Learn how to recognize an implied subject in Filipino
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Intro |
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| Alisha: Is it common to omit the subject in Filipino sentences? |
| Danilo: And why? |
| Alisha: At FilipinoPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following situation: Nancy Navarro is in a bookstore with her friend, Sasha Lee. She points at a book and says, |
| "See that [book]?" |
| Nancy Navarro: Nakita mo ba 'yon [libro]? |
| Dialogue |
| Nancy Navarro: Nakita mo ba 'yon [libro]? |
| Sasha Lee: Maganda ba? |
| Alisha: Once more with the English translation. |
| Nancy Navarro: Nakita mo ba 'yon [libro]? |
| Alisha: "See that [book]?" |
| Sasha Lee: Maganda ba? |
| Alisha: "Is [it] interesting?" |
Lesson focus |
| Alisha: In the conversation, Nancy Navarro asks |
| Danilo: Nakita mo ba 'yon [libro]? |
| Alisha: "See that [book]?" to which Sasha Lee replies |
| Danilo: Maganda ba? |
| Alisha: "Is [it] interesting?" |
| Alisha: You might notice that in each line of the dialogue, the subject of the sentence has been omitted. As a Filipino language learner, you may be wondering if it is common to omit the subject in Filipino sentences. |
| Alisha: First, it's important to understand how verbs in Filipino are formed. Filipino verbs can be modified in a variety of ways according to aspect, mood, and trigger. Since verbs are not conjugated to reflect the subject acting out the verb's action, the focus instead is on the quality or description of the action, the cause of the action, and the location or direction of the action, to name a few. Since verbs are also not conjugated by tense, verb forms are instead categorized as imperatives, progressive, contemplated, or completed. |
| Alisha: When it comes to incorporating subjects in a sentence, Filipino traditionally places the verb first, followed by the subject that it describes. On the other hand, in its written form, Filipino more closely resembles English, where the typical sentence structure is SVO, or subject, verb, object. |
| Alisha: In Filipino, the subject is not always necessary because the object of a sentence can also be the subject of the sentence and may be implied from the context. Let's take a look at the questions from the dialogue: |
| Alisha: When Nancy says "See that [book]?" |
| Danilo: Nakita mo ba 'yon [libro]? |
| Alisha: she is also pointing to the book, so it is not necessary to say the word for "book." |
| Alisha: When Sasha asks the question, "Is [it] interesting?" |
| Danilo: Maganda ba? |
| Alisha: the subject is implied, so it is not necessary to say a word meaning "it." |
| Alisha: This way of forming questions in Filipino is common and will make it easier for you as a language learner to structure sentences. Note that the Tagalog word |
| Danilo: "ba" |
| Alisha: is used in forming proper questions. Try to remember this the next time you ask a question in Filipino. |
| Practice Section |
| Alisha: Let's review the sample conversation: Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud, and then listen carefully as Danilo models the correct answer. Repeat after him, with the focus on your pronunciation. Are you ready? |
| How do you say, "See that [book]?" |
| Danilo: Nakita mo ba 'yon [libro]? |
| Alisha: Did you get it right? Listen again and repeat. Remember to focus on your pronunciation. |
| Danilo: Nakita mo ba 'yon [libro]? |
| Danilo: Nakita mo ba 'yon [libro]? |
| Alisha: Let's move on to the second sentence. How do you say, "Is [it] interesting?" |
| Danilo: Maganda ba? |
| Alisha: Did you get it right this time? Listen again and repeat. |
| Danilo: Maganda ba? |
| Danilo: Maganda ba? |
| Cultural Insight/Expansion |
| Alisha: When in the Philippines, don't be alarmed if you see locals pointing their lips to someone or something. Filipinos are used to doing this instead of lifting their arms or fingers to point out the topic of the conversation. This goes to show how most of the time there's no need to mention the subject or object in a day-to-day conversation. This gesture is called |
| Danilo: nguso |
| Alisha: and shouldn't be taken as an invitation for a kiss. |
Outro |
| Alisha: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Danilo: Paalam. |
| Alisha: See you soon! |
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