Reference
The system.
Six pieces. Everything you’ll hear is built from them.
actionpersonthingparticlequestiondescribetime / place
1Sentence skeleton
Default order is VERB first, then who, then what. Small words (na, pa, ba, ka, ko, mo) cluster right after the first word.
Kumain · ako · ng adobo
ate · I · adobo
verb – doer – thing
Kumain · ka · na · ba?
eaten · you · already · ?
verb + particles glued after it
Masarap · ang adobo
delicious · the adobo
describe – spotlight
Gusto · ko · ng kape
want · I · coffee
gusto takes ng-form doer
Nasa kusina · si Ate
in the kitchen · Ate
location – name
2Pronouns — two forms each
Every pronoun has two forms. ANG-form = the spotlight of the sentence. NG-form = the doer/owner when something else is the spotlight (after gusto, and with -in verbs).
| ANG-form | NG-form | Indonesian | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | ako | ko | aku / -ku |
| you | ikaw / ka | mo | engkau / -mu |
| he / she | siya | niya | dia / -nya |
| we (incl. you) | tayo | natin | kita |
| we (excl. you) | kami | namin | kami |
| you (plural / polite) | kayo | ninyo | kalian |
| they | sila | nila | mereka |
Gutom ako.
I'm hungry. (ako = spotlight)
Gusto ko ng kape.
I want coffee. (ko = doer, kape is the thing)
3Particles — the tiny words that carry meaning
They sit right after the first word. Learn these and sentences stop sounding like noise.
| means | example | |
|---|---|---|
| na | now / already | Kain na tayo. · Kumain na ako. |
| pa | still / not yet | Hindi pa. · Gutom pa ako. |
| ba | makes a yes/no question | Masarap ba? · Kumain ka na ba? |
| lang | just / only | Sa bahay na lang. · Konti lang. |
| din / rin | also | Ako rin. · Gusto ko rin. |
| po / opo | politeness / polite yes | Salamat po. · Opo. |
| naman | softener / 'on the other hand' | Ikaw naman? · Sige naman. |
| kasi | because | Gutom kasi ako. |
| talaga | really | Masarap talaga. |
| siguro | maybe (NOT 'sure') | Siguro bukas. |
Kumain na ako.
I already ate.
Hindi pa ako kumain.
I haven't eaten yet.
4Markers — who is the spotlight
ang / ng / sa tag every noun. Names use si / ni / kay instead.
| job | example | |
|---|---|---|
| ang | marks the spotlight noun | Masarap ang adobo. |
| ng | marks a non-spotlight noun (thing / doer) | Gusto ko ng kape. |
| sa | at / to / in / for | Sa bahay. · Pupunta sa Manila. |
| si / sina | 'ang' but for names | Nasaan si Ate? |
| ni | 'ng' but for names | Luto ni Ate. |
| kay | 'sa' but for names | Para kay Kuya. |
5Question words
Put them first; add nothing else. 'ba' is only for yes/no questions.
ano
what
sino
who
saan
where (action happens)
nasaan
where is (location)
kailan
when
bakit
why
paano
how
ilan
how many
magkano
how much (price)
6Verb engine — aspect, not tense
Tagalog verbs mark ASPECT (done / ongoing / not yet), not tense. Two mechanisms: an affix says WHO is the spotlight; doubling the first syllable says 'incomplete'.
| root | type | not yet · 0 | ongoing · ½ | done · 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| kain eat | -um- | kakain | kumakain | kumain |
| inom drink | -um- | iinom | umiinom | uminom |
| punta go | -um- | pupunta | pumupunta | pumunta |
| alis leave | -um- | aalis | umaalis | umalis |
| luto cook | mag- | magluluto | nagluluto | nagluto |
| aral study | mag- | mag-aaral | nag-aaral | nag-aral |
| Tagalog speak Tagalog | mag- | magta-Tagalog | nagta-Tagalog | nag-Tagalog |
- -um- goes INSIDE the root after the first consonant: k-um-ain.
- mag- becomes nag- once the action has started (done/ongoing).
- Doubling the first syllable = not finished: ku-MA-kain (ongoing), KA-kain (not yet).
- Object focus (-in) swaps the spotlight to the thing: 'Kinain ko ang adobo' — the adobo takes 'ang', the eater takes 'ko'.
Kumain ako ng adobo.
Actor focus: I (ako) am the spotlight.
Kinain ko ang adobo.
Object focus: the adobo (ang) is the spotlight; I become 'ko'.