Cebuano grammar

This article describes the grammar of the Cebuano language.

Pronouns

Pronouns are inflected in person, number, and case. They do not make gender distinctions: "he" and "she" are both translated in Cebuano as "siya".

The four cases are nominative, preposed genitive, postposed genitive, and oblique.

The tag-iya case is also known as the ergative case. The "tag-iya" case tells to whom a thing or an action belongs (who is doing it) and functions like an adjective either as a modifier or an adjective that stands by its own. For general nouns the case marker is "sa" while for personal nouns the marker is "ni" except when it function as an adjective that stands by its own in which the marker is "kang".

Ex.
anak ni Polaris
mayor sa Sugbo
gitulis ni Robin Hood
naapsan sa polis

"When an adjective stands by its own it is treated as a base word and therefore can be modified by case markers and function like a noun. And because "tag-iya" case nouns are practically adjectives they are no exemption to this phenomenon such as they case of the sentence "Ang sa hari linibo, ang kang David ginatos ka libo". Some place names also are etymologically "tag-iya" case nouns."

The word linker NGA

The linker nga is used when another word (such as an adjective) modifies another word (such as noun. The word being modified is the substance while the modifier is the accident. Nga appears between the substance and the accident. It is often clipped into ng after a word that ends in vowel. If the accident is a noun it comes after nga and the substance but if is not it often comes before the two but it can also come after the two.
Ex.

Enclitic particles

# "ba": used for yes-and-no questions and optionally for other types of questions.
# "gyud""Gyud" is pronounced as either [dʒud] , [gjud] , or [gud] . In informal communications, it is also occasionally written as "gud" (often "gud" or "jud")] : politeness word
# "kay": because
# "lang": limiting particle; just, only.
# "man": even, even if, even though, although
# "na": now, already (past positive tense), anymore (past negative tense)
# "pa": still, else
# "ug": and
# "usab"The "u" in "usab" and "upod", as in many other words beginning with "u", are frequently dropped, making it "sab" and "pod"; in spoken Cebuano, "sad" is often used instead of "sab".] , "upod" ] : also

"Na" and "pa" are not used in the same sentence.

Interrogative words

*"Unsa?" What?
*"Asa?" Where? (for a place or person)
*"Diin?", "Dis-a?" Where?
*"Hain?", "Saa?" Where? (for an object)
*"Kinsa?" Who?
*"Ngano?" Why?
*"Kangkinsa?" To whom?
*"Giunsa?" How?
*"Kanus-a?" When?
*"Pila ka buok?", "Pila?" How many?
*"Tagpila?" How much?
*"Diay ba?" Really?

The use of "asa" and "hain"

"Asa" and "hain"both mean "where"have distinct uses in formal Cebuano usage.

"Asa" is used when asking about a place.
*"Asa ka padulong?" (Where are you going?)
*"Asa ta molarga?" (Where are we traveling to?)

"Hain" is used when asking about a person or thing.
*"Hain na ang gunting?" (Where is the pair of scissors?)
*"Hain na si Arsenia?" (Where is Arsenia?)

In spoken Cebuano, however, "asa" is commonly used to replace "hain". You rarely hear "hain" being used, except by older generations of Cebuano-speakers. This phenomenon is analogous to Tagalog-speakers not distinguishing between "saan" ("asa") and "nasaan" ("hain") in colloquial speech and instead using "saan" for both.

Verbs

Tense or aspect

Cebuano verbs have no tense but rather aspect, specifically the aspect of inception, that is whether the action has been initiated or not. The aspect of completion is not readily shown by verbs in Cebuano.

There are only two aspects: the pagasugdan (incepted) aspect and the nasugdan (to be incepted) aspect.

Past actions are basically in the "nasugdan" aspect. Present actions are in the "nasugdan" aspect too unless they are habitual actions.

Habitual actions and future actions are in the to be "pagasugdan" aspect.

Examples on NASUGDAN ASPECT:

Past actions
1. "I went to Europe."
The act had been started in the past therefore the Cebuano translation is:
"Miadto ko sa Uropa ."
2. "I finally found you,"
The act had been started in the past therefore the Cebuano translation is:
"Nakaplagan ra gyud" ] "ta ka."

Present actions
1. "I am going to the kitchen."
The act has been started before the statement is spoken therefore the Cebuano translation is:
"Nagpadulong ko sa kusina."
2. "Peter finds Miriam."
The act has been started before the statement is spoken therefore the Cebuano translation is:
"Nakaplagan ni Pedro si Miriam."

Examples of PAGASUGDAN ASPECT

Future actions
1. "I will return this Christmas."
The act has not happen yet therefore is has not yet started:
"Mobalik ko karong Pasko."
2. "She will find you."
The act has not happen yet therefore is has not yet started:
"Iya kang makit-an."

Habitual actions
1. "She go to the shore every morning."
Although the act had already happened she will still have to start the same act again and again (every morning) so the act itself is still to be started or pagasugdan pa and therefore:
"Moadto siya matag buntag sa baybayon."
2. "He always finds her there." Although the act had already happened she will still have to start the same act again and again (always) so the act itself is still to be started or pagasugdan pa and therefore:
"Kanunay siya niyang makaplagan didto."

Focus/voice

Cebuano verbs act as predicate or words that tell about the subject or the topic. This topic can either be the doer of the action, the recipient of the action, the purpose for the action, or the means by which the action was made possible. The form of the verb is dependent on the function of the topic in relation to said verb. Some Cebuano grammarians call it focus of the verb but some others call it voice.

Footnotes

ee also

*Cebuano language

External links

* [http://www.languagelinks.org/onlinepapers/onlinepapers.html Academic Papers about Cebuano]
* [http://www.bohol.ph/books/Jimenez/EnglishBisayaGrammar.html Cebuano grammar in 28 lessons]