Interactive learning resources for Southeast Asian languages, literatures and cultures
Ilan This is the Tagalog equivalent of the English interrogative pronoun how many. The answers to ILAN questions always include numbers or other words that express quantity (how much of something). Here are some examples: Ilan ang kapatid mo?Pito (ang kapatid ko). How many siblings do you have?(I have) seven (siblings). Ilan ang estudyante ng Tagalog?Labinlima (ang estudyante ng TaRead More…
Saan This is the equivalent of the English word where. The question is usually answered with the word SA. If only one place is asked about, then word saan is used. If more than one place is asked about, then saan-saan is used. Here are some examples: Saan ka nakatira?Sa Malate (ako nakatira). Where do you live?(I live) in Malate. Saan ang bayan ng nanay mo?Sa Ilokos (ang bayan ng Read More…
Ano This is the equivalent of the English word what. It is followed by an ANG-phrase (phrase that is in focus) and may be answered by a simple nominal, adjectival, or verbal sentence. When the anticipated response is a plural noun-phrase, some speakers use the question word anu-ano. In other words, if only one thing is asked about, then the word ano is used. If more than one thing is askRead More…
Sino This is the Tagalog equivalent of the English word who. It is always followed by an ANG-clause (a focused clause). The expected response to this question is a sentence that has ANG-phrases in both predicate and subject positions(referred to as an identificational sentence). Or, phrased differently, the answer to a SINO question will have both the subjecRead More…
This type of question in Tagalog is easily identifiable because it is marked by the particle BA, referred to by many grammar books as the yes-no question marker. It also has a rising intonation just like question patterns in English. The Particle BA The particle BA usually comes after the first element of a sentence. BA works about the same as a question mark. IRead More…
Introduction This section will discuss some of the most commonly used question forms. If you are interested in other question forms that are not found on this page, you may go to another page called Questions II. The song on this page shows some examples of questions. Sunday Morning by Fernando Amorsolo DITO BA? Dito ba ang dapat kong kalagyan na isang Read More…
This section will discuss some of the most commonly used question forms. If you are interested in other question forms that are not found on this page, you may find more question forms on another page called Questions II. The following links below review the proper use of questions in Tagalog sentences. Tagalog Questions 1: IntroductionTagalog Questions 1: Yes / No QuestionsTagalog QuestioRead More…
The Negator WALA WALA is generally used to negate existential and prepositional sentences. They imply the non-existence or absence of someone or something. This is done by using the negator WALA in place of the existential particle MAY/MAYROON or in place of the “preposition” NASA. In the case of the prepositional sentence, it more complex than this, but for our purpose, this shouldRead More…
The Negator HINDI HINDI is generally used to negate nominal (NOM), adjectival (ADJ), and verbal (VBL) sentences. This is done by placing HINDI before the predicate,the structure being: Negative (HINDI) + Predicate + Subject + Complement(s) Here are some examples illustrating this structure: NOMHindi Amerikano ang bisita.The visitor is not an American.NOMHindi Read More…
Introduction Negation in Tagalong is achieved by using either the negative HINDI ( “not” or “no”) or WALA (“there is none” or “nothing”). This section will focus on the use of these negators in simple sentences. On this page are a few stanzas of a poem written by Andres Bonifacio, the Father of Philippine Revolution. Take note of the usage of negators. Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa (Read More…