Interactive learning resources for Southeast Asian languages, literatures and cultures
Magkano This is the “real” how-much question calling for an answer that gives the value or price of something. Here are a few examples: Magkano ang isang kilong bigas?How much is a kilo of rice?Trenta pesos.30 pesos.Magkano ang perang dala mo?How much money do you have with you?Bente pesos.20 pesos.Magkano ang kotseng ito?How much is this car?Kalahating milyong piso..5 M pesos.MagkanoRead More…
Gaano This question calls for a response indicating the extent or degree of some quality. The interrogative pronoun functions almost like an adverb before a modifier, which is always prefixed with KA-. Pronouns (actor) always come after the question word. Here are some examples: Gaano karami ang dala mong mangga?How many mangoes did you bring?Marami. (Plenty.)Kaunti lang. (A few.)GaRead More…
Paano This question asks for a response that gives an explanation of a process. It should not be confused with the use of the interrogative pronoun how in English in contexts like “How are you?”. Pronouns (actor/doer) always come after the question word. The following are some examples: Paano gumawa ng parol?How do you make a christmas lantern?How does one make a christmas lanternRead More…
Bakit Bakit is “Why?” This question may be answered in at least three different ways, the difference being the degree of formality determined by the context or situation.Just like pseudo-verbs, interrogative pronouns attract (actor) pronouns so that they always come right after the question word. KASI (Because) This response is most common in conversations. Here are some examples. The elRead More…
This page presents some more question forms that are not covered in the Questions I section. These forms are dealt with separately from the others because these are the questions that usually require relatively more complex constructions. Review the links below for proper use of questions (Why, How, How many, and How much) in Tagalog sentences. Bakit WhyPaano HowGaano How manyMagkanRead More…
Modal Enclitics Just as temporal enclitics give some indication about time in a sentence, modal enclitics give some indication of the mood of the speaker or of the way the speaker feels about the sentence. For example, the speaker may be stating something in a ‘matter of fact’ or factual way such as in the sentence: “I have a cat.” Or the speaker may state something as a wish or desRead More…
Temporal Enclitics Temporal enclitics are used to indicate time. The enclitic particles PA and NA are the most commonly used temporal enclitics, i.e., they are usually used to indicate if an action has started or not yet started. In addition, these particles may also encode other information in certain contexts.Another temporal enclitic that is frequently used is MUNA, roughly translateRead More…
Some Enclitic Particles: An Introduction Enclitic particles are words that are normally optional but when present give emphasis to certain elements in sentences. Just as the word particle means a small bit of matter, these words are typically fairly short. These words are not the main part of the sentence and can actually be left out (the word enclitic means Read More…
Subordinating Conjunctions The second type of conjunction in Tagalog is the subordinating conjunction. This type of conjunction is used to add on extra thoughts that in some way seem to be of less importance or prominence than the main part of the sentence. Sometimes they can be sort of like an afterthought to the first thought. KUNG (IF) Papasa ka kung mag-aaral ka ng leksiyoRead More…
Coordinating Conjunctions There are two kinds of conjunctions in Tagalog. The first kind is called a coordinating conjunction. This type of conjunction is used to add to a sentence an extra thought that is considered to be of equal importance as the first part of the sentence. For example, in the sentence “I got on the bus and waved to her” both parts of the sentence are of equal importance. Read More…