The English verb "be" does several jobs at once. It describes ("the house is big"), it identifies ("Pedro is the father"), it says where something is ("the book is on the table") and it says that something exists ("there is a house near the sea"). The course's frequency list gives "be" as its second entry, a verb, and notes that it is the verb of existence and of linking.
Cebuano has no single verb that does all of this. As the Course Introduction says, it has no verb "to be" in the English sense, and each job is done a different way:
- Describing needs no verb at all. The description comes first and the topic after it: Dako ang balay, "the house is big" (Lesson 1, 1.3). - Identifying puts two topic phrases side by side (Si Pedro ang tatay, "Pedro is the father", Lesson 1, 1.19), or uses the word mao, "is the one". - Being somewhere, existing and having are all done by one small word, naa. This is the nearest Cebuano comes to "be", and it is the word of this lesson.
The Cebuano equivalent chosen for "be" is therefore naa, because the verb "be" is most often a verb of location and existence, and naa is the word Cebuano uses for both. Naa ko sa balay is "I am at home". Naay tubig is "there is water". Naa koy iro is "I have a dog", which in Cebuano is "there is to me a dog". Where English "be" joins a subject to a description or to a name, Cebuano has no equivalent and the learner is shown how to say it instead (Section D, rule 1).
Naa is a shortened form. Wiktionary describes it as a clipping of anaa, which means "there is; have; be in", and the full form anaa is the one printed in the Cebuano Bible and in careful writing (Section F). In everyday speech and in most modern writing the short form is used, and this course uses it.
Naa belongs to a small family of words that say where something is, in relation to the speaker and the hearer:
- ania (/aniʔa/, "here is") is near the speaker: Ania na ang libro, "here is the book". - naa is traditionally near the hearer. Today it is also the general word for "is there, is present, exists", and that is the sense of this lesson. - tua (/tuʔa/, "is over there") is far from both. It appeared in Lesson 1: Tua ang iro, "the dog is over there". - adunay (also aduna) is "there is, there are" without any place in mind, and is the more formal word (Lesson 1, 1.16). - wala is the opposite of all of these: "there is none, is not there, does not have".
The first thing to learn about naa is that it never needs a second verb. The topic of the sentence follows it and is marked with ang, as in Lesson 1: Naa ang libro sa lamesa, "the book is on the table". The second thing is the little -y. When naa (or wala) is followed straight away by a noun that is new to the talk, the word becomes naay (walay): Naay tubig, "there is water". When a pronoun follows it, the -y goes on the pronoun: naa koy iro, "I have a dog". The third thing is that naa has no tenses. Naa ko sa merkado is "I am at the market", and with gahapon, "yesterday", it becomes "I was at the market".
Orthographic points: naa is two syllables. The two a's are not one long vowel: a glottal stop is said between them, though it is not written. The same holds for anaa, ania and tua. The question word ba and the short -y are written joined to the word before: naa ba, but naa bay tubig, "is there water?"
FAQ: What does "naa" mean in Cebuano?
Q: What does naa mean? A: It means "be at, be there, there is, to have". It says that a person or thing is at a place (Naa siya sa opisina, "she is at the office"), that something exists (Naay tubig) or that someone has something (Naa koy iro).
Q: Is there a Cebuano word for "is" in "the house is big"? A: No. Say Dako ang balay. Naa is not used for descriptions. Saying "is" before an adjective is the commonest mistake of English speakers.
Q: How do I say "I don't have" or "it isn't there"? A: Use wala, which replaces naa: Wala koy iro, "I don't have a dog"; Wala ang nanay sa balay, "mother is not at home".
Q: What is the difference between naa and anaa? A: Naa is the short form used in speech. Anaa is the full form of the same word and is common in the Bible and in formal writing.
Key Takeaways
- Cebuano has no verb "to be". Naa covers being at a place, existing and having: Naa ko sa balay, Naay tubig, Naa koy iro. - Naa is the short form of anaa. The pair ania (here), naa and tua (over there) say where. - The negative of naa is wala (walay before a noun): Wala koy iro. Never put wala and naa together. - The short -y joins naa or wala to a following noun (naay, walay), or goes on the pronoun after it (koy, kay). - Descriptions need no "is": Dako ang balay.
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naa /naʔa/ has two syllables, na-a, and the stress is on the first. Wiktionary gives /ˈnaʔa/. Say "NAH" and then a catch in the throat, as in the middle of English "uh-oh", and then a short "ah". It is not one long vowel. The simple transcription in this lesson does not mark stress, as in Lesson 1: learn the stress of each word from a speaker.
anaa /anaʔa/ adds a short a in front. ania /aniʔa/ and tua /tuʔa/ have the same glottal stop between their last two vowels.
naay /naʔaj/ is naa with the sound of English "eye" at the end: y is /j/ (as in "yes"), and here it makes a diphthong. In the same way koy is /koj/, kay is /kaj/ and walay is /walaj/.
wala /wala/ is "there is none". Wiktionary notes that this word is stressed on the last syllable (/waˈlaʔ/), unlike the verb wala, "to disappear", which is stressed on the first. In several dialects, Metro Cebu, Bohol and Leyte among them, it is said wa. Wiktionary's transcription of wala ends in a glottal stop; the simple IPA of this course does not show a final stop, as in Lesson 1.
Other sounds in this lesson:
- ng = /ŋ/, one consonant: daghang /daghaŋ/, kung /kuŋ/, imong /imoŋ/, nga /ŋa/, mga /maŋa/. - gh is not a digraph. In daghang the g and the h are two sounds: /g/ and /h/. - Glottal stop /ʔ/ between vowels, not written: naa /naʔa/, igsoon /igsoʔon/, miadto /miʔadto/, miingon /miʔiŋon/, mao /maʔo/, kauban /kaʔuban/. - Hyphen. A hyphen marks a glottal stop after a consonant, as in Lesson 1: gitan-aw /gitanʔaw/. - r = /ɾ/, a quick tap: iro /iɾo/, kwarta /kwaɾta/, merkado /meɾkado/. - Spanish loans such as opisina, kwarto, silya and problema keep their Spanish-like vowels. - g is always hard, /g/.
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Examples 2.1–2.15 are pedagogical constructions built from vocabulary and patterns attested in the sources consulted for this lesson (Section E). They are not quotations, and they have not been read by a native speaker. The pattern of 2.1 is printed in the sources as Naa ko sa balay, and 2.4, 2.5 and 2.6 follow sentences of the same shape. In line a, naa is glossed is-at when it says where something is, and there-is when it says that something exists or is owned. Line b uses these abbreviations: AF (actor-focus verb), GF (goal-focus verb), PFV (completed action), IMP (command), TOP (the topic marker ang), TOP.PN (si, the topic marker before a personal name), GEN (sa marking the doer or the owner), LOC (sa marking a place), LNK (the linker nga or -ng), PL (the plural marker mga), POSS (my, your, her), 1SG, 2SG, 3SG and 1PL.EXCL (the pronouns ko, ka, siya and mi; "we" without the person spoken to), 3SG.GEN (niya), POSS (akong, imong, iyang: my, your, his or her), LOC.3SG (kaniya, at him or her), Q (the question marker ba), EXIST (naa and anaa, "there is", "has"), -Y (the short -y of Section D, rule 3), NEG.EXIST (wala, "there is none") and EQ (mao, "is the one").
2.1a Naa is-at ko I sa in balay house
2.1b Naa /naʔa/ be.at ko /ko/ 1SG sa /sa/ LOC balay /balaj/ house
2.2a Naa is-at siya he-she sa at opisina office
2.2b Naa /naʔa/ be.at siya /sija/ 3SG sa /sa/ LOC opisina /opisina/ office
2.3a Naay there-is tubig water
2.3b Naay /naʔaj/ EXIST-Y tubig /tubig/ water
2.4a Naa there-is koy I iro dog
2.4b Naa /naʔa/ EXIST koy /koj/ 1SG-Y iro /iɾo/ dog
2.5a Wala there-is-not koy I iro dog
2.5b Wala /wala/ NEG.EXIST koy /koj/ 1SG-Y iro /iɾo/ dog
2.6a Naa there-is kay you kwarta money
2.6b Naa /naʔa/ EXIST kay /kaj/ 2SG-Y kwarta /kwaɾta/ money
2.7a Naa is-at ba question ang the nanay mother sa in balay house
2.7b Naa /naʔa/ be.at ba /ba/ Q ang /aŋ/ TOP nanay /nanaj/ mother sa /sa/ LOC balay /balaj/ house
2.8a Wala not-at ang the nanay mother sa in balay house karon now
2.8b Wala /wala/ NEG.EXIST ang /aŋ/ TOP nanay /nanaj/ mother sa /sa/ LOC balay /balaj/ house karon /kaɾon/ now
2.9a Naay there-is daghang many tawo person sa at merkado market
2.9b Naay /naʔaj/ EXIST-Y daghang /daghaŋ/ many.LNK tawo /tawo/ person sa /sa/ LOC merkado /meɾkado/ market
2.10a Naa is-at pa still ba question ang the tinapay bread sa on lamesa table
2.10b Naa /naʔa/ be.at pa /pa/ still ba /ba/ Q ang /aŋ/ TOP tinapay /tinapaj/ bread sa /sa/ LOC lamesa /lamesa/ table
2.11a Wala not-at na already ang the tinapay bread sa on lamesa table
2.11b Wala /wala/ NEG.EXIST na /na/ already ang /aŋ/ TOP tinapay /tinapaj/ bread sa /sa/ LOC lamesa /lamesa/ table
2.12a Naa there-is koy I igsoon sibling nga that lalaki man ug and igsoon sibling nga that babaye woman
2.12b Naa /naʔa/ EXIST koy /koj/ 1SG-Y igsoon /igsoʔon/ sibling nga /ŋa/ LNK lalaki /lalaki/ man ug /ug/ and igsoon /igsoʔon/ sibling nga /ŋa/ LNK babaye /babaje/ woman
2.13a Naa is-at sa on lamesa table ang the mangga mango nga that gipalit was-bought sa by inahan mother
2.13b Naa /naʔa/ be.at sa /sa/ LOC lamesa /lamesa/ table ang /aŋ/ TOP mangga /maŋga/ mango nga /ŋa/ LNK gipalit /gipalit/ buy.GF.PFV sa /sa/ GEN inahan /inahan/ mother
2.14a Naa is-at ko I sa at merkado market gahapon yesterday apan but wala not-at na already ang the tinapay bread
2.14b Naa /naʔa/ be.at ko /ko/ 1SG sa /sa/ LOC merkado /meɾkado/ market gahapon /gahapon/ yesterday apan /apan/ but wala /wala/ NEG.EXIST na /na/ already ang /aŋ/ TOP tinapay /tinapaj/ bread
2.15a Kung if naa there-is kay you problema problem tawga call ko me
2.15b Kung /kuŋ/ if naa /naʔa/ EXIST kay /kaj/ 2SG-Y problema /problema/ problem tawga /tawga/ call.GF.IMP ko /ko/ 1SG
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2.1 Naa ko sa balay. → "I am at home."
2.2 Naa siya sa opisina. → "She is at the office." (siya means "he" or "she")
2.3 Naay tubig. → "There is water."
2.4 Naa koy iro. → "I have a dog."
2.5 Wala koy iro. → "I do not have a dog."
2.6 Naa kay kwarta? → "Do you have money?"
2.7 Naa ba ang nanay sa balay? → "Is mother at home?"
2.8 Wala ang nanay sa balay karon. → "Mother is not at home now."
2.9 Naay daghang tawo sa merkado. → "There are many people at the market."
2.10 Naa pa ba ang tinapay sa lamesa? → "Is the bread still on the table?"
2.11 Wala na ang tinapay sa lamesa. → "The bread is no longer on the table."
2.12 Naa koy igsoon nga lalaki ug igsoon nga babaye. → "I have a brother and a sister."
2.13 Naa sa lamesa ang mangga nga gipalit sa inahan. → "The mango that mother bought is on the table."
2.14 Naa ko sa merkado gahapon, apan wala na ang tinapay. → "I was at the market yesterday, but the bread was already gone."
2.15 Kung naa kay problema, tawga ko. → "If you have a problem, call me."
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2.1 Naa ko sa balay.
2.2 Naa siya sa opisina.
2.3 Naay tubig.
2.4 Naa koy iro.
2.5 Wala koy iro.
2.6 Naa kay kwarta?
2.7 Naa ba ang nanay sa balay?
2.8 Wala ang nanay sa balay karon.
2.9 Naay daghang tawo sa merkado.
2.10 Naa pa ba ang tinapay sa lamesa?
2.11 Wala na ang tinapay sa lamesa.
2.12 Naa koy igsoon nga lalaki ug igsoon nga babaye.
2.13 Naa sa lamesa ang mangga nga gipalit sa inahan.
2.14 Naa ko sa merkado gahapon, apan wala na ang tinapay.
2.15 Kung naa kay problema, tawga ko.
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These are the grammar rules for naa in Cebuano:
1. There is no verb "to be" to join a subject and a description. Cebuano has one word for being somewhere (naa), and it does not use that word, or any word, for "is" between a topic and what is said about it.
- Description: the description comes first and the topic after it, with nothing between: Dako ang balay, "the house is big" (Lesson 1, 1.3). To say "I am happy" you say Malipayon ko, with the description first and the pronoun after it (this sentence is not among the lesson examples). - Identity: two topic phrases are put side by side: Si Pedro ang tatay (Lesson 1, 1.19). The word mao ("is the one") can also be used. Grammars give Mao kini ang Kabisay-an, "this is the Visayas", and the Bible verse of Section F has ang Pulong mao ang Dios, "the Word is God" (F.3). - Place, existence and having: naa, as in the rules below.
2. Naa says that something is at a place. The topic follows naa and is marked with ang (or a pronoun, or si before a name). The place is marked with sa: Naa ko sa balay (2.1), Naa siya sa opisina (2.2), Naa ba ang nanay sa balay? (2.7). The place can come first and the topic after it: Naa sa lamesa ang mangga (2.13), as against Naa ang libro sa lamesa in Lesson 1. A place word can stand where sa and a noun would: Naa didto ang libro (2.20), "the book is there". The place words are diri (also dinhi, here, near the speaker), dinha (there, near the hearer) and didto (there, far away).
3. Naay says that something exists. When the thing that exists is new to the talk, it has no ang, and naa takes a short -y: Naay tubig (2.3), "there is water"; Naay daghang tawo sa merkado (2.9), "there are many people at the market". The negative is walay: Walay tawo diri, "no one is here" (this sentence is not among the lesson examples). Compare Naa ang libro sa lamesa (known book, ang, a place) and Naay libro sa lamesa (a book, new, "there is a book on the table"). A question adds ba, and the -y then goes on ba: Naa bay tubig?, "is there water?". Adunay (also aduna) is the same, in more careful speech: Adunay Diyos sa langit, "there is a God in heaven".
4. Naa also says "have". Cebuano says "there is to me" and not "I have". The owner is a short pronoun, and the short -y goes on it: Naa koy iro (2.4), Naa kay kwarta? (2.6), Naa koy igsoon nga lalaki ug igsoon nga babaye (2.12), Kung naa kay problema (2.15). The short pronouns are:
- ko (I), ka (you), siya (he, she), mi (we, without the person spoken to), ta (we, with the person spoken to), mo (you, more than one), sila (they) - with -y: koy, kay, siyay, miy, tay, moy, silay
Mi and ta are not the same. Mi ("we, but not you") leaves out the person spoken to, and ta ("we, you included") takes them in. The children in 2.30 say mi to the teacher. The full forms are ako, ikaw, siya, kami, kita, kamo and sila.
5. Wala is the negative of naa. Wala says that something is not there, does not exist or is not owned, and it takes the place of naa, and does not stand next to it: Wala koy iro (2.5), Wala ang nanay sa balay karon (2.8). Two small words change the meaning. Wala pa is "not yet" (2.25: wala pa ang magtutudlo, "the teacher is not there yet"). Wala na is "no longer, already gone" (2.11, 2.14). The opposite pair is naa pa ("is still there", 2.10) and naa na ("is already there", 2.22). In speech wala is often said wa.
6. Questions: ba and asa. The question marker ba stands after the first word: Naa ba ang nanay sa balay? (2.7), Naa pa ba ang tinapay sa lamesa? (2.10). A question can also be said with the rising voice alone (Naa kay kwarta?, 2.6). Asa is "where": Asa ang akong libro? (2.18). The answer is a sentence with naa: Naa ang imong libro sa kwarto (2.19).
7. Naa has no tense. The time comes from a time word, from na and pa, or from the story. Naa ko sa merkado alone is "I am at the market". With gahapon ("yesterday", 2.14) it is "I was at the market yesterday", and with karon ("now", 2.8) it is "now".
8. Here and there. Ania says "here is, here it is": Ania na ang akong libro! (2.21), Ania na ang magtutudlo! (2.27). Naa is "is there" and tua is "is over there" (Lesson 1, 1.4). The three say where something is in relation to the speaker, the hearer and neither of them. The full form of naa is anaa (Section F).
9. The owner and the linker. An owner comes between ang and the noun, joined by the linker -ng: akong (my, Lesson 1), imong (your, 2.19), iyang (his or her, 2.23): ang imong libro, ang iyang mga higala. A number or quantity word is joined in the same way: daghang tawo (2.9), daghan + -ng.
Common Mistakes
- A verb "to be" before an adjective. Wrong: Naa dako ang balay. Right: Dako ang balay. - Wala and naa together. Wrong: wala naa. Right: wala alone. - Naa for "to be" with a state. Wrong: Naa ko malipayon. Right: Malipayon ko, "I am happy". - Leaving out the -y. Naa koy iro is "I have a dog". The -y on the pronoun is what makes it "have", and it should not be dropped. - Kay as "you have" and kay as "because". Naa kay kwarta? ("do you have money?") has the kay of ka + -y. The word kay "for, because" is a different word that stands at the start of a clause (Lesson 1, F.1: Kay gihigugma pag-ayo...). The sense shows which it is. - Ang before a new thing. Wrong: Naay ang libro sa lamesa. Right: Naay libro sa lamesa, or Naa ang libro sa lamesa for a known book. - A missing sa. A place is marked with sa: Naa ko sa balay. - Reading naa as one long vowel. Say na-a, with a catch between the two a's. - Mi and ta. Naa mi tanan excludes the person addressed. To include them say Naa ta tanan.
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Frequency and register. Naa is one of the commonest words in everyday Cebuano. It is a colloquial short form, a clipping of the full form anaa, and it is the form of everyday speech. Anaa is common in the Bible and in careful writing, and adunay is the more formal word for "there is". The question Naa bay WiFi diri? ("is there WiFi here?") is the kind of question heard in daily life today.
Having as being. Cebuano says "there is to me" for "I have", and it uses the same word for "I have a question" (Naa koy pangutana) and for "there is a question". A learner who looks for a separate verb "to have" will not find one: the owner is the short pronoun, and the thing owned is what exists.
Wala and wa. The short form wa is used in Metro Cebu, Bohol and Leyte, according to Wiktionary, and wa will be heard in speech where this course writes wala. The longer wala is the form this course writes.
Related languages. Tagalog, the national language, has other words for the same jobs: may and mayroon for "there is, has", and nasa for "is at". The markers ang, si and ni are shared by the two languages, but naa is a Cebuano word, and Tagalog speakers should not carry nasa or may across.
Sources for this lesson. The patterns of this lesson were checked against the glossary entry for naa / anaa at bisayacebuano.com, the Cebuano entries for naa and wala at Wiktionary, the article "Cebuano grammar" at Wikipedia (the words adunay, naa, ania, tua, wala, mao and the short pronouns), a forum answer at binisaya.unixguide.net on nia, naa and tua, and the Cebuano Contemporary Bible text of John 1 at bible.com. Regional variety. The forms taught here are standard Cebuano. The spelling of the loan words opisina, kwarto and silya follows common use, and some of them are spelled differently in older books.
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Juan 1:1 and the opening of 1:4 (John 1:1, 1:4), in the Cebuano Contemporary Bible (APD), as published at bible.com (Bible version 9). The Cebuano is given as printed there; the English translation is ours. In line b, EQ marks mao, "is the one".
The text 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 uses the full form anaa that Section D names as the written form of naa, as well as mao for identity (Section D, rule 1).
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a Sa in sinugdanan beginning anaa was-there na already ang the Pulong Word
F.1b Sa /sa/ LOC sinugdanan /sinugdanan/ beginning anaa /anaʔa/ be.at na /na/ already ang /aŋ/ TOP Pulong /pulong/ word
F.2a Ang the Pulong Word kauban companion sa of Dios God
F.2b Ang /aŋ/ TOP Pulong /pulong/ word kauban /kaʔuban/ companion sa /sa/ GEN Dios /dios/ God
F.3a Ug and ang the Pulong Word mao is-the-one ang the Dios God
F.3b Ug /ug/ and ang /aŋ/ TOP Pulong /pulong/ word mao /maʔo/ EQ ang /aŋ/ TOP Dios /dios/ God
F.4a Anaa is-at kaniya him ang the kinabuhi life
F.4b Anaa /anaʔa/ be.at kaniya /kanija/ LOC.3SG ang /aŋ/ TOP kinabuhi /kinabuhi/ life
F-B: Original → Translation
Sa sinugdanan, anaa na ang Pulong. Ang Pulong kauban sa Dios, ug ang Pulong mao ang Dios.
"In the beginning the Word was already there. The Word was with God, and the Word was God."
Anaa kaniya ang kinabuhi
"Life was in him."
F-C: Original Only
Sa sinugdanan, anaa na ang Pulong. Ang Pulong kauban sa Dios, ug ang Pulong mao ang Dios.
Anaa kaniya ang kinabuhi
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
- anaa na ang Pulong: anaa is the full form of naa, and it says that the Word was there from the start. Na ("already") puts the Word into being before anything else. The topic follows the verb and is marked with ang, as in every naa sentence of the lesson (Section D, rule 2). Cebuano has no tense on the verb, and the past comes from the story. - kauban sa Dios: kauban means "companion, one who is with", and sa marks the one accompanied. There is no verb "was": the predicate comes first and the topic after it, as in Dako ang balay (Section D, rule 1). - ang Pulong mao ang Dios: this is an identifying sentence. The word mao ("is the one") joins two topic phrases, and it is the Cebuano way to say "A is B" when both are known: "the Word is the one, God". - Anaa kaniya ang kinabuhi: anaa with a person as the place: "life is at him", that is, "life is in him". The place word is kaniya ("at him, in him"), the form of "him" or "her" that stands where a noun would take sa. - A note on the translations. Another Cebuano Bible, which was also consulted, prints the first clause as Sa sinugdan mao na ang Pulong and the last as Diha kaniya ang kinabuhi, where diha is another place word, "there". The two versions show how many ways Cebuano has to say what English says with the single verb "was".
The passage makes the point of the lesson. Where English says "was" four times, Cebuano says anaa twice, mao once and nothing at all once: it chooses the word by the job, and not by the verb.
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A short narrative written for this lesson, about a girl who cannot find her book on the morning of a school day. It is a pedagogical text built from attested patterns, and it has not been read by a native speaker. The word naa (and its relatives wala and ania) carries the story: first the book is missing, then it is found, then the people arrive.
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
2.16a Buntag morning na already ug and naa is-at si name-marker Maria Maria sa in balay house
2.16b Buntag /buntag/ morning na /na/ already ug /ug/ and naa /naʔa/ be.at si /si/ TOP.PN Maria /maɾia/ Maria sa /sa/ LOC balay /balaj/ house
2.17a Gitan-aw was-looked-at niya by-her ang the lamesa table apan but wala not-at ang the libro book
2.17b Gitan-aw /gitanʔaw/ look.GF.PFV niya /nija/ 3SG.GEN ang /aŋ/ TOP lamesa /lamesa/ table apan /apan/ but wala /wala/ NEG.EXIST ang /aŋ/ TOP libro /libɾo/ book
2.18a Nanay Mother asa where ang the akong my libro book miingon said si name-marker Maria Maria
2.18b Nanay /nanaj/ mother asa /asa/ where ang /aŋ/ TOP akong /akoŋ/ 1SG.POSS libro /libɾo/ book miingon /miʔiŋon/ say.AF.PFV si /si/ TOP.PN Maria /maɾia/ Maria
2.19a Naa is-at ang the imong your libro book sa in kwarto room mitubag answered ang the nanay mother
2.19b Naa /naʔa/ be.at ang /aŋ/ TOP imong /imoŋ/ 2SG.POSS libro /libɾo/ book sa /sa/ LOC kwarto /kwaɾto/ room mitubag /mitubag/ answer.AF.PFV ang /aŋ/ TOP nanay /nanaj/ mother
2.20a Miadto went si name-marker Maria Maria sa to kwarto room ug and naa is-at didto there ang the libro book sa on ibabaw top sa of silya chair
2.20b Miadto /miʔadto/ go.AF.PFV si /si/ TOP.PN Maria /maɾia/ Maria sa /sa/ LOC kwarto /kwaɾto/ room ug /ug/ and naa /naʔa/ be.at didto /didto/ there ang /aŋ/ TOP libro /libɾo/ book sa /sa/ LOC ibabaw /ibabaw/ top sa /sa/ GEN silya /silja/ chair
2.21a Ania here-is na already ang the akong my libro book Salamat thank-you Nanay Mother
2.21b Ania /aniʔa/ here.is na /na/ already ang /aŋ/ TOP akong /akoŋ/ 1SG.POSS libro /libɾo/ book Salamat /salamat/ thanks Nanay /nanaj/ mother
2.22a Naa is-at na already si name-marker Maria Maria sa in klase class
2.22b Naa /naʔa/ be.at na /na/ already si /si/ TOP.PN Maria /maɾia/ Maria sa /sa/ LOC klase /klase/ class
2.23a Naa is-at didto there ang the iyang his-her mga plural higala friend
2.23b Naa /naʔa/ be.at didto /didto/ there ang /aŋ/ TOP iyang /ijaŋ/ 3SG.POSS mga /maŋa/ PL higala /higala/ friend
2.24a Naay there-is daghang many bata child sa in klase class
2.24b Naay /naʔaj/ EXIST-Y daghang /daghaŋ/ many.LNK bata /bata/ child sa /sa/ LOC klase /klase/ class
2.25a Wala not-at pa yet ang the magtutudlo teacher
2.25b Wala /wala/ NEG.EXIST pa /pa/ yet ang /aŋ/ TOP magtutudlo /magtutudlo/ teacher
2.26a Asa where ang the magtutudlo teacher nangutana asked ang the usa one sa of mga plural bata child
2.26b Asa /asa/ where ang /aŋ/ TOP magtutudlo /magtutudlo/ teacher nangutana /naŋutana/ ask.AF.PFV ang /aŋ/ TOP usa /usa/ one sa /sa/ GEN mga /maŋa/ PL bata /bata/ child
2.27a Ania here-is na already ang the magtutudlo teacher miingon said ang the uban others
2.27b Ania /aniʔa/ here.is na /na/ already ang /aŋ/ TOP magtutudlo /magtutudlo/ teacher miingon /miʔiŋon/ say.AF.PFV ang /aŋ/ TOP uban /uban/ others
2.28a Misulod entered ang the magtutudlo teacher sa into klase class
2.28b Misulod /misulod/ enter.AF.PFV ang /aŋ/ TOP magtutudlo /magtutudlo/ teacher sa /sa/ LOC klase /klase/ class
2.29a Naa is-at na already ba question ang the tanan all nangutana asked ang the magtutudlo teacher
2.29b Naa /naʔa/ be.at na /na/ already ba /ba/ Q ang /aŋ/ TOP tanan /tanan/ all nangutana /naŋutana/ ask.AF.PFV ang /aŋ/ TOP magtutudlo /magtutudlo/ teacher
2.30a Naa is-at mi we tanan all mitubag answered ang the mga plural bata child
2.30b Naa /naʔa/ be.at mi /mi/ 1PL.EXCL tanan /tanan/ all mitubag /mitubag/ answer.AF.PFV ang /aŋ/ TOP mga /maŋa/ PL bata /bata/ child
Part B: Natural Sentences
2.16 Buntag na ug naa si Maria sa balay. → "It is already morning, and Maria is at home."
2.17 Gitan-aw niya ang lamesa, apan wala ang libro. → "She looked at the table, but the book was not there."
2.18 "Nanay, asa ang akong libro?" miingon si Maria. → "'Mother, where is my book?' said Maria."
2.19 "Naa ang imong libro sa kwarto," mitubag ang nanay. → "'Your book is in the room,' the mother answered."
2.20 Miadto si Maria sa kwarto ug naa didto ang libro sa ibabaw sa silya. → "Maria went to the room, and the book was there, on the chair."
2.21 "Ania na ang akong libro! Salamat, Nanay!" → "'Here is my book! Thank you, Mother!'"
2.22 Naa na si Maria sa klase. → "Maria is in class now."
2.23 Naa didto ang iyang mga higala. → "Her friends are there."
2.24 Naay daghang bata sa klase. → "There are many children in the class."
2.25 Wala pa ang magtutudlo. → "The teacher is not there yet."
2.26 "Asa ang magtutudlo?" nangutana ang usa sa mga bata. → "'Where is the teacher?' one of the children asked."
2.27 "Ania na ang magtutudlo!" miingon ang uban. → "'Here is the teacher!' said the others."
2.28 Misulod ang magtutudlo sa klase. → "The teacher came into the class."
2.29 "Naa na ba ang tanan?" nangutana ang magtutudlo. → "'Is everyone here now?' the teacher asked."
2.30 "Naa mi tanan!" mitubag ang mga bata. → "'We are all here!' the children answered."
Part C: Target Language Only
2.16 Buntag na ug naa si Maria sa balay.
2.17 Gitan-aw niya ang lamesa, apan wala ang libro.
2.18 "Nanay, asa ang akong libro?" miingon si Maria.
2.19 "Naa ang imong libro sa kwarto," mitubag ang nanay.
2.20 Miadto si Maria sa kwarto ug naa didto ang libro sa ibabaw sa silya.
2.21 "Ania na ang akong libro! Salamat, Nanay!"
2.22 Naa na si Maria sa klase.
2.23 Naa didto ang iyang mga higala.
2.24 Naay daghang bata sa klase.
2.25 Wala pa ang magtutudlo.
2.26 "Asa ang magtutudlo?" nangutana ang usa sa mga bata.
2.27 "Ania na ang magtutudlo!" miingon ang uban.
2.28 Misulod ang magtutudlo sa klase.
2.29 "Naa na ba ang tanan?" nangutana ang magtutudlo.
2.30 "Naa mi tanan!" mitubag ang mga bata.
Part D: Grammar Notes for the Genre Section
- Where the book is. The story is built on the question Asa ang akong libro? (2.18) and its answer, Naa ang imong libro sa kwarto (2.19). Asa asks about a place, and naa answers with the place. The first answer of the story is wala: wala ang libro (2.17), "the book is not there". - Wala and naa side by side. The story moves from wala (2.17) to naa didto (2.20) and ania (2.21): not there, there, here. Compare the three words as a set (Section D, rule 8). - Wala pa and naa na. Wala pa ang magtutudlo (2.25) is "the teacher is not there yet", and Naa na si Maria sa klase (2.22) is "Maria is already in class". Pa is "still, yet" and na is "already, now". - Naay for the new, naa for the known. The class enters as naay daghang bata (2.24), new and with no ang. From then on the persons are known and take ang: ang magtutudlo (2.25, 2.27, 2.28), ang tanan (2.29). - Didto. Didto ("there, far away") stands after naa and before the topic: naa didto ang libro (2.20), naa didto ang iyang mga higala (2.23). - Ania na. Ania na ang akong libro (2.21) and Ania na ang magtutudlo (2.27) say "here it is now" and "here comes the teacher". The word ania is "here is". - Mi and tanan. Naa mi tanan (2.30) is "we are all here": the pronoun first and tanan ("all") after it. The children use mi because the teacher, to whom they speak, is not included (Section D, rule 4). - Speech. The spoken words come first and "said" follows: "Nanay, asa ang akong libro?" miingon si Maria (2.18). The verb of speaking comes first and its doer after it, as in Lesson 1. The verbs of asking and answering, nangutana and mitubag, are used in the same way (2.19, 2.26, 2.29, 2.30). - Possessives. Akong (2.18), imong (2.19) and iyang (2.23) are the owner words of Section D, rule 9.
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Check these in every sentence:
- naa /naʔa/: two syllables, na-a, with a catch in the throat between the vowels. anaa /anaʔa/, ania /aniʔa/ and tua /tuʔa/ work in the same way. - naay /naʔaj/, koy /koj/, kay /kaj/, walay /walaj/: the y is /j/. The short -y is written joined to the word before it, with no hyphen or apostrophe in the standard spelling of this course. - wala /wala/: in several dialects said and written wa. Wiktionary gives the stress as on the last syllable when the word means "there is none". - ng is one consonant /ŋ/ in daghang, imong, iyang, akong, kung, nga and mga. gh in daghang is two sounds, /g/ and /h/. - ba and pa and na are written as separate words in lower case: Naa pa ba, Wala na. - Hyphen. The hyphen in gitan-aw shows a glottal stop between a consonant and a vowel. It is part of the spelling. - Vowel after vowel. In naa, anaa, ania, igsoon, miadto, miingon, mao and kauban a glottal stop is said between the vowels, and it is not written. - r is a quick tap: iro, kwarta, merkado, problema, Maria. - Capitals begin sentences and names. Pulong, Dios and Anak are capitalised in the printed Bible text, and Nanay is capitalised when it is the word used to address the mother. Naa, ang, sa and ba are lower case in the middle of a sentence. - Stress is not written and is not marked in this lesson. - Punctuation is as in English: the comma, full stop, question mark 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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