Cebuano (Cebuano: Sinugbuanon, "language of the Cebuanos") is an Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines by about 20,000,000 people (according to Ethnologue). It is a member of the Visayan languages, and is thus also commonly referred to as Visayan (Cebuano: Binisaya, "language of the Visayans"). The name came from the Philippine island of Cebu, the site of the second-largest metropolitan area in the country. Cebuano is given the ISO 639-2 three letter code ceb, but has no ISO 639-1 two letter code.
Cebuano is also spoken by Warays in Samar and Leyte, Porohanon in Poro, Ilonggos in Negros Oriental, Eskaya in Bohol, and by native (like Atas, Bagobos, Butuanons, Maranaos, and Tausugs) and migrant Filipino ethnic groups (like Ilocanos and Ilonggos), foreign ethnic groups (like Spaniards, Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans), and other peoples in Mindanao as second language. Cebuano is a language with the Verb Subject Object sentence order, in which the first term in the sentence is the term given emphasis. Nouns and adjectives are joined by the nga connector with their order arbitrary as long as the nga connector is in between them.
The vowels are:
| Bilabial | Dental | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ | |||
| Plosive | Voiceless | p | t | k | ʔ | |
| Voiced | b | d | g | |||
| Fricative | s | h | ||||
| Flap | ɾ | |||||
| Lateral | l | |||||
| Approximant | w | j | ||||
Unlike English or Spanish which are nominative-accusative languages, Cebuano is an ergative-absolutive language. This may have led to a misconception about Cebuano as being often spoken in a passive voice.
Kinsa or nominative markers mark the topic of most sentences and both the topic and complementary predicate of an equational sentence. Tag-iya or genitive markers mark the owner of the thing or the doer of an action. Gitagan-an markers are similar to prepositions in English. They mark things such as location and direction. Furthermore, noun markers are divided into two classes: one for names of people (personal) and the second for everything else (general).
Below is a chart of case markers. Mga (pronounced [maˈŋa]) marks the plural.
| Kinsa | Tag-iya | Gitagan-an | |
|---|---|---|---|
| general singular | ang | sa | sa |
| general plural | ang mga | sa mga | sa mga |
| personal singular | si | ni* | kang |
| Personal plural | sila si/ silang | nila ni/ nilang* | kanila ni/ kanilang |
*Tag-iya case functions like an adjective. Sometimes an adjective acts as a complementary predicate. When a tag-iya case noun is a complementary predicate it uses kang in singular and ila ni/ilang in plural.
Examples:
Miabot si Manang Kcy.
has-arrived Manang Kcy
"Manang Kcy has arrived."
Gwapo si Roland Christian.
Handsome is Roland Christian.
"Roland Christian is Handsome."
Nakit-an ni Nicoy si Janx.
did-see Nicoy Janx
"Nicoy saw Janx."
Mangadto silang Karlatoot ug Susiedear sa balay ni Jedd.
Will-go Karlatoot and Susiedear to-the house of Jedd
"Karlatoot and Susiedear will go to Jedd's house."
Hain ang mga libro?
At-where the those book(s)
"Where are the books?"
To-a kang Williever ang yawe.
At with Williever the keys
"Williever has the keys."
| Kinsa | Tag-iya(primary)* | Tag-iya(modifier)** | Oblique | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person singular | ako | akoa*** | nako | kanako |
| 2nd person singular | ikaw | imoha | nimo | kanimo |
| 3rd person singular | siya / sya | iyaha /iya | niya | kaniya |
| 1st person plural inclusive | kita | atoa / ato | nato | kanato |
| 1st person plural exclusive | kami | amoa / amo | namo | kanamo |
| 2nd person plural | kamo | inyoha | ninyo | kaninyo |
| 3rd person plural | sila | ilaha | nila | kanila |
When the pronoun is not the first word of the sentence, the short form is more commonly used than the full form.
| Kinsa | Tag-iya(primary) | Tag-iya(modifier) | Oblique | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person singular | ko* | ako | ko | nako |
| 2nd person singular | ka | imo | mo | nimo |
| 3rd person singular | siya | iya | niya | niya |
| 1st person plural inclusive | ta** | ato | nato | nato |
| 1st person plural exclusive | mi | amo | namo | namo |
| 2nd person plural | kamo | inyo | ninyo | ninyo |
| 3rd person plural | sila | ila | nila | nila |
Misulat ko.
"I wrote."
Gisulatan ko niya.
"He/She wrote me a letter."
Akong ihatag niya.
"I will give it to him/her."
Modifier tag-iya pronouns follow the word they modify. Primary tag-iya pronouns can take the place of the modifier tag-iya pronoun but they precede the word they modify.
Ang balay ko.
Ang akong balay.
"My house."
Especial attention should be given to the short form ta. When the subject is second person it mean first person singular.
Mahal ta ka.
"I love you."
Tagaan ta mo og kwarta.
"I will give you money."
Nakit-an ta mo gahapon sa tindahan.
"I saw you at the store yesterday."
Higala ta ka.
"You are my friend."
The inclusive pronoun kita refers to the first and second persons. It may also refer to a third person(s).
The exclusive pronoun kamí refers to the first and third persons but excludes the second.
Wala tay bugas.
"We (you and I) don't have rice."
Wala miy bugas.
"We (someone else and I, but not you) don't have rice."
The short form is often used when the pronoun is not the first word in the sentence.
The pronouns are gender neutral, hence siyá means either he or she.
| Kinsa | Tag-iya | Gitagan-an* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest to speaker (this, here) | kiri(ri)** | iri | ngari |
| Near speaker and addressee (this, here) | kini(ni) | ini | nganhi |
| Nearest addressee (that, there) | kana(na) | ana | nganha |
| Remote (yon, yonder) | kadto(to) | ato | ngadto |
*The ng- form can be replaced with the d- form so intead of ngari, nganhi, nganha, ngadto one can use diri, dinhi, dinha, didto. **The one in parenthesis is the short form which is often used when a pronoun is not the first word in the sentence. Examples:
Unsa ni?
What this?
"What's this?"
Kinsa nang tawhana?
Who that man?
"Who is that man?"
Gikan ni Pedro ning sulata.
From (ni=adjective) Pedro this letter
"This letter is from Pedro."
Mangaon sila didto.
Will-eat they there
"They will eat there."
Mikaon ana ang bata.
Ate that the child.
"The child ate (some of) that."
Examples on INCEPTED ASPECT:
Past actions
1. I went to Europe.
The act had been started in the past therefore the Cebuano translation is:
Miadto ko sa Uropa .
2. I finally found you,
The act had been started in the past therefore the Cebuano translation is:
Nakaplagan ra gyud ta ka.
Present actions
1. I am going to the kitchen.
The act has been started before the statement is spoken therefore the Cebuano translation is:
Nagpadulong ko sa kusina.
2. Peter finds Miriam.
The act has been started before the statement is spoken therefore the Cebuano translation is:
Nakaplagan ni Pedro si Miriam.
Examples of INCEPTING ASPECT
Future actions
1. I will return this Christmas.
The act has not happen yet therefore is has not yet started:
Mobalik ko karong Pasko.
2. She will find you.
The act has not happen yet therefore is has not yet started:
Iya kang makit-an.
Habitual actions
1. She goes to the shore every morning.
Although the act had already happened she will still have to start the same act again and again (every morning) so the act itself is still to be started or pagasugdan pa and therefore:
Moadto siya matag buntag sa baybayon.
2. He always finds her there.
Although the act had already happened she will still have to start the same act again and again (always) so the act itself is still to be started or pagasugdan pa and therefore:
Kanunay siya niyang makaplagan didto.
There are nine common orientation types: um verbs, pag verbs, pang verbs, ka verbs, magka verbs, on verbs, an verbs, i verbs and reciprocative.
| imperative | incepted | incepting | wala base |
|---|---|---|---|
| -(um)- | mi- | mo- | mo- |
| imperative | incepted | incepting | wala base |
|---|---|---|---|
| pag- | nag- | mag- | mag- |
| imperative | incepted | incepting | wala base |
|---|---|---|---|
| pang- | nang- | mang- | mang- |
| imperative | incepted | incepting | wala base |
|---|---|---|---|
| ka- | na- | ma- | ma- |
| imperative | incepted | incepting | wala base |
|---|---|---|---|
| none | nagka- | magka- | magka- |
| imperative | incepted | incepting | wala base |
|---|---|---|---|
| pag-in-ay | nag-in-ay | mag-in-ay | mag-in-ay |
| imperative | incepted | incepting | wala base |
|---|---|---|---|
| -a | gi- | -on | -a |
| imperative | incepted | incepting | wala base |
|---|---|---|---|
| -i | gi-an | -an | -i |
| imperative | incepted | incepting | wala base |
|---|---|---|---|
| i- | gi- | i- | i- |
| NON_INTUITIVE | incepted aspect | incepting aspect | wala form |
|---|---|---|---|
| um verbs | nahi- | mahi- | mahi- |
| pag verbs | nahi- | mahi- | mahi- |
| pang verbs | nahipang- | mahipang- | mahipang- |
| ka verbs | naha- | maha- | maha- |
| magka verbs | none | none | none |
| reciprocating verbs | nagka-in-ay | magka-in-ay | magka-in-ay |
| on verbs | na- | ma- | ma- |
| an verbs | hing-an | mahi-an | hing-i |
| i verbs | nai- | mai- | mai- |
| APTATIVE | incepted aspect | incepting aspect | wala form |
|---|---|---|---|
| um verbs | naka- | maka- | maka- |
| pag verbs | naka- | maka- | maka- |
| pang verbs | nakapang- | makapang- | makapang- |
| ka verbs | none | none | none |
| magka verbs | none | none | none |
| reciprocating verbs | none | none | none |
| on verbs | na- | ma- | ma- |
| an verbs | na-an | ma-an | ma-i |
| i verbs | gika- | ika- | ikaw |
Ex:
maayong buntag = a good morning
dakong panon = a large crowd
mga matang malulot = beautiful eyes
A noun however always comes after the word it modifies.
Ex:
balay nga bato = stone house
hangin nga habagat = southeast monsoon
Superlative are expressed by adding the affix kina--an or the particle labing
Ex:
kinamaayohan = best
kinadak-an = largest
labing malulot = the most pretty
Comparative are express by adding the particle mas or labawng.
Below is a list of some enclitic particles.
a) "Mao kini ang Kabisay-an". = This is the Visayas.
b) "Siya si Oscar." = He is Oscar.
c) "Mao na ang amoang balay" = That is our house.
2) non-equational (topic < predicate )
~ in this sentence type the topic and the predicate are not interchangeable
a) "Pilipino ang mga Bisaya." = Visayans are Filipinos.
b) "Pula ang iyang gisul-ob." = The one he wears is red. (He is wearing red.)
c) "Gipalitan ka niya og balay." = (He buys a house for you.)
3) existential sentence of presence
~ sentences of this type tells the existence of a thing or idea
a) "Adunay Diyos sa langit." = (There is) God in heaven.
b) "Didtoy halas sa kahoy." = (There was) a snake in the tree.
4) existential sentence of possession ~ sentences of this type tell about someone or something possessing something
a) "Ang mga anghel sa langit adunay diyos." = (The angels in heaven have a God.)
b) "Naa koy ilimnon sa balay." = (I had wine at home.)
5) locative sentence
~ this type of sentence tells the location of a thing
a) "Ania ang kwarta." = Here is the money.
b) "Toa siya sa bukid." = S/he is in the mountain.
6) meteorologic sentence
~ this type of sentence tells about weather condition, noise level, etc., of a place
a) "Tugnaw dinhi sa Baguio." = (It is) cold here in Baguio.
b) "Hilom kaganiha sa plasa." = (It was) calm in the square.
7) exclamatory remark ~ praises and unexpected discoveries belong here
a) "Kadaghan man nimo og sakyanan!" = (Wow! You have a lot of cars.)
b) "Gwapaha nimo oy!" = (You are pretty!)
c) "Kasaba ba ninyo!" = (You are so noisy!)
8) imperatives
~ commands and requests
a) "Isugba kanang isda." = (Grill that fish.)
b) "Umari ka." = Come here.
c) "Ayaw mo pagkinopyahay." = (Do not share your answers among yourselves.)
9) interrogatives
~ questions that are not answerable by yes or no
a) "Kinsa ka?" = Who are you?
b) "Unsay imong ngalan?" = What is your name? 10) confirmation
~ questions that are basically answered by yes or no. constructed like the first 6 sentence type with the insertion of the particle "ba" as a second term
a) "Kini ba ang Kabisay-an?" = Is this the Visayas?
b) "Pula ba ang iyang gisul-ob?" = (Does he wear red?)
c) "Aduna bay Diyos?" = (Does God exist?)
d) "Isugba ba kining isda?" = Shall this fish be grilled?
Dili negates adjectives, nouns, and incepting verbs.
Dili ko motrabaho ugma.
"I will not work tomorrow."
Dili dato tong babayhana.
"The woman is not rich."
Wala negates existentials and incepted verbs.
Wala koy kwarta.
"I do not have money."
Wala ko motrabaho tibuok adlaw. "I did not work the whole day."
Ayaw is used in expressing negative commands.
Ayaw og hilak.
"Don't cry."
Ayaw mo pagdagan-dagan dinhi.
"Don't run here."
Asa and hain—both mean where—have distinct uses in formal Cebuano usage.
Asa is used when asking about a place.
Hain is used when asking about a person or thing.
In spoken Cebuano, however, asa is commonly used to replace hain. You rarely hear hain being used, except by older generations of Cebuano-speakers. This phenomenon is analogous to Tagalog-speakers not distinguishing between saan (asa) and nasaan (hain) in colloquial speech and instead using saan for both.
| Cardinal | Ordinal | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | usà | úna |
| 2 | duhà | ika-duhà |
| 3 | tulò | ika-tulò |
| 4 | upàt | ika-upàt |
| 5 | limà | ika-limà |
| 6 | unòm | ika-unòm |
| 7 | pitò | ika-pitò |
| 8 | walò | ika-walò |
| 9 | siyàm | ika-siyàm |
| 10 | napú'ô/napulo | ika-napú'ô/ika-napulo |
| 11 | napú'ô'g usá/napulo'g/napulo ug usá/onse (Spanish words are used for numbers greater than 10) | ika-napú'ô'g usá/ika-napulo'g usá/ika-napulo ug usá/ika-onse |
| 20 | kawhaan/bente | |
| 30 | katlo-an/trenta | |
| 100 | usa ka gatos/syento | |
| 1000 | usa ka libo/mil | |
| 100,000 | usa ka gatos ka libo/syento-mil | |
| 500,000 | lima ka gatos ka libo/tunga sa milyon/singko-syento-mil | |
| 1000000 | usa ka milyon |
Ang kalan-on namo sa matag adlaw
Ihatag kanamo karong adlawa
Ug pasayloa kami sa mong mga sala
Maingon nga kami nagapasaylo
Sa nakasala kanamo
Ug dili mo kami itugyan
Sa mga pagsulay
Hinunoa luwasa kami sa kadaotan
Kay imo man
Ang ginghrian
Ang gahom ug ang himaya
Hangtod sa kahangtoran
Amen...