Batangas Tagalog - Grammar

Grammar

The most recognizable difference is the use of the passive imperfect in place of the present progressive. In Manila, this is done by inserting the infix -um- after the first syllable then by repeating the first syllable. In the Batangan dialect however, this form is done by putting the prefix na- to the word.

Standard Batangan Standard Batangan
root word kain (to eat) kain (to eat) tawag (to call) tawag (to call)
syllabication ka-in ka-in ta-wag ta-wag
conjugated k-um-a-ka-in na-ka-in t-um-a-ta-wag na-ta-wag
written variant kumakain nakain tumatawag natawag

This conjugation of the verb becomes funny because as what was mentioned above, this would mean the passive past to ManileƱos. When someone asks "Nasaan si Pedro?" (Where is Peter?), one would promptly answer 'Nakain ng isda!', which translates to "He's eating a fish!". However, to those unfamiliar with this kind of usage, the statement could easily be taken to mean "He was eaten by a fish!". However, a BatangueƱo can distinguish between the two seemingly identical forms.

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