(topic) ran (comment).” Or Mabait (predicate/comment) ang kaibigan ko (subject/topic) which translates to “My friend is nice.” This is possibly the most striking difference between Tagalog and English, and takes a bit of getting used to.
MARKERS
Do not be confused with “si” in Spanish and in Tagalog! In Spanish, si means Yes. In Tagalog, si is a noun marker found before names of people (and pets) indicating the subject of the sentence. Markers are the most basic grammar items in Tagalog, specifically subject markers which are particles that mark or indicate the subject/topic of the sentence. There are two main subject markers: si and ang that are used before nouns (including names of people).
For example, in the sentence:
Maganda si Fiona.
(Fiona is beautiful.)
the subject of the sentence is Fiona because she is marked by the particle si.
Other examples:
Masipag si Olivia.
(Olivia is hardworking.)
Matalinong guro si Dr. Ramos.
(Dr. Ramos is an intelligent teacher.)
Mabait at mapagbigay si Lola Olive.
(Grandma Olive is kind and generous.)
Si and its plural form, sina, mark the names of people including pets. They appear before personal names.
So, if si/sina are used to mark personal names, when do we use the other marker, ang?
We use ang as a marker for all others, for all non-personal names. For example:
Guwapo ang siyota niya.
(Her boyfriend is handsome.)
Salbahe ang kuya ko.
(My older brother is mean.)
There’s also what is called non-subject markers: ni (for personal names) and ng (all others). Examples as follows:
Sino ang kapatid ni Joseph?
(Who is the sister of Joseph?)
Bastos ang kaibigan ng kaklase ko.
(The friend of my classmate is rude.)
PLURALIZING
Tagalog nouns do not show the difference between singular and plural by altering the form of the word, as English does by adding “s” to the end of most nouns. Instead the word mga (pronounced as MA-NGA) is used before the noun, e.g. mga aklat “books,” mga bata “children.”
THE INVERSION MARKER: “AY”
Sentences do sometimes use the same order as English, meaning the subject comes before the predicate, and in this case the subject/topic is connected to the predicate/comment by the particle ay (pronounced like the English vowel “I”) For example, Si Juan (topic) ay (particle) tumawag (comment) vs. Tumawag si Juan (Juan called).
We refer to “ay” as the inversion marker.
Native speakers tend to use the particle “ay” in their conversations especially in formal situations. There is no direct translation of this particle except that it inverts a predicational sentence to an identificational sentence. For example, to introduce oneself:
| Predicational | Identificational |
| Maria ang pangalan ko. (My name is Maria.) | Ang pangalan ko ay Maria. |
| Taga-Maynila ako. (I’m from Manila.) | Ako ay taga-Maynila. |
| May trabaho ako sa ospital. (I have a job at the hospital.) | Ako ay may trabaho sa ospital. |
PRONOUNS
Tagalog pronouns are as follows in the subject case:
| Singular | Plural |
| Ako (I, me) | Kami (we, exclusive, excluding the person addressed to) Tayo (we, inclusive, including the person addressed to) |
| Ikaw, Ka (you) Note: Ka cannot be used at the beginning of a sentence | Kayo (You) |
| Siya (he/she) | Sila (they) |
Examples of this set of pronouns which serves as a subject of a sentence are as follows:
Filipino ako.
(I’m Filipino.)
Ako rin.
(Me too.)
Saan ka pupunta?
(Where are you going?)
Tanga siya.
(He/She is stupid.)
Another set of pronouns is considered non-subject pronouns or possessive pronouns depending on how they are used. This include: ko, mo, niya and their plural forms, natin/namin, ninyo, nila. Some examples are:
Eva ang pangalan ko.
(My name is Eva.)
Ano ang palayaw mo?
(What is your nickname?)
Malayo ang bahay namin.
(Our house is far.)
Gusto niya ng kape.
(She likes coffee.)
Ayaw nila ng gatas.
(They don’t like milk.)
A third set of pronouns includes akin, iyo, kaniya and their plural counterparts, amin/atin, inyo and kanila.
For examples:
Akin ka.
(You are mine.)
Iyo ba itong kotse o kaniya?
(Is this car yours or hers/his?)
Pupunta si Jemi sa amin bukas.
(Jemi will come to our place tomorrow.)
There is also a cool pronoun called kita which is referred to as a double pronoun replacing ko (I) and ka (you). The most common example is Mahal kita (I love you).
QUESTION MARKER: “BA”
To ask questions, use the particle ba, e.g.
Nagsasalita ba kayo ng Ingles?
Do you speak English?
Maaari ba akong manigarilyo dito?
Can I smoke here?
Mayroon ba kayong…?
Do you have…?
Usually, questions with ba are answered with Oo or Hindi (Yes or No).
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