Is the "Ay" Marker in Tagalog the Same as the English Verb "To be"?

-
One of the most common markers in the Tagalog language is ay. It may appear as if ay  is the equivalent of the English verb "to be", because, for example, the literal translation of a phrase like ako ay Pilipino is "I am  Filipino". However, in reality, far from being a verb, let alone the verb "to be", which doesn't really exist in Tagalog, the function of ay is simply to invert the order of a phrase, and in the example above ako ay Pilipino is merely the inverted form of Pilipino ako. In other words, because in Tagalog there is no such thing as the verb "to be", such phrases as "I am Italian", "she is beautiful" or "Mario is a doctor" in Tagalog have no verb and are literally rendered as "Italian I" ("Italiano ako"), "beautiful she" ("maganda siya") and "doctor Mario" ("doktor si Mario"). The "ay" marker simply switches the order of such phr
Post a Comment

Adjectives in Tagalog

-

 An adjective describes a noun


Adjectives are words like beautiful, awesome and any other word that gives some information about the thing, the place, the person, the idea or the animal described by a noun.


In Tagalog there are adjectives that are formed by a root word+an affix (like maganda=beautiful) and adjectives that don't require an affix (like bobo=stupid).


Here is a list of affixes that are used to form compound adjectives


1 ma- having a certain quality

Example: maganda=beautiful


2. maka- having a certain inclination

Example: makalaman=fleshly


3. maka- having a certain ability

Example: makadurug-puso=having the ability to break one's heart


4. mala- being like

Example: malasibuyas=like an onion


5. mapag- having a certain habit

Example: mapagbiro=having the habit to joke


6. mapang~ mapan~ mapam~ one who does on a regular basis the thing described by the root word

Example: mapang-away= one who regularly engages in a quarrel


7. pala- one who is constantly doing the thing described by the root word

Example: palaisip=always thinking


8. pang-~ pan-~ pam- instrumental

Example: pampatibay=encouraging


9.-an~ han one who possesses the quality described by the root word to a large extent

Example: duguan=inclined to a large extent toward bloodshed


10. in- like the thing described by the root word

Example: sinampalok=like a tamarind


11. in/-hin one who easily catches the thing described by the root word

Example: lagnatin=one who easily catches the flu


12. ma- -in/-hin one who possesses the quality described by the root word to a large extent

Example: maawain=full of mercy

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Isang Kahig Isang Tuka"

-
Image
Filipino people use the Tagalog expression isang kahig, isang tuka to talk about the fact that, in the Philippines, many families barely get by, and so many people have to work really hard to make ends meet. Meaning of the expression "isang kahig isang tuka" The Tagalog verb kumahig, formed by the root word kahig and the -um- affix (or the verb kahigin, if the verb  is "object-focus), basically means"to scratch". The root-word kahig conveys the idea of "chickens scratching off the soil" ("kinakaig ang lupa ng manok"="the ground is being scratched by the chicken") or anyone "scratching off a soft surface", like for example a gardener who is raking fallen leaves ("kinakaig ng hardinero ang mga dahon"="the gardener is raking the leaves"). The root-word tuka conveys the idea of "pecking" like, for example, a "bird pecking at some food fallen on the ground or fruits hanging on a fruit tree
Read more

Grammatica Tagalog (Tagalog Grammar Explained in Italian)

-
 (questo post lo completerò e l'aggiornerò col tempo) Nelle Filippine esistono due lingue principali, oltre a decine di altre lingue minori e dialetti. L'inglese è lingua ufficiale mentre il "filippino" è lingua nazionale. La lingua ufficialmente chiamata "filippino" o Pilipino si basa fondamentalmente sul Tagalog, che è la lingua parlata a Manila e nelle province circostanti (Laguna, Batangas, Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga). Il Tagalog appartiene al gruppo delle cosiddette Austronesian languages che sono lingue affini al malese e sono parlate in parte del sud est asiatico e in Oceania. A motivo dei 300 anni di colonizzazione spagnola e dei 50 anni di colonizzazione americana, nonché dei numerosi e frequenti contatti commerciali con la Cina, la lingua Tagalog contiene numerose loan words o parole "prese in prestito", per così dire, dallo spagnolo, l'inglese e, in misura minore, dal cinese. In questo post, che poi aggiornerò col passare del temp
Read more

Salitang Ugat at Panlapi sa Wikang Tagalog

-
Sa Tagalog maraming mga salita ay binubuo sa pamamagitan ng isang saligang salita na tinatawag na ugat at isa o mahigit pang panlapi, o "affix" sa wikang Ingles. Ang isang halimbawa ay ang salitang ugat ganda. Batay sa uri ng panlapi na idinidikit ng isa sa salitang ugat pwedeng bumuo ng isang Pandiwa (verb): halimbawa g um anda Sa ganitong halimbawa ang uri ng panlapi, ibig sabihin ang -um- ay tinatawag na gitlapi dahil nasa gitna ng salitang ugat Pang-uri (adjective): ma ganda Ang panlaping ma- ay tinatawag na unlapi dahil nasa unahan ng salitang ugat Pangngalan (noun): ka ganda han Ang ka- ay, syempre pa, ang isang unlapi, samantala ang -(h)an ay ang isang hulapi dahil nasa huling dako ng salita. Syempre naman, sa wikang Tagalog di-hamak na mas marami ang mga panlapi kaysa sa -um-, ma- at ka-....-an. Kaya sa darating na mga post ay magpopokus ako sa iba't ibang uri ng  1 panlaping makangalan 2 panlaping makauri 3 panlaping makadiwa
Read more