Tagalog grammar (Tagalog: Balarilà ng Tagalog) are the rules that describe the structure of expressions in the Tagalog language, one of the languages in the Philippines.
In Tagalog, there are nine parts of speech: nouns (pangngalan), pronouns (panghalíp), verbs (pandiwà), adverbs (pang-abay), adjectives (pang-urì), prepositions (pang-ukol), conjunctions (pangatníg), ligatures (pang-angkóp) and particles.
Tagalog is an agglutinative yet slightly inflected language.
Pronouns are inflected for number and verbs for focus/voice and aspect.
Tagalog verbs are complex and are changed by taking on many affixes reflecting focus/trigger, aspect and mood. Below is a chart of the main verbal affixes, which consist of a variety of prefixes, suffixes, infixes, and circumfixes.
Conventions used in the chart:
| Complete | Progressive | Contemplative | Infinitive | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actor trigger I | (um) bumasa | C(um)V~ bumabasa | CV~ babasa | (um) bumasa | ∅ |
| Actor trigger II | nag- nagbasa | nag-CV~ nagbabasa | mag-CV~ magbabasa | mag- magbasa | pag- pagbasa |
| Actor trigger III | na- nabasa | na-CV~ nababasa | ma-CV~ mababasa | ma- mabasa | pa- pabasa |
| Actor trigger IV | naN- (nang-, nam-, nan-) nangbasa (nambasa) | naN-CV~ nangbabasa (nambabasa) | maN-CV~ mangbabasa (mambabasa) | maN- mangbasa (mambasa) | paN- pangbasa (pambasa) |
| Object trigger I | (in) binasa | C(in)V~ binabasa | CV~ ... -(h)in babasahin | -(h)in basahin | -a (or verb root) basa |
| Object trigger II | i(in)- ibinasa | i-C(in)V~ ibinabasa | i-CV~ ibabasa | i- ibasa | -(h)an/-(h)in basaan |
| Object trigger III | (in) ... -(h)an binasahan | C(in)V~ ... -(h)an binabasahan | CV~ ... -(h)an babasahan | -(h)an basahan | -(h)i basahi |
| Locative trigger | (in) ... -(h)an binasahan | C(in)V~ ... -(h)an binabasahan | CV~ ... -(h)an babasahan | -(h)an basahan | ∅ |
| Benefactive trigger | i(in)- ibinasa | i-C(in)V~ ibinabasa | i-CV~ ibabasa | i- ibasa | ∅ |
| Instrument trigger | ip(in)aN- ipinambasa | ip(in)aN-CV~ ipinambabasa | ipaN-CV~ ipambabasa | ipaN- ipambasa | ∅ |
| Reason trigger | ik(in)a- ikinabasa | ik(in)a-CV~ ikinababasa | ika-CV~ ikababasa | ika- ikabasa | ∅ |
With object-focus verbs in the completed and progressive aspects, the infix -in- frequently becomes the prefix ni- if the root word begins with pronounced as //l//, pronounced as //r//, pronounced as //w//, or pronounced as //j//; e.g., linalapitan or nilalapitan and inilagáy or ilinagáy.
When suffixing -in and -an to a word that ends in a vowel, an epenthetic h is inserted. This helps to distinguish them from words that have a glottal stop, which is usually not written except when diacritical marks are applied, such that "basa" (to read) becomes "basahin" while "basa" (to be wet, otherwise spelt as "basâ") becomes "basain" pronounced with a glottal stop.
The imperative affixes are not often used in Manila, but they do exist in other Tagalog speaking provinces.
| Complete | Progressive | Contemplative | Infinitive | Imperative | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archaic Actor trigger I (Unassimilated) | (ungm) or (ingm) bungmasa, tingmingin | C(ungm)V~ or C(ingm)V~ bungmabasa, tingmitingin | CV~ babasa | (um) bumasa | ∅ | |
| Archaic Actor trigger I (Assimilated) | b/p → n nasa | b/p → n + REDUP nanasa | b/p → m + REDUP mamasa | b/p → m masa | ∅ |
In old Tagalog, the complete and progressive aspects of actor trigger I was marked with the affix "-ungm-" or "-ingm-', while "-um-" was used solely as the infinitive form. The rule is that when a verb has an "i" in its initial syllable, the infix used is "-ingm-" like "tingmingin" (looked, complete aspect) and "tingmitingin" (is looking, progressive aspect), otherwise "-ungm-" is used. This is a case called vowel harmony. Another archaic feature is when a verb starts in a "b" or "p", which becomes an "n" for the complete and progressive aspects, and "m" for contemplative and infinitive. The word "pasok" (to enter) therefore becomes "nasok" (complete), "nanasok" (progressive), "mamasok" (contemplative), and "masok" (infinitive).Though these have been lost in the Manila dialect, they are preserved in some Tagalog dialects. The allophones "d" and "r" are still somewhat preserved when it comes to verbs like "dating (to arrive)" but it is sometimes ignored.
The central feature of verbs in Tagalog and other Philippine languages is the trigger system, often called voice or focus.[1] In this system, the thematic relation (agent, patient, or other oblique relationslocation, direction, etc.) of the noun marked by the direct-case particle is encoded in the verb.
Also known as the agent trigger, agent focus, actor focus, or by the abbreviations AT or AF. This verb form triggers a reading of the direct noun (marked by "ang") as the agent of the clause. The main affixes/forms under this trigger are -um-, mag-, ma-, and mang-; while their derivatives (e.g., maka-, ma- -an, magsi-, etc.) may also function as actor focus.
Some verb roots only take one of the main affixes to form the actor trigger of that verb, such as "tingin" (to look) which only uses the -um- conjugation as its actor trigger form. Other root words may take two or more, such as "sulat" (to write) which could take mag- and -um- conjugations. In such instances, the different verb forms may have the same exact meaning, or they may have some slight nuances. In the case of "sulat", "magsulat" is closer to the meaning of physically writing a letter, while "sumulat" is closer to the meaning of sending a letter out.[2] "sayaw" (to dance), on the other hand, has "sumayaw" and "magsayaw" which mean the same thing. Furthermore, there are a few root verbs that derive opposite meanings through these affixes, such as in the case of "bili" (to buy), where "bumili" means to buy and "magbili" is to sell.
The difference between these four actor trigger forms are complicated and there seems to be no consistent rule dictating when one form should be used over another. That said, memorizing what affixes a verb root uses and its corresponding meaning is essential in learning Tagalog.
Otherwise known as the patient trigger, patient focus, object focus, or by its initials OT, OF, PT, or PF. This verb form triggers a reading of the direct noun (marked by "ang") as the patient of the clause. There are three main affixes/forms used in this trigger, -in-, i-, and -an:
Affixes can also be used in nouns or adjectives: baligtaran (from baligtád, to reverse) (reversible), katamaran (from tamád, lazy) (laziness), kasabihán (from sabi, to say) (proverb), kasagutan (from sagót, answer), bayarín (from bayad, to pay) (payment), bukirín (from bukid, farm), lupaín (from lupa, land), pagkakaroón (from doón/roón, there) (having/appearance), and pagdárasál (from dasál, prayer). Verbs with affixes (mostly suffixes) are also used as nouns, which are differentiated by stress position. Examples are panoórin (to watch or view) and panoorín (materials to be watched or viewed), hangarín (to wish) and hangárin (goal/objective), arálin (to study) and aralín (studies), and bayáran (to pay) and bayarán (someone or something for hire).
The actor trigger marks the direct noun as the agent (doer) of the action:
The man bought a banana at the store for the monkey.
The object trigger marks the direct noun as the patient (receiver) of the action:
The man bought the banana at the store for the monkey.
The locative trigger marks the direct noun as the location or direction of an action or the area affected by the action.
The man bought a banana at/from the store.
The benefactive trigger marks the direct noun as the person or thing that benefits from the action; i.e., the beneficiary of an action.
The man bought a banana for the monkey.
The instrumental trigger marks the direct noun as the means by which the action is performed.
The man bought a banana with his spouse's money.
The reason trigger marks the direct noun as the cause or reason why an action is performed. It is mostly used exclusively with verbs of emotion.
The man got surprised because of the monkey's arrival.
The aspect of the verb indicates the progressiveness of the verb. It specifies whether the action happened, is happening, or will happen. Tagalog verbs are conjugated for time using aspect rather than tense, which can be easily expressed with phrases and time prepositions.[3] [4]
| Aspect | Use | Example sentence | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Completed (Perfective) | indicates that the action has been completed | Nagluto ang babae | The woman cooked | |
| Nagluto na ang babae | The woman has/had cooked | |||
| Uncompleted (Imperfective) | indicates that the action has started, but not completed and is ongoing; also indicates habitual actions and general facts | Nagluluto ang babae | The woman cooks | |
| Nagluluto na ang babae | The woman is (already) cooking | |||
| Nagluluto pa ang babae | The woman is (still) cooking | |||
| Unstarted (Contemplative) | indicates that the action has not been started | Magluluto ang babae | The woman will cook | |
| Magluluto na ang babae | The woman is going to cook (now) | |||
| Magluluto pa ang babae | The woman is yet to cook | |||
| Recently completed | indicates that the action has been completed just before the time of speaking or just before some other specified time | Kaluluto lang ng babae | The woman has just cooked |
This serves as the base form of the verb, and is not marked by aspect. It is typically used in modal and subjunctive constructions. It is also used in standard Tagalog as the basis for the imperative form of the verb, by adding a second-person pronoun, such as ka/mo (you) and kayó/ninyó (you all), directly after it.
This is formed by affixing a verbal trigger suffix to the root word.
| Root Word | Affix | Base Form | Trigger | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| alís (leave) | -um- | umalís (to leave) | Actor trigger I | |
| kain (eat) | -um- | kumain (to eat) | Actor trigger I | |
| sulat (write) | mag- | magsulát (to write) | Actor trigger II | |
| tulog (sleep) | ma- | matulog (to sleep) | Actor trigger III | |
| hingî (ask/request) | mang- | manghingî (to ask/request) | Actor trigger IV | |
| alís (leave) | -(h)in | alisín (to remove) | Object trigger I | |
| basa (read) | -(h)in | basahin (to read) | Object trigger I | |
| bigáy (give) | i- | ibigáy(to give) | Object trigger II | |
| bilí (buy) | -(h)an | bilhán (to buy from) | Locative trigger | |
| balík (return) | i- | ibalík (to bring back) | Benefactive trigger | |
| hugas (wash) | ipang- | ipanghugas (to use for washing) | Instrumental trigger | |
| galák (joy) | ika- | ikagalák (to bring joy) | Reason trigger |
Examples of infinitive use in modal sentences:
| Grammatical mood | Example | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subjunctive | dapat matulog ka | you should sleep | |
| Optative | sana ibigáy mo | I hope you will give (it) | |
| Necessitative | kailangan nilang kumain | they need to eat | |
| Imperative | basahin mo na | read it now | |
| Prohibitive | huwág kang manghingî ng tawad | don't ask for forgiveness |
Also known as the complete or completed aspect. This implies that the action was done in the past, prior to the time of speaking or some other specified time. This aspect is characterized by:
In the complete aspect of the object trigger -in, that suffix -in (or -hin) is removed. This is in contrast with other triggers where the trigger affix remains.
| Root Word | Trigger | Base Form | Affix | Complete Aspect | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| alís (leave) | Actor trigger I | umalís (to leave) | no change | umalís (left) | |
| kain (eat) | Actor trigger I | kumain (to eat) | no change | kumain (ate) | |
| sulat (write) | Actor trigger II | magsulát (to write) | mag- → nag- | nagsulát (wrote) | |
| tulog (sleep) | Actor trigger III | matulog (to sleep) | ma- → na- | natulog (slept) | |
| hingî (ask/request) | Actor trigger IV | manghingî (to ask/request) | mang- → nang- | nanghingî (asked/requested) | |
| alís (leave) | Object trigger I | alisín (to remove) | remove -in + add -in- | inalís (removed) | |
| basa (read) | Object trigger I | basahin (to read) | remove -hin + add -in- | binasa (read) | |
| bigáy (give) | Object trigger II | ibigáy(to give) | add -in- | ibinigáy (given) | |
| bilí (buy) | Locative trigger | bilhán (to buy from) | add -in- | binilhán (bought from) | |
| balík (return) | Benefactive trigger | ibalík (to bring back) | add -in- | ibinalík (brought back) | |
| hugas (wash) | Instrumental trigger | ipanghugas (to use for washing) | add -in- | ipinanghugas (used for washing) | |
| galák (joy) | Reason trigger | ikagalák (to bring joy) | add -in- | ikinagalák (brought joy) |
On its own, the perfective verb may not necessarily imply that the action is completed.Adding the particle na directly after it strengthens the notion that it is in fact completed. Compare this with the difference between English simple past and past perfect tenses.
| Without particle | With particle | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Example | pumuntá akó sa Baguio pagdatíng nilá | pumuntá na akó sa Baguio pagdatíng nilá | |
| Meaning | I went to Baguio when they came | I have (already) gone to Baguio when they came |
Also known as the progressive or uncompleted aspect. This implies that the action has started, is ongoing, and not yet completed. It is also used with habitual actions, or actions that signify general facts. This aspect is characterized by the reduplication of the first syllable of the root word, followed by application of the same morphological rules as seen with the complete aspect. If the base form of the verb has its stress on the last syllable, a secondary stress usually falls on the reduplicated syllable.
| Root Word | Trigger | Base Form | Affix | Complete Aspect | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| alís (leave) | Actor trigger I | umalís (to leave) | CV reduplication | umáalís (leaving) | |
| kain (eat) | Actor trigger I | kumain (to eat) | CV reduplication | kumakain (eating) | |
| sulat (write) | Actor trigger II | magsulát (to write) | CV reduplication + mag- → nag- | nagsúsulát (writing) | |
| tulog (sleep) | Actor trigger III | matulog (to sleep) | CV reduplication + ma- → na- | natutulog (sleeping) | |
| hingî (ask/request) | Actor trigger IV | manghingî (to ask/request) | CV reduplication + mang- → nang- | nanghíhingì (asking/requesting) | |
| alís (leave) | Object trigger I | alisín (to remove) | CV reduplication + remove -in + add -in- | ináalís (removed) | |
| basa (read) | Object trigger I | basahin (to read) | CV reduplication + remove -hin + add -in- | binabasa (reading) | |
| bigáy (give) | Object trigger II | ibigáy(to give) | CV reduplication + add -in- | ibiníbigáy (giving) | |
| bilí (buy) | Locative trigger | bilhán (to buy from) | CV reduplication + add -in- | biníbilhán (buying from) | |
| balík (return) | Benefactive trigger | ibalík (to bring back) | CV reduplication + add -in- | ibinábalík (bringing back) | |
| hugas (wash) | Instrumental trigger | ipanghugas (to use for washing) | CV reduplication + add -in- | ipinanghuhugas (using for washing) | |
| galák (joy) | Reason trigger | ikagalák (to bring joy) | CV reduplication + add -in- | ikinagágalák (bringing joy) |
In the contemplative aspect of the actor trigger -um-, that infix -um- is removed.
| Root Word | Trigger | Base Form | Affix | Complete Aspect | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| alís (leave) | Actor trigger I | umalís (to leave) | remove -um- + CV reduplication | áalís (will leave) | |
| kain (eat) | Actor trigger I | kumain (to eat) | remove -um- + CV reduplication | kakain (will eat) | |
| sulat (write) | Actor trigger II | magsulát (to write) | CV reduplication | magsúsulát (will write) | |
| tulog (sleep) | Actor trigger III | matulog (to sleep) | CV reduplication | matutulog (will sleep) | |
| hingî (ask/request) | Actor trigger IV | manghingî (to ask/request) | CV reduplication | manghíhingì (will ask/request) | |
| alís (leave) | Object trigger I | alisín (to remove) | CV reduplication | áalisín (will remove) | |
| basa (read) | Object trigger I | basahin (to read) | CV reduplication | bábasahin (will read) | |
| bigáy (give) | Object trigger II | ibigáy(to give) | CV reduplication | ibíbigáy (will give) | |
| bilí (buy) | Locative trigger | bilhán (to buy from) | CV reduplication | bíbilhán (will buy from) | |
| balík (return) | Benefactive trigger | ibalík (to bring back) | CV reduplication | ibábalík (will bring back) | |
| hugas (wash) | Instrumental trigger | ipanghugas (to use for washing) | CV reduplication | ipanghuhugas (will use for washing) | |
| galák (joy) | Reason trigger | ikagalák (to bring joy) | CV reduplication | ikagágalák (will bring joy) |
This implies that the action has just been completed before the time of speaking or before a specified time. This aspect is unique in that it does not use the direct case marker ang to mark a focused argument. All nouns bound to a verb in this aspect are only marked by the indirect and oblique markers.
It is often taught that to form this aspect, the first syllable of the word should be reduplicated followed by adding the prefix ka-. In colloquial speech however, the prefix kaka- is used instead without any reduplication. A verb in this aspect is always followed by the particle lang.
| Root Word | Formal | Informal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| alís (leave) | kaáalís (just left) | kakáalís (just left) | |
| kain (eat) | kakakain (just ate) | ||
| sulat (write) | kasusulat (just wrote) | kakasulat (just wrote) | |
| tulog (sleep) | katutulog (just slept) | kakatulog (just slept) | |
| hingî (ask/request) | kahíhingì (just asked/requested) | kakáhingì (just asked/requested) | |
| basa (read) | kababasa (just read) | kakabasa (just read) | |
| bigáy (give) | kabíbigáy (just gave) | kakabigáy (just gave) | |
| bilí (buy) | kabíbilí (just bought) | kakabilí (just bought) | |
| balík (return) | kabábalík (just returned) | kakabalík (just returned) | |
| hugas (wash) | kahuhugas (just washed) | kakahugas (just washed) | |
Tagalog verbs also have affixes expressing grammatical mood; some examples are indicative, potential, social, causative and distributed.
Indicative
Nagdalá siyá ng liham.
"(S)he brought a letter."
Bumilí kamí ng bigás sa palengke.
"We bought rice in the market."
Kumain akó.
"I ate."
Hindî siyá nagsásalitâ ng Tagalog.
"(S)he does not speak Tagalog."
Causative magpa-
Nagpadalá siyá ng liham sa kaniyáng iná.
"He sent (literally: caused to be brought) a letter to his mother."
Distributive maN-
Namilí kamí sa palengke.
"We went shopping in the market."
Social maki-
Nakikain akó sa mga kaibigan ko.
"I ate with my friends."
Potential maka-/makapag-
Hindî siyá nakapagsásalitâ ng Tagalog.
"(S)he was not able to speak Tagalog."
While Tagalog nouns are not inflected, they are usually preceded by case-marking particles. These follow an Austronesian alignment, also known as a trigger system, which is a distinct feature of Austronesian languages. There are three basic cases: direct (ang/si); indirect (ng/ni); and oblique (sa/kay).
The direct case marks the noun which has a special relation to the verb in the clause. Here, it is the verb's trigger that determines what semantic role (agent, patient, etc.) the noun is in. The indirect case marks the agent or patient, or both, that isn't marked with the direct case in the clause. The oblique case marks the location, benificiary, instrument, and any other oblique argument that isn't marked with the direct case.
In clauses using the actor trigger, the direct case would mark the agent of the verb (corresponding to the subject in the English active voice), the indirect would mark the patient (direct object), while any other argument would be marked by the oblique case. In the object trigger, the reverse occurs, wherein the direct would mark the patient and the indirect marking the agent. When other verb triggers are used (i.e, locative, beneficiary, instrumental, causal triggers), both agent and patient would be marked by the indirect case, the focused oblique argument marked with the direct case, and any other argument by the oblique case.
One of the functions of trigger in Tagalog is to code definiteness, analogous to the use of definite and indefinite articles (i.e., the & a) in English. That said, an argument marked with the direct case is always definite. Whereas, when a patient argument is marked with the indirect case, it is generally indefinite, but an agent argument marked with the same indirect case would be understood as definite. To make it indefinite, the numeral isá (one) is used.
| Sentence 1 (AF) | Sentence 2 (OF) | Sentence 3 (OF) | Sentence 4 (OF) | Sentence 5 (AF) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tagalog | kumain ang pusà ng isdâ | kinain ng pusa ang isda | kinain ng isáng pusà ang isdâ | kinain ng isáng pusà ang isáng isdâ | kumain ang isáng pusà ng isáng isdâ | |
| English | the cat ate a fish | the cat ate the fish | a cat ate the fish | a cat ate a fish | a cat ate a fish |
The indirect particle is also used as a genitive marker. It is for this reason that Tagalog lean more towards a VOS word order, as an indirect (ng/ni) argument directly following a direct (ang/si) argument might be misinterpreted as a possessive construction. For instance with the sentence above, kumain ang pusà ng isdâ may be read as "the cat of the fish ate".
The oblique particle and the locative derived from it are similar to prepositions in English, marking things such as location and direction.
The case particles fall into two classes: one used with names of people (proper) and one for everything else (common).
The common indirect marker is spelled ng and pronounced pronounced as /[naŋ]/. Mgá, pronounced pronounced as /[maˈŋa]/, marks the common plural.
Tagalog has associative plural[5] in addition to additive plural.
| Direct (ang) | Indirect (ng) | Oblique (sa) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common | singular | ang, 'yung (iyong) | ng, nu'ng (niyong) | sa |
| plural | ang mgá, 'yung mgá (iyong mgá) | ng mgá, nu'ng mgá (niyong mgá) | sa mgá | |
| Personal | singular | si | ni | kay |
| plural | sina | nina | kina | |
| ka- | indicating a companion or colleague | |
| ka- -(h)an | collective or abstract noun | |
| pan-, pam-, pang- | denoting instrumental use of the noun |
Note that in Tagalog, even proper nouns require a case marker.
Like nouns, personal pronouns are categorized by case. As above, the indirect forms also function as the genitive.
| Direct (Tagalog: ang) | Indirect (Tagalog: ng) | Oblique (Tagalog: sa) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person | singular | Tagalog: akó | Tagalog: ko (Tagalog: nakin) | Tagalog: akin | |
| dual | Tagalog: kitá/Tagalog: kata[6] | Tagalog: nita/Tagalog: nata (Tagalog: ta) | Tagalog: kanitá/Tagalog: kanata (Tagalog: ata) | ||
| plural | inclusive | Tagalog: tayo | Tagalog: natin | Tagalog: atin | |
| exclusive | Tagalog: kamí | Tagalog: namin | Tagalog: amin | ||
| 2nd person | singular | Tagalog: ikáw (Tagalog: ka) | Tagalog: mo (Tagalog: niyo) | Tagalog: iyó | |
| plural | Tagalog: kayó | Tagalog: ninyó | Tagalog: inyó | ||
| 3rd person | singular | Tagalog: siyá | Tagalog: niyá | Tagalog: kaniyá | |
| plural | Tagalog: silá | Tagalog: nilá | Tagalog: kanilá | ||
Examples:
Tagalog: Sumulat akó.
"I wrote."
Tagalog: Sinulatan akó ng liham.
"He/She/They wrote me a letter."
Note: If "Tagalog: ng liham" is removed from the sentence, it becomes "I was written on"
Tagalog: Ibíbigay ko ito sa kaniyá.
"I will give this to him/her/them."
Genitive pronouns follow the word they modify. Oblique pronouns can take the place of the genitive pronoun but they precede the word they modify.
Tagalog: Ang bahay ko.
Tagalog: Ang aking bahay.
"My house."
The inclusive dual pronoun Tagalog: kata/kitá has largely disappeared from the Manila Dialect. It survives in other Tagalog dialects, particularly those spoken in the rural areas. However Tagalog: kitá is used to replace the pronoun sequence [verb] Tagalog: ko ikaw, (I [verb] you).
The 1st–2nd dual pronoun "Tagalog: kata/kitá" referring to "you and I" is traditionally used as follows:
Tagalog: Mágkaibigan kitá. (Manila Dialect: Tagalog: Mágkaibigan tayo.)
"You and I are friends." (Manila Dialect: “We are friends.")
Examples:
Tagalog: Mágkásintahan kitá.(We are lovers.)
Tagalog: Maayós áng bahay nita. (Our house is fixed.)
Tagalog: Magagandá áng mgá paróroonan sá kanitá. (The destinations are beautiful at ours.)
As previously mentioned, the pronoun sequence [verb] Tagalog: ko ikáw, (I [verb] you) may be replaced by Tagalog: kitá.
Tagalog: Mahál kitá.
"I love you."
Tagalog: Bíbigyan kitá ng pera.
"I will give you money."
Tagalog: Nakità kitá sa tindahan kahapon.
"I saw you at the store yesterday."
Tagalog: Kaibigan kitá.
"You are my friend."
The inclusive pronoun Tagalog: tayo refers to the first and second persons. It may also refer to a third person(s).
The exclusive pronoun Tagalog: kamí refers to the first and third persons but excludes the second.
Tagalog: Walâ tayong bigás.
"We (you and me) have no rice."
Tagalog: Walâ kaming bigás.
"We (someone else and me, but not you) have no rice."
The second person singular has two forms. Tagalog: Ikáw is the non-enclitic form while Tagalog: ka is the enclitic which never begins a sentence. The plural form Tagalog: kayó is also used politely in the singular, similar to French French: vous.
Native nouns are genderless, hence Tagalog: siyá means he, she, or they (singular).
Tagalog, like many languages, marks the T–V distinction: when addressing a single person in polite/formal/respectful settings, pronouns from either the 2nd person plural or the 3rd person plural group are used instead of the singular 2nd person pronoun. They can be used with, or in lieu of, the Tagalog: pô/hô iterations without losing any degree of politeness, formality, or respect:
Example:
English: "What's your name?"
Casual: Tagalog: Anó'ng pangalan mo?
Respectful: Tagalog: Anó'ng pangalan ninyo? or Tagalog: Anó'ng pangalan nilá?
Using such pluralized pronouns is quite sufficient for expressing politeness, formality or respect, particularly when an affirmative (or negative) Tagalog: pô/hô iteration isn't necessary.
Additionally, the formal second-person pronouns Tagalog: Ikaw (Tagalog: Ka), Tagalog: Kayo, Tagalog: Mo, and Tagalog: Ninyo, third-person forms Tagalog: Niya and Tagalog: Siya, and their oblique forms Tagalog: Inyo, Tagalog: Iyo, and Tagalog: Kaniya are customarily and reverentially capitalized, particularly in most religion-related digital and printed media and their references. Purists who frame this capitalization as nonstandard and inconsistent do not apply it when typing or writing.
Tagalog's demonstrative pronouns are as follows.
| Direct (ang) | Indirect (ng) | Oblique (sa) | Locative (nasa) | Existential | Manner (gaya) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest to speaker (this, here)* | iré, aré | niré | díne/ríne | nandine(andine)/nárine | eré | ganiré | |
| Near speaker and addressee (this, here) | itó | nitó | díto/ríto | nandíto(andíto)/nárito | éto/héto | ganitó | |
| Nearest addressee (that, there) | iyán | niyán | diyán/riyán | nandiyán(andíyan)/náriyan | ayán/hayán | ganiyán | |
| Remote (that, there) | iyón, yaón | niyón | doón/roón | nandoón(andoón)/nároon | ayón/hayón | ganoón (gayón/ganó'n)/ garoón |
- Although dine and dito both mean here, its difference is the first one pertains to the speaker only while the second one includes the listener. Lost in Standard Filipino/Tagalog (Manila dialect: dito) but still survive in province dialects like Batangas. The same goes for direct, indirect, oblique, locative, existential, and manner (nearest to speaker).
- Yaón is an old-fashioned word which means that.The modern word is iyón.
- The oblique are verbs and locative are pseudo-verbs; for instance, dumito, dumidito, and didito for oblique; and narito, naririto, and nandito for oblique. However, some are archaic and some are old-fashioned.
- Words like pariné, paritó, pariyón, and paroón are combined with pa+(oblique word). These were old-fashioned and/or archaic but still survive in dialects.
- The contractions are: 're, 'to, 'yan, 'yun, n'yan, gan'to, gan'yan, gan're, gano'n (gayon)
*Many Tagalog speakers may use itó in place of iré/aré.
Examples:Anó itó?
"What's this?"
Sino ang lalaking iyón?
"Who is that man?"
Gáling kay Pedro ang liham na itó.
"This letter is from Pedro."
Nandito akó.
"I am here."
Kakain silá roón.
"They will eat there."
Saán ka man naróroon.
"Wherever you are."
Kumain niyán ang batà.
"The child ate some of that."
Ayón palá ang salamín mo!
"So that's where your glasses are!"
Heto isáng regalo para sa iyó.
"Here's a gift for you."
Just like English adjectives, Tagalog adjectives modify a noun or a pronoun.
These consist of only the root word.
Examples: hinóg (ripe), sabog (exploded), ganda (beautiful)
These consist of the root word and one or more affixes.
Examples: tinanóng (questioned), kumakain (eating), nagmámahál (loving)
These are formed by the repetition of the whole or part of the root word.
Examples: puláng-pulá (really red), putíng-putî (really white), araw-araw (every day), gabí-gabí (every night)
These are compound words.
Examples: ngiting-aso (literally: "dog smile", meaning: "big smile"), balát-sibuyas (literally: "onion-skinned", meaning: "crybaby")
This states the size, color, form, smell, sound, texture, taste, and shape.
Examples: muntî (little), biluhabà (oval), matamis (sweet), malubhâ (serious)
This states a specific noun. This consists of a common noun and a proper noun. The proper noun (that starts with a capital letter) is modifying the type of common noun.
Examples: wikang Ingles (English language), kulturang Espanyol (Spanish culture), pagkaing Iloko (Ilokano food)
This states the number, how many, or a position in order. This has multiple types.
Just like English adjectives, Tagalog adjectives have 3 degrees of comparison.
This only compares one noun/pronoun.
Example: maliít (small), kupas (peeled), matabâ (fat)
This is used when 2 nouns/pronouns are being compared. This has multiple types.
This is the highest degree of comparison. This can be positive or negative. The prefix "pinaká" and the words "sobra", "ubod", "tunay", "talaga", "saksakan", and "hari ng ___" are used, as well as the repetition of the adjective.
| Positive(Lantay) | Comparative (Pahambing) | Superlative(Pasukdol) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Similar(Magkatulad) | Dissimilar (Di-magkatulad) | ||||
| Palamáng | Pasahol | ||||
| pangit (ugly) | kasíng-pangit (as ugly as) | higít na pangit (uglier) | di-gaanong pangit (not that ugly) | pinakapangit (ugliest) | |
| magandá (beautiful) | singgandá (as beautiful as) | mas magandá (more beautiful) | di-masyadong magandá (not that beautiful) | ubod ng gandá (most beautiful) | |
| mabangó (fragrant) | magkasíng-bangó (as fragrant as) | lalong mabangó (more fragrant) | di-gasinong mabangó (not that fragrant) | tunay na mabangó (most fragrant) | |
These degrees have no comparison.
This is when the simple/plain form of the adjective is being used for description.
Examples: matalino (smart), palatawá (risible)
This is when the adjective is accompanied by the words "medyo", "nang kauntî", "nang bahagyâ" or the repetition of the root word or the first two syllables of the root word.
Examples: medyo matabâ (somewhat fat), malakás nang bahagyâ (slightly strong), malakás-lakás (somewhat strong), matabáng nang kauntî (a little bit insipid)
This is when the adjective is accompanied by the words "napaka", "ubod ng", "saksakan ng", "talagáng", "sobrang", "masyadong" or the repetition of the whole adjective. The description in this degree is intense.
Examples: napakalakas (so strong), ubod ng baít (really kind), talagáng mabangó (truly fragrant), sobrang makinis (oversmooth)
There are rules that are followed when forming adjectives that use the prefix "ma-".
When the adjective is describing only one noun/pronoun, "ma-" and the root word is used.
Examples: masayá (happy), malungkót (sad)
When the adjective is describing two or more noun/pronoun, "ma-" is used and the first syllable or first two letters of the root word is repeated.
Examples: maliliít (small), magagandá (beautiful)
The word "mgá" is not needed if the noun/pronoun is right next to the adjective.
Example: Ang magagandáng damít ay kasya kiná Erica at Bel. (The beautiful clothes can fit to Erica and Bel.)
The ligature (pang-angkóp) connects, or links, modifiers (like adjectives and adverbs) to the words that they are modifying. It has two allomorphs:
Example: Tagalog: mapágmahál '''na''' tao ("loving person")
Examples: Tagalog: mabuti'''ng''' nilaláng ng Diyos ("good creation of God"); Tagalog: huwara'''ng''' mamámayán (Tagalog: huwaran + mamámayán) ("ideal citizen")
Tagalog uses numerous conjunctions, and may belong to one of these possible functions:
Modifiers alter, qualify, clarify, or limit other elements in a sentence structure. They are optional grammatical elements but they change the meaning of the element they are modifying in particular ways. Examples of modifiers are adjectives (modifies nouns), adjectival clauses, adverbs (modifies verbs), and adverbial clauses. Nouns can also modify other nouns. In Tagalog, word categories are fluid: A word can sometimes be an adverb or an adjective depending on the word it modifies. If the word being modified is a noun, then the modifier is an adjective, if the word being modified is a verb, then it is an adverb. For example, the word
The following table[9] summarizes the distribution of the linker:
| Required | Prohibited | |
|---|---|---|
| Attributive Adjective | Predicative Adjective | |
| Adverbial modifier | Predicative Adverbial | |
| Nominal Modifier | Predicative Nominal | |
| Relative Clause | Matrix Clause |
The following tables show a possible word order of a noun phrase containing a modifier.[10] Since word order is flexible in Tagalog, there are other possible ways in which one could say these phrases. To read more on Tagalog word order, head to the Word Order section.
| Marker | Possessive | Quantity | Verbal Phrase | Adjectives | Noun | Head Noun | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example | ang | kaniyáng | apat na | piniritong | mahabang | Vigang | lumpiâ | |
| Gloss | the | her | four | fried | long | Vigan | spring roll | |
| Translation | her four fried, long Vigan spring rolls | |||||||
| Example | iyáng | inyóng | limáng kahóng | binasag ng batang | Tagalog: putíng | Intsík na | pinggán | |
| Gloss | those | your | five boxes | that the children broke | white | Chinese | plates | |
| Translation | those five boxes of yours of white Chinese plates that the children broke | |||||||
Tagalog has enclitic particles that have important information conveying different nuances in meaning. Below is a list of Tagalog's enclitic particles.
now, already
still, else, in addition, yet
although
indeed; used to affirm or to emphasise. Also softens imperatives.
used to end yes-and-no questions and optionally in other types of questions, similar to Japanese Japanese: -ka and Chinese ma (嗎), but not entirely.
for now, for a minute, and yet (when answering in the negative).
used in making contrasts; softens requests; emphasis
expresses cause; because
expresses wonder; I wonder; perhaps (we should do something); also optionally used in yes-and-no questions and other forms of questions
expresses that the speaker has realized or suddenly remembered something; realization particle; apparently
used in cause and effect; as a result
expresses hope, unrealized condition (with the verb in completed aspect), used in conditional sentences.
The order listed above is the order in which the particles follow if they are used in conjunction with each other. A more concise list of the orders of monosyllabic particles from Rubino (2002) is given below.[11]
The particles Tagalog: na and Tagalog: pa cannot be used in conjunction with each other as well as Tagalog: pô and Tagalog: hô.
"Oh yes, your grandmother has apparently arrived."
"Do change it as well."
Note for "Tagalog: daw/Tagalog: raw and Tagalog: rin/Tagalog: din": If the preceding letter is a consonant except y and w, the letter d is used in any word, vice versa for r e.g., Tagalog: pagdárasal, instead of Tagalog: pagdádasal
Although in everyday speech, this rule is often ignored.
"Perhaps his brother still hasn’t a wife."
"I wonder, is the only thing that they'll be giving us?"
"Have you already studied the Spanish language?"
"He's still young, is why."
"Please, do write your name here first."
The words Tagalog: daw and Tagalog: raw, which mean “he said”/“she said”/“they said”, are sometimes joined to the real translations of “he said”/”she said”, which is Tagalog: sabi niyá, and “they said”, which is Tagalog: sabi nilá. They are also joined to the Tagalog of “you said”, which is Tagalog: sabi mo. But this time, both Tagalog: daw and Tagalog: raw mean “supposedly/reportedly”.
"He/she supposedly said."
"They supposedly said."
"You supposedly said."
Although the word Tagalog: kasí is a native Tagalog word for “because” and not slang, it is still not used in formal writing. The Tagalog word for this is Tagalog: sapagká’t or Tagalog: sapagkát. Thus, the formal form of Tagalog: Batà pa kasí is Tagalog: Sapagká’t batà pa or Tagalog: Sapagkát batà pa. This is sometimes shortened to Tagalog: pagká’t or Tagalog: pagkát, so Tagalog: Sapagká’t batà pa is also written as Tagalog: Pagká’t batà pa or Tagalog: Pagkát batà pa. In both formal and everyday writing and speech, Tagalog: dahil sa (the oblique form of Tagalog: kasí; thus, its exact translation is “because of”) is also synonymous to Tagalog: sapagká’t (Tagalog: sapagkát), so the substitute of Tagalog: Sapagká’t batà pa for Tagalog: Batà pa kasí is Tagalog: Dahil sa batà pa. Most of the time in speech and writing (mostly every day and sometimes formal), Tagalog: dahil sa as the Tagalog of “because” is reduced to Tagalog: dahil, so Tagalog: Dahil sa batà pa is spoken simply as Tagalog: Dahil batà pa.
Tagalog has a flexible word order compared to English. While the verb always remains in the initial position, the order of noun phrase complements that follows is flexible. An example provided by Schacter and Otanes can be seen in (1).
The flexibility of Tagalog word order can be seen in (2). There are six different ways of saying 'The man gave the woman a book.' in Tagalog. The following five sentences, along with the sentence from (1), include the same grammatical components and are all grammatical and identical in meaning but have different orders.
The principles in (3) help to determine the ordering of possible noun phrase complements.[12] In a basic clause where the patient takes the nominative case, principles (i) and (ii) requires the actor to precede the patient. In example (4a), the patient,
| (3)(Kroeger, 1991: 137 (3)) | (i) Actor phrase tends to precede all other arguments |
| (ii) Noun phrase which bears nominative case tends to follow all other arguments | |
| (iii) "Heavier" noun phrases tend to follow "lighter" noun phrases |
In example (5), the verb,
A change in word order and trigger generally corresponds to a change in definiteness ("the" vs "a") in English. Example (6) shows a change in word order, triggered by the indirect, "ng." Example (7) shows a change in word order, triggered by the direct, "ang."
DIR:directINDIR:indirect
Word order may be inverted (referred to in Tagalog grammar as Kabalikáng Anyô) by way of the inversion marker '
In this construction (ay-inversion), the
In (8) and (11), the fronted constituent is the subject. On the other hand, in (9), the fronted constituent is the object. Another example of a fronted constituent in Tagalog is, wh-phrases. Wh-phrases include interrogative questions that begin with: who, what, where, when, why, and how. In Tagalog, wh-phrases occur to the left of the clause. For example, in the sentence, 'Who are you?'
This operation of lowering can also be applied in sentences to account for the verb-initial word order in Tagalog. The subject-lowering analysis states that "the subject lowers from Spec, TP and adjoins to a projection dominated by TP.".[13] If we use the example from (2), Nagbigáy ang lalaki ng libró sa babae. and applied subject lowering, we would see the syntax tree in (13a).If we lowered the subject, ang lalaki, to an intermediate position within VP, we would be able to achieve a VOS word order and still satisfy subject lowering.[13] This can be seen in (13b).
Lowering is motivated by a prosodic constraint called, WeakStart.[14] This constraint is largely based on the phonological hierarchy. This constraint requires the first phonological element within a phonological domain to be lower on the prosodic hierarchy than elements that follow it, within the same domain.[15]
There are three negation words: hindî, walâ, and huwág.
Hindî negates verbs and equations. It is sometimes contracted to ‘dî.
"I will not work tomorrow."
"The woman is not rich."
Walâ is the opposite of may and mayroón ("there is").
"I do not have money."
"There are no books in his house."
Huwág is used in expressing negative commands. It can be used for the infinitive and the future aspect. It is contracted as ‘wag.
"Do not cry."
"Do not run here."
There are two (or more) special negative forms for common verbs:
"I would like to eat now." (Positive)
"I don't want to eat yet." (Negative)
Tagalog's interrogative words are: alín, anó, bákit, gaáno, gaálin, makáilan, ilán, kailán, kaníno, kumustá, magkáno, nakaníno, nasaán, níno, paáno, pasaán, saán, tagasaán, and síno. With the exceptions of bakit, kamustá(maáno), and nasaán, all of the interrogative words have optional plural forms which are formed by reduplication. They are used when the person who is asking the question anticipates a plural answer and can be called wh-phrases. The syntactic position of these types of phrases can be seen in (12a).
Gaano (from ga- + anó) means how but is used in inquiring about the quality of an adjective or an adverb. The root word of the modifier is prefixed with ga- in this construction (16a).Ilán means how many (16b). Kumustá is used to inquire how something is (are).(16c) It is frequently used as a greeting meaning How are you? It is derived from the Spanish ¿cómo está?. Magkano (from mag- + gaano) means how much and is usually used in inquiring the price of something (16d). Paano (from pa- + anó) is used in asking how something is done or happened (16e).
Nino (from ni + anó) means who, whose, and whom (18a). It is the indirect and genitive form of sino. Sino (from si + anó) means who and whom and it is in the direct form (18b). Kanino (from kay + anó) means whom or whose (18c). It is the oblique form of sino (who).