Introduction: In this second lesson we study "be", the second most frequent word in English and the most important verb in the language. "Be" is the verb that says what someone or something is, where it is, how it is, and that it exists: "I am tired", "She is a teacher", "We are at home", "It is cold today", "There is a cat on the table".
Cebuano has no verb "to be". This is the great difference, and it is the main work of this lesson. A Cebuano sentence can be made of a word that says what or how the subject is, and the subject: Gikapoy ako ("I am tired", literally "tired I"), Magtutudlo siya ("She is a teacher", literally "teacher she"), Bugnaw karong adlawa ("It is cold today"). Nothing in the sentence corresponds to "am" or "is". English cannot do this: it must have a form of "be" in every such sentence, and it must have a subject as well. English "Tired" and "Teacher she" are not sentences.
Cebuano does have a few small words that do part of the work of "be". Naa says that someone or something is in a place, or that there is something: Naa mi sa balay ("We are at home"), Naay iring sa lamesa ("There is a cat on the table"). Wala is its opposite: Wala siya dinhi ("He or she is not here"). Dili is "not" before a word that says what or how: Dili ako gutom ("I am not hungry"). And mao says "this is the one" or "that is it": Ang magtutudlo mao si Nena ("The teacher is Nena"). But none of these is "be" in the English way, and each does only one of its jobs. English "be" does all of them with eight forms: be, am, is, are, was, were, been and being.
The present tense:
- I am (Cebuano: ako, ko, with no verb) - you are (ikaw, ka, kamo, mo) - he is, she is, it is (siya) - we are (kita, kami, mi) - they are (sila)
The past tense:
- I was, he was, she was, it was - you were, we were, they were
The other forms: be, been and being (the form that ends in -ing).
The lesson is mostly about the places where the two languages part:
- English changes the verb with the subject (am, is, are, was, were). Cebuano has no verb to change, and it shows past time with a time word, not with the verb: Naa ko sa Bohol gahapon, "I was in Bohol yesterday". English "was" and "were" show the past by themselves. - English must have a subject in every sentence: "It is cold today". Cebuano says only Bugnaw karong adlawa. - English has short forms in speech and informal writing: I'm, you're, he's, she's, it's, we're, they're, isn't, aren't, wasn't, weren't. Cebuano has nothing like them. - English makes a negative with "not": He isn't here. Cebuano uses wala for a thing that is absent (Wala dinhi ang akong igsoong lalaki) and dili for "not" before a word that says how or what. - English "there is" and "there are" agree with the thing that follows. Cebuano naay is the same for one or many. - English uses "be" as a helper: with a verb ending in -ing (She is reading), with a past participle (The house was built), and in "have been". Cebuano does the same work with a verb that has its own prefix (Nagabasa siya, Gitukod ang balay, Naa na ko dinhi sukad sa Lunes). - English "How are you?" uses "be". Cebuano says Kumusta ka? (from Spanish ¿cómo está?).
English uses "be":
- to say what or who someone is: "She is a teacher." (Cebuano: Magtutudlo siya.) - to say where someone or something is: "We are at home." (Naa mi sa balay.) - to describe: "I am tired." "It is cold today." (Gikapoy ako. Bugnaw karong adlawa.) - to say that something exists: "There is a cat on the table." (Naay iring sa lamesa.) - with a verb ending in -ing, to say what is happening now: "She is reading a book." (Nagabasa siya ug libro.) - with a past participle, to say what was done: "The house was built in 1900." (Gitukod ang balay niadtong 1900.) - in the command: "Be careful!" (Amping!) and the future: "Tomorrow we will be at the market." (Ugma naa kita sa merkado.)
Etymology: the eight forms of "be" come from different old verbs. Am and is come from the root that also gave Latin est and German ist. Be, been and being come from another root, which gave German bin. Was and were come from the Old English verb wesan, "to stay, to be". "Are" is a further old form of the present. That is why English "be" looks so irregular: it was put together from several verbs. Cebuano does not have this problem, because it has no such verb at all.
What does "be" mean in Cebuano? There is no single word. When "be" says where, the nearest word is naa. When it says "there is", the nearest word is naay (naa + ay) or aduna. When it says "is the one", the nearest word is mao. When it says what or how, the Cebuano sentence has no word for it: the word that says what or how stands first, and the subject follows. And the greeting "How are you?" is not translated word for word: the Cebuano is Kumusta ka?
Key Takeaways:
- Choose the form by the subject: I am; he, she, it is; you, we, they are; I, he, she, it was; you, we, they were. - English needs a form of "be" in every such sentence, where Cebuano needs none: "I am tired" (Gikapoy ako), never "I tired". - English needs a subject: "It is cold today", never "Is cold today" (Bugnaw karong adlawa). - Say "There is" for one and "There are" for more than one. Cebuano naay covers both. - English shows the past with "was" or "were", and Cebuano shows it with a time word: I was in Bohol yesterday (Naa ko sa Bohol gahapon). And "I was born", never "I am born". - The command is "Be": Be quiet, Be careful (Hilom, Amping).
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Pronunciation Guide:
be — /biː/ when it is stressed; /bi/ when it is weak, in the middle of a sentence: Be quiet /bi ˈkwaɪət/.
am — /æm/ stressed, /əm/ weak: I am tired /aɪ əm ˈtaɪəd/. In a short answer it is stressed: Yes, I am /jes aɪ ˈæm/.
is — /ɪz/ stressed or weak, with a final z sound: It is /ɪt ɪz/, She is /ʃi ɪz/. After a voiceless sound the contraction 's is /s/: it's /ɪts/; after a voiced sound it is /z/: he's /hiːz/, she's /ʃiːz/.
are — /ɑː/ stressed, /ə/ weak: You are /juː ə/, Are you tired? /ə juː ˈtaɪəd/.
was — /wɒz/ stressed, /wəz/ weak: I was afraid /aɪ wəz əˈfreɪd/.
were — /wɜː/ stressed, /wə/ weak: The children were in the garden /ðə ˈtʃɪldrən wə ɪn ðə ˈɡɑːdn/.
been — /biːn/ stressed, /bɪn/ weak: I have been here /aɪ həv bɪn ˈhɪə/. Both are correct.
being — /ˈbiːɪŋ/.
The contractions: I'm /aɪm/, you're /jɔː/, he's /hiːz/, she's /ʃiːz/, it's /ɪts/, we're /wɪə/, they're /ðeə/, isn't /ˈɪzənt/, aren't /ɑːnt/, wasn't /ˈwɒzənt/, weren't /wɜːnt/.
Four sounds need care. First, the vowel of "be" and "is". English has a long /iː/ (be, been) and a short /ɪ/ (is, in, it). Cebuano has the vowels a, i and u as its basic vowels, and it does not separate a long i from a short one. Say /biː/ with the tongue high and the vowel held, and /ɪz/ short and relaxed: be is not "bi" cut short, and is is not "ease". Second, the final z. Cebuano has no /z/. In English the last sound of is, was and has is /z/: say it with the voice in the throat, so that it buzzes. A final /s/ ("iss", "wass") is understood, but it is not the standard sound. Third, the w of was and were is made with both lips rounded, as in the Cebuano w of wala. The vowel of were /wɜː/ does not exist in Cebuano: the tongue is in the middle of the mouth and the lips are not rounded. Fourth, the weak forms. In an English sentence the small words am, is, are, was, were and been are weak, quick and short. Do not give every one of them its full vowel. But in a short answer the verb is strong: "Yes, I am /æm/", never "Yes, I /əm/".
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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. Cebuano has no word for "be", so you will see "-" after "am", "is" and "are" very often. Where "be" means a place, naa is set against it. The pairs follow the English order: a real Cebuano sentence usually puts the predicate first and the subject last, so see Part B for the true Cebuano order):
2.1 I ako am - tired gikapoy.
2.2 You ikaw are - my nako friend higala.
2.3 She siya is - a - teacher magtutudlo.
2.4 We mi are naa at sa home balay.
2.5 It - is - cold bugnaw today karong-adlawa.
2.6 Are - you ka hungry gutom?
2.7 There - is naay a - cat iring on sa the - table lamesa.
2.8 There - are naay two duha-ka books libro on sa the - table lamesa.
2.9 My ang-akong brother igsoong-lalaki isn't wala here dinhi.
2.10 The ang-mga children bata were naa in sa the - garden tanaman yesterday gahapon.
2.11 I ako was - born natawo in sa Cebu Cebu.
2.12 Where asa are - my ang-akong shoes mga-sapatos?
2.13 I ko have-been naa-na here dinhi since sukad-sa Monday Lunes.
2.14 The ang house balay was-built gitukod in niadtong 1900 1900.
2.15 She siya is-reading nagabasa a ug book libro, and ug the ang-mga children bata are-playing nagadula outside sa-gawas.
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Part B (Full English sentence followed by the Cebuano translation):
2.1 I am tired. Gikapoy ako.
2.2 You are my friend. Higala nako ikaw.
2.3 She is a teacher. Magtutudlo siya.
2.4 We are at home. Naa mi sa balay.
2.5 It is cold today. Bugnaw karong adlawa.
2.6 Are you hungry? Gutom ka?
2.7 There is a cat on the table. Naay iring sa lamesa.
2.8 There are two books on the table. Naay duha ka libro sa lamesa.
2.9 My brother isn't here. Wala dinhi ang akong igsoong lalaki.
2.10 The children were in the garden yesterday. Naa sa tanaman ang mga bata gahapon.
2.11 I was born in Cebu. Natawo ako sa Cebu.
2.12 Where are my shoes? Asa ang akong mga sapatos?
2.13 I have been here since Monday. Naa na ko dinhi sukad sa Lunes.
2.14 The house was built in 1900. Gitukod ang balay niadtong 1900.
2.15 She is reading a book, and the children are playing outside. Nagabasa siya ug libro, ug nagadula ang mga bata sa gawas.
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Part C (English text only):
2.1 I am tired.
2.2 You are my friend.
2.3 She is a teacher.
2.4 We are at home.
2.5 It is cold today.
2.6 Are you hungry?
2.7 There is a cat on the table.
2.8 There are two books on the table.
2.9 My brother isn't here.
2.10 The children were in the garden yesterday.
2.11 I was born in Cebu.
2.12 Where are my shoes?
2.13 I have been here since Monday.
2.14 The house was built in 1900.
2.15 She is reading a book, and the children are playing outside.
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Part D (Grammar explanation):
These are the grammar rules for "be" in English:
1. Eight forms. "Be" has be, am, is, are, was, were, been and being. In the present the form depends on the subject: am only with "I"; is with he, she, it and with any one thing or person (my brother, the house); are with you, we, they and with more than one (the children, my shoes). So: I am tired (2.1), You are my friend (2.2), She is a teacher (2.3), We are at home (2.4), It is cold (2.5), and, with a noun, The children are playing (2.15). In Cebuano none of these has a verb at all: ako, ikaw, siya, mi are just the subject. The choice among am, is and are is what a Cebuano speaker has to learn, and it is a new task, because Cebuano has nothing to choose between.
2. "Be" must be there. In Cebuano the word that says what or how comes first, and the subject follows: Gikapoy ako, Magtutudlo siya, Gutom ka. English puts the subject first and must have a form of "be": "I am tired" (2.1), "She is a teacher" (2.3), "Are you hungry?" (2.6). Never "I tired", "She teacher" or "You hungry?" If you want the adjective with the noun, it goes before the noun, without "be": the tired child, the cold morning.
3. The subject must be there. Cebuano can say Bugnaw karong adlawa with no subject. English needs "it": It is cold today (2.5). The same "it" is needed for the weather, the time and the day: It is raining, It is late, It is Sunday. Never "Is cold today".
4. A, an and the. Cebuano has no word "a" before a job: Magtutudlo siya. English must have "a" or "an" before a job or a kind: She is a teacher (2.3), There is a cat on the table (2.7). But with a plural there is no "a": They are teachers. And with a name there is no "a": She is Nena.
5. The past: was and were. Was goes with I, he, she, it and with one thing: I was, my brother was, the house was (2.11, 2.14). Were goes with you, we, they and with more than one: You were, We were, The children were in the garden (2.10). Note that "you were" is used for one person as well as for many. Cebuano has no verb for this, and it shows past time with gahapon, kaniadto or the like. Never "The children was".
6. Where English and Cebuano meet. Naa is the Cebuano word that comes nearest to "be" in a place: We are at home (2.4) is Naa mi sa balay; The children were in the garden (2.10) is Naa sa tanaman ang mga bata. In English the place needs the word "be" and a preposition: at home, in the garden, on the table. Cebuano sa does the work of all prepositions of place, and English must choose: at, in, on, next to (Part D of Lesson 1, rule 11).
7. Questions and short answers. To ask a question the verb goes in front of the subject: You are hungry becomes Are you hungry? (2.6). Cebuano usually keeps the same order and adds a question tone or the little word ba: Gutom ka? or Gutom ka ba? No "do" is added in English: never "Do you be hungry?" The short answer repeats the verb: "Are you new here?" "Yes, I am." In the answer the verb is stressed and it is not shortened: "Yes, I am", never "Yes, I'm" and never "Yes, I". Cebuano answers with Oo, or repeats the word: Gutom ka? Gutom. A question word comes first and the verb comes next: Where are my shoes? (2.12), How are you?
8. The negative. After "be" put "not": He is not here, or He isn't here (2.9). Cebuano says Wala siya dinhi for a person who is absent and Dili ako gutom for "I am not hungry". English uses "not" in both: I am not hungry. The short forms are isn't, aren't, wasn't and weren't. After "I am" use "I am not" or "I'm not". There is no "amn't" in standard English; in a question tag you say "aren't I?".
9. The short forms. In speech, and in informal writing and in dialogue, "be" is joined to the subject: I'm, you're, he's, she's, it's, we're, they're. A short answer cannot end in a contraction of "am", "is" or "are": "Yes, I am", not "Yes, I'm". The contractions are ordinary and not rude. In a formal text write the words out.
10. There is and there are. These sentences say that something exists or is in a place. English agrees with the noun that follows: There is a cat on the table (2.7), There are two books on the table (2.8). Cebuano naay covers both: Naay iring, Naay duha ka libro. In the past it is "there was" or "there were": There was bread, There were two books. Never "There is two books". The word "there" cannot be left out: Naay iring is There is a cat, never "Is a cat".
11. Be + a verb ending in -ing. English uses "be" with the -ing form for something that is going on now: She is reading a book, and the children are playing outside (2.15). Cebuano shows it with the prefix naga-: Nagabasa siya, nagadula ang mga bata. English says "She reads a book" for a habit (She reads a book every night), not for what she is doing now. Say "Look! She is reading a book", not "Look! She reads a book".
12. Be + the past participle: the passive. "Be" with a past participle says what was done to something: The house was built in 1900 (2.14). Cebuano shows it on the verb itself: Gitukod ang balay. English needs "was" and the participle "built", two words for one. This is a trap in one word above all: "I was born" (2.11). Cebuano says Natawo ako, and English says "I was born", never "I am born" and never "I born".
13. Have been. For something that began in the past and goes on now, English uses "have been": I have been here since Monday (2.13); Naa na ko dinhi sukad sa Lunes. Say "has been" with he, she and it: She has been here since Monday. The same holds for "for": I have been here for three days. Never "I am here since Monday".
14. The command and the future. For a command English uses the base form: Be quiet, Be careful. Cebuano has Hilom and Amping, one word each. The negative command takes "do not": Don't be late. For the future, English uses "will be": Tomorrow we will be at the market. Cebuano needs only ugma and naa: Ugma naa kita sa merkado. In Cebuano the future is shown by the time word, and in English will and be stand together. After "let" you also need the base form: Let there be light, as in Part F.
15. After be + adjective: prepositions. Some adjectives need a small word in English that Cebuano does not have in the same place. "I am afraid of the dark", "I am interested in music", "I am good at cooking". Learn each adjective with its small word.
16. How are you? English greets with "be": How are you? (Cebuano Kumusta ka?). The answer is: I'm fine, thank you, or I'm well, thank you. Cebuano answers Maayo ra ko, salamat. English also has "How's it going?", which is close to Kumusta ka? in feeling.
17. How Part A reads. A hyphen in the English gloss joins the words that translate one Cebuano word or phrase (have-been naa-na, was-built gitukod, is-reading nagabasa, are-playing nagadula). A hyphen in the Cebuano joins words that are written apart in Part B but answer one English word or phrase (ang-akong, mga-sapatos, sukad-sa, sa-gawas). A single "-" means that nothing in the Cebuano answers. In 2.1, "am" has "-" because Cebuano has no verb "to be"; in 2.4, "are" has naa because naa says where. In 2.2 and 2.9 the real Cebuano order is different (Higala nako ikaw; Wala dinhi ang akong igsoong lalaki); Part A follows the English order.
Common mistakes:
- ✗ I tired. ✓ I am tired. (Cebuano Gikapoy ako has no verb, but English needs "am".) - ✗ She teacher. ✓ She is a teacher. - ✗ I are tired. ✓ I am tired. (Am goes only with "I".) - ✗ The children was in the garden. ✓ The children were in the garden. - ✗ Is cold today. ✓ It is cold today. - ✗ Are two books on the table. ✓ There are two books on the table. - ✗ There is two books on the table. ✓ There are two books on the table. - ✗ My brother not here. ✓ My brother isn't here. - ✗ I am here since Monday. ✓ I have been here since Monday. - ✗ I am born in Cebu. / I born in Cebu. ✓ I was born in Cebu. - ✗ Are you new? Yes, I. ✓ Are you new? Yes, I am. - ✗ Look! She reads a book. ✓ Look! She is reading a book. - ✗ Do you be tired? ✓ Are you tired? - ✗ Are quiet! ✓ Be quiet! - ✗ Tomorrow we are at the market. (when you mean the future) ✓ Tomorrow we will be at the market. - ✗ bi, ease, vas ✓ be /biː/, is /ɪz/, was /wɒz/
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Part E (Cultural context):
"Be" is the second most frequent word in English, and it is hard to say anything without it: it is in the question that opens many conversations, "How are you?" The Cebuano greeting Kumusta ka? comes from the Spanish ¿cómo está?, and it is used in the same way: it is a greeting more than a real question about health. The usual answer in English is "Fine, thanks, and you?", and in Cebuano Maayo ra ko, salamat.
Many Cebuano speakers meet English every day at school, in the newspapers and on signs, and use English words inside their own sentences. A learner who carries the Cebuano pattern over into English may say "He teacher" or "She very tired". Such a sentence may be understood, but it is not standard English. In English, "be" is never optional.
When you introduce yourself in English you say "I am Nena" or "I'm Nena" and "My name is Nena"; both use "be". Cebuano says Ako si Nena, so the structure is the same, but the verb is new. Note that the English contraction "I'm" is the usual form when speaking, and the full "I am" sounds careful or a little stiff.
Asking a person's age is common among children, but in English-speaking countries many adults do not like to be asked, and it is better not to ask. When you say your own age, English says "I am twelve", and never "I have twelve years".
English "be" is also at the centre of one of the best-known lines in the language: "To be, or not to be, that is the question", spoken by Hamlet in Shakespeare's play Hamlet (about 1600). The line is a good reminder that "be" can stand alone, and that it then means "to exist".
Finally, the contractions: do not be afraid to use them. A learner who never says "I'm" or "isn't" sounds like a book. A learner who says "She's a teacher" and "They're at home" sounds like a person.
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Part F (Literary citation):
Genesis 1:3 (first clause) and 1:4 (first clause), in the English King James Version (1611); Cebuano text from an older public-domain Cebuano Bible translation as it is given online (Genesis 1:3 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. The rest of the two verses is left out.
F-A (English and Cebuano text, word by word):
"And Ug God ang-Dios said miingon: Let mahimo there - be - light ang-kahayag." … "And Ug God sa-Dios saw nakita the ang light kahayag, that nga it kini was - good maayo."
F-B (Original text followed by the Cebuano translation):
"And God said, Let there be light." … "And God saw the light, that it was good."
"Ug miingon ang Dios: Mahimo ang kahayag." … "Ug nakita sa Dios ang kahayag nga kini maayo."
F-C (English text only):
"And God said, Let there be light." … "And God saw the light, that it was good."
F-D (Grammar and literary commentary):
These are among the best-known sentences in the English language: the first words that God speaks in the King James Version, and the first judgement that follows. They are short, they are joined by "and", and "be" appears in them twice: once as "be" (Let there be light) and once as "was" (that it was good). The sentences are a clear lesson in the verb of this lesson.
Now look at the Cebuano, where the match is not word for word. In "Let there be light" the Cebuano has Mahimo ang kahayag. Mahimo comes from himo, which the dictionary gives as "become", "make" and "do", and mahimo itself can mean "possible" and "can": the Cebuano says something close to "may the light come to be". English uses the plain verb "be" here, and Cebuano uses a verb of becoming.
- And God said ↔ Ug miingon ang Dios: English says "said" (the simple past), and Cebuano shows the past on the verb, miingon. Do not say "has said". - Let there be light ↔ Mahimo ang kahayag: "be" is the base form of the verb, with no "to", after "let" (Part D, rule 14). The KJV has a colon after "light"; today we would write a full stop, a comma or a dash. "Light" is a substance here, and so it takes no "a" in English. If you want one single light, English says "a light" (Naay suga). - And God saw the light ↔ Ug nakita sa Dios ang kahayag: English puts God first and the verb second; Cebuano begins with the verb nakita and names God after it, with the marker sa. - that it was good ↔ nga kini maayo: "it" is the light, and English must have "was". Cebuano says nga kini maayo, "that this good", with no verb at all (Part D, rule 2), and the past is understood from the story. The "-" in F-A shows that Cebuano has no word for "was".
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Nena lives in Cebu City. On a Sunday morning her cousin Ana comes from Bohol to visit. Nena speaks in 2.18, 2.20, 2.22, 2.24, 2.29 and 2.30; Ana, the visitor, speaks in 2.17, 2.19, 2.21, 2.23, 2.25 and 2.28; Nena's mother speaks in 2.27; the other sentences tell what happens.
Part A (English and Cebuano text, word by word, with the same conventions as in the first fifteen examples):
2.16 It - is - Sunday Domingo morning sa-buntag, and ug Nena si-Nena is naa at sa home balay.
2.17 "Good maayong morning buntag, I ako am - Ana si-Ana," says ingon the sa visitor bisita.
2.18 "Good maayong morning buntag, Ana Ana. I ako am - Nena si-Nena. Are ba you ka from-Bohol taga-Bohol?"
2.19 "Yes oo, I ako am - from-Bohol taga-Bohol. We kita are - relatives mga-paryente."
2.20 "How kumusta are - you ka?"
2.21 "I ko am - fine maayo-ra, thank-you salamat, but apan I ko am - tired gikapoy."
2.22 "Where asa is - your ang-imong bag bag?"
2.23 "It kini is naa outside sa-gawas, next-to tapad the sa door pultahan."
2.24 "Come-in sulod! The ang house balay is - big dako, and ug my ang-akong mother inahan is naa in sa the - kitchen kusina."
2.25 "Yesterday gahapon I ko was naa in sa Bohol Bohol, and ug now karon I ko am naa here dinhi."
2.26 The ang kitchen kusina is - warm init, and ug there - is naay bread tinapay on sa the - table lamesa.
2.27 "Welcome maayong-pag-abot, Ana Ana! Are ba you ka hungry gutom?"
2.28 "Yes oo, I ako am - very kaayo hungry gutom. Thank-you salamat very-much kaayo."
2.29 "Be-careful amping, Ana Ana! The ang floor salog is - wet basa."
2.30 "Tomorrow ugma we kita will-be naa at sa the - market merkado."
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Part B (Full English sentence followed by the Cebuano translation):
2.16 It is Sunday morning, and Nena is at home. Domingo sa buntag, ug naa si Nena sa balay.
2.17 "Good morning, I am Ana," says the visitor. "Maayong buntag, ako si Ana," ingon sa bisita.
2.18 "Good morning, Ana. I am Nena. Are you from Bohol?" "Maayong buntag, Ana. Ako si Nena. Taga-Bohol ka ba?"
2.19 "Yes, I am from Bohol. We are relatives." "Oo, taga-Bohol ako. Mga paryente kita."
2.20 "How are you?" "Kumusta ka?"
2.21 "I am fine, thank you, but I am tired." "Maayo ra ko, salamat, apan gikapoy ko."
2.22 "Where is your bag?" "Asa ang imong bag?"
2.23 "It is outside, next to the door." "Naa kini sa gawas, tapad sa pultahan."
2.24 "Come in! The house is big, and my mother is in the kitchen." "Sulod! Dako ang balay, ug naa ang akong inahan sa kusina."
2.25 "Yesterday I was in Bohol, and now I am here." "Gahapon naa ko sa Bohol, ug karon naa ko dinhi."
2.26 The kitchen is warm, and there is bread on the table. Init ang kusina, ug naay tinapay sa lamesa.
2.27 "Welcome, Ana! Are you hungry?" "Maayong pag-abot, Ana! Gutom ka ba?"
2.28 "Yes, I am very hungry. Thank you very much." "Oo, gutom kaayo ako. Salamat kaayo."
2.29 "Be careful, Ana! The floor is wet." "Amping, Ana! Basa ang salog."
2.30 "Tomorrow we will be at the market." "Ugma naa kita sa merkado."
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Part C (English text only):
2.16 It is Sunday morning, and Nena is at home.
2.17 "Good morning, I am Ana," says the visitor.
2.18 "Good morning, Ana. I am Nena. Are you from Bohol?"
2.19 "Yes, I am from Bohol. We are relatives."
2.20 "How are you?"
2.21 "I am fine, thank you, but I am tired."
2.22 "Where is your bag?"
2.23 "It is outside, next to the door."
2.24 "Come in! The house is big, and my mother is in the kitchen."
2.25 "Yesterday I was in Bohol, and now I am here."
2.26 The kitchen is warm, and there is bread on the table.
2.27 "Welcome, Ana! Are you hungry?"
2.28 "Yes, I am very hungry. Thank you very much."
2.29 "Be careful, Ana! The floor is wet."
2.30 "Tomorrow we will be at the market."
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Part D (Grammar explanation):
The narrative is in the simple present (is, am, are, says), with one line in the past (was in Bohol), a command (Be careful) and a future (will be). The thread is "be" in its present forms, always chosen by the subject (Part D, rule 1): it is, Nena is, I am, we are, the house is, my mother is, the kitchen is, the floor is.
- The setting (2.16): "It is Sunday morning" has "it" as the subject, as in the weather (Part D, rule 3); Cebuano has no subject and no verb: Domingo sa buntag. "Nena is at home": place, with "at". Cebuano says naa si Nena sa balay (rule 6). - Introducing yourself (2.17, 2.18): "I am Ana" and "I am Nena" are the careful forms; in speech you may hear "I'm Ana" (rule 9). The Cebuano is Ako si Ana and Ako si Nena, with the marker si for a name and no verb. - A question and its answer (2.18, 2.19): "Are you from Bohol?" turns the verb round (rule 7), where Cebuano says Taga-Bohol ka ba? The answer "Yes, I am from Bohol" is a full sentence; the short form would be "Yes, I am". Note "from": English needs the preposition and the verb, and Cebuano uses the prefix taga- before the name of the place. - "We are relatives" (2.19): "we" takes "are", and a plural noun has no "a": relatives, not "a relatives". Cebuano has the plural marker mga and the pronoun kita (you and I), but no verb. - "How are you?" (2.20): the verb comes after the question word and before the subject (rule 16). The Cebuano Kumusta ka? has no verb. - Feeling (2.21, 2.28): "I am fine" and "I am tired" are the pattern of rule 2: the pronoun, "am" and a word that says how. Cebuano has only maayo ra ko and gikapoy ko. "I am very hungry": "very" stands before the adjective and after "be", where Cebuano puts kaayo after the adjective. - Place (2.22, 2.23): "Where is your bag?" has "is" because the bag is one thing. "It is outside, next to the door": English "next to" is two words, and the Cebuano is the one word tapad. Notice that "is" has naa in 2.23 because the sentence says where. - The command (2.24, 2.29): "Come in!" is a command with no "be"; "Be careful" has the base form of the verb (rule 14), where Cebuano has the one word Amping. After the exclamation mark there is a new sentence: "The floor is wet", with "is" for one thing. - Two states at once (2.24): "The house is big, and my mother is in the kitchen." Each part has its own "is". Cebuano has only dako ang balay and naa ang akong inahan sa kusina. - The past (2.25): "Yesterday I was in Bohol, and now I am here" has "was" for then and "am" for now. Cebuano has naa ko in both parts; the time words gahapon and karon show the difference. This is a good example of how English puts the time into the verb, and Cebuano into a separate word. - There is (2.26): "there is bread" has "is" for one thing; bread is a substance, so there is no "a". Cebuano naay tinapay is the same for any amount (rule 10). - Welcome (2.27): "Welcome, Ana!" has no "be", and "Are you hungry?" turns the verb round (rule 7). - The future (2.30): "Tomorrow we will be at the market" has will + be (rule 14). The Cebuano ugma naa kita sa merkado has no future marker on the verb; the word ugma shows tomorrow.
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Pronunciation and Orthography Notes:
- be /biː/, am /æm/, is /ɪz/, are /ɑː/, was /wɒz/, were /wɜː/, been /biːn/ or /bɪn/, being /ˈbiːɪŋ/. In a sentence the small forms are weak: /bi/, /əm/, /ə/, /wəz/, /wə/. - Final z: is /ɪz/ and was /wɒz/ end in a voiced z. Cebuano has no /z/, and speakers often say "iss" and "wass". - Vowel length: be /biː/ is long, and is /ɪz/ is short. Cebuano does not separate them. - The apostrophe in the contractions takes the place of the missing letters: I'm (I am), he's (he is), they're (they are), isn't (is not, with the o of "not" missing). It stands inside the word. Never confuse it's (it is) with its (belonging to it). - Spelling: be, am, is, are, was, were, been, being. "Being" has one n; "been" has two e's. English writes I with a capital letter everywhere (I am, I'm, I was), where Cebuano writes ako, ko in lower case. - Capital letters: the names of people and places (Nena, Ana, Bohol, Cebu) and the days of the week (Sunday, Monday), as in Cebuano (Domingo, Lunes).
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Course Index: [latinum.substack.com/p/index](https://latinum.substack.com/p/index)