The Adverb 'Anay'

The adverb 'anay', not to be confused with termite, has no literal translation in English.  Its meaning is ambiguous and depends on semantics of the surrounding words in the sentence.  Here are some examples:

1. Indi anay maglakat.  [Don't go just yet. (literal: don't-just yet-to go).
2. Hulat anay.  [Wait awhile.]
3. Ibilin anay.  [Just leave it for awhile. (literal: leave it-just for awhile]
4. Bakal ka duwa ka bilog anay.  [You buy two pieces for now. (literal: buy-you-two-quantifier ka-piece-for now]
   
 

 

Interrogative Pronouns: How To Ask Questions

Guimo: Maayong aga, 'Nong Dolpo.
Dolpo: Maayong aga, Guimo.
Guimo: Sin-o imo upod, 'Nong?  Ano iya ngalan?
Dolpo: Asawa ko, si Amor.
Guimo: San-o ka nakasal kag sa di-in?
Dolpo: Kahapon lang kami nakasal sa Guimbal.
Guimo: Pila` ka tuig na kamo magnobyohanay?
Dolpo: Nga-a gusto mo guid mahibalo-an? Tsismoso ka guid, Guimo.  Lakat kami anay.

Translation
Guimo: Good Morning, 'Nong Dolpo.
Dolpo: Good Morning, Guimo.
Guimo: Who is your companion, 'Nong? (literal: who-your-companion) What is his/her name? (literal: what-his/her-name)
Dolpo: My wife, Amor.
Guimo: When were you married and where? (literal: when-you-married-and-in-where)
Dolpo: We were married just yesterday in Guimbal. (literal: yesterday-just-we-married-in-Guimbal)

Guimo: How many years were you going steady? (literal:how many-of-year-already-you-going steady)
Dolpo: Why do you really want to know?  (literal: why-want-you-to know) You are really nosy, Guimo. (literal: nosy-you-really) We are leaving now.  (literal: leave-we-awhile)

From the dialog above, I have presented four (5) basic interrogative pronouns: Ano, Sin-o, San-o, Di-in, Pila [Who, What, When, Where and How many].

TIDBIT: Bala` and Haw'

There are several special particles used with interrogative sentences.  Bala`, not to be confused with bala (ammunition), is sometimes used in interrogative sentences without the above mentioned pronouns.  Here are some examples:

1. May kotse bala` ikaw, Frank? [Do you have a car, Frank?] -- page 24, sentence 10 of Wolfrender's book.
2. Nakaparehistro bala` ikaw, Ann? [Were you able to register, Ann?]
3. Indi bala`? [Isn't it?]
   

Most often, bala` is omitted.  Sentence #1 and #2 above would still be comprehensible without this particle.

Haw' (take note of the glottal stop) is another particle used with interrogative sentences.  It is used to emphasize a question.

1. Nga-a haw'? [Why?]
2. Karon haw'? [Later? (literal: later-haw)]
   

Yes, I Have! No, I Have None!

You're on the bus, on your way to Guimbal, Iloilo.  The bus conductor came over and asked, "May ara' ka tiket?" [Do you have a ticket?].  Always say, "Huo, may ara' ako, 'Nong." [Yes, I have, Sir].  If he asked, "May ara ka pusil?" [Do you have a gun?].  You should answer, "Wala', 'Nong."  [I have none, Sir.]  Of course, in real life, bus conductors do not really ask if the passenger has a gun :)

In Ilonggo, "Huo" is Yes.  "Indi" is No.  In SMS lingo, Yes can also be Oo (Tagalog) or Uu.  Hinde or Hindi is synonymous to No.  You may have been able to infer from the above texts that May ara' means have while Wala' literally means does not have.


Let's apply these words:

1. May ara' ka ido^? [Do you have a dog? (literal: have-you-a dog)] 
• Huo, may ara' ko ido^.  [Yes, I have a dog. (literal: yes-have-I-dog)]
  
2. Law-ay ang bata?  [Is the child pretty? (literal: pretty-the child)]
• Indi, gwapa ang bata.  [No, the child is pretty. (literal: No, pretty-the child.]
  
3. Wala ako kwarta.  May ara' ka?  [I don't have money.  Do you have some?]
• Wala man ako kwarta.  [I also don't have money. (literal: none-also-I-money)]
  

TIDBIT #1: Ko and Ka

In an interrogative sentence, singular personal pronouns Ako (1st person) and Ikaw (2nd person) becomes Ko and Ka, respectively.   This will be discussed under Phrase Constructions.


TIDBIT #2: Gender in Adjectives

Some adjectives, especially Spanish loan words, occasionally have genders.  Take the example of the word Gwapa.  In sentence #2, the response actually means "No, the girl is pretty.".  If the adjective Gwapo was used instead, the response would have meant "No, the boy is handsome.".

The Particle 'Ka'

'Ka' is an overly-used morpheme in this language.  Depending on its position in a phrase, it can either mean:

• 'ka' as a 2nd person direct object pronoun, as in "Indi ka kabalo?" [You do not know? (literal: do not-you-know)].
  
• 'ka' as a particle equivalent to 'of' in English, it is used as a quantifier, as in "x of something", where x is a cardinal number.

This entry is all about 'ka' as a particle.   Here are some phrases that use 'ka':

1. isa ka tawo [one person]
2. tatlo ka babaye [three women]
3. pulo' ka lalaki [ten men]
4. kinse ka bata [fifteen kids]
5. bayntekwatro ka tigulang [twenty-four old people]
   

The Particle 'Mga'

Mga, pronounced as manga' (stress on the final syllable), can either be a plural marker or a particle which literally means approximately or about.

As a PLURAL MARKER

1. Tambok ang mga tawo.  [People are fat.]
2. Dako^ ang mga saging.  [The bananas are big.]
3. Bug-at ang mga libro.  [The books are heavy.]

As a PARTICLE

1. Mga singko pesos ang baboy.  [Pork is about 5 pesos.]
2. Mga tatlo ka oras ang kasal.  [The wedding is about 3 hours]
   

Cardinal Numbers (I numeri cardinali)

Hiligaynon cardinal numbers can either be derived from other Austronesian Languages or borrowed from Spanish.

	Austronesian	Spanish
1	Isa	Uno
2	Duwa	Dos
3	Tatlo	Tres
4	Apat	Kwatro
5	Lima	Singko
6	Anum	Says / Sais
7	Pito`	Syete
8	Walo	Otso
9	Siam	Nwebe
10	Pulo’	Dyis
11	-	Onse
12	-	Dose
13	-	Trese
14	-	Katorse
15	-	Kinse
16	-	Disisays
17	-	Disisyete
18	-	Disi-otso
19	-	Disinwebe
20	-	Baynte
21	-	Baynte Uno
25	-	Baynte Singko
30	-	Traynta
31	-	Trantay Uno
35	-	Trantay Singko
40	-	Kwarenta
45	-	Kwarentay Singko
50	-	Singkwenta
55	-	Singkwentay Singko
60	-	Sisenta
70	-	Sitenta
80	-	Otsenta
90	-	Nubenta
100	Isa ka gatos	Syen
200	Duwa ka gatos	Dos Syentos
500	Lima ka gatos	Singko Syentos
1,000	Isa ka libo	Mil
1,001	Isa ka libo kag isa	Mil Uno
2,000	Duwa` ka libo	Dos Mil
10,000	Pulo’ ka libo	Dyis Mil

I haven't heard anyone using Hiligaynon cardinal numbers beyond hundreds of thousands.  Nowadays, we use English for convenience :) Counting in Spanish is restricted to money and time.

Greetings and Courtesy

Hiligaynon, as with most Austronesian languages in the Philippines, is a living and ever-changing language.  Try to read a Hiligaynon Bible and you will see that most of the words being used in it are not used colloquially.  Ilonggo, as it is commonly known, borrowed words from Cebuano, Filipino, English, Spanish, Chinese and even Gay Language.

Traditional greetings have become obsolete.  But if you're a purist, take awhile to read the succeeding phrases.

Kumusta ka is our version of How are you? In this age, though, these are the equivalent:

1. Musta na?
2. Musta 'pre? - 'pre is the shorthand version of pare, which is yet another shorthand version of kumpadre
3. Musta 'pards? - 'pards is yet another shorthand of kumpadre
   
4. Musta?
   

To Illustrate, here is a dialog:
Person A: Kumusta ka?
Person B: Mayo man.  Ikaw?  [I am well.  You?]
Person A: Mayo man ako.


MORE GREETINGS
Maayong/Mayong Adlaw - Good Day
Maayong/Mayong Aga - Good Morning
Maayong/Mayong Ugto - Good Noon (literal translation)
Maayong/Mayong Hapon - Good Afternoon
Maayong/Mayong Gab-i - Good Evening/Night
Halong - Take Care

COURTESY
Palihog/Lihog - Please
Salamat - Thank You
Wala kaso - Welcome
Madamo' nga salamat - Thank you very much
Manong - Signor
Manang - Signora

TIDBIT: Po' and Ho' - Polite Forms of Address in Filipino

The parents of one of my ex-boyfriends regarded me as impolite because I did not use po' or ho'.  I was not used to these words since they do not exist in Hiligaynon.  To address someone politely, we use the plural form of the 2nd person pronoun.  For example, instead of saying Wala ka kwarta? [You do not have money?], you say Wala kamo kwarta?.