Word Order
Tagalog has a basic verb-initial word order with the direct noun triggering the verb appearing last: verb - indirect - direct, referred to in Tagalog grammar as Tuwirang Anyo).
Kumantá ang batà.
"The child sang."
Iinumín nilá ang serbesa.
"They will drink the beer."
Magandá ang mga dalaga.
"The young women are beautiful."
Malakás ang ulán.
"The rain is strong."
A change in word order and trigger generally corresponds to a change in definiteness ("the" vs "a") in English:
-
b⟨in⟩asa ng tao ang aklat. ⟨(patient)⟩read (indirect) person (direct) book
- A person read the book / The book was read by a person.
-
b⟨um⟩asa ng aklat ang tao. ⟨(agent)⟩read (indirect) book (direct) person
- The person read a book.
Word order may be inverted (referred to in Tagalog grammar as Kabalikang Anyo) by way of the inversion marker ay ( 'y after vowels). Contrary to popular belief, this is not the copula to be. A slight, but optional, pause in speech or a comma in writing may replace the inversion marker. This construction is often viewed by native speakers as formal or literary.
Below are the sentences from above but in inverted form.
Ang batà ay kumantá.
Ang batà, kumantá.
Ang serbesa'y iinumín nilá.
Ang serbesa, iinumín nilá.
Ang mga dalaga'y magagandá.
Ang mga dalaga, magagandá.
Ang ulán ay malakás.
Ang ulán, malakás.
May pera ako.
Mayroón akóng pera.(unusual construction)
"I have money."
May libró sa loób ng bahay niyá.
Mayroóng libró sa loób ng bahay niyá.(unusual construction)
"There is a book inside his house.
There are two "existentials" that are conjugated: "Magkaroón" (to have): magkaroón, nagkaroón, nagkákaroón, magkákaroón. Magkákaroón na raw ng kuryente bukas./Magkákaroón na daw ng kuryente bukas. (It is said that there will already be electricity {power} tomorrow.) In some Tagalog dialects, a redundant form combines "mayroón" with the prefix "magka-" (infinitive "magkamayroón" or magkaméron"). The words magkaroón, nagkaroón, nagkákaroón, magkákaroón, and mayroón are derived from roón, the variation of doón, meaning "there."
"Magíng" (to become): magíng, nagíng, nagíging, magíging. Note that the stress is shifted from the ultimate to the penultimate in both the progressive and contemplative. Nagíng gabí ang araw nang pumutók ang Pinatubò dahil sa dami ng abó sa himpapawíd! (Day became night when Mt. Pinatubo erupted because of the quantity of ash in the air!)
Read more about this topic: Tagalog Grammar
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