learning Cebuano

[fife222]

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A 'friend' of mine translated the following English into Cebuano and I'm trying to analyze it to ensure that I understand the grammatical patterns in Cebuano. I have some questions about the Cebuano portion though. Can someone answer the questions I'm listing below about the Cebuano portion here? Thanks!

This is the English:
1. I speak Spanish.
2. I used to play video games.
3. I ate a cookie 5 min. ago.
4. Last year he was ill.
5. When his parents built the house, he was ill.
6. At the beginning of this year he has been ill, now he is fine again.
7. He had broken a leg, therefore he couldn't come to school.
8. I’m reading a book now.
9. I was working while she was studying.
10. I was eating there (- let's say lunch) until I got to know that there were cockroaches in the kitchen. Then I left (immediately).

11. I had been lying there for 3 hrs. before I fell asleep.
12. You will have been eating for 10 min. when I finish.
13. He wants me to go home now.
14. I would buy more food but I’m full now.
15. You are baptized now. ‘passive’
16. You were baptized for 5 min. ‘passive’
17. The city was destroyed by the fire ‘passive’
18. I had been baptized 3 times by 2001.
19. I will have been baptized 6 times by 2002.
20. If he paid me more, I would stay. (2 possibilities for ‘if he paid me more’)*
21. We would have built the house, if we had had the money.*

This is the Cebuano:
1. Mu-istorya ko og Cebuano
2. Tigduwa ko og video games.
3. Nagkaon ko.
4. Nasakit siya
5.Sa nagtukod pa to og balay iyang ginikanan....
6. Sa sugod sa tuig, nagkasakit to siya, karon na ayo na.
7. Nabalian siya og ti-il.
9. Nagtrabaho ko samtang nagtuon siya
11. Naghigda ko sa tulo ka oras... sa wala pa ko nakatulog. (or ayha ra ko naka tulog)
12. Makakaon na ka og dies minutos samtang ako makahuman.
13. Gusto (or ganahan) na siya mu uli ko ron.
14. Mudugang unta ko og palit... pero busog pa ko.
15. Gibunyag (ka) karon. (the pronoun nimo is usually possessive adjective for "yours", "ka" is the object pronoun for Ikaw or you just like Te is to Tu in Spanish.)
16. Gibunyag ka sa cinco minutos.
17. Naharos ang ciudad sa sunog.
18. Tulo ko ka higayon gibunyag sa tuig 2001.
20. Kung mas nibayad ma siya, magpabilin 'ta ko. ('ta is the postposition "unta" contracted)
21. Nagtukod na ta mi kung naa pa 'ta'y kwarta...

Here are the questions that I have regarding the Cebuano translation:
2. a. where did “tigduwa” come from? My dictionary says “duwa”, b. where does the ‘tig’ come from and what does it mean? Is ‘sa una’ or is ‘tig’ is the imperfect tense? (‘sa una’ = past tense marker)
4. what does the '-on' in 'nasakiton' mean grammatically speaking?

5. what does “to”& “pa” mean?

6. a. what does “to” mean? b. “nagka” is the past tense of “nagaca”, right? c. why is it ‘ayo’ instead of ‘maayo’? d. what do the two ‘na’ words mean?

7. how did you get ‘nabalian’ out of ‘pagbali’? Shouldn’t it only be “nagbali”?

9. what was imperfect??

11. I guess time is written ‘sa … ka …’ ? “ayha ra” = “sa wala pa” ??

12. a. meaning of “na” here? b. meaning of “og” here? isn’t that supposed to be “sa” instead of “og”? c. the verb here is ‘paghuman’ how did you get ‘makahuman’ out of ‘paghuman’? ‘maca’ is a form of the verb prefix “naca”. d. “samtang” means ‘when’ in this context?

13. a. meaning of “na”? b. meaning of ‘ganahan’? c. my dictionary doesn’t have “mu” in it, what does “mu” mean? d. meaning of “uli”? e. meaning of ‘ron’?
14. a. “dugang” means ‘to buy’, right? b. ‘unta’ = ‘would’, right? c. meaning of ‘og palit’ ? d. ‘pa’ = ‘still’, right?

17. meaning of “naharos” = destroyed
18. ‘ko’ = ‘I’, right? but what does the ‘ka’ mean here?
20. a. meaning of ‘ma’? b. how can ‘mag’ be used here (magpabilin)? I thought ‘mag’ was only infinitive and imperative… ??

21. . a. meaning of ‘mi’? b. ‘naa’ = ‘naay’ right? c. meaning of ‘pa’ here? d. meaning of (‘y) here? e. so you’re saying that (‘nagpa’…. na unta ta) = (would have ‘done smth.’) ?? why would you put ‘unta’ and ‘ta’ in there? Isn’t only ‘ta’ or ‘unta’ enough?



Hopefully this shouldn't be too hard for the natives here. Thanks and Aloha!

[Sol_Itaire]

Here are the questions that I have regarding the Cebuano translation:
2. a. where did “tigduwa” come from? My dictionary says “duwa”, b. where does the ‘tig’ come from and what does it mean? Is ‘sa una’ or is ‘tig’ is the imperfect tense? (‘sa una’ = past tense marker)
- I think "tig" is similar to "er" in English. Ex play + er = player (noun); duwa + tig = tigduwa (noun)

4. what does the '-on' in 'nasakiton' mean grammatically speaking?
- there's no "on", it's just "nasakit"

5. what does “to”& “pa” mean?
- It is "Sa nagtukod pa (to) og balay iyang ginikanan." It is optional. to = kato; meaning is close to "that" or "them" (literally "kato iyang ginikanan" = them parents, "kato siya" = that her/him)
- pa = while; sa nagtukod pa = while they were still constructing...

6. a. what does “to” mean? b. “nagka” is the past tense of “nagaca”, right? c. why is it ‘ayo’ instead of ‘maayo’? d. what do the two ‘na’ words mean?
- to = kato; kato siya = that her (literally)
- I think "nagka" here implies progression/worsening. nagkasakit = getting worse in health; nagkagwapa = getting prettier
- Na ayo na siya = Na (ma)ayo na siya.

7. how did you get ‘nabalian’ out of ‘pagbali’? Shouldn’t it only be “nagbali”?
- nagbali = active voice
- nabalian = passive voice

9. what was imperfect??
- I was working while she was studying. both are in the past progressive tense?

11. I guess time is written ‘sa … ka …’ ? “ayha ra” = “sa wala pa” ??
- sa = in/within; ka oras = hours
- ayha is the modern version of "anha" or "dinha". complete form is "sa dinha ra" = that was the time

12. a. meaning of “na” here? b. meaning of “og” here? isn’t that supposed to be “sa” instead of “og”? c. the verb here is ‘paghuman’ how did you get ‘makahuman’ out of ‘paghuman’? ‘maca’ is a form of the verb prefix “naca”. d. “samtang” means ‘when’ in this context?
- translation is incorrect


13. a. meaning of “na”? b. meaning of ‘ganahan’? c. my dictionary doesn’t have “mu” in it, what does “mu” mean? d. meaning of “uli”? e. meaning of ‘ron’?
- na = already
- ganahan = like
- mu = will or to (Mukaon na ko = I will now eat; Ganahan ko mokaon = I like to eat)
- uli = go back or come back
- ron = karon as in "now"

14. a. “dugang” means ‘to buy’, right? b. ‘unta’ = ‘would’, right? c. meaning of ‘og palit’ ? d. ‘pa’ = ‘still’, right?
- dugang = add
- unta = would have wanted/liked to
- palit = buy ; (I forgot the grammatical term for "og")

17. meaning of “naharos” = destroyed
- naharos is an old term. it means wiped out

18. ‘ko’ = ‘I’, right? but what does the ‘ka’ mean here?
- ka = similar to "ka oras"; ka + hours/times/instances

20. a. meaning of ‘ma’? b. how can ‘mag’ be used here (magpabilin)? I thought ‘mag’ was only infinitive and imperative… ??
- use of "ma" here is incorrect
- magpa not mag. magpa = let oneself (Ex. magpabilin = let oneself be left behind; magpabuhi = let oneself be supported financially by someone)

21. . a. meaning of ‘mi’? b. ‘naa’ = ‘naay’ right? c. meaning of ‘pa’ here? d. meaning of (‘y) here? e. so you’re saying that (‘nagpa’…. na unta ta) = (would have ‘done smth.’) ?? why would you put ‘unta’ and ‘ta’ in there? Isn’t only ‘ta’ or ‘unta’ enough?

- mi = kami = we/us excluding you
- naa is a contraction of "aduna" = there is
- pa = already
- 'y = similar to the function of "og"
- ta = kita = we/us including you

[fiero19]

You may wonder why nobody is answering... you'll crack your head if you really try to dig all the rules in Cebuano grammar. We have no set standards because we don't study it in school like we do with Filipino and English. Fact is for every region here in Cebu alone, some people may use different terms for a single word and the way it's used may differ. What your friend did was to literally translate word-for-word every sentence. It is acceptable but you will sound funny if you speak that way.

Anyway, to answer some of your questions:


2. a. where did “tigduwa” come from? My dictionary says “duwa”, b. where does the ‘tig’ come from and what does it mean? Is ‘sa una’ or is ‘tig’ is the imperfect tense? (‘sa una’ = past tense marker)

"tig" means "used to" or "fond of". "duwa", is the rootword which means "play". So literal meaning of "tigduwa" is "used to play" or "loves to play" depending on usage in the sentence. "sa una" means "in the past".


4. what does the '-on' in 'nasakiton' mean grammatically speaking?

where did you get it? there exists no word. "Masakiton" with emphasis on the "M" is a noun which means "ill" or "sick person". If used as a verb, it means "sick" in the present tense.


5. what does “to”& “pa” mean?

They are used as adverbs of time in the sentence. They may be articles, conjunctions, or prepositions depending on usage in the sentence.


6. At the beginning of this year he has been ill, now he is fine again.
Sa sugod sa tuig, nagkasakit to siya, karon na ayo na.

a. what does “to” mean? b. “nagka” is the past tense of “nagaca”, right?

This is one of those literal translations. You add "nagka-" to form the past tense of SOME words. You add "magka-" for future tense. However for present tense, you form a different word. You add either "ma-" or "mo-" + rootword + "-an" or "-an" to SOME words in Cebuano.

Another thing, we don't use "c" in Cebuano. We with either use "k" or "s".

c. why is it ‘ayo’ instead of ‘maayo’? d. what do the two ‘na’ words mean?

You may have heard Bisaya particularly Cebuanos are fond of contracting words. These contracted words are still acceptable and widely used.

BTW, your friend should have written it this way "karon na-ayo na." The dash indicates that the "na" is still part of the word. "ayo" in this sentence is shortened word for "maayo" = "well, okay, fine, etc". "Karon na-ayo na" should have been "Karon na-maayo na". But when you speak, you don't say that. You omit the "na-" so you say, "karon maayo na."

The second "na" in the sentence is an adverb of time.


7. He had broken a leg...
Nabalian siya og ti-il.

How did you get ‘nabalian’ out of ‘pagbali’? Shouldn’t it only be “nagbali”?

You usually use "pag" for conditional sentences. Break is "bali". "na-" and "-an" are preffix and suffix respectively used to form the past tense of the verb. Also note that "siya" could be a "he" or "she".


9. what was imperfect??

I don't get the question.


11. I guess time is written ‘sa … ka …’ ? “ayha ra” = “sa wala pa” ??

Most of these 2 letter words are adverbs. Still, others are contractions or prepositions.

"ayha"? ~ you may have copied it incorrectly. It's possibly "anha". "Anha" is equilvalent to "diha, dinha, dira" which is an adverb of place. The word all by itself is the literal translation of "there". However, usage in the sentence suggest a certain point or marker of time, which is still acceptable. All the more, these are examples of words which mean exactly the same but are spelled differently depending on which region you came from. These words can be understood from anywhere in Cebu though and either word could be used.


12. You will have been eating for 10 min. when I finish.
Makakaon na ka og dies minutos samtang ako makahuman.

Construction of the sentence is rather odd but is still acceptable.

a. meaning of “na” here?

adverb of time. "na = already"

b. meaning of “og” here? isn’t that supposed to be “sa” instead of “og”?

It means "for" in this sentence, "og" could mean "and" or "for" depending on usage.

c. the verb here is ‘paghuman’ how did you get ‘makahuman’ out of ‘paghuman’? ‘maca’ is a form of the verb prefix “naca”. d. “samtang” means ‘when’ in this context?

paghuman - when i finish
makahuman - would have finished
makahuman - will finish, future tense
nakahuman - finished, past tense
samtang - when or while


13. He wants me to go home now.
Gusto (or ganahan) na siya mu uli ko ron.

a. meaning of “na”?

adverb of time. "na = already"

b. meaning of ‘ganahan’?

"ganahan = like" as in "I would like to eat"

c. my dictionary doesn’t have “mu” in it, what does “mu” mean? d. meaning of “uli”?

"mu-" is a prefix
"uli = go home", I don't think there's an equivalent in English
"mu-uli = will go home", future tense

e. meaning of ‘ron’?

It is a contraction of "karon", meaning "now".


14. I would buy more food but I’m full now.
Mudugang unta ko og palit... pero busog pa ko.

a. “dugang” means ‘to buy’, right?

Nope, it means "more" or "additional"

b. ‘unta’ = ‘would’, right?

Correct, at least in this sentence.

c. meaning of ‘og palit’?

og - to
palit - buy

d. ‘pa’ = ‘still’, right?

Yes


17. The city was destroyed by the fire.
Naharos ang ciudad sa sunog.

This an example of translation by context. If I translate the sentence back to English literally, it would say "A large part of the city was consumed by fire."

meaning of “naharos” = destroyed?

"Naharos" has a many different meanings. It would depend on the usage in the sentence. Generally it would mean "greatly reduced".


18. I had been baptized 3 times by 2001.
Tulo ko ka higayon gibunyag sa tuig 2001.

‘ko’ = ‘I’, right?

Yes

but what does the ‘ka’ mean here?

It's a preposition, equivalent to "of" or "of the"


20. If he paid me more, I would stay. (2 possibilities for ‘if he paid me more’)*
Kung mas nibayad ma siya, magpabilin 'ta ko. ('ta is the postposition "unta" contracted)

a. meaning of ‘ma’?

I don't understand the 2nd sentence either. It could have been:

Kung mas nibayad siya, magpabilin 'ta ko.
Kung mas dako iya bayad, magpabilin 'ta ko.

b. how can ‘mag’ be used here (magpabilin)? I thought ‘mag’ was only infinitive and imperative… ??

"mag-" = is a prefix used to form the future tense of the verb


21. We would have built the house, if we had had the money.
Nagtukod na ta mi kung naa pa 'ta'y kwarta...

It should have been,

Nagtukod na ta mi ug balay kung naa pa mi kwarta.

a. meaning of ‘mi’?

mi - "kami" contracted, meaning "we" or "us"

b. ‘naa’ = ‘naay’ right?

I don't know what "naay" is but "naa" here in "anaa" meaning "have".

c. meaning of ‘pa’ here?

d. meaning of (‘y) here?

ta'y - contraction of "kita ay"meaning "we are"

e. so you’re saying that (‘nagpa’…. na unta ta) = (would have ‘done smth.’) ?? why would you put ‘unta’ and ‘ta’ in there? Isn’t only ‘ta’ or ‘unta’ enough?

"Nagpatukod na 'ta ta" is the same as "Nagpatukod na unta kita" = We would have built

The 1st "ta" is contraction for "unta". The 2nd "ta" is contraction of "kita" which means "we".


Hope this clarifies a bit your confused mind.

Happy learning Bisaya!

[Sol_Itaire]

@fiero19 according to forester (see the Ludabi thread in Arts & Lit), "og" is not the same as "ug". the latter is the conjunction "and"

Ex.
Mokaon ko og kinilaw.
Mokaon ko og kinilaw ug puso.

[splendid moonlight]

12. You will have been eating for 10 min. when I finish.
Wrong: Makakaon na ka og dies minutos samtang ako makahuman.

Translated back to English the above Cebuano sentence would be
"You will have been eating for 10 minutes while I will be finishing."

Because samtang means while.

You will have been eating for 10 min. when I finish.
Correct translation: Makakaon na ka ug dies minutos inig human/kahuman nako.

Inig means when.

[Sol_Itaire]

how about "Nagkaon na ka sulod sa diyes minutos sa dihang nahuman ko."

[jewel_anne10]

natututo ako.... dito

[digitalsuperman]

@fiero19 according to forester (see the Ludabi thread in Arts & Lit), "og" is not the same as "ug". the latter is the conjunction "and"

Ex.
Mokaon ko og kinilaw.
Mokaon ko og kinilaw ug puso.

actually i studied cebuano phonemes when i was in highschool and for cebuano dialect theres no such word that has vowels of O and E. the only vowel's used on cebuano words are A,U and I.

and for your example "Mukaun ku ug kinilaw ug pusu" is absolutely phonetically and gramatically wrong. the part "mukaun ku ug" represents ownership in which it pretains to the speaker. the correct sentence so as to avoid confusion should be "Mukaun ku'g kinilaw ug puso".

[taga_ipil]

actually i studied cebuano phonemes when i was in highschool and for cebuano dialect theres no such word that has vowels of O and E. the only vowel's used on cebuano words are A,U and I.

and for your example "Mukaun ku ug kinilaw ug pusu" is absolutely phonetically and gramatically wrong. the part "mukaun ku ug" represents ownership in which it pretains to the speaker. the correct sentence so as to avoid confusion should be "Mukaun ku'g kinilaw ug puso".

payter jud ni si Digital oh...

[digitalsuperman]

payter jud ni si Digital oh...

loslos nimo...


also for this sentence..

12. You will have been eating for 10 min. when I finish.

Correct me if im wrong but i think the sentence itself is gramatically wrong and in return you will get a wrong translation. I think the correct sentence should be "You have been eating for 10 minutes when i finished" and for its cebuano translation, it should be, "Napulu naka kaminutu nga nagsige ug kaun sa dihang nahuman naku."