Introduction: In this first lesson we study "the", the most frequent word in English. "The" is the definite article. It stands in front of a noun and tells the listener: "you know which one I mean". English speakers use it all the time: "the book", "the door", "the sun", "the teacher".
Cebuano has no word that is exactly "the", but it is closer to English than many languages are, because its marker words do part of the same work. The marker ang stands before the noun that the sentence is about: ang libro (the book), ang mga bata (the children). The marker sa stands before a noun that is not the topic: sa lamesa (on the table), sa tindera (to the seller). And ug (or og) stands before a noun that is new and not the topic, which is where English says "a" or "some": Mipalit ko ug libro, "I bought a book"; Gipalit nako ang libro, "I bought the book". So Cebuano speakers already feel the difference between "a book" and "the book". What is new in English is that one small word, "the", does all the work, and that English cannot leave it out.
- ang libro, ang mga libro: the book, the books - sa lamesa: on the table (sa is both "on" and "the" here) - si Nena, ni Nena, kang Nena: Nena (names of people have their own markers in Cebuano; English has none) - ug libro, usa ka libro: a book
English "the" is simpler than all of these, because it never changes. It does not change with the plural (the book, the books), it does not change with the job of the noun in the sentence (the dog sees the cat; the cat sees the dog), and it does not need mga. But English "the" is also stricter. Cebuano ang marks the topic, and the topic is not always one particular known thing: Ang tubig importante can mean "Water is important", with no "the" in English. And in many places where English says "the", Cebuano says only sa, which is also its word for "on", "in", "at", "of" and "to": sa lamesa is three English words, "on the table". For this reason Part A below often shows "-" after "the" or after a preposition: nothing in the Cebuano corresponds to it by itself.
English uses "the":
- when the thing has been mentioned before: "a dog" the first time, "the dog" after that - when there is only one of it: the sun, the moon, the east - when the situation shows which one: "Close the door" (the door of this room) - when the rest of the sentence shows which one: "the woman who sells milk" - before superlatives and ordinal numbers: the first lesson, the biggest market - before the names of rivers, seas, oceans and mountain ranges, and before country names that are plural in form: the Agusan River, the Pacific, the Philippines, the Visayas
English does not use "the" before the names of people, before most names of countries, provinces, cities and towns (Cebu, Manila, Bohol), before the names of lakes (Lake Lanao), before the names of single mountains (Mount Apo), or before the names of languages (English, Cebuano). Notice the difference: Cebuano puts a marker before a place name (ang Manila when it is the topic, sa Cebu for "in Cebu"), but English says Manila and Cebu with nothing in front.
Etymology: "the" comes from an Old English demonstrative (se, sēo, þæt, later þe) that meant something like "that one". Over the centuries the word grew weak and became an article. So English "the" began its life as a demonstrative, like Cebuano kana ("that"), and the two still do some of the same work. Cebuano has its own small example of an article turning into part of a word: lamesa (table) is the Spanish la mesa, "the table", and the Spanish article became part of the Cebuano noun.
"The" has a partner: the indefinite article "a" or "an" ("a book", "an apple"), which introduces something new. Cebuano says ug or usa ka: Naa koy usa ka iro, "I have a dog". "A" and "an" have their own lesson; in this lesson they appear only in the examples.
What does "the" mean in Cebuano? There is no single word. When "the" points to the subject or topic, the nearest Cebuano word is ang (ang mga before a plural). When "the" stands before a noun that is not the topic, the nearest word is sa (sa mga before a plural), and for a person's name Cebuano uses si, ni or kang. After a preposition such as "on", "in", "at" or "of", the Cebuano sa already includes the preposition, and English needs two words: "on the", "in the", "of the".
Key Takeaways:
- "The" never changes: the book, the books, the child, the children. English has no ang, sa and mga to choose between. - Cebuano ang is the nearest word to "the", but ang also marks the topic and the general idea: "Water is important" has no "the" (Ang tubig importante). - "A" the first time, "the" the second time: "I have a dog. The dog is big." (Naa koy usa ka iro. Dako ang iro.) - English needs "is" or "are": "The dog is big", never "The dog big" (Dako ang iro). - No "the" before names of people, cities, most countries and languages: Manila, Cebu, Cebuano. But rivers and plural names take it: the Agusan River, the Philippines.
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Pronunciation Guide:
the — before a consonant sound /ðə/: the book /ðə ˈbʊk/, the school /ðə ˈskuːl/; before a vowel sound /ði/: the east /ði ˈiːst/, the end /ði ˈɛnd/; with stress, meaning "the famous one, the real one", /ðiː/.
The first sound of "the", /ð/, does not exist in Cebuano. Put the tip of the tongue lightly between the teeth and let the air pass with voice, so that the throat buzzes. It is neither "d" nor "z". Learners whose language lacks it often say "de book" or "te book" instead: you will be understood, but it is not the standard sound. The same tongue position, without voice, gives /θ/, the sound of "th" in "thank" and "north". Cebuano has neither sound, and its spelling never uses "th".
The vowel of "the" before a consonant, /ə/, is a short, weak sound with no stress, like the "a" at the end of "sofa". Cebuano does not have this vowel: its vowels are full and clear. Do not say "the" with a full Cebuano a or i; let the vowel shrink and run into the next word: the_book, on_the_table /ɒn ðə ˈteɪbl/. Cebuano words that start with a vowel are said with a light catch in the throat; in English, join "the" to the next word instead: the_east /ði ˈiːst/.
Remember that the rule depends on the sound, not the letter: the hour /ði ˈaʊə/ (the h is silent, so the word begins with a vowel sound), but the university /ðə ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsəti/ (the word begins with the sound /j/).
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Part A (English and Cebuano text, word by word. After each English word comes the Cebuano word that answers it; a hyphen joins words that answer together, and "-" means that nothing in the Cebuano corresponds. The marker sa is set against the English preposition when there is one (on sa the - table lamesa), and against "the" when there is not (the sa seller tindera). The pairs follow the English order: a real Cebuano sentence usually puts the predicate first and the ang-phrase last, so see Part B for the true Cebuano order):
1.1 The ang book libro is naa on sa the - table lamesa.
1.2 Close isira the ang door pultahan.
1.3 The ang sun adlaw rises mosubang in sa the - east sidlakan.
1.4 Where asa is - the ang school eskwelahan?
1.5 The ang-mga cows baka are naa in sa the - field uma.
1.6 I ko-y have naa a usa-ka dog iro. The ang dog iro is - big dako.
1.7 Please palihug give ihatag me kanako the ang water tubig.
1.8 The ang-mga children bata are naa at sa school eskwelahan.
1.9 Manila ang-Manila is mao the ang capital kaulohan of sa the - Philippines Pilipinas.
1.10 The ang Agusan-River suba-sa-Agusan is - long taas.
1.11 I ko bought mipalit a ug book libro yesterday gahapon. The ang book libro is - new bag-o.
1.12 The ang woman babaye who nga sells nagbaligya milk ug-gatas lives nagpuyo here dinhi.
1.13 The ang first unang lesson leksyon is - easy sayon.
1.14 The ang-mga people tawo of sa Cebu Cebu speak nagsulti Cebuano ug-Binisaya.
1.15 When kon the ang sun adlaw sets mosalop, the ang-mga children bata go-home mopauli.
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Part B (Full English sentence followed by the Cebuano translation):
1.1 The book is on the table. Naa sa lamesa ang libro.
1.2 Close the door. Isira ang pultahan.
1.3 The sun rises in the east. Mosubang ang adlaw sa sidlakan.
1.4 Where is the school? Asa ang eskwelahan?
1.5 The cows are in the field. Naa sa uma ang mga baka.
1.6 I have a dog. The dog is big. Naa koy usa ka iro. Dako ang iro.
1.7 Please give me the water. Palihug ihatag kanako ang tubig.
1.8 The children are at school. Naa sa eskwelahan ang mga bata.
1.9 Manila is the capital of the Philippines. Ang Manila mao ang kaulohan sa Pilipinas.
1.10 The Agusan River is long. Taas ang Suba sa Agusan.
1.11 I bought a book yesterday. The book is new. Mipalit ko ug libro gahapon. Bag-o ang libro.
1.12 The woman who sells milk lives here. Ang babaye nga nagbaligya ug gatas nagpuyo dinhi.
1.13 The first lesson is easy. Sayon ang unang leksyon.
1.14 The people of Cebu speak Cebuano. Ang mga tawo sa Cebu nagsulti ug Binisaya.
1.15 When the sun sets, the children go home. Kon mosalop ang adlaw, mopauli ang mga bata.
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Part C (English text only):
1.1 The book is on the table.
1.2 Close the door.
1.3 The sun rises in the east.
1.4 Where is the school?
1.5 The cows are in the field.
1.6 I have a dog. The dog is big.
1.7 Please give me the water.
1.8 The children are at school.
1.9 Manila is the capital of the Philippines.
1.10 The Agusan River is long.
1.11 I bought a book yesterday. The book is new.
1.12 The woman who sells milk lives here.
1.13 The first lesson is easy.
1.14 The people of Cebu speak Cebuano.
1.15 When the sun sets, the children go home.
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Part D (Grammar explanation):
These are the grammar rules for "the" in English:
1. "The" never changes. Cebuano chooses between ang, sa, si, ni and kang according to the job of the noun, and adds mga for the plural: ang libro, ang mga libro, sa libro, sa mga libro. English changes only the end of the noun, and "the" stays the same: the book, the books (1.1); the cow, the cows (1.5); the child, the children (1.8, 1.15). There is no "the" for the topic and another for everything else: one word does all the work.
2. "The" comes first, and "is" or "are" is needed. In Cebuano the predicate usually comes first and has no verb "to be": Dako ang iro, Sayon ang unang leksyon, Taas ang Suba sa Agusan. English puts the subject first and must have "is" or "are": "The dog is big" (1.6), "the first lesson is easy" (1.13), "the Agusan River is long" (1.10). Never "The dog big". If you want the adjective with the noun, it goes between "the" and the noun: the big dog, the new book, the first lesson (1.13).
3. A thing mentioned again takes "the". The first time, English says "a"; after that, "the": "I have a dog. The dog is big" (1.6); "I bought a book yesterday. The book is new" (1.11). Cebuano is very close here: ug or usa ka for the new thing (Mipalit ko ug libro), ang for the known thing (Bag-o ang libro). Compare Gipalit nako ang libro, "I bought the book". This is one of the places where Cebuano and English almost agree.
4. "The" before what is clear from the situation. "Close the door" (1.2) means the door of this room; "Where is the school?" (1.4) means the school of this place; "Please give me the water" (1.7) means the water on this table. Cebuano says ang pultahan, ang eskwelahan, ang tubig; English must say "the" every time.
5. "The" before what is unique. There is only one sun and one east: the sun, the east (1.3, 1.15). Cebuano says ang adlaw, sa sidlakan. English says "the sun" and "in the east"; "in the east" is three English words for the two Cebuano words sa sidlakan.
6. "The" before a noun made clear by the rest of the sentence: "the woman who sells milk" (1.12), "the people of Cebu" (1.14), "the capital of the Philippines" (1.9). The words after the noun ("who sells milk", "of Cebu") show which one, so the noun takes "the". Notice that English "who" does the work of Cebuano nga (ang babaye nga nagbaligya ug gatas), and English "of" does the work of sa (ang kaulohan sa Pilipinas).
7. "The" before ordinals and superlatives: the first lesson (1.13), the second lesson, the biggest market. Cebuano says ang unang leksyon and ang pinakadako; English cannot say "first lesson is easy".
8. Places and names. Rivers take "the": the Agusan River (1.10), the Pasig. Cities do not: Manila (1.9), Cebu (1.14). Languages do not: Cebuano (1.14), English. Cebuano puts a marker before a place name (ang Manila as topic); English does not. But the Philippines (1.9) takes "the", because its name is plural in form (the Philippine Islands), as do the Visayas and the United States. Names of people take nothing: Nena (Cebuano si Nena), never "the Nena".
9. No "the" for things in general. Cebuano ang marks the topic, even when the topic is a whole class of things: Ang tubig importante; Ang mga bata mahilig magdula. English says "Water is important" and "Children like to play", with no "the". "The water is important" means one particular water. Use "the" only when you could ask "which one?" and the answer is clear.
10. No "the" in some fixed phrases: "at school" (1.8), "go home" (1.15), "at home", "go to church", "go to bed". "The children are at school" means that they are there as pupils; "at the school" would mean only the place.
11. "The" hides inside the Cebuano sa. Cebuano says sa lamesa, sa uma, sa eskwelahan: one small word is "on the", "in the", "at". English needs the preposition and, usually, the word "the": "on the table" (1.1), "in the field" (1.5), but "at school" (1.8). Do not forget "the".
Common mistakes:
- ✗ Sun rises in east. ✓ The sun rises in the east. (Cebuano ang adlaw and sa sidlakan have markers, but English needs "the" and cannot drop it.) - ✗ Book is on table. ✓ The book is on the table. ("Sa lamesa" includes the "the", but English does not.) - ✗ The dog big. ✓ The dog is big. Or: the big dog. (English needs "is"; Dako ang iro has no verb.) - ✗ The Manila is the capital of Philippines. ✓ Manila is the capital of the Philippines. (Cebuano says ang Manila; English says Manila. And Philippines needs "the".) - ✗ Agusan River is long. ✓ The Agusan River is long. (Rivers take "the".) - ✗ The water is important. ✓ Water is important. (In general, with no particular water, English has no "the".) - ✗ The people of Cebu speak the Cebuano. ✓ The people of Cebu speak Cebuano. (No "the" before languages.) - ✗ de book, te east ✓ the book /ðə/, the east /ði/
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Part E (Cultural context):
English is not a foreign language to the Philippines. The 1987 Constitution names Filipino and, until Congress decides otherwise, English as the official languages of the country, and Cebuano is one of its regional languages. Many Cebuano speakers meet English at school, in the newspapers and on signs, and use English words every day inside Cebuano sentences. Even so, "the" is a word that Cebuano does not have, and it is among the last small words that learners get fully right.
Cebuano has taken words from Spanish for centuries, and some of them carry their old article with them: lamesa (table) is Spanish la mesa, "the table", and in Cebuano the "la" has become part of the noun. Eskwelahan (school) and kwarta (money) also come from Spanish, and they are the words you will use in the examples of this lesson. Many other Cebuano words, such as the compass points sidlakan (east) and kasadpan (west), are native Austronesian words, and kaulohan (capital) is built on ulo (head).
English names for places follow the rule that you saw in Part D. We say "the Agusan River", "the Pacific", "the Visayas" and "the Philippines", but "Cebu", "Bohol", "Mindanao" and "Lake Lanao". The name of the Philippines comes from the Spanish name for the islands, Las Islas Filipinas, in honour of King Philip II of Spain, and English kept the plural idea: "the Philippine Islands", then "the Philippines". Cebuano says simply Pilipinas.
When you speak to someone, there is no "the" before the word you call them by. The greeting Maayong buntag, Sir! is "Good morning, Sir!" in English, never "Good morning, the Sir!"
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Part F (Literary citation):
Genesis 1:1 and 1:4, in the English King James Version (1611); Cebuano text from an older public-domain Cebuano Bible translation as it is given online (Genesis 1:1 and 1:4). The Cebuano wording follows that text; the English is the King James text, and the Cebuano is not a word-for-word match for it.
F-A (English and Cebuano text, word by word):
"In sa the - beginning sinugdan God sa-Dios created gibuhat the ang-mga heaven langit and ug the ang earth yuta." … "And ug God sa-Dios saw nakita the ang light kahayag, that nga it kini was - good maayo: and ug God sa-Dios divided gilain the ang light kahayag from gikan the sa darkness kangitngit."
F-B (Original text followed by the Cebuano translation):
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." … "And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness."
"Sa sinugdan gibuhat sa Dios ang mga langit ug ang yuta." … "Ug nakita sa Dios ang kahayag nga kini maayo; ug gilain sa Dios ang kahayag gikan sa kangitngit."
F-C (English text only):
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." … "And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness."
F-D (Grammar and literary commentary):
These are the first words of the Bible in the King James Version, the English translation of 1611 that has shaped the English language for four centuries. The sentences are short and joined again and again by "and". In the first verse "the" appears three times: the beginning, the heaven, the earth. Each time it points to one particular thing that the reader is to take as known and unique: not "a beginning", not "a heaven", not "an earth", but the one heaven and the one earth (Part D, rule 5). In verse 4, "the light" appears twice and "the darkness" once. The light has already been spoken of earlier in the chapter, so it takes "the" (rule 3), and the darkness is set against the light, a particular darkness, so it takes "the" too.
Now look at the Cebuano. Here it is unusually close to English: ang mga langit, ang yuta, ang kahayag. In this passage ang does what "the" does. But the Cebuano says "the heavens" (ang mga langit), with the plural marker mga, where the King James English has the singular "the heaven"; and English "the heaven and the earth" repeats "the" before each noun, as Cebuano repeats ang. Remember rule 9, however: ang is not always "the", because it also marks the topic. The match in this verse comes from the fact that heaven, earth and light are all particular things.
- God: used as a name, so no "the". Cebuano writes sa Dios, with the marker sa and a capital letter. - In the beginning: Cebuano says Sa sinugdan; the one word sa is "in the" (rule 11). - the light ... the darkness: gikan sa kangitngit, "from the darkness": sa again covers the "the". - that it was good: "it" is the light, and English must have "was". Cebuano says nga kini maayo, "that this good", with no verb "to be" (rule 2). - And: the Cebuano ug here means "and" and joins two clauses and two nouns. It is spelled like the marker ug ("a", rule 3) but is a different word.
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Nena goes to Carbon Market in Cebu City on a Saturday morning to buy fruit. She speaks with a seller. Nena speaks in 1.16, 1.18, 1.20, 1.22 and 1.27; the seller speaks in 1.17, 1.19, 1.21, 1.23 and 1.28; sentences 1.24 to 1.26, 1.29 and 1.30 tell what happened.
Part A (English and Cebuano text, word by word, with the same conventions as in the first fifteen examples):
1.16 Good maayong morning buntag! Where asa are - the ang-mga bananas saging?
1.17 Good maayong morning buntag. The ang-mga bananas saging are - here ania, next-to tapad the sa-mga mangoes mangga.
1.18 How-much tagpila is - a - kilo ang-kilo of sa bananas saging?
1.19 The sa-mga bananas saging are - forty kwarenta pesos pesos a - kilo ang-kilo.
1.20 And ug the ang-mga mangoes mangga?
1.21 The sa-mga mangoes mangga are - sixty sesenta pesos pesos a - kilo ang-kilo.
1.22 I nako want gusto the ang-mga bananas saging and ug two duha-ka mangoes mangga.
1.23 Here ania-na are - the ang-mga bananas saging and ug the ang-mga mangoes mangga.
1.24 Nena ni-Nena put gibutang the ang fruit prutas in sa the - basket bukag.
1.25 She niya gave gihatag the ang money kwarta to sa the - seller tindera.
1.26 The sa seller tindera counted giihap the ang money kwarta.
1.27 Thank-you salamat! The ang market merkado is - full puno of sa people mga-tawo today karong-adlawa.
1.28 Yes oo, and ug the ang sun adlaw has-come-out migawas-na.
1.29 Now na the ang basket bukag was - full puno.
1.30 Nena si-Nena went-home mipauli with dala the ang basket bukag.
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Part B (Full English sentence followed by the Cebuano translation):
1.16 Good morning! Where are the bananas? Maayong buntag! Asa ang mga saging?
1.17 Good morning. The bananas are here, next to the mangoes. Maayong buntag. Ania ang mga saging, tapad sa mga mangga.
1.18 How much is a kilo of bananas? Tagpila ang kilo sa saging?
1.19 The bananas are forty pesos a kilo. Kwarenta pesos ang kilo sa mga saging.
1.20 And the mangoes? Ug ang mga mangga?
1.21 The mangoes are sixty pesos a kilo. Sesenta pesos ang kilo sa mga mangga.
1.22 I want the bananas and two mangoes. Gusto nako ang mga saging ug duha ka mangga.
1.23 Here are the bananas and the mangoes. Ania na ang mga saging ug ang mga mangga.
1.24 Nena put the fruit in the basket. Gibutang ni Nena ang prutas sa bukag.
1.25 She gave the money to the seller. Gihatag niya ang kwarta sa tindera.
1.26 The seller counted the money. Giihap sa tindera ang kwarta.
1.27 Thank you! The market is full of people today. Salamat! Puno sa mga tawo ang merkado karong adlawa.
1.28 Yes, and the sun has come out. Oo, ug migawas na ang adlaw.
1.29 Now the basket was full. Puno na ang bukag.
1.30 Nena went home with the basket. Mipauli si Nena dala ang bukag.
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Part C (English text only):
1.16 Good morning! Where are the bananas?
1.17 Good morning. The bananas are here, next to the mangoes.
1.18 How much is a kilo of bananas?
1.19 The bananas are forty pesos a kilo.
1.20 And the mangoes?
1.21 The mangoes are sixty pesos a kilo.
1.22 I want the bananas and two mangoes.
1.23 Here are the bananas and the mangoes.
1.24 Nena put the fruit in the basket.
1.25 She gave the money to the seller.
1.26 The seller counted the money.
1.27 Thank you! The market is full of people today.
1.28 Yes, and the sun has come out.
1.29 Now the basket was full.
1.30 Nena went home with the basket.
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Part D (Grammar explanation):
The dialogue is in the simple present (are, want, is), with one present perfect ("the sun has come out", 1.28, Cebuano migawas na ang adlaw) and a short narration in the simple past (put, gave, counted, went, was). Its grammatical thread is "the" with things that the situation makes clear (Part D, rule 4): the bananas, the mangoes, the basket, the money, the seller, the market. Nena and the seller both know which bananas and which money, so English says "the" every time, and Cebuano says ang or sa.
- "The" with plurals: the bananas, the mangoes, the same "the" as in "the basket" and "the seller" (rule 1). Cebuano needs mga (ang mga saging); English does not change "the". - A new thing and a known thing: "two mangoes" (1.22) has no "the", because Nena asks for two that are not yet chosen; "the mangoes" (1.23) are the ones the seller now holds out (rule 3). "A kilo" (1.18, 1.19, 1.21) is a measure: Cebuano ang kilo, English "a kilo" or "per kilo". - Money and fruit: "the money" (1.25, 1.26) is the money Nena pays; "the fruit" (1.24) is what she has just bought. "Fruit" is one word for all of it, like Cebuano prutas, and it takes no -s here. - "The sun" (1.28): unique, like "the sun" in 1.3 (rule 5). - "Went home" (1.30): a fixed phrase with no article, as in 1.15 (rule 10). - "Of people" (1.27): no "the", because the people are not particular people (rule 9). Cebuano says puno sa mga tawo, with sa mga. - No "the" before a name: Nena (1.24, 1.30), Carbon Market, Cebu City. - "Next to the mangoes" (1.17) and "in the basket" (1.24): Cebuano tapad sa mga mangga and sa bukag. Do not forget "the" (rule 11). - English has "is" in "The market is full" (1.27) and "was" in "the basket was full" (1.29); Cebuano says only Puno ang merkado, Puno na ang bukag (rule 2). Cebuano shows past time on the verb itself (gibutang, gihatag, giihap, mipauli, migawas), but it still has no word for "is" or "was".
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Pronunciation and Orthography Notes:
- the — /ðə/ before a consonant sound, /ði/ before a vowel sound, /ðiː/ when stressed. Unstressed, short, and joined to the next word. - /ð/ is made with the tongue between the teeth and voice in the throat. It is not Cebuano d, and it is not t or z. - Spelling: t-h-e, always the same, for singular and plural and for every kind of noun. - Cebuano spelling to watch when comparing: Cebuano writes the plural marker mga (said "ma-NGA") with no vowel letter after the m, and uses a hyphen for a glottal stop inside a word (bag-o, tun-an). English does neither. - Capital letters: English writes the names of languages and peoples with capitals: English, Cebuano, Filipino. It does not write "the" with a capital except at the start of a sentence or as the first word of a title (The Lion King).
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