Additional Notes on Tagalog Word Order
1. A Sa phrase (p. 59) indicating location or direction may be placed at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis or to show contrast.
|
Kumain sa school ang babae. Kumain ang babae sa school. |
The woman ate at school. |
|
Sa school kumain ang babae. |
The woman ate at school. It’s at school that the woman ate. |
|
Sa school kumain ang babae. Sa bahay naman kumain ang lalaki. |
The woman ate at school, while the man ate at home. |
|
Sumulat kay Mary ang babae. Sumulat ang babae kay Mary. |
The woman wrote (to) Mary. |
|
Kay Mary sumulat ang babae. |
The woman wrote (to) Mary. It’s Mary that the woman wrote (to). |
|
Kay Mary sumulat ang babae. Kay John naman sumulat ang lalaki. |
The woman wrote (to) Mary, while the man wrote (to) John. |
2. Describing words expressing time or location may be placed at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis or to show contrast.
|
Nag-aral si Mary dito. Nag-aral dito si Mary. |
Mary studied here. |
|
Dito nag-aral si Mary. |
Mary studied here. It’s here that Mary studied. |
|
Dito nag-aral si Mary. Doon naman nag-aral si John. |
Mary studied here, while John studied there. |
|
Aalis si John bukas. Aalis bukas si John. |
John is leaving tomorrow. |
|
Bukas aalis si John. |
John is leaving tomorrow. It’s tomorrow that John will leave. |
|
Bukas aalis si John. Hindi’ ngayon. |
John is leaving tomorrow, not today. |
See also: Expressing location (p. 255), Expressing time, frequency or duration (p. 265)
Please respect copyright. Learn more
Contents | Detailed Contents | Up ▲
See notes on Terminology and Pronunciation Marks
This grammar guide is part of the Learning Tagalog Course.
Do you want to speak Tagalog fluently?
From Essential Tagalog Grammar: A Reference for Learners of Tagalog, Second Edition
By Fiona De Vos
“I got a copy of your book and I love it. It’s really the best I’ve come across.”
— Martin Kelemenis, Geneva, Switzerland