focus and goal focus. The sentences with mi- and nag- (1.20, 1.21, 1.22, 1.23, 1.28) have the doer after the verb, marked with ang. The sentences with gi- (1.24, 1.25, 1.27, 1.29) have the thing acted on marked with ang and the doer marked with sa. Compare 1.23, nagdala ang bata ug tubig, with 1.24, gibutang sa nanay ang mangga. - Ug as "some" and as "and". Ug kan-on (1.21) and ug tubig (1.23) are indefinite: "some rice", "some water". The ug in 1.17, 1.19 and 1.28 is "and". - Sa mga. In 1.22 and 1.25 mga follows sa: sa mga bata, "to the children", "by the children". In 1.27 mga follows ang. - Place. Duol sa dagat (1.16) is "near the sea", sa balay (1.18) "in the house", sa dagat (1.20) "at the sea", sa lamesa (1.23, 1.24) "to the table, on the table". All of these are sa with a place. - The greeting. Maayong buntag (1.22) is a fixed phrase. Maayong is maayo, "good", with the linker -ng, and it comes before the noun buntag, "morning". - Speech. The quotation comes first and the words "the mother said" follow, as in English: Maayong buntag, miingon ang nanay sa mga bata.
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Check these in every sentence:
- ang /aŋ/: the ng is one consonant, /ŋ/, as at the end of English "sing", and it is never n plus g. - mga /maŋa/: said ma-nga. It is written with no vowel after the m. - nga /ŋa/ ("that") and -ng (the linker in akong, iyang, maayong, bag-ong, kinabuhing) are the same sound as the ng of ang. - Hyphen. The hyphen in bag-o, tam-is, kan-on, tan-aw and pag-ayo shows a glottal stop between a consonant and a vowel. It is part of the spelling and is not a break between two words. - Vowel after vowel. In naa, tua, duol, miadto, mikaon, miingon and maayong a glottal stop is said between the two vowels, and it is not written. - ug /ug/ is also written og. Both are correct, and the course uses ug. - g is always hard: dagat, libro, ug. - r is a quick tap: iro, libro, merkado, Pedro, Maria. - Capitals begin sentences and names. Ang, sa and mga are lower case in the middle of a sentence. Dios and Anak have capitals in Section F because the printed text has them. - Stress is not written and is not marked in this lesson. - Punctuation is as in English: the comma, full stop and quotation marks. - Special letters used in this lesson: only the digraph ng. Cebuano has no accented letters in ordinary spelling.
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