Tagalog I Wish, I Hope etc.

1. basic form + sana

I hope

Manalo sana si Pacquiao.

Sana manalo si Pacquiao.

May Pacquiao win.

I hope Pacquiao wins.

2. basic form in the POD (p. 30) + sana

I hope

Si Pacquiao sana ang manalo.

I hope it’s Pacquiao who wins.

3. basic form + kaya’

should perhaps

Kumain kaya’ tayo.

Perhaps we should eat.

Magluto’ kaya’ siya.

Perhaps he/she should cook.

Tingnan ko kaya’.

Perhaps I should have a look.

Lit. (It/They) should perhaps be looked at by me.

Hugasan ko kaya’ ang pinggan.

Perhaps I should do (wash) the dishes.

Lit. The dishes should perhaps be washed by me.

4. basic form + nga’

why don’t

Kumain nga’ tayo.

Why don’t we eat.

Tawagan nga’ natin siya.

Why don’t we call him/her.

Maghintay nga’ sila.

Why don’t they wait.

5. basic form + siya/niya/sila/nila

let him/her/them

Maghintay siya.

Let him/her wait.

Iyon ang kainin niya.

Let him/her eat that.

Maghintay sila.

Let them wait.

Iyon ang kainin nila.

Let them eat that.

See also:

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?

Try the course

Tagalog grammar book

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