Tagalog/Verbs

Transitive verbs in Tagalog are conjugated according to the focus and tense of the sentence. A transitive verb can either be "subject-focused" or "object-focused." In English, the same conjugation is used for the following sentences: "I eat chicken" and "I eat the chicken." The verb in both sentences is "eat." In Tagalog, however, different conjugations of "eat" must be used. The first sentence in Tagalog would utilize a "subject-focused" verb and the second sentence an "object-focused" verb.

Example:

• Kumakáin ako ng manók. (I eat chicken.)

• Kinakáin ko ang manók. (I eat the chicken.)

In both sentences, "kumakain" and "kinakain" translates to the word "eat." The distinction between when to use a subject-focused verb and when to use an object-focused verb will develop over time.

Subject-focused verbs fall under two families: the "um" family or the "nag" family. Some root words of verbs whose subject-focused conjugation fall under the "um" family are the following.

• káin (eat)
• súlat (write)
• sayáw (dance)
• kantá (sing)
• píla (to fall in line)
• inóm (drink)
• áyos (arrange)

Before enumerating verbs in the "nag" family, a discussion of tenses of the "um" verbs are in order. An example will be displayed here and then a discussion will follow thereafter.

Example:

• PAST: Kumáin akó ng ságing. (I ate a banana.)
• PRESENT: Kumakáin akó ng ságing. (I am eating / eat a banana.)
• FUTURE: Kakáin akó ng ságing. (I will eat a banana.)

Discussion:

For subject-focus verb that fall under the "um" family and begin with a consonant, the rules are contained here. For the past tense, an "um" is inserted between the first consonant and vowel of the verb. So, the corresponding past tense for "kain" is "k-um-ain." (For this reason, "kain" falls under the "um" family.) Similarly, the past tense for "sulat" is "s-um-ulat."

A similar rule follows for the present tense of an "um" verb. Simply insert an "um" between the first consonant and vowel, but also immediately insert the first syllable before preceding with the rest of the word. So, the present tense of "kain" is "k-um-a-KA-in." Notice that the syllable "ka" has been inserted, since this is the first syllable that makes up the word "kain." The present tense of the verb "sulat" is "s-um-u-SU-lat." Furthermore, the present tense of "pila" is "p-um-i-Pɪ-la." Thus, the format of the present tense of this conjugation is:

<first consonant> <um> <first vowel> <first syllable> <rest of word>

Indeed, mastering Tagalog conjugation is no simple feat!

The future tense of subject-focus verbs under the "um" family that start with a consonant is simpler than their counterparts: reiterate the first syllable at the beggining of the word. Thus, the future tenses of the words "kain," "sulat," and "pila" are "KA-kain," "SU-sulat," and "PI-pila," respectively.

The rules for verbs that start with vowels are very similar but deserving of their own treatment. For the past tense, add "um" at the beginning of the word. Hence, the past tenses for "inom" and "ayos" are "um-inom" and "um-ayos." For the present tense, add "um" and then the first vowel (which is the first syllable) at the beginning of the word. Thus, the present tenses of "inom" and "ayos" are "um-i-inom" and "um-a-ayos." Finally, the future tense needs only a reiteration of the first vowel/syllable at the beginning of the word. So, the future tenses of "inom" and "ayos" are "i-inom" and "a-ayos."

Further Examples (using "sagót" and "ulán"):

• Sumagót siyá. (He/she replied.)
• Sumasagót siyá. (He/she is replying.)
• Sasagót siyá. (He/she will reply.)
  • Umulán kanína. (It rained earlier.)
  • Umuulan ngayon. (It's raining now.)
  • Uulan bukas. (It will rain tomorrow.)

[Article to be finished at a later date.]